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The Westfield News Serving Westfield, Southwick, and the surrounding Hilltowns
“The penalty of success is to be bored by people who used to snub you.” — Viscountess Astor
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TUESDAY, JUNE 13, 2017
VOL. 86 NO. 139
Parents learn about online dangers for children By DAN DESROCHER Correspondent WESTFIELD—Westfield parents were provided with a glimpse into the online worlds their children may experience and the potential dangers they face in a presentation from the Westfield Police Department, Westfield Schools and the US Department of Justice (DOJ). The program, called “Keeping Kids Safe Online,” is part of a nationwide initiative by Project Safe Childhood, to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse, launched in May 2006 by the DOJ. Focuses in the presentation, which occurred at Tekoa Country Club in Westfield, included social media and gaming, digital footprints, sexting, cyberbullying, sextortion, online predators and keeping children safe online. Information for the presentation was also bolstered with
selected information from surveys given to North, South and St. Mary’s schoolchildren in Westfield. Throughout most of the evening, the presentation focused on effective communication with children to help protect them from the many risks online. According to the survey, 70 percent of the students polled are online 2 hours or more a day. “Communication is key,” Neil Desroches, assistant US Attorney, said. “Don’t forget that first you need to understand what they’re using and create an atmosphere so they can talk to you about it.” The group outlined the many different smartphone and online applications children use, many of which can enable people to present a different identity and hide their activity from law enforcement and parents alike. Some of the applications, such as
messaging ones, allow the users to have their messages encrypted, making it very difficult for law enforcement to retrieve them. “Some apps, like Kik, WhatsApp and Voxer, the texts are encrypted and once they’re deleted they’re deleted,” Desroches said. Others, like Facebook, SnapChat, YouTube or Instagram, allow for the sharing of personal information, including photos and videos, which could be embarrassing as children get older, or worse. “Do know the culture, the apps they use,” Todd Edwards, detective for Westfield Police Department, said. “Do know their user or screen names. They will stick to a similar style. As a parent you want to have their passwords, what profile they maintain.” They also stressed supervision, which Desroches said helps to reduce
Karen Legace, Project Safe Childhood specialist, presents information for Keeping Kids Safe Online to local parents at Tekoa Country Club June 12. the chances children take online. In addition to the apps and their “Those who felt they were not abilities, the presenters also outsupervised tended to engage in lined how these can be used by riskier behavior,” he said. online predators to take advantage “Supervision really does work. of children. This can be done Thing is, it is not the end of it.” through online predators presentHe added that parents can takes ing themselves as someone other steps like checking browser histo- than they are, then building trust ry, turning off wifi in the home at with a child and eventually exploitnight and checking the applica- ing them. tions and online activity of their “My online persona is like a suit, children. Also, learn about the I can put it on and take it off,” apps that are being used, including Edwards said. “There’s little to no their security and privacy options and discuss with your children. See Online Dangers, Page 8
Two added to city’s special police force
Westfield Police Chief John A. Camerota and new Public Safety Communications Center (Dispatch) administrator Lauren Mielke. (Photo by Amy Porter)
Ward 4 Councilor Mary O’Connell attends budget hearing with members Matthew T. VanHeynigen and chair Robert A. Paul, Sr. (Photo by Amy Porter)
Finance Committee budget reviews begin By AMY PORTER Correspondent WESTFIELD – The Finance Committee, chaired by Ward 5 Councilor Robert A. Paul, Sr. with members At-large Councilors Dave Flaherty and Matthew T. VanHeynigen met on Monday for the first in a series of budget reviews of city departments, prior to the City Council’s vote on the Mayor’s budget on June 22. Also in attendance were City Councilors Mary O’Connell, Mary Ann Babinski, John Beltrandi, Cynthia Harris, Andrew Surprise and Dan Allie. With each department only given 15 minutes for a face to face with the committee, Flaherty said they only had time to ask questions, not do an in-depth review. Monday’s meeting included Finance, City Clerk, Community Development, Fire/Ambulance, Airport, IT, Emergency Dispatch and Police, including Animal Control. Community Development director Peter Miller answered questions about the Community Development Block Grant program, and the potential of it being cut in the federal budget, having been zero funded in the president’s budget. Miller also answered questions
about the use of $20,000 of CDBG funds in the budget for code enforcement. He said the funds will allow the assistant building inspector to do code enforcement as part of his job. Flaherty said that funding for code enforcement needs to be offset by fines “as long as he’s going out there and writing tickets.” Fire Chief Mary Regan said the Fire and Ambulance Departments are fully funded and staffed, although she said they are planning for a retirement down the road, referring to herself. She did not give a date for her retirement. She said the department is making its second payment on two ambulances, and first payment on a new engine this year. In response to a question from Allie, she said there is no overtime in the Fire Department budget, as all overtime is listed on the ambulance side, where it can be covered by the ambulance fund. She said the overtime proposed for FY17 is $315,000, down from $560,000 at its height due to injuries two years ago. Paul commented that the department’s management of the Ambulance Enterprise Income Fund should be a model for all city departments. Regan said for the past seven years there had been talk in Boston and now
there is a bill to cut ambulance rates to the Medicare rate of reimbursement, which would mean a 60% cut for Westfield. Regan said there was an amendment proposed to protect the rates and allow local communities to set them. She said that right now the billing rates are where she feels they should be. Based on a review of outside billing of the top 50 communities within western Mass, she said Westfield is competitive, not the highest and not the lowest. “We have not raised our rates for the past two years, and won’t raise them this year,” she said. However, even if the bill were to pass, she said the new rates would not take effect until FY19. A couple of new employees came before the Finance Committee for the first time on Monday. New airport manager Eric Billowitz, who started at Barnes in January, was the first. “Prior to your coming on board, the task was, how do we run the airport so fee structures are created to support the airport budget,” Paul stated as an introduction, adding “If we made the budget zero, is there an income stream to pay for $900,000 in expenses.” Billowitz answered, saying an
By DAN DESROCHERS Correspondent WESTFIELD—The Westfield Police Department added two new members to its special police force, including a former Southwick Police sergeant that retired from that force just last month. During the Westfield Police Commission meeting yesterday, the commission voted to appoint Lt. Michael Lacroix of the Westfield Police Sgt. Donald Day officialDepartment and Donald Day, formerly ly retired as a police offiof the Southwick Police Department, to cer on May 19 and has the special police force in Westfield. joined the Westfield speBetween the two, there is over 60 years cial police force. (WNG of policing experience joining the force. File Photo) For Lacroix, he has served for 32 years for the Westfield Police, and is currently still with the department as a lieutenant. According to the commission, he is expected to retire on July 3 and will then be appointed to the special police force July 4. See Special Police Force, Page 8
Granville police officer takes part in Special Olympics event By GREG FITZPATRICK Correspondent GRANVILLE – Lt. Rick Rindels of the Granville Police Department participated in the Law Enforcement Torch Run for Special Olympics this past weekend, an event which occurs in several different areas of the country. In Massachusetts, police officers from across the state start at locations on the Mass Pike and do a cruiser convoy, going from one service area on the Mass Pike to the next where additional officers join. The event continues and culminates at Harvard University. Rindels, who started at the service area in Ludlow, said the Massachusetts State Police escorted the police officers and blocked off all of the entrance ramps so the officers could keep travelling without interruption. Around 200 police cruisers across the state joined in on the convoy. Once the officers arrived at Harvard University, they went to the athletic fields on the campus to help out with the Special Olympics athletic events that were taking place. Over 500 police officers throughout the commonwealth volunteered for the Special Olympics competitions and Rindels assisted in the track and field events. This is the fifth year that Rindels has participated in the event and
See Budget, Page 8
See Granville Police, Page 8
Baystate Noble looking for zoning change By AMY PORTER Correspondent WESTFIELD – At the end of April, the Zoning Board of Appeals held a public hearing on Baystate Noble’s plans to expand its parking lot into a vacant house lot they were purchasing next door on West Silver Street. At the time, the ZBA continued the public hearing, citing issues with the zoning ordinance on the expansion, and the need to seek the city solicitor’s opinion. Since that hearing, according to Robert Levesque of R. Levesque Associates who presented at the hearing with David A. Rosinski, director of engineering at Baystate Noble, the request has been put on hold, while the hospital
explores a bigger picture. Levesque said now that the hospital is owned and controlled by Baystate, they are looking to elevate the patient experience, renovate and upgrade the building. “As I got active in meetings with the Zoning Board of Appeals, and was brought into master planning at the hospital with SBA Architects who focus on health care, there were discussions on how to bring the hospital up to speed. The parking lot improvement was one little piece,” he said. Levesque said Baystate Noble has a vision for the hospital which spans the next decade. In order to properly implement that vision, they would like to work with the city on a hospital overlay.
“We regrouped. We were able to meet with city departments, and rather than piecemealing this, are looking at a more comprehensive solution, a zoning overlay for the hospital,” Levesque said. He explained that right now there is no hospital zone. The hospital was built in the 50’s in a residential area, and the majority of the hospital is in a Residential A zone. “Zoning controls were very different then. Now 60 years later, we’re in a situation that as they need to renovate and innovate, we need a zoning district,” Levesque said. He said the change would require an ordinance, and they will be See Zoning Change, Page 8
Rob Levesque of R. Levesque Assoc. (2nd from right) and David A. Rosinski, director of engineering at Baystate Noble (far right) presented the request to the ZBA board last month.