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The Westfield News Serving Westfield, Southwick, and the surrounding Hilltowns
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TUESDAY, MAY 19, 2015
VOL. 84 NO. 125
Board to hear details of Verizon project
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By DAN MORIARTY Staff Writer WESTFIELD – The Planning Board will conduct a public hearing tonight on a special permit petitioned by Bell Atlantic Mobile of Massachusetts, doing business as Verizon Wireless, to allow installation of two telecommunication antennas on the roof of 24-26 Elm St. The building, currently occupied by Fast Feet, Inc. is located at the intersection of School and Elm streets and is located in the CORE district. The building height is 27 feet, four inches high. The proposed antennas will be concealed in four-foot high canisters. The Verizon equipment, required to support the function of the antennae, will be located in a room on the second floor of the building. The installation is intended to improve 4G LTE service in the downtown area of the city. The company proposes to install, in addition to the two antennae, a GPW antenna and a remote radiohead. The canisters will serve to camouflage the antennas and to mitigate any visual impact. The proposed site will be linked to other Verizon facilities now located at 94 Elm St., 14 Delmont Avenue and West Silver Street. Verizon is seeking waivers, such as the See Verizon, Page 3 Historical Commission disheartened by the theft of decorative face plates from the gate of the Old Burying Grounds. (Photo submitted)
Emerald Shield Award finalists announced By HOPE E. TREMBLAY Politico.com SOUTHWICK – Three finalists are in the running for the Southwick-TollandGranville Regional High School’s prestigious Emerald Shield Award. Jonathan Collins, Alyssa Kelleher and Kenneth Stratton were selected by their peers from among 16 students nominated for the award by high school faculty. The recipient will be named during the STGRHS Senior Awards Night June 4 following a vote by students and faculty. Collins is described as a student who challenges himself to excel in all of his endeavors. He has taken on a rigorous program of studies while participating in numerous school activities. Collins plays varsity soccer, basketball, and track and field and his coaches said he has a positive attitude, impressive
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work ethic, and the ability to motivate, making him an ideal captain. Collins is an active member of Interact, French and Chess clubs and has worked to acclimate incoming freshman as a student ambassador and freshman student advisor. He served his peers as a member of the student council for four years and volunteers at his church. Collins, who is working toward his Eagle Scout Award, hopes to attend the University of Massachusetts Amherst. Although Collins is not sure what his major will be in college, he does plan to continue to participate in track and field. “I’m going to go to college and check it all out,” he said. Kelleher’s teachers call her sensitive, serious and an independent thinker who has served as class president for three years. Kelleher participated in Girls State last June and was awarded the St. Lawrence University Book
Award. Kelleher serves as co-capyain of the varsity softball and field hockey teams and received the 2011 Sportsmanship Award for her outstanding leadership in softball and was the 2013 MVP of the field hocket season. Kelleher is the student council treasurer and a member of the Interact Club as well as a student ambassador. Kelleher plans to attend Fairfield University. Keller is also undecided on a major, but is leaning toward a double major in communications and business. “And I am very interested in philanthropy, which has become a business,” she said. Stratton is described as a studious and conscientious student who constantly strives for excellence. Stratton received the St. Michael’s College Book Club Award and is currently
JONATHAN COLLINS
KENNETH STRATTON
See Finalists, Page 3
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Theft of historic artifacts baffling By DAN MORIARTY Staff Writer WESTFIELD – Members of the city’s Historical Commission, who have been working to preserve one of the oldest original cemeteries in the country, are disheartened by the theft of decorative face plates from the gate of the Old Burying Grounds. Commissioner Walter Fogg reported the theft of three cast iron pieces last Friday, but the actual date when the historic pieces were taken is not known. Fogg provided police with photographs of the damage done to the gates of the historic Old Burying Grounds by the thieves.
“This makes me sick,” Fogg said Monday. “It’s a shame because we’re trying to get it in shape so we can open access to people.” Fogg said the faceplates were removed from the far right post of the gate which was hidden behind shrubbery. Fogg said the city’s Old Burying Grounds was added to the National Registry of Historic Places in 2007. The historical significance of the Old Burying Grounds is that the cemetery is the final resting place of soldiers who served in the French and Indian War, as See Theft, Page 3
Barn fire deemed possibly suspicious By DAN MORIARTY Staff Writer WESTFIELD – City and state fire investigations are seeking to determine the cause of a barn fire Friday night that gutted an old wooden structure and which is considered to possibly be of suspicious origin. Deputy Fire Chief Pat Egloff said Monday that the fire remains under investigation. The barn at 51 Montgomery Road was extensively damaged in the 9:33 p.m. blaze reported while the residents were not home. The Fire Department dispatched two engines and the tower truck, as well as an ambulance to that location. Several police officers and detectives were also dispatched to assist firefighters. Egloff said that two firefighters sustained minor injuries and were treated then returned to duty. The barn was a two-story structure used in the past to store hay in the upper loft area. “It was maybe 20 by 30 feet with a full second
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floor, so maybe 1,000 square feet.” Egloff said. “It was constructed of barn wood planks and beams.” Firefighters also responded at 1:19 a.m. Saturday morning to a fire outside the residence at 23 Harvard Street. Engines 3 and 5 and an ambulance were dispatched to that fire which damaged the vinyl near the rear steps of the structure. Egloff said that cause of the Harvard Street fire was improper disposal of smoking material. “The person smoked in that area and some lighted material got into the crack between the foundation and steps where it ignited old leaf material,” Egloff said. “It caused minor damage.” Egloff said that the dry conditions contributed to both fires. “It’s been two and a half weeks since we had any rain, so it’s super dry out there – a high fire risk,” Egloff said. “Even if we get an inch of rain (Tuesday), people still need to be careful.
Southwick’s Special Town Meeting and Annual Town Meeting are tonight at STGRHS auditorium... The STM begins at 6:15 p.m. while the ATM will begin at 7 p.m.
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