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The Westfield News Serving Westfield, Southwick, and the surrounding Hilltowns
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“In individuals, insanity is rare; but in groups, parties, nations and epochs, it is the rule.” — Friedrich Nietzsche
TUESDAY, DECEMBER 9, 2014
VOL. 83 NO. 286
75 cents
Special tax meeting on hold Brent B. Bean II City Council President
By Dan Moriarty Staff Writer WESTFIELD – City Council President Brent B. Bean II said he does not plan to call for a special meeting Thursday to enable the council to set a residential shift needed to calculate the 2015 fiscal year property taxes. The City Council voted last week to
continue the public hearing on the residential shift with the expectation that it would meet in a special session this Thursday to take that vote. The council sent the tax-related motions to its Finance Committee. Finance Chairman Christopher Keefe said that he would not bring those motions to the floor for a vote until he
was provided additional information by Mayor Daniel M. Knapik. Bean said this morning that there “is no real reason to conduct a special meeting because neither side is budging’ and that “the majority of the council feels the same way as Chris (Keefe).” “At this point the Finance Committee
See Inspections, Page 3
Police warn of icy roads as winter storm begins BOSTON (AP) — Massachusetts police reported numerous accidents caused by icy roads as a winter storm moved into the state. The storm began as a mix of snow and freezing rain in much of the state, although the precipitation is expected to change over to mostly rain — heavy at times — as temperatures rise today. State police spokesman David Procopio said troopers responded to numerous crashes and spinouts caused by icy roads, some involving their own cruisers. Drivers were urged to reduce speeds and leave extra time. Westfield canceled school for the day and other communities delayed the start of classes.
See Special Tax Meeting, Page 8
Free health clinic closing
Liquor licenses contingent upon building inspections By Dan Moriarty Staff Writer WESTFIELD – The License Commission voted last night to allow two licensed premises to expand and to grant a new license to 99 Restaurants of Boston, LLC, but all three licenses are contingent upon an inspection by Building Superintendent Jon Flagg to determine occupancy capacity. The approvals are also contingent upon submission of a modified seating plan. Lori Lucia, owner of Shenanigan’s, said that she is seeking to open the second floor area, which is already equipped with a small bar area for private events, such as birthdays, anniversaries, and to accommodate the 10 pool teams playing there, as well as dart teams. Lucia plans to move a coin-operated pool table, one of two now on the first floor, to the second floor which has two ways of egress and is equipped with fire sprinklers. Use of the second floor requires the building inspector to issue a certificate of inspection and to set occupancy limits based upon the structure of the building. The commission voted to amend a condition of Lucia’s all-alcoholic license and allow her to modify the seating plan described in that condition. Lucia will be required to submit a new seating plan. Julie and Nabil Hannoush, who are converting the former Balise dealership into a retail complex that will include the Shortstop Bar & Grill, set to open on December 15, have requested an alteration of their license to include a banquet facility in the former automobile showroom and service building. Nabil Hannoush presented the commission with details of his request to increase the footprint of a restaurant he plans to open at 99 Springfield Street later this month. Hannoush said he plans to open the Shortstop Bar and Grill LLC, but now is seeking to extend the liquor license
chairman is holding those motions (in committee) until he feels the levy issue is resolved,” Bean said. “The finance chairman believes that we have enough (money) in the reserve accounts to be able to do less than the 1.25 (property tax) increase requested by the mayor.”
Black plastic sheeting covers a second floor window which was smashed out when an intruder broke into a Chapel Street house Saturday morning. (Photo by Carl E. Hartdegen)
Intruder enters Westfield home By Carl E. Hartdegen Staff Writer WESTFIELD – A city woman barricaded herself in her bedroom Saturday morning after she heard noises of somebody moving inside her Chapel Street apartment. City police report the resident’s son called at 7:16 a.m. to report that his mother had sent him a text message to tell him that somebody was inside her home. An emergency dispatcher was able to call the resident who said that she had Robert been in the bathroom when he heard Hatcher banging and sounds of glass breaking so she took refuge in her bedroom. The woman said that the male party was in her pantry. Officer Francis Gaulin reports that the responding officers found a man party hiding in a spare bedroom and took him into custody. There were no signs of forcible entry to the woman’s first floor apartment but the officers eventually found that a second floor bathroom window, which faces a porch accessible from the first floor, had been smashed out. Entry was gained to the first floor apartment via an unlocked door. The intruder was identified as Robert Hatcher, 49, of 165 Elm Street. Gaulin reports that he was unknown to both the first and second floor residents. Hatcher was found to be the subject of warrants issued in Connecticut. He was arrested on two charges of breaking and entering a building in the daytime with intent to commit a felony and on the Connecticut warrants. Court officials said that he also has a pending warrant issued by Chicopee District Court. Hatcher was arraigned Monday in Westfield District Court before Judge Philip A. Contant and was held in lieu of $10,000 cash bail pending a Dec. 12 hearing.
By Peter Francis Staff Writer WESTFIELD – After five years of providing area residents with free medical care for the last few years, the Greater Westfield Free Health Service clinic will be providing it’s final session on December 17. Located on 16 Arnold Street, the clinic will be open from 5:30 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. Dr. Francis Horrigan has been working at the free clinic since it started and estimated that the clinic has seen between 300 and 400 patients during that time span. “We run two sessions a month, from 5:30 to 8:00 p.m.,” said Horrigan. “When we first started, we’d see six to 10 patients a session and over the past year, year and a half, it’s been only two patients a session.” Horrigan said that running the clinic required a staff of one doctor and two to three nurses, along with front office staff. In other words, the clinic’s drop in patronage no longer validated the clinic’s services. “The clinic was designed primarily for interim care, to take care of an acute problem while somebody is getting hooked up with a practice,” said Horrigan. “Some people will come in for a one time injury, although we’ve had some people come in for See Clinic Closing, Page 3
Noble Hospital offers cutting-edge procedure By Peter Francis Staff Writer WESTFIELD – Small community hospitals in western Massachusetts aren’t usually where you go to undergo a procedure only a handful of other American institutions are performing. But that’s not the case for Westfield’s Noble Hospital, where Dr. Ira Schmelkin, the head of the hospital’s gastroenterology department, has begun utilizing a technological breakthrough known as the PillCam Colon, a small capsule equipped with cameras, to perform more complete colonoscopies and to diagnose other digestive issues. PillCam Colon is an easy-to-swallow capsule that does not require sedation or radiation, allowing a patient to go about their daily routine throughout the procedure. The disposable capsule moves naturally through your digestive system, capturing and wirelessly transmitting images of the colon to a recorder worn around the patient’s waist. The capsule is passed with a bowel movement and does not need to be retrieved to collect the images from the exam. Noble is one of ten hospitals across the country utilizing this technology, along with most notably Philadelphia’s Thomas See PillCam, Page 3
WSU chefs step up services for students with food allergies By Hope E. Tremblay Staff Writer WESTFIELD – Westfield State University (WSU) strives to accommodate its students in all aspects of campus life, but for one family, the food services department run by Sodexo went above and beyond. When Corinne Fahey’s daughter, now a senior at WSU, fell ill two years ago, doctors couldn’t figure out why. It turned out that she was suffering fron food allergies that sent her to the emergency room and nearly killed her. Fahey said Sodexo sprang into action to help. “One chef – Mark Guerette – really took the issue to heart and worked with my daughter to find recipes and meals she liked and
made her feel like she was just like every other student when it came to the dining hall,” Fahey said. “My daughter just wanted to be like everyone else and not have to stand out because of her allergies and Chef Mark really helped.” When Guerette passed away suddenly last month, Fahey was sad that the man who helped keep her daughter alive was gone. She said she credits him and the entire staff at Sodexo for creating a safe place to dine for her daughter and other students with allergies. Sodexo General Manager Craig Goodridge has been in higher education food service for 35 years and said everyone is more aware of allergens and special diets today. Since Fahey’s daughter’s situa-
tion was brought to light, Sodexo has changed the way it handles food allergies. “The program we used to have was that we prepared individual meals based on needs, but that got rather complicated,” said Goodridge. “So, Sodexo came up with Simple Servings, with recipes for allergens.” Recipes are chosen that do not include allergens, which commonly include wheat, gluten, nuts and other ingredients. The Simple Servings food line is separate from the rest of the service lines and special precautions are taken. “One of the concerns with allergens is not just the allergens themselves but cross-contamination,” said Goodridge. “So we have a spe-
cial section to prep the Simple Servings meals. We secure the spices and have color coded labels on utensils and cutting boards, and everything is sanitized.” Goodridge said Simple Servings started about two years ago and Guerette played a crucial role in its success. “Mark took the lead role in that,” Goodridge said. “And we all went through special training.” The Simple Servings staff are certified in handling food allergens through the state and everyone takes it seriously. Fahey and Goodridge both said even students without allergies enjoy the Simple Servings line for See WSU Chefs, Page 8
John Elburn, an employee for the Sodexo Corporation which serves the dining commons at Westfield State University, prepares vegetables at a special allergen and gluten free food service area of the kitchen. (Photo by Frederick Gore)
Noble Medical Group and The Noble Health Network | NobleHealthNetwork.com
Expanding to Meet the Needs of Our Community
Noble Primary Care
Arthur King, MD
Elizaveta House, NP
Ira Nathanson, MD
Gary Jacobson, DO
Ramachandran Kuppuswamy, MD
Laura Gioiella, MD
Noble Medical Group is pleased to welcome nine new Physicians and Practitioners, formerly of Hampden County Physician Associates.
Viktoria Madden, PA-C
Serving patients from the following location:
Serving patients from the following location:
800 College Hwy. Southwick, MA (413) 569-2257
57 Union Street, Westfield, MA (413) 572-6050 Michelle Barnett, MD Roger Beneitone, MD