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Air emergency medical services company coming to Westfield By DAN DESROCHERS Correspondent WESTFIELD—The city’s airport will be gaining a new tenant–one that provides emergency medical services. Air Methods Corporation, a privately-owned helicopter company, will be building a location on 89 Sgt. Thomas Dion Way. The location will be used for emergency medical services via helicopter, according to Eric Billowitz, Barnes Regional Airport’s manager. The Westfield Barnes Airport Commission voted to OK the acceptance of the contract during yesterday’s meeting. According to Billowitz the contract is a three-year deal with a oneyear option available. The contract should provide the airport with just under $30,000 annually, he said. The plan, according to Billowitz, will be for one helicopter, with operations expected to begin Sept. 1. Construction efforts will be taking place at the location to develop the property and temporary operations from the location may occur during construction, Billowitz noted. Billowitz said that the Sgt. Thomas Dion Way location will be developed into a 3,000 square foot aircraft shelter, with a 7,700 square foot landing and parking zone for the helicopter. There will also be a location for personnel who operate the helicopter. According to Bill Gonet, one of the commissioners for the Airport Commission, the development could help further the development of that area of the airport and can improve revenue.
The control tower and a plane hangar at Barnes. (Photo by Dan Desrochers)
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(AP Photo/Felipe Dana, File)
The area where the Black Dagger US Army Parachute Team is expected to land on Friday, according to Bob McKean.
Parachute team landing in Stanley Park Friday By DAN DESROCHERS Correspondent WESTFIELD—Residents will have a chance to watch the International Air Show kick off with a group of parachutists dropping into Stanley Park this Friday. The Black Dagger U.S. Army Special Operations Parachute Team is scheduled to parachute into Stanley Park Friday, Aug. 11, between 2:15 p.m. and 2:30 p.m., barring suitable weather. The event is being dubbed as the beginning of activities for the International Air Show and will include meet-andgreet and photography event with the team. “We were asked to host,” Bob McKean, director of Stanley Park, said. “We are part of the community and honored to do so and we like to give back to the community.” The team will jump from an airplane and land in Stanley Park, with an expected landing zone to be in the large open field across from the Horace Mann Center at Westfield State University. However, a final landing spot will be determined Friday morning, McKean said. According to McKean, residents
are urged to attend the event and can find plenty of seating or standing area. Those who are interested in attending can find parking in and around Stanley Park at gates one and two, as well as at the aforementioned Horace Mann Center, where McKean said parking would be allowed thanks to permission from the university. In addition, McKean said that a meet-and-greet and photography session is expected to take place at the veteran’s memorial in Stanley Park following the jump and landing. The Black Dagger U.S. Army Special Operations Parachute Team is composed of volunteers from the US Army’s Special Operations community, according to a press release about the event, and the members have a variety of military backgrounds and specialties. The International Air Show is taking place this weekend, Aug. 12 and 13. As covered previously by The Westfield News, parking will open at 6:30 a.m. on both days, with gates opening at 8 a.m. Performances are expected to start around 10:30 a.m. and will run until 4:30 p.m. on both days, as well.
The veteran’s memorial at Stanley Park.
Rev. Barbara Hesse tapped to lead Second Congregational Church
The Rev. Barbara Hesse been named Pastor and Teacher of the Second Congregational church in Westfield. (photo submitted)
long search by the congregation. Pastor Search Committee Co-Chair Karen Smith notes, “Barb is a loving and compassionate woman of God. Her passion for ministry has had us hooked since the first time we met her through her profile on paper. When she jumped at the opportunity to meet with us for an interview, we knew her enthusiasm was going to infect us!” Pastor Barb is a 2016 graduate of Andover Newton Theological School with a Master of Divinity Degree and a certificate in Pastoral and Spiritual Care. Barb fulfilled her Ordination requirement for Clinical Pastoral Education by com-
pleting an eleven-week internship at Baystate Medical Center and was recently ordained as a Minister of the United Church of Christ. With an undergraduate degree in public relations from Syracuse University, PastorBarb spent 30 years as a professional sales rep. She’s quick to note that she never “sold” anything to anyone. She adds that it was her intent to “listen” with understanding to help customers determine what they needed … a skill which will come in handy in her new role. Pastor Barb tells that, See Rev. Hesse, Page 3
Risk for West Nile Virus in Westfield area By AMY PORTER Correspondent BOSTON —The Massachusetts Department of Public Health (DPH) announced on Tuesday that 36 additional communities, including Westfield and Southwick, are now at moderate risk for West Nile virus (WNV), bringing the total number of communities at moderate risk to 59 spre`ad across eight counties. Moderate risk means mosquito activity is substantial enough that people should use personal protection to avoid being bitten by a mosquito. The eight counties are Essex, Middlesex, Norfolk, Worcester, Hampden, Hampshire, Franklin, and Suffolk counties. The Pioneer Valley in western Massachusetts and Worcester and its surrounding communities are experiencing more West Nile virus positive mosquito activity this year than in a typical season, said DPH Deputy State Epidemiologist Dr. Catherine Brown. While there have been no human cases of WNV this year, Dr. Brown warned that “August and early September are when we see most of our WNV infections in people.” In 2016, there were 16 human cases of WNV infection identified in Massachusetts. While WNV can infect persons of all ages, people over the age of 50 are at higher risk for severe disease. Noble Hospital Infection Preventionist Ruth Bushey said they have not seen any cases in Westfield, but are actively surveying cases. “We’re working with the Department of Public Health to make sure we’re prepared,” Bushey said. She said there are meetings scheduled, and bulletins coming in regularly from the DPH. She said the hospital is on “careful alert” and is “prepared.” “So far, nobody has come in asking to be tested,” said Troy Chilson, Physician Assistant at Noble Urgent Care. Chilson said there is no treatment, vaccine or anti-viral medications for the disease. However, he said, 70% to 80% of people who are bitten by a mosquito with the virus show no symptoms at all. One in five will have a fever, headache, body aches, joint aches or rashes accompanied by fatigue and weakness that may last for weeks or months. Chilson said less than one percent will experience severe symptoms of the West Nile Virus such as encephalitis, meningitis, disorientation, coma, tremors, seizures or paralysis, taking weeks or months to recover, and which can in some cases be permanent. Chilson said prevention is important. He recommended using bug repellent containing DEET or oil of lemon eucalyptus. He also suggested wearing long sleeves and pants from dusk to dawn, repairing screens in the home, and removing standing water around the home. Mosquitoes lay their eggs in standing water. The DPH recommends limiting the number of places for mosquitoes to breed by either draining or discarding items that hold water. Check rain gutters and drains. Empty any unused flowerpots and wading pools, and change the water in birdbaths frequently. The DPH also recommends protecting animals. Animal owners should reduce potential mosquito breeding sites on their property by eliminating standing water from containers such as buckets, tires, and wading pools – especially after heavy rains. Water troughs provide excellent mosquito breeding habitats and should be flushed out at least once a week during the summer months to reduce mosquitoes near See WNV, EEE, Page 3
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WESTFIELD – Members of the United Church of Christ, Second Congregational in Westfield recently voted to call The Rev. Barbara Hesse as their Pastor and Teacher. Pastor Barb or simply Barb, “both work for me” she says, began her ministry at Second Church on August 1st. She is the 16th Settled Pastor to lead the congregation which traces its roots to 1856 when a group of First Congregational Church parishioners set out on a “mission” to form a second Congregational church in town. Once located on the Westfield green, the congregation relocated, in 1962, to a new facility on Western Avenue. Pastor Barb comes to Second Church after more than a year-
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