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The Westfield News Serving Westfield, Southwick, and the surrounding Hilltowns
www.thewestfieldnews.com VOL. 86 NO. 98
“Most people have never learned that one of the main aims in life is to enjoy it.” — Samuel Butler
75 cents
TUESDAY, APRIL 25, 2017
One area of the balustrade project currently under construction, with protective fencing surrounding the area.
Bridge balustrade project moving along Lt. Rick Rindels of the Granville Police Department takes a photo with Granville residents Cate and Lilie Ripley during the Earth Day Clean Up. (Photo from Rick Rindels)
Communities join forces for Earth Day cleanup By GREG FITZPATRICK Correspondent GRANVILLE/TOLLAND – The towns of Granville and Tolland joined forces on Sunday for an Earth Day Clean Sweep Event. Residents met at the town green in Granville at Noon to be given their street assignment for helping pick up trash. Paula Sharon, who is a Tolland resident, created an event on Facebook for the clean-up and helped organize it with assistance from Granville residents Jess Ripley and Nicole Berndt. “It was nice to have the people that did come out, support us and help out,” said Ripley. According to Sharon, there were around 50 people combined from both communities that participated. People picked up trash up and down Route 57 and as well as Route 189 by the Gran-Val Scoop. “Everybody worked really hard, it was nice,” said Sharon. The police and fire departments were also involved. The Granville Police Department conducted traffic control and used their blue lights to help yield any fast-driving vehicles. Lt. Rick Rindels said that there were four Granville Police officers who attended the event in plain clothes and helped pick up trash with the residents. “We do a lot of community events,” said Rindels.” “We try to get involved as much as we can.” After the cleanup was finished, around 20 to 25 participants returned to the Granville Town Green at 4 p.m. and had a potluck picnic. The Gran-Val Scoop provided free ice cream to all who picked up trash. A local musician, Ozone Pete, played music. Being the first time that the Earth Day Clean Sweep has occurred, Sharon said that the plan is to continue this for next year and hopefully for years to come.
By DAN DESROCHERS Correspondent WESTFIELD–The city’s replacement of balustrades around two downtown parks is underway and is expected to be finished by midsummer, according to Westfield Mayor Brian Sullivan. The project is to replace the balustrades at the Women’s Temperance, Half Mile and Kane-Wojtkiewicz parks, located in the Great River Bridge portion of the city. The balustrades that were installed to protect from the edge of the parks were considered unsafe by the third-party engineering firm Habeeb and Associates. The removal of the balustrades is currently underway and is considered phase one of the project. “You may see some work out there but the demolition is mostly done,” David Billips, director of Westfield Department of Public Works, said. “They are designing a new system that will mimic the oth-
ers in the area.” Phase two will be a measurement and molding of the new balustrades, and is expected to have a lull in construction for “a couple of weeks” during that time, according to Sullivan. Phase three will be the final step, which will be installation, and according to Billips, will begin in June. The project was originally projected to cost the city about $300,000, with a majority of funding coming from previously existing money from the Bullens Field Restoration Project, which helped bring the Babe Ruth World Series to Westfield, and also helped to improve and modernize several portions of Bullens Field. The money left over from the Bullens project makes up about $275,000, which will go toward the balustrade repairs and should be able to at least cover its cost until the next fiscal year, if not altogether, Sullivan previously said to The Westfield
The new style of balustrades being put in that are currently around the Westfield River News in February of this year. If the city does need to cover additional costs prior to the next fiscal year, then they may have to draw from the city’s free cash account. This account has money that has not been declared yet for city projects, and is often used to fund projects and concerns not addressed in the city’s budget. The original balustrades were installed in 2012, as part of the Great River Bridge Project funded by the state, and it was suggested during an assessment by Habeeb and Associates last year that they should be replaced to improve safety in the area. Sullivan also previously said that the city will attempt to recoup the costs to replace the balustrades from the state, but in order to expedite the issue Westfield would initially pay for the replacement.
Westfield Planning Board votes on potential for Roots special permit revocation By DAN DESROCHERS Correspondent WESTFIELD—The city’s planning board voted on whether or not they will hold a hearing to address revoking Root’s Athletic Center’s special permit yesterday. The board voted four to two against holding a special permit revocation hearing based on Root’s outdoor light usage during a special The outdoor lighting is seen to be reflecting off another neigh- meeting at city hall yesterboring house at night. This picture was previously shown to day. This decision came in the planning board. (Photo previously submitted by Heidi Leonard)
spite of previous complaints to the board from neighbors about the lights at night, as well as two police reports that the city’s law department provided the planning board that referenced the light’s usage at night. According to a law department representative at the meeting, Roots was previously given a cease and desist notice from the city’s See Special Permit, Page 3
Blandford mini-town meeting uncovers conflicts By AMY PORTER Correspondent BLANDFORD – Blandford’s Finance Committee held a mini-town meeting on Monday to go over the budget and warrant recommendations in advance of the Annual Town Meeting scheduled for next Monday, May 1 at 7 p.m. in Town Hall. Committee chair Jeff Bacon, in presenting the budget to the approximately 40 residents in attendance, said the numbers were based on what the town realistically spent in FY16, keeping all department increases to 2.5%. The bottom line is a budget of $3,618,374 for FY18, compared to $3,539,974 in FY17. Of that amount, total education expenses are $1,642,022,
including the Gateway Regional assessment, vocational schools and vocational transportation. The educational portion of the budget generated no questions at the meeting, in part due to a reduction of nearly $80,000 in the Gateway assessment to the town based on student population. The budget did include $70,000 to the emergency stabilization account, an increase of $10,000 over last year; $30,000 in the reserve account, up $5,000, and $275,000 designated for building projects (highway, fire, library), up from a recommendation of $100,000 last year. Finance Committee member Eric McVey said the goal is to put aside money for building projects in stabiliza-
tion, to give the selectmen the ability to decide which projects to fund. Adam Dolby, chair of the Board of Selectmen, said that the town has a lot of capital needs, particularly with the highway department’s salt shed, which has no bathroom for workers, and the fire department’s garage, which is too small for new engines. He said the plan would be to assemble a group comprised of members of those departments to see which course to take. “I don’t think you fix both problems with $300,000, but it makes it so you don’t have to borrow so much,” Dolby said. Of the 20 warrant articles to go to the See Blandford, Page 3
(L-R) Blandford Finance Committee members Martin Lynch, Eric McVey, town administrator Angeline Ellison, chair Jeff Bacon and Andrew Quinn. (Photo by Amy Porter)