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The Westfield News Serving Westfield, Southwick, and the surrounding Hilltowns
“Liberty for wolves is death to the lambs.” — ISAIAH BERLIN
www.thewestfieldnews.com VOL. 85 NO. 215
TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 13, 2016
75 cents
City contracts draw speculation from council By DAN DESROCHERS Correspondent WESTFIELD—As the Westfield City Council prepares to vote on a number of union contracts this Thursday, some dissension has been brewing in the council over approving the contracts. The legislative and ordinance committee, who decides when the contracts can go before city council for approval, have seen Ward 4 City Councilor Mary O’Connell vote against sending the contracts forward, and also disagreeing with her fellow committee members Ward 2 Councilor Ralph Figy and Ward 6 Councilor William Onyski. In spite of O’Connell’s vote, the contracts are now going to city council for approval this Thursday, but MARY L. O’CONNELL the disagreement could possibly delay the approval of the contracts. The contracts that are up for approval include ones for crossing guards, police patrolmen and superior officers, city clerical workers, fire department superior officers and municipal employees. “I had two concerns, how much is this contract going to cost and where is this money going to come from,” O’Connell said. O’Connell, who stressed that she does support police, fire and all the employees who are up for contract renewal, is concerned that the raises—which are currently set at one percent this year, followed by 2.5 percent each of the next two years—could cost the taxpayers more and RALPH FIGY it is unclear to her how much the raises will total. “Because of the step raises we don’t have a firm number, it’s hard to figure it out on our own,” O’Connell said. “Every year we deplete free cash, consistently raise real estate tax, I feel that we’re squeezing, squeezing the residents.” See Contracts, Page 3
Local chef to compete in Girl Scout Fundraiser By LORI SZEPELAK Correspondent HOLYOKE-Chef John Slattery of Papp’s Bar & Grill in Westfield will be among the chefs competing in Fork It Over, the annual Girl Scouts of Central and Western Massachusetts cookie culinary competition and fundraising event at the Delaney House in Holyoke. Slattery will join chefs from Café Evolution, Chandler’s Restaurant, Gateway City Bistro, Herrell’s Ice Cream, Holyoke Community College Nutrition Department, and Pete’s Sweets on Sept. 27 in creating original appetizers and desserts using Girl Scout cookies. The panel of judges who will determine the winners in both “sweet” and “savory” categories are Mark Wickar from The Delaney House, Mike Plaisance from The Republican, and Polly Billiel, board member of the Girl Scouts regional organization. Attendees will vote for “People’s Choice” favorite. Last year, Slattery won first place in the People’s Choice category for Native Strawberry Rhubarb Crisp with Trefoil and Lemon Crumb. Live music will be provided by the Motown-themed duo, Center Stage, during the 5 to 7 p.m. event. A silent auction and raffle will include items such as jewelry, gift cards, and more. All attendees will receive a cookbook with the chefs’
Elementary school proposed for Ashley and Cross streets.
Springfield Court denies City’s motion to dismiss Ponders Hollow claim By AMY PORTER Correspondent WESTFIELD – Thomas P. Smith, one of the litigants in the Ashley Street elementary school and Cross Street playground suit, said that the Springfield Court last week denied Westfield’s attempts to have another lawsuit dismissed. According to Smith, Westfield is required to substitute land taken from Cross St. Playground with new park land elsewhere in the city, under the city’s 1979 Land and Water Conservation Fund agreement with the National Park Service. In 2014-2015, he said the City of Westfield claimed it had successfully replaced land taken from Cross St. Playground with land on Ponders Hollow Road. “We did not believe Westfield followed its own laws to accomplish this requirement,” Smith said. At the time, an unsuccessful petition drive was launched to question the city on the matter. According to Smith, the lawsuit that was then filed claimed that the City Council improperly approved the transfer of land on Ponders Hollow Road to the Parks and Recreation Department prior to the Planning Board conducting a site plan review of the proposed park, which is required by zoning ordinance 13-27.
In early April, Smith said that Westfield filed a ‘motion to dismiss’ the claim that the City Council improperly approved the transfer of land on Ponders Hollow Road to the Parks and Recreation Department. Smith said the ruling by the court last week means their claim is eligible to move forward. “The court’s denial of Westfield’s motion to dismiss signals to us that the court believes our claim is a worthy one, and that Westfield’s motion to dismiss was not sufficient to overcome our objections at this point. If we prevail, it’ll mean the City will have to come up with a recreational plan, with costs, to develop the Ponders site. Then, the Planning Board would be required to review the plans and approve them. Then the City Council would need to approve the plans by a 2/3rds majority,” Smith wrote. Westfield’s City Solicitor Susan C. Phillips disagrees with Smith’s assessment. “The City moved to dismiss the complaint. The Court denied the motion which means that there are issues of fact that need to go to trial. This does not mean that the Court determined anything on the merits of the case,” Phillips stated. At the Mayor’s Coffee on Monday, Mayor Brian P. Sullivan said that the City has plans to work out regarding
Board of Health passes new regulation for nicotine products
“It gives the Mayor access to the business community, and is a nice way to make those introductions,” Phelon said, adding that the public is also invited. She said that the Chamber has tried to hold the event at this McDonald’s for the past several years, but it was canceled two years in a row in February
By GREG FITZPATRICK Correspondent SOUTHWICK – On August 4, the Southwick Board of Health passed regulations that denies anyone under the age of 21 in the town of Southwick to purchase tobacco and nicotine delivery products. As the regulation will be effective starting on October 1, two other crucial aspects to the regulation apply. The Board of Health voted that E-cigarettes will be added to the definition of nicotine delivery products. In a statement from the Southwick Board of Health on September 1, the exact definition reads, “Any electronic device, not approved by the United States Food and Drug Administration, composed of a mouthpiece, heating element, battery and/or electronic circuits that provides a vapor of liquid nicotine to the user, or relies on vaporization of any liquid or solid nicotine.” “Nicotine is the drug that we’re trying to get a handle on,” said Tom Fitzgerald, the Board of Health Director for the Town of Southwick. Products like e-cigars, e-pipes, e-hookah are all part of the e-cigarette definition of this regulation that will apply to anyone under 21 trying to
See Mayor’s Coffee Hour, Page 3
See Nicotine Products, Page 3
See Local Chef, Page 3
Thomas Kirby, McDonald's Supervisor, Mayor Brian P. Sullivan, Chamber of Commerce Director Kate Phelon, and Michael Dube, McDonald's Operations Manager at the Mayor's Coffee on Monday. (Photo by Amy Porter)
Mayor fields questions with coffee and muffins at McDonald’s
Claudine Gaj, owner of Magic Spoon Personal Chef Service of Monson and John Slattery of Papp’s Bar & Grill in Westfield were 2015 People’s Choice winners at the annual Girl Scout culinary competition.
Ponders Hollow. “We’re going to look at Ponders Hollow. We’ll be looking into what can be done,” Sullivan said. He added that there is potential to do something with the Columbia-Greenway Bike Trail, which runs adjacent to the property. Asked whether this court case could hold up the Ashley Street Elementary School project, Sullivan said it won’t. Sullivan also said that in the other case, the litigants have 30 days to appeal the decision lifting the injunction regarding the Ashley Street elementary school, which was ruled in the City’s favor last month. Smith said the litigants will file an appeal in the Ashley Street school ruling. “Yes, we are filing an application to request a hearing at the State Supreme Judicial Court. There are several particulars involved in our case that have never been ruled upon by the SJC. We believe there is a good chance they will accept our request. But we shall see,” he said. Meanwhile, the mayor is planning to meet with the Massachusetts School Building Authority on the school project at the end of the month “to sit down and catch up,” which will also coincide with the 30 day period to challenge the court’s ruling.
By AMY PORTER Correspondent WESTFIELD – Kate Phelon, executive director of the Greater Westfield Chamber of Commerce welcomed members of the Chamber and the public to the Mayor’s Coffee Hour at McDonald’s on North Elm Street on Monday morning. Phelon said Chamber members always host the Mayor’s Coffee Hour.