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The Westfield News Serving Westfield, Southwick, and the surrounding Hilltowns
www.thewestfieldnews.com THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 13, 2014
VOL. 83 NO. 266
Voc-Tech recognized for job training By Peter Francis Staff Writer WESTFIELD – A recent report published by the Pioneer Institute has concluded that Massachusetts manufacturers and small businesses are offsetting an acute skilled labor shortage by collaborating with the Commonwealth’s vocational-technical high schools and investing in their programs to proSTEFAN duce trained graduCZAPOROWSKI ates. The 20-page report, entitled “Filling the Skills Gap: Massachusetts VocationalTechnical Schools and Business Partnerships”, features case studies of four vocational-technical high schools, including Westfield Vocational-Technical High School. The report, written by Blackstone Valley Technical High School administrator Alison L. Fraser and former Providence Journal writer William Donovan, illustrates how companies are creating opportunities for See Voc-Tech, Page 3
Reserve officers appointed By Carl E. Hartdegen Staff Writer WESTFIELD – The city’s police force was augmented Monday evening when the Police Commission appointed seven new officers to the reserve force. The reserve officers provide a pool of candidates for full-time police positions while they both continue their structured training and learn about the job by doing it. As reserve officers, the new officers get to experience the job before they commit to it as a career and their reserve service also allows the department to see how they measure up before they are offered full-time jobs as police officers. In October, 15 candidates – Jonathan Cabrera, Joseph Cabana, Justin Duplaise, Anthony Martone, Fabricio Ochoa, Joshua Krassler, Matthew Pacinella, David See Reserve, Page 3
The 104th Fighter Wing to conduct night flights WESTFIELD — The 104th Fighter Wing at Barnes Air National Guard Base will be conducting evening training flights as part of standard homeland defense exercises at the beginning next week. According to Senior Master Sgt. Robert Sabonis, public affairs Manager for the 104th Fighter Wing, there will be night flying sessions going on from Monday through Thursday, November 17-20.
“If we like a man’s dream, we call him a reformer; if we don’t like his dream, we call him a crank.” — William Dean Howells 75 cents
State certifies $6.2M in free cash
An aerial view of the Columbia Greenway at the Tin Bridge. (File photo Frederick Gore)
Pedestrian, cycling issues to be discussed tonight By Dan Moriarty Staff Writer WESTFIELD – City residents will have the opportunity to shape the future of the city’s plan to address a broad range of issues related to increasing bicycle and pedestrian access and safety in the city tonight at an informational session to be held following a formal public hearing on the north phase of the Columbia Greenway construction. That information hearing will be held after the formal public hearing slated by the state Department of Transportation on the rehabilitation of the railroad bridge over the Westfield River. The DOT will conduct a public hearing on the Columbia Greenway North rail trail and bridge project to provide the public with the opportunity to become fully acquainted with the proposed Columbia Greenway – North project, which spans from Cowles Court across the Westfield River to the area of Women’s Temperance Park on the north bank. The DOT hearing is slated for 6:30 p.m. and will be held in the City Council Chambers of City Hall at 59 Court Street. The total project length is approximately 853 ft. or .16 miles. Elements of the project include installing a new cement concrete bridge deck measuring 10 feet in width and rehabilitating the bridge abutments and center pier. The Bicycle and Pedestrian Planning
Advisory Committee will then conduct an informational hearing on the proposed construction of the Columbia Greenway from East Silver Street to Main Street. That informational session will begin after the DOT hearing concludes. The city has been awarded a $2 million grant from the Executive Office of Environmental Affairs to extend the Columbia Greenway to the area of Main Street. The scope of work includes installation of a new bridge over East Silver Street and an underpass linking the Hedges Avenue/St. Dennis Street neighborhood with the Taylor Avenue/ Ashley Street neighborhood. “After the DOT has closed its hearing, we will open an information hearing to talk about what’s left for the Columbia Greenway construction, The Westfield River Levee multi-use trail and the Planning Board’s master plan for pedestrian and bicyclist accommodations citywide,” City Engineer Mark Cressotti said recently. The advisory committee is also seeking to both provide information and receive input from a broad spectrum of local residents to help with creating a plan intended to improve mobility options and increase bicyclist and pedestrian safety across the city. Residents will have the opportunity to identify strategic goals and define a vision to See Public Hearing, Page 3
By Dan Moriarty Staff Writer WESTFIELD – Mayor Daniel M. Knapik said yesterday that the state Department of Revenue has certified that the city has $6.2 million available in its free cash account and that he plans to meet with City Council President Brent B. Bean II to discuss future funding priorities and strategies. Knapik said that the city also has $6.5 million in its stabilization account. Free cash is comprised of funds remaining in the previous MAYOR year’s budget. The DOR DANIEL M. certification process KNAPIK ensures those remaining funds were not encumbered for debt or services. The state DOR reviews the city’s ledgers and certifies that there are no obligations for that money from the previous fiscal year. Free cash is typically used for non-recurring items, such as capital purchases, infrastructure improvements and special projects. Knapik said the much of the free cash funding is revenue received above projections used to set the 2014 fiscal year budget. Knapik said that he uses conservative ”historical averages” of revenue when crafting a budget, but that last year actual revenue far exceeded those projections. “Excise tax revenue jumped to $4.2 million, far above our projections,” Knapik said. “I used a new growth projection of $800,000 based on the historical average over the past five years and it came in at over $1 million.” “The (City) Council accused me of underfunding the budget last year, but the revenue collected far exceeded my estimates,” Knapik said. Knapik said that City Auditor Deborah Strycharz is currently assessing the current 2015 fiscal year budget to “make sure that revenue is matching expenditures,” Knapik said. Knapik said that he is still working on how that free cash will be used to support current and future capital projects. One area of concern, Knapik said, is the city’s health insurance account. The City Council cut $2.4 million from that account last June when approving the 2015 fiscal year budget. “That amounts to three months where the city and city employees with not pay contributions to that account,” Knapik said. “I don’t know how much we will have to raise (in June at the end of the fiscal year) if I don‘t replenish the trust fund and make a correction.” See Free Cash, Page 3
Valley Gives tops 400 participating nonprofits By Hope E. Tremblay Staff Writer More than 400 area nonprofit organizations are participating in this year’s Valley Gives day of giving and there’s still time to be included in this online charitable giving event. Valley Gives is organized and hosted by the Community Foundation of Western Massachusetts. Joining this effort as partners are eight of the leading funding organizations in western Massachusetts, including: Jewish Federation of Western Massachusetts; Jewish Endowment Foundation; Women’s Fund of Western Massachusetts; United Way of Hampshire County; United Way of Franklin County; United Way of Pioneer Valley; Irene E. & George A. Davis Foundation; and The Beveridge Family Foundation. Valley Gives is the 24 hour e-philanthropy event scheduled for Dec. 10, 2014 to encourage residents in Hampden, Hampshire and Franklin counties to log on and contribute to their favorite local nonprofit organizations through www.valleygivesday.org — a centralized web-enabled and mobile giving platform.
Nonprofits have until this Friday, Nov. 14, to be included in the event. The Gateway Education Foundation (GEF), which serves the Gateway Regional School District and provides funds for the literacy program, school garden, and more, has benefitted from Valley Gives Day since its inception, which coincided with the formation of the foundation. “It really helped launch our foundation,” said the GEF’s Wendy Long. “Valley Gives Day made it really simple for people to donate.” Last year, the GEF raised $12,000 from donors, more than half of which came from Valley Gives Day. This year, the GEF set an overall donation goal of $15,000 and Long said she hopes much of it will come on Dec. 10. She said in addition to an easy platform for donations. Valley Gives Day and the Community Foundation of Western Massachusetts gave the GEF tools. “They gave us training on how to market ourselves better,” said Long. Kristin Leutz, vice president of philanthropic services for the Community See Valley Gives, Page 3