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The Westfield News Serving Westfield, Southwick, and the surrounding Hilltowns
in your breast that little spark of celestial fire, called conscience.” — GEORGE WASHINGTON
www.thewestfieldnews.com VOL. 85 NO. 267
“Labor to keep alive
75 cents
THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 3, 2016
Noble Hospital receives top safety honors By DAN DESROCHERS Correspondent WESTFIELD – Baystate Noble Hospital, along with 30 other hospitals in Massachusetts, was recently awarded the highest safety grade possible from the Leapfrog Hospital Safety Grade Program. The program, which rated over 2,600 hospitals nationwide, grades hospitals with intensive care units on 30 measures, then provides a letter score of A through F to determine their safety levels for patients and healthcare providers. This year, Noble Hospital received the “A” rating, which is the highest rating possible. “I think it’s also important to the people of
Westfield that they know they can come to their local hospital and get top notch care,” Dr. Tom Higgins, chief medical officer of Noble Hospital, said. “And I think that’s important in light of events a couple years ago regarding the colonoscopy issue.” The colonoscopy issue was related to improperly sterilized equipment that were used in colonoscopies between 2012 and 2013. Earlier this year, 25 people sued the hospital for risk of infection related to the improperly sterilized equipment. Higgins said that the “A” score from Leapfrog acknowledges the hospital’s and staff’s work to improve safety and conditions, while focusing on
principles. “It recognizes the hard work the employees and physicians have put into the four compass points of medical care, safety, quality, medical experience and value, and the Leapfrog score recognizes those four things,” he said. Among the 30 different areas of safety measures, Leapfrog takes into account physicians’ use of computerized charting and ordering, hand sanitization and cleanliness, intensive care unit (ICU) physician staffing and culture and teamwork within the hospital.
See Fire Dept. Page 3
DR. THOMAS HIGGINS
Residents discuss lighting for two city ball fields
Huntington Fire Dept. to hold bonfire Nov. 12 By AMY PORTER Correspondent HUNTINGTON – Caption John McVeigh and the Huntington Fire Association are hoping to bring fireworks back to the town next summer after a ten-year hiatus. The association is looking to raise $25,000 for the fireworks and has many events planned. The first will be a bonfire on Pettis Field on November 12, from 7 to 10 p.m. “Everybody does things for the fire department. This will be one of the ways to give back to the community, and get community spirit back again,” McVeigh said. The bonfire, which will be free and open to the general public, will raise money by raffling off prizes that have been provided by local merchants and artisans. Some of the prizes already donated include 2 cords of wood and a ton of heating pellets, rounds of golf at several area courses, a pass to the Blandford Ski Area, and wooden bowls and a painting by local artisans. There will also be music broadcast on giant speakers, and local vendors selling food. Prizes and other information about the bonfire can be followed on the association’s FaceBook page at Huntington Fire Association MA. “I’m happy with the people that have come out and donated so much stuff,” McVeigh said. Parking for the bonfire will be at the Huntington Library. The fire itself will be contained to a 20 foot height, burning
See Honors, Page 3
Part of College Hwy is in the business restricted zone which includes several businesses in town. (Photo by Greg Fitzpatrick)
Planning Board continuing a draft for the business restricted zone By GREG FITZPATRICK Correspondent SOUTHWICK – The Planning Board continued to discuss the town’s business restricted zone during their meeting on Tuesday night. A draft has been in progress between the Planning Board and the Town Attorney in regards to changing the bylaws of the business restricted zone. The zone in Southwick starts just south of the Southwick Town Hall and runs north along College Highway just past the intersection with Tannery Road right near Westfield River Brewing Co. Town Planner, Alan Slessler, noted that several businesses inside that corridor have their business on the first floor and want to either live on the second floor or rent it out. “The main focus is to allow mixed use,” said Slessler. According to Slessler, a number of colonial
houses in that zone fit that model as well as other small business owners that have parcels and would want to occupy the second floor that wouldn’t be used for their business. “We’ve taken and tried to address that,” said Slessler. “Business is the primary concern, but now a residential use is incorporated with that.” Going back to years ago, Slessler looked back on the blueprint of a typical New England community. He is hoping that the revised draft and changing of the bylaws can help bring that blueprint back. “We’re trying to protect that feeling and that theme in the business restricted zone,” said Slessler. The Planning Board decided to hold the draft until their next scheduled meeting which is on Nov. 15. The hope is to then have the draft go to the special town meeting which has been officially set for Dec. 6 at the Southwick Town Hall.
By DAN DESROCHERS Correspondent WESTFIELD–Residents seemed to come together in support of lights for two ball fields in the city yesterday. The Westfield Parks and Recreation Department held a public hearing to discuss a proposal of two sets of lights, one set at the Paper Mill school ball field and another at the Sadie Knox ball field. Those who attended generally appeared to support the lights projects, but there were some concerns about noise, light pollution and frequency and time of use of lights. “Westfield has a long and proud history in baseball and softball,” Ken Diegel, president of Westfield Little League, said at the meeting. “With ever-increasing levels of competition, Westfield Little League is asking to install lights at Paper Mill and Sadie Knox playgrounds.” Diegel cited other nearby towns, including Agawam and West Springfield, who have lighted ball fields for their child-athletes. He said that this gives those players an advantage, however small, over the Westfield childathletes who currently have no lighted fields to play or practice on. “We aren’t going to have nights just to have them, this is for the kids,” Mike Kazinski, president of Westfield Little League softball, said. Kazinski also schedules the softball games for Westfield. “This gives more kids opportunities with good kids and great coaches,” he said. In addition to Diegel and Kazinski, three young girls who all played softball, also spoke to the board and the audience on hard. They pleaded to them, saying that the lights would provide them with more opportunities to play and even prevent injury when attempting to catch a line drive in the dark. See Lights, Page 8
Westfield Regional Animal Shelter helps injured bobcat
The bobcat was found lying upright on Brickyard Rd. in Southampton. (Photo courtesy of the Southwick Police Department’s Facebook Page.)
By GREG FITZPATRICK Correspondent SOUTHAMPTON- A bobcat was reported at about 6:10 a.m. on Wednesday morning to be injured on Brickyard Road. According to Southampton Police Lieutenant Ian Illingsworth, patrol officers working the midnight until 8 a.m. shift, arrived to the scene. “Our officers responded and notified the Westfield Animal Control,” said Lieutenant Illingsworth. The Westfield Regional Animal Control arrived between 6:30 a.m. and 6:45 a.m. and checked on
the bobcat for injuries. Westfield Regional Animal Control Assistant Manager, Margaret Terkelsen, said that the bobcat had a significant head wound and was bleeding a little from its head. “I was pretty easily able to get him in a carrier for transport,” said Terkelsen. Terkelsen and the animal control volunteers got the wild feline back to their animal shelter before a volunteer then transported the bobcat to a wildlife rehab facility in the Berkshires. As the rehab facility reported to Terkelsen that the bobcat wasn’t very responsive when they first checked on him, they were able to warm the animal
up and get his temperature back up towards the normal. “That’s a good sign,” said Terkelsen. “As long as they can stabilize him, it’ll go to a rehabber,” said Terkelsen. The Westfield Regional Animal Control also noted that the hope is to have the bobcat recover at a rehab in an effort to be released back into the wild in the future. As the Westfield Regional Animal Control will be hearing back from the wildlife rehab facility in the Berkshires shortly, more updates will follow from the Westfield News.