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The Westfield News Serving Westfield, Southwick, and the surrounding Hilltowns
“Do not weep; do not wax indignant. Understand.” — BARUCH SPINOZA
www.thewestfieldnews.com VOL. 84 NO. 237
THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 24, 2015
75 cents
Ponders Hollow petition drive falls short
Technical Academy gets $60k in donations from local businesses
By DAN MORIARTY Staff Writer WESTFIELD – The organizers of a referendum to allow city residents to overturn the City Council vote to transfer land on Ponders Hollow Road from the Fire Commission to the Park & Recreation Commission failed to turn in the petition within the 20-day period. The land transfer is directly linked to the construction of a 96,000-square-foot, 600-strudent elementary school at the intersection of Ashley and Cross Streets because of a National Park Service requirement to replace land at the Cross Street Playground which is being incorporated into the school project The petition organizer, Thomas Smith whose mother live on Cross Street directly across from the proposed school site, said that his group just ran out of time and perhaps should have started collecting signatures before the City Council’s second and final reading of the land transfer at its Sept. 3, 2015 meeting. “I’m still receiving signatures sheets, so I don’t know the final count, but I’m confident that we don’t have enough,” Smith said this morning. The petition referendum under Article 49 of the City Charter requires that the petition proponents submit signatures from 12 percent of the city’s 24,000 registered voters. The petition documents would have had to have about 2,800 signatures and the papers had to be submitted by 5 p.m. Wednesday. “We had a tremendous response, we had 40 to 45 petition papers out there and about 90 percent of the people we approached chose to sign the petition, we had support all over the city,” Smith said. “It was nice to hear a wide range of people supporting us. “We just didn’t have enough people out collecting signatures and we should probably started collecting signatures on July 3, but our lawyer, who has experience with petition drives urged us to wait for the final council vote, so we took the side of caution,” Smith said. “It was a decision made with a lack of experience. Mayor Daniel M. Knapik sent a motion to approve the land transfer to the City Council at the July 2 session, and that order to transfer the “care, custody, management and control of certain parcels of land” was referred to the council’s Legislative & Ordinance Committee. The City Council, at its Sept. 3 meeting, voted 9-4 to approve the transfer. Nine affirmative votes were needed to gain approval. The vote had been delayed from the August session to clarify a legal question raised by Smith. Smith said that the City Council needed a recommendation from the Planning Board pertaining to the Park &
establish a clear claim to ownership of the property before it can declare the property, located on Montgomery Road, surplus, a step needed to transfer it to the Historical Commission. “We have no purpose for it,” Rix said. “It would cost hundreds of thousands of dollars to bring it up to code, but it does
By AMY PORTER Correspondent WESTFIELD – At Monday’s meeting, the School Committee voted to accept gifts valued at over $60,000 to the Westfield Technical Academy. Among the gifts were various test sets for the Aviation Department donated by Gulfstream Aerospace in Westfield, valued at over $35,000. Cigna Corporation of Windsor Locks, CT also donated a tail stand and compressor to the Aviation Department, valued at $3,500. Industrial Precision in Westfield donated various sized stock metal to the Manufacturing Department, valued at $15,000. Two cars were donated by private citizens to the Auto Technology Department and the Auto Collision Department, valued at $500 each. Also receiving donations at WTA were the Electric Wiring Department, the GSA Club and the “You Lead” Club.
See Schoolhouse, Page 3
See Donations, Page 3
See Ponders Hollow, Page 3
The City Council unanimously approved an appropriation of $25,000 to “button up” the exterior of the city’s last one-room school house located off Montgomery Road in the Wyben neighborhood (WNG file photo)
Wyben Schoolhouse transfer proposed By DAN MORIARTY Staff Writer WESTFIELD – The School Committee and Law Department are researching the property title of the Wyben Schoolhouse in preparation of transferring ownership of the single-room school, built in 1861, to the city’s Historical Commission. The Historical Commission initiated the restoration of the
historic building several years ago and found that the property was still in the custody and control of the School Department although it has not been used as a school since the 1939. School Finance and Maintenance Director, Ron Rix, said Tuesday that because there is no deed for the property on record the School Committee is performing a title search to
Motion to dismiss filed in Regan case on Cape WESTFIELD – The man charged with drunk driving that resulted in the death of a beloved Westfield firefighter could have his case dismissed. Paul Dennehy is charged with striking Kevin Regan, 62, and his fiancée, Lynda Cavanaugh, 62, as they crossed Route 28 in West Yarmouth on Dec. 27. Regan was killed. Cavanaugh was
seriously injured and airlifted to a Boston hospital for treatment. According to the Westfield Fire Department Facebook page, there is an update on the case of the Commonwealth V. Paul Dennehey concerning the accident resulting in the death of pedestrian Firefighter Kevin Regan. The family has been informed that the booking tape is
missing and the case is scheduled for Motion to Dismiss on October 9, 2015 in the Barnstable District Court. The page advises anyone interested is showing support for the case to be heard to “please be in the courthouse on Friday, October 9th. We will post the time as soon as that becomes available. Please Share.”
KEVIN REGAN
STGRHS adds two winter sports By HOPE E. TREMBLAY Staff Writer SOUTHWICK – SouthwickTolland-Granville Regional students in grades 7-12 will have two new sports options this winter on a one-year trial basis. The Regional School Committee this week approved adding skiing and indoor track to its athletic programs. Joseph Turmel, 7-12 principal, said last year, nearly 100 more students participated in high school level sports at STGRHS than in the past five years. “Some of this is because the seventh and eighth grade students can participate,” Turmel said, noting that eight middle school students were on the cross-country team and 10 joined the field hock-
ey team. A sign-up sheet was distributed to students ahead of school committee approval and Turmel said 18 students (12 boys and six girls) signed up for ski team and 18 boys and 28 girls signed up for indoor track. The ski team would participate in the PVIAC league and practice at Blanford. Turmel said the school would not provide transportation to and from practices and each team member would need a pass to the mountain to practice at a cost of $99 each, which the school would cover. Parent Andy Drohen said his family skis at Blanford and he has spoken with other parents who are
(File Photo by Chris Putz)
See Winter Sports, Page 3
MGM redesigns Springfield casino without hotel tower SPRINGFIELD (AP) — MGM revealed new designs for its $800 million resort casino complex in downtown Springfield on Tuesday, eliminating a 25-story glass hotel tower and 54 apartment units. The redesigned plans, which were submitted to the city, move the hotel from the middle of the 14.5 acre complex to Main Street, where the apartments were located. The company says the six-story hotel will still offer 250 rooms and also include retail spaces on the ground level. The housing units will be located somewhere outside the complex. The redesign also shows changes to a plaza area, which will still feature a pub, bowling alley and movie theater, but in different locations. MGM Springfield President Michael Mathis, in a letter to the city, said the plans won’t reduce the expected $800 million project cost. He suggested the new design will spur new economic development downtown by encouraging more tourist and visitor traffic on Main Street. “These proposed changes leave our original design largely untouched,” he said. Springfield Mayor Domenic Sarno, in a statement, said the redesign offers “increased walkability” and a better architectural fit for the city’s historic downtown.
Westfield's Morgan Sanders leads the pack in the 55 meter hurdles Friday night at Smith College in Northampton.
ATTENTION TEACHERS !
Keep Your Week Going...
EvEry WEdnEsday in sEptEmbEr comE in and gEt a Constructions workers gather on the site to watch a ground breaki ng ceremony for an $800 million MGM casino resort on Tuesday, March 24, in Springfield. (AP Photo/Stephan Savoia) The plans will be submitted for approval to the City Council and the Massachusetts Gaming Commission, which is meeting Thursday in Springfield. The redesign is the latest twist for the development, which is hoping to become the state’s first resort casino. The project — billed as the largest private development in See Tower, Page 3
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