Wednesday, April 1, 2015 by The Westfield News

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The Westfield News Serving Westfield, Southwick, and the surrounding Hilltowns

Mostly clear. Low of 23.

“The

only sin is mediocrity.” — MARTHA GRAHAM

www.thewestfieldnews.com WEDNESDAY, APRIL 1, 2015

VOL. 84 NO. 082

75 cents

ON THE STREET

Refugee family finds future in Westfield

“Do you think the Red Sox will reach the Series this year?”

By LORI SZEPELAK Correspondent WESTFIELD – Chhatra Basnet and his family are survivors. During a late afternoon last week in his family’s home on Franklin Street in Westfield, Basnet shared the despair his family experienced living in a refugee camp for 20 years as well as the joy they now have – thanks in part to organizations including the American Red Cross, Ascentria Care Alliance (formerly Lutheran Social Services of New England), and the United Nations. Basnet was only 5-years-old when his family had to flee their home in Bhutan, officially now the Kingdom of Bhutan, a landlocked country in south Asia at the eastern end of the Himalayas. “We had a big house,” said Basnet, noting his family had 20 cows, chickens, and a “huge amount of land” which they used to produce food for their family. “My parents would also sell produce so we could buy salt and sugar at the market,” he said. The family’s life changed dramatically when they were forced to resettle in a refugee camp in eastern Nepal where they languished for 20 years in a tent with mud floors and plastic for a roof. “It was a sad, unhappy time for many due to famine and little food for the 60,000 refugees,” he said. Basnet noted that diseases were widespread due to poor living conditions. “We survived with the food rations that were provided every 15 days,” he said, noting that bags of rice they opened said “United States.”

MARY STEFANIK I’m a big fan, so I sure hope so.

KYLE BEST I don’t follow them but I hope they win for the sake of the atmosphere. I don’t need a house full of angry family members.

CHUCK HOOTEN I hope so. They look good in pitching and fielding. Looked good in the preseason.

LORI HOOTEN Yeah why not. I hate baseball, it’s the most boring game. It’s worse than golf.

BEATRIZ SANTIAGO I hope so. Half my family are Yankee fans, and the other half are Red Sox fans.

ED FOURNIER Yes, It’s a new year and because they didn’t do it last year.

PHOTOS BY FREDERICK GORE

Bids received for Blandford municipal public safety complex

Szepelak)

By AMY PORTER Correspondent BLANDFORD – The Town of Blandford recently posted an invitation to bid for a feasibility study and preliminary design plan for a Municipal Public Safety Complex for the town. According to Blandford Selectman Adam Dolby, fifteen companies picked up packets for the bid, which closed on March 25. Dolby said there is a real need for the complex. “The town garage has been basically condemned,” he said. There are crumbling support pillars which affect all areas of the garage. The drainage was never done right – when it rains, water goes into the garage. The fire station is too small. They have to order smaller fire trucks,

which are not great quality. The newest truck is 20 years old.” Dolby also said the police department, which is located in the old elementary school, has no garage, and police cars are parked outside in the parking lot. Dolby said rather than building or repairing three garages for the town road crew, fire trucks and police cars, it makes more sense to have one larger garage complex. “As a small town, we have to get pretty creative,” he said. One of the ideas floated was to reach out to the Massachusetts Department of Transportation to see if they were interested in helping to fund a feasibility study See Blandford, Page 7

PAGE 17

City mulls funds for clock tower zip-line feature

Council approves plans for ‘Under 30 Community Living Dome’ Westfield Animal Shelter begins fisher ‘cat’ adoptions ... Eyes Southwick, Hilltown homes

New positions removed from budget proposal By HOPE E. TREMBLAY Politico.com SOUTHWICK – The Board of Selectmen and Finance Committee met last night to discuss the town budget and slashed all new proposed positions. The Fire Department requested a full-time EMT at $48,816 while the Police Department requested a full-time officer at a salary of $48,630, as well as $13,251 to make an officer a sergeant. The two boards previously agreed not to fund an increase for a circulation librarian and a janitor at the animal control facility. See Budget, Page 7

The Southwick Board of Selectmen and Southwick Finance Committee met to discuss the budget last night. (Photo by Hope E. Tremblay)

The Westfield News Radio Show Thursday Line-Up 6am-8am

This Thursday... 6am-8am:

Trendy “small screen” movie theater to replace former bowling alley, DVDs sought

Dan Howard Westfield Gas & Electric General Manager

Download WSKB from your Tune In Radio App or watch on Comcast Cable CH. 15

RADIO FOR THE WESTFIELD MASSES

A Look inside today

Carousel work to be completed by 2274

By DAN MORIARTY Staff Writer WESTFIELD – The Legislative and Ordinance Committee voted 3-0 last night to recommend approval by the full City Council Thursday of an ordinance reorganizing several municipal departments maintaining the infrastructure of the city into a consolidated Department of Public Works. The City Council balked at approving the second reading and final passage of the ordinance at its March 19 meeting after approving the first reading at its Feb. 23 session because of an amendment to the Park and Recreation Ordinance submitted by Mayor Daniel M. Knapik that night. City Solicitor Susan Phillips said last night that the Park & Recreation amendment created some confusion among councilors, but that the Park and Recreation amendment is not needed until the DPW ordinance is approved. See DPW, Page 7

See Refugee Family, Page 7

Chhatra and Chandra Basnet, seen with their 18-month-old daughter Eshana, are grateful for the many blessings in their life – especially with the way they have been welcomed by the Westfield community. (Photo by Lori

Board seeks clarification of DPW consolidation