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The Westfield News Serving Westfield, Southwick, and the surrounding Hilltowns
www.thewestfieldnews.com
VOL. 83 NO.135
TUESDAY, JUNE 10, 2014
Maxwell Zadworny and Family - parents Lisa and Ed, sisters, brother, and Grandparents at the White Oak School Graduation last night. See additional photos Page 3. (Photo by Don Wielgus)
White Oak School Graduation
Maxwell Zadworny, Kate Chamberlain at the White Oak School Graduation last night. (Photo by Don Wielgus)
Veteran prosecutor to serve as Hampden DA BOSTON (AP) — Gov. Deval Patrick has named veteran prosecutor James Orenstein to serve as Hampden County District Attorney through the rest of the year. Orenstein will take over for Mark Mastroianni, who stepped down as district attorney after his nomination to be a federal judge was confirmed. Mastroianni was sworn in Monday. He succeeds senior Judge Michael Ponsor, who is semi-retired. Orenstein has worked in the Hampden DA’s office for nearly 25 years. He’s currently involved in special projects including pre-trial review of homicide cases, and cold case homicides. Patrick said in a statement on Monday that Orenstein will maintain stability in the office until voters select a new district attorney in November. Four candidates are running for the post. Mastroianni said Orenstein’s work as a prosecutor has made Hampden County, which includes the city of Springfield, “stronger and safer.”
Truck recovered, gun still missing By Carl E. Hartdegen Staff Writer WESTFIELD – A city man whose pickup truck was stolen has been charged with improper storage of a firearm after his truck, which had been parked with the keys in the center console, and the handgun stored in it, were stolen from his Montgomery Road home early Saturday morning. The owner, Connor R. Hawkins, of 119 Montgomery Road, reported to police at 1:55 a.m. Saturday that he heard the distinctive sound of his diesel pickup truck starting up in the parking lot of his apartment complex but was not immediately concerned because he thought a friend was playing a prank on him. The man called his friend who protested his innocence and the victim then called police as he left his apartment to give chase in his girlfriend’s car. He said he scoured the neighborhood without finding his truck and picked up a friend at his Russellville Road home before continuing the
make anything foolproof because fools are so ingenious.”
— Corollary to “Murphy’s Law.”
75 cents
City Council budget review initiated
Setback variance approved By Hope E. Tremblay Staff Writer SOUTHWICK – The Board of appeals unanimously approved a variance for residents at the corner of Berkshire Avenue and Pine Road last night. Valerie and Sal Robustelli, of 2 Pine Road, requested a hearing for a front setback variance of 47 feet in order to make way for an expanded front entrance to their ranch style home. The Robustellis said their front entrance currently has a four-by-five-foot landing and four-foot stairs that is inadequate. “We don’t even use it,” said Sal Robustelli. “People come in through the garage.” Robustelli said he and his wife are concerned that someone could get hurt trying to open the storm door on the narrow landing. Members of the board agreed it seemed like a problem. “I think it meets the hardship requirement,” said board member David Methe. “Yes, it’s a safety concern,” agreed board member Thomas Stapleton. The couple submitted drawings made by Sal Robustelli, an engineer, that show an expanded decking that doubles the size of the entryway landing. “We also plan to have a portico to cover the door with two columns,” said Valerie Robustelli. There was some discussion of the frontage, as well as distance from the sides of the corner lot property to the neighbors on both Pine Road and Berkshire Avenue. The board agreed there was enough space for the expansion. “We are actually set back pretty far,” said Valerie Robustelli. “I’m good with this,” said Stapleton. “I applaud you for coming forward and following the rules – a lot of people don’t.” Sal Robustelli said he is “handy” and could do most, or all, of the work himself and he wanted to make sure he received the proper permits and approval. Stapleton, Methe and Chairman Paul A. Grégoire approved the variance after hearing from the couple. No one else attended the hearing but the Robustellis said their neighbors all received notification and many expressed their approval.
“It is impossible to
search. Hawkins’ friend reported to police at 2:08 a.m. that they found the truck parked near Sadie Knox Playground. Hawkins later told police that the operator of the stolen truck put it in reverse and rammed into the car he was using. He said that his friend then got out of the car and ran up to the truck in an effort to stop the suspect but the thief drove off, with the victim’s friend hanging on to the truck for a short distance. Hawkins said that he followed in the damaged car while his friend ran after the truck which reached a speed estimated to be about 40 mph before it stopped again. Witnesses told police that the truck then accelerated backward, reaching a speed of about 30 mph, and stuck the car again, causing the air bags to deploy and riding up on top of the car. Hawkins said, fearful of what could happen next, he exited the car as his truck drove away, dragging the car, and turned on to Atwater
Street where the pursuers lost sight of it. When officers found the truck the suspect had fled. They searched the area for the suspect but, although a State Police K-9 team responded to try and track the suspect, he was not found. The gun which Hawkins said had been in the truck was not found either. Hawkins told Officer Matthew Schultze that he grew up on a farm and habitually leaves his vehicles unlocked, with the keys in the center console in plain sight. Also in plain sight, Hawkins said, was a padlocked plastic case where he keeps a .22 caliber semiautomatic pistol. Capt. Michael McCabe said later that the reason it is illegal to keep a firearm in a vehicle is that a gun stored in a vehicle can be vulnerable any time the owner leaves the vehicle which is itself prone to theft. A criminal complaint was filed against Hawkins and detectives will continue to search for the thief and the missing pistol.
By Dan Moriarty Staff Writer WESTFIELD – The Finance Committee began its department by department interviews last night as part of the review of the fiscal year 2015 city budget submitted by Mayor Daniel M. Knapik. Finance Committee Chairman Christopher Keefe slated the Law, Fire, Police, Technology and Public Works departments for review, a process that lets council members determine funding requirements for the upcoming fiscal year which begins July 1. Eight council members attended the hearings last night and heard that not all funding needs are addresses in Knapik’s proposed budget. The most notable example of that is within the police department budget where a request for $180,000 has been zeroed out for the past several years. Typically the Police Department requests the $180,000 to replace a third of the line cruisers every year, rotating the fleet every three years. Knapik has cut that entire spending request, relying on the storage and towing account, a fee assessed when vehicles are towed at police request. Police Chief John Camerota and Captain Michael McCabe said they use that revenue fund, established to allow the department to purchase a variety of vehicles, such as quads used in off-road patrols responding to citizen complaints. McCabe said the department has been transiting from Crown Victoria to “new trucks which are much more fuel efficient and also come with a 100,000-mile warranty instead of the 75,000-mile warranty that the Crown Victoria’s have.” Camerota said the Towing and Storage Account is almost depleted because it has been used to purchase six of the last 12 line vehicles for the department. Since its inception the Towing and Storage account has generated nearly $500,000, but currently has a balance of about $15,000. “It’s not a finite account,” McCabe said. “From year to year we don’t know how much will come in. And we have no line item for vehicle purchase.” Knapik has used free cash several time to partially fund the vehicle See Budget Review, Page 3
Fire Dept. shifting focus to EMS By Dan Moriarty Staff Writer WESTFIELD – Fire Chief Mary Regan said the Fire Department will be level-funded in the Fiscal Year 2015 budget now under review by the City Council’s Finance Committee. The committee initiated that review last night, discussing that there is little new revenue in the proposed Fire Department budget, but there are several new positions in the department’s budget. Regan said that those new positions are being paid from the department’s Ambulance Fund Account and that she is planning to add three new emergency medical services (EMS) paramedics who will also be crosstrained as firefighters. Regan said the goal is to increase personnel assigned to each of the department’s four groups, which in the long run will reduce the cost of overtime, which is projected at more than $400,000 in the current fiscal year budget. “We will see a decrease in overtime when all of the groups at fully staffed,” Regan said, “and it will be safer for both the citizens of the city and firefighters.” The minimal staffing level per group is 15 personnel, the number of people needed to keep all of the department’s apparatus and substations in service. With the new hires each group will have 18 members.
MARY REGAN Regan said the current system of replacing retiring personnel is both cumbersome and time-consuming. “Filling vacancies can take up to six months, leaving a group short until someone is hired and trained,” Regan said. Regan also said the focus of the department has moved toward EMS function. “EMS is 70 percent of the work the department does now,” Regan said. The 2015 budget reflect that fact as the Ambulance Fund absorbs new salaries. “We’re shifting some of the burden over to the Ambulance Fund because there have been revenue increases,” Regan said. “The Fire (Department) budget is all contractual items, there’s maybe between 7 and 9 percent for other uses.”