City wants more residents to know about parking bans
Because too many vehicles park on the city’s streets and roads during a snowstorm, the efforts of the DPW and private snowplow operators to clear the streets are all too often slowed.
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High school hockey team visits elementary school students
Westfield High School hockey coach Dominic Puntillo wanted his players from Westfield High and Westfield Tehnical Academy to be involved in their community.
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SOUTHWICK
Residents approve town employee insurance premium split
Town employees will soon be able to negotiate paying less for their health insurance premium after Special Town Meeting approved a request by the Select Board for the town to pay more than the state minimum of 50%.
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City agrees to $1.275 million settlement
By Amy Porter aporter@thereminder.com
WESTFIELD — The City Coun-
cil voted 9-3 to settle a civil lawsuit for $1.275 million filed against the city by Shaker Farms Country Club in 2024, alleging the city had failed in its obligation to manage the stormwater drainage system that had repeatedly flooded the golf course, in particular, the sixth green.
The lawsuit was filed in the U.S. District Court on Dec. 17, 2024 by attorney Donald P. Nagle on behalf of Shaker Farms, Inc., under section 505 of the Clean Water Act that sought declaratory judgment, injunctive relief and other relief with respect to actions and failure to act by the city of Westfield for unauthorized discharge.
The lawsuit came after owners Daniel and Nancy Kotowitz repeatedly requested the city in public meetings to rectify the issue, going back to at least 2013, according to a story in The Westfield News in October 2014.
“Shaker Farms Country Club owner, Dan Kotowitz, appearing before the Board of Public Works in October of 2013, said that ‘a huge amount of runoff’ from the stormwater pipe collecting water in the Falley Drive neighborhood is flooding the course near the sixth green,” according to the 2014 story.
“Kotowitz said at the BPW meeting that the sixth hole, a 565-yard uphill dogleg and the hardest hole on the course, lies at the bottom of the Shaker Heights bluff, and that the water ‘is coming down onto our property’ from the bluff, and requested the Board of Public Works to take what action the city could take to eliminate that storm-related flooding.”
After meeting in executive
session for nearly an hour during its meeting on Jan. 15, the City Council reconvened and voted 9-3 for the appropriation of $1.275 million from free cash requested by Mayor Michael McCabe. Voting no were Daniel Knapik, Brent Bean and James Adams.
None of the councilors made any comments about the settlement.
In another instance during public participation at a City Council meeting on Oct. 4, 2018, Daniel Kotowitz repeated his claim that stormwater runoff was ruining the sixth hole on his golf course, making it unplayable and hurting his business. He said stormwater runoff was also coming into the entrance of his parking lot.
The Kotowitzes alleged in the lawsuit that the city claimed the right to discharge stormwater from public roadways onto Shaker Farm Country Club property by an easement in 1961, which granted the “right to construct and duty to maintain a water pipeline and drainage ditch for drainage purposes.”
The easement that was granted referred to a 30-inch pipe over 300 feet to an intermittent brook.
They also alleged that there was no evidence that the city ever constructed a new 30-inch pipe, or that any pre-existing pipe exists on the premises, although the city has directed stormwater from several subdivisions to a 24-inch pipe outlet from which water flows towards the club.
The Kotowitzes alleged in the lawsuit that “the city’s overburdening misuse of and failure to maintain the drainage easement on the Shaker Farms’ property has resulted in storm water runoff to SFI property well beyond the ten (10) foot wide easement.”
The Kotowitzes also alleged the city previously assumed re-
sponsibility for maintenance of its stormwater conveyance by placing large angular rip rap stones below the outlet of the 24-inch pipe, but failed to undertake any other management, causing “extensive ongoing erosion” down gradient of the rip rap and resulting in continuing erosion impacting the sixth fairway and onto the fifth hole during storm events.
Initially, the Kotowizes requested relief and a jury trial because of repeated attempts by them to compel the city to document and mitigate the illegal discharge of stormwater, and the city’s acknowledgement of its legal obligation to do so.
“[It] utterly failed to take action,” the Kotowizes alleged.
On Dec. 9, 2025, a joint motion was filed by both parties in the U.S. District Court to extend the plaintiff’s motion to amend filed the previous November to add a
claim against the city.
According to the Dec. 9 motion, the parties reached an agreement in principle to resolve the claims at issue, and expected to reach a settlement agreement and dismiss the case.
Reached by phone on Jan. 16, Nagle said the $1.275 million approved by the City Council will settle the matter. He said Shaker Farms will construct new stormwater management improvements. Once completed, the city will take over the operation and maintenance of repair of the newly constructed stormwater system, in compliance with the Clean Water Act.
Nagle said there will be an agreement for judgment in Land Court, where there is also a case. Once that agreement for judgment is entered, Shaker Farms will dismiss the Clean Water Act case in federal court.
City agrees to $1.275 million lawsuit settlement
Reminder Publishing photo by Heather Rush
So That Reminds Me: Sacerdote talks Railroad Hobby Show
By Ryan Feyre rfeyre@thereminder.com
WEST SPRINGFIELD — The largest railroad-themed trade show in North America will once again stop people in their tracks this winter.
On this week’s episode of “So That Reminds Me,” hosts Dennis Hackett and Tyler Garnet sat down with John Sacerdote, show manager for the Railroad Hobby Show, to discuss what’s in store for the event, which is slated for Jan. 24 and 25 inside the Eastern States Exposition fairgrounds.
Sponsored by the Amherst Railway Society, the show covers all facets of railroad hobbies, including model railroads, railroad art and photography, railroad history and preservation, tourist railroads, railroad artifacts and railroad books and videos.
The event occupies 350,000 square feet in four buildings on the Big E fairgrounds, and this year’s show will feature visitors from all over the world and 396 exhibitors encompassing trains of all shapes and sizes.
But according to Sacerdote, the show is more than just a “flea market.”
“Every major manufacturer on the planet is at the show; every dealer that has large hobby stores, distribution centers; they’re all at the show,” Sacerdote said. “But more importantly, all these historical soci-
eties are at the show. All these museums are at the show. All these places where you can still ride trains in the Catskills, up in Maine, all over the United States, down in Rhode Island, are at the show. So, if it’s got something to do with railroads, they’re at the show.”
Although the hobby show already has a rich history, Sacerdote noted that the Railway Society is always trying to outdo itself every year. He highlighted the Sunday morning Brunch Express, which is essentially an Amherst chartered CTrail train ride that leaves from Springfield Union Station at 7 a.m. and arrives at Hartford Union Station shortly after. It is at the Hartford station where passengers will enjoy a buffet breakfast at the station’s Great Hall.
This year’s show will also feature a Women in Model Railroading information session and reception on Jan. 24 at 3 p.m., where people will have the opportunity to meet the women that play key roles in the railroad and model railroad industries. Attached to that will be an operating session from 6-8 p.m. where women of all ages will learn more about model railroad operations.
Sacerdote also mentioned that there will be multiple activities for children and stated that the society is hoping to surpass last year’s turnout of
27,535 people.
“I’m really trying for 30,000,” Sacerdote said, adding that weather usually dictates the overall turnout. “When we have great weather, we have great crowds.”
Aside from showcasing some of the major facets of the show, Sacerdote also highlight-
ed the decades-long journey that has defined the railroad show from its humble beginnings at the University of Massachusetts Amherst in the mid-1950s to the extravagant celebration it has become today. Tickets are now available for the show on its website. It is $18 for adults and free for ages 15 and under. Events throughout the two days are held at the Big E’s Better Living Center, Young and Stroh Buildings and the Mallary Complex. Readers can listen to the full episode by visiting thereminder. com/our-podcast or search “So That Reminds Me” on your favorite podcasting platform.
Open burning season started across Massachusetts on Jan. 15
By Cliff Clark cclark@thereminder.com
For those in the area who take advantage of the state’s open burning season from Jan. 15 to May 1, each local fire department has its own policies to ensure the public’s safety.
Westfield Deputy Fire Chief and Fire Prevention Officer Christopher King offered what could be the most important advice for those burning.
“It’s important to make sure the fire is always attended. Don’t start it and walk away,” King said.
And there should always be a water hose or water source nearby, he said.
Being a good neighbor is also important.
“You should remember your neighbors to make sure smoke doesn’t create an issue,” he said, adding that most burning complaints are from neighbors.
And burn barrels are not allowed, according to the state’s Department of Environmental Protection.
The Westfield Fire Department uses a web-based system that maintains a real-time map of every burn within town and city limits.
Westfield residents who wish to burn outdoors must take several steps to pull a permit, and it starts online at cityofwestfield.org/371/ Burning-Permits. That page links to a separate website, westfield. firepermits.com, where people can review the rules, apply for and purchase a permit, then activate it on the day they are actually burning, King said
Each permit requires a onetime $25 fee, according to King.
Seasonal burning permit
He explained that when paying for the permit, there will be a link that will take residents to a third-party vendor that processes
the payment. Residents do not need to register with the vendor to pay. They can simply pay as a guest.
“Always use the guest option,” King said.
After paying and receiving a permit, when residents are ready to burn, they must return to westfield.firepermits.com on the day of the burn and click on the “Activate Burn” button.
This has created some confusion for residents in the past. When activating their burn, residents will be asked to enter the address where the fire will take place.
What the department found since the new system was implemented was that residents were only putting in their house or residence number and street, and not including the correct city, “Westfield, Mass.”
Because the system uses a Google-based map, when residents began typing in their address, the mapping system would show a drop-down listing of all the addresses that match the street number and street name throughout the country. Some residents click on the first address that appears, but that address may have been in another city and state.
It is recommended that residents also put a “comma” after their address; it should be typed in like this, King said: “123 Broad St., Westfield, MA.”
There were a few burns in the city last year that mapped to locations in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Ohio and Illinois, Kane said.
Another issue that has popped up was residents trying to activate a burn before 9 a.m.
“The system is only open from 9 a.m. to noon,” King said.
Another issue is residents calling 911 when trying to learn if the weather conditions allow for a burn that day.
“Don’t call 911 unless you have an emergency. If you have
questions about burning, call the department directly,” at 413-5622329, King said.
In Southwick, residents who want to take advantage of open burn season have a new step they must take before lighting up: a site inspection.
“We just want to make sure that who would like to burn qualifies,” said Fire Chief Richard Stefanowicz, who added that permits are still free.
He suggested contacting the department as soon as possible to schedule a site inspection.
Several residents, he said, have already had their burn pits inspected.
Southwick residents seeking a burning permit should visit southwickfire.org and click on the “Open Burning Registration” page. That will take residents to a form that must be filled out.
Within a few days of filling out the form, applicants will receive an email detailing the permit number and a copy of the rules and regulations, according to the department’s website.
Once a permit, which is free, is secured, residents must call the department at 413-569-6363 on the day they wish to burn to learn if the conditions will allow it.
Residents don’t have to register online. They can visit the department to fill out the application form.
Granville Fire Department Chief Matt Ripley, like King, also said residents who pull burning permits need to follow the rules.
“It’s important to do everything correctly and not burn things you shouldn’t, like brush or leaves,” Ripley said.
Granville uses a similar system to Westfield’s, he said.
“Using the system, we can see all the people burning during any day,” Ripley said.
Granville residents can apply
for a burning permit online, which is free, by visiting gfd.burnpermits.com, the department’s permit portal, or pick up a paper application at the department.
“If you need help, please don’t hesitate to call us at 413-3578572,” Ripley said.
Once Granville residents secure a permit, they must still call 855-793-1007 to alert the department to burning and to learn if the conditions allow it.
In Russell, residents must stop by Town Hall and fill out the application form for a permit.
Once approved, residents should check out townofrussell. us/fire-department/news/daily-open-burning-restrictions. During the burning season, the site updates daily to let residents know if conditions allow outdoor fires that day.
In Montgomery, residents can call the fire department at 413-862-4505 to secure a permit at least 48 hours before burning.
When calling, leave an address, contact name and phone number.
The department said the permit can be revoked at any time because of dry conditions and air quality.
All the departments said it is important to follow the rules estab-
lished by the state DEP. They are:
• Fires must be a minimum of 75 feet away from any dwelling.
• Fires may be conducted between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. from Jan. 15 to May 1.
• Fires should take place on the land closest to the source of material to be burned.
• Before starting a fire, permit holders must ensure air quality conditions are acceptable for burning by calling the DEP Air Quality Hotline at 617-5561021 or by visiting MassAir Online at eeaonline.eea.state. ma.us/dep/massair/web.
The DEP also mandates that outdoor fires are restricted to brush, cane, driftwood and forestry debris (excluding commercial or industrial land clearing operations); agricultural materials such as fruit tree and bush pruning’s, raspberry stalks and infected bee hives for disease control; trees and brush resulting from agricultural land clearing; and fungus-infected elm wood, if no other acceptable means of disposal is available. Outdoor burns cannot include brush, trees, cane and driftwood from commercial or industrial land clearing; grass, hay, leaves and stumps; tires; or construction material and debris.
Railroad Hobby Show show manager John Sacerdote (left) joined hosts Dennis Hackett and Tyler Garnet for the latest episode of “So That Reminds Me.”
Reminder Publishing photo by Chris Maza
Open burning season opened on Jan. 15. Those wanting to open burn must be registered with their local fire department.
Photo credit: Massachusetts Department of Fire Services
City wants more residents to know about parking bans
By Cliff Clark cclark@thereminder.com
WESTFIELD — Because too many vehicles park on the city’s streets and roads during a snowstorm, the efforts of the DPW and private snowplow operators to clear the streets are all too often slowed. To solve this issue, the Police Department and the regional dispatch center want residents to know there is a way to immediately learn if a parking ban has been a problem: CodeRed.
“It all about public safety,” said Police Capt. Steve Dickinson about the importance of keeping the streets clear and signing up for the city’s CodeRed service, which is an emergency notification system used by the city to quickly alert residents about local events like severe weather, missing persons, evacuations, public health issues and parking bans by phone, text or email.
Rolled out about a year ago, over 1,500 residents have signed up for the service, but of those,
only about 600 have signed up to get parking ban alerts, said Nina Barszcz, the director of the Westfield Regional Public Safety Communication Center.
“Anyone who parks on the streets in the city should sign up for the parking notifications when signing up for the service,” Barszcz said.
When the snow starts falling and forecasts call for accumulation, plowing doesn’t usually start until after it stops, which is the window of opportunity for residents to move their vehicles.
And when plowing starts, there is always a coordinated effort between the plows and patrol officers to get vehicles off the streets.
Dickinson said that if a resident’s vehicle is parked on the street about to get plowed, officers will stop, check the status of the vehicle registration to determine the address of the vehicle owner and knock on their door. If no one answers the door, the dispatch center will call the owner’s number, and if no one answers, the officers are autho-
rized to tow the vehicle.
“Towing is a last resort,” Dickinson said, adding that having a vehicle towed causes even more of a delay for the plows.
He also said that most residents don’t know that all the city’s municipal parking lots are available for those who have nowhere else to go, but they should understand that at some point, those lots must be plowed.
The CodeRed alerts are all “user-driven,” Barszcz said.
That means the city will not sign a resident up for the service. They must do it.
She said when a resident does, it’s important to choose which notification method they would like; text, phone call, or email, or all three.
And because the CodeRed system can geotarget the message, Barszcz said residents should include their home address.
dispatcher monitors emergency communication consoles at the Westfield Public Safety Communications Center. Westfield would like more residents to sign up for the free CodeRed alert notification system, especially for those who often park on the city’s streets and road and need to be notified of a parking ban during a snowstorm.
The system is precise enough to geotarget residents within an exact area of impact, so that only those people who are affected by an emergency situation are notified
For example, if a resident lives on Montgomery or East Mountain Road, they probably won’t need to choose to be alerted when a parking ban is issued.
For those unfamiliar with the free service, it sends alerts for a variety of situations, like boil water notices, gas leaks, and fire or police emergencies.
When an alert is issued, the CodeRed message will have a caller ID of 206-536-3695. The city suggests programming that number into a user’s cell phone as a new contact. Residents can also register more than one phone or email address.
High school hockey team visits elementary school students
By Amy Porter aporter@thereminder.com
WESTFIELD — Westfield High School hockey coach Dominic Puntillo, who teaches at Westfield Intermediate School, wanted his players from Westfield High and Westfield Technical Academy to be involved in their community.
Looking for ways they might get involved, junior Christian Andwood approached the coach with the idea of having players connect with younger students through reading. Eighteen players from WHS and WTA signed up to do just that.
Puntillo involved Westfield Public Schools Curriculum Director Susan Dargie, who supplied new books for them to read, and a plan was formed. On Jan. 9, a no-practice day for the team, the players, sporting their jerseys, visited four elementary schools in the district to read to the students as the last activity of their Friday.
“The visits from our WHS hockey athletes to our elementary schools were a tremendous success! I met students as they arrived at Paper Mill, and everyone was excited,” said Dargie, who said in many cases, the high school students chose to read at
their former elementary schools.
“Teachers that were not part of the readalouds stopped down at the office to say hello to former students. Paper Mill Principal Mike Atkins let some of the players know that their former teachers asked that they stop down when they were done reading,” Dargie added.
Dargie said students in Kathleen Knapik’s class had some surprises for Joe Maffia during his visit to Paper Mill. Her students wore Bombers red and black, and they made signs of support for his number 15. Before Joe left, Knapik asked him to sign a hockey stick displayed in the room that was originally signed by Westfield native Kacey Bellamy.
“The kids were amazing, and one student, Chris Shea, brought his own favorite book, ‘If You Give a Moose a Muffin’ [by Laura Joff Numeroff].” He started with his younger brother’s classroom, and by the time he was done, he had read to at least three classrooms,” Dargie said. Also reading at Paper Mill were Owen Moore and Brody Hollister.
Christian Andwood, whose idea it was to read to the young-
In a full circle moment, Nathan Jarvis read to students in the same second grade classroom in Southampton Road that he was taught in by the same teacher,
Residents approve town employee insurance premium split
By Cliff Clark cclark@thereminder.com
SOUTHWICK — Following the lead of nearly every municipality in the state, town employees will soon be able to negotiate paying less for their health insurance premium after Special Town Meeting approved a request by the Select Board for the town to pay more than the state minimum of 50%.
“I’m very happy,” said Chief Administrative Officer Nicole Parker on Jan. 14 after the Jan. 13 meeting at Southwick Regional School that was attended by over 200 residents.
“This is a testament to our town being so well informed and vested in our community and public safety,” she said, referring to not only approving adjusting the health insurance premium split but also using $220,000 in free cash to finish rebuilding the public safety radio system.
During the debate on Article 1, most of those who spoke supported it, but there were a few who weren’t comfortable with not being able to establish a percentage of what the town might pay toward an employees’ premium, including Linda Bathel of Lexington Circle.
“Is it prudent or responsible to vote for something a percentage increase that is undefined? If you would come in and say you would like to increase by 5%, OK, we know what we’re getting into,” she said, which Select Board member Doug Moglin addressed.
“Just to clarify, and town counsel can check me on this, but Mass General Law doesn’t provide for us the ability in this warrant article to do that. So the only thing we can do is remove the cap from 50% ... I’m not going to say trust me because you’ve got a Finance Committee and a Select Board here that’s going to have to negotiate those contracts with your town employees and your unions,” he said.
He added the “ultimate check and balance” are on the residents who approve the budget at the Annual Town Meeting.
Deb Patryn of Saw Mill Park had a similar concern to Bathel’s about the percentage split, but believed if the residents approved the article, there would be no limit on the town’s contribution.
“It sounds like, well, if we say yes tonight, then that gives you free rein to go anywhere up to 100%, you could go to 70%,
Congamond Lake – Great Brook Watershed
Notice to Prepare an Environmental Assessment
Due to emergency closure of Town Hall on the orginally scheduled meeting date, the inital public meeting for the Environmental Assessment for flood protection at Congamond Lake in Southwick, MA has been rescheduled for January 29th, 2026
This is the first of two opportunities during which the public is encouraged to engage with the technical review team. It will be a hybrid in-person and virtual meeting occurring at the Southwick Town Hall, 454 College Highway, Southwick, MA or https:// parecorp.zoom.us/my/nrcs.ma on January 29th, 2026 at 6:00pm. Assistance will be provided to anyone having difficulty in determining how to participate. This meeting will present the purpose and scope of the planning effort; public input is encouraged to support evaluation of formulated alternatives. Comments or questions may be submitted until March 1st, 2026 by mail Congamond Plan EA, c/o Pare Corporation, 10 Lincoln Road Suite 210, Foxboro, MA 02035 or by email to Congamond@parecorp.com
you could go to 55%, you could go to 80%. There’s no cap on the money that we are agreeing to give you at this point,” she said, which Gale responded to.
“We’re not going to do it. It has to go through negotiation and you have a prudent, experienced board up here that does those negotiations. The unions and the union reps are experienced and smart enough not to ask for 100% ... we would get nowhere. That would be fiscally irresponsible to do so,” she said.
Asking for residents’ support were Jessica Thornton, Fire Department employees Brian Schneider and Jessica Bishop, and former Select Board member Jason Perron spoke.
“This article was not about special treatment. It is about workforce stability, service reliability, making fiscally responsible decisions to help control long term costs rather than compound them,” Perron said.
Fire Prevention Officer Brian Scheinder, who with the support of over 60 town employees, asked for the meeting to have residents vote on the issue last September, spoke.
“We are not asking for a certain percentage, we are asking for
a chance to negotiate the percent. We need you all to vote to allow that to happen. That’s the law and that’s what we’re asking for is the chance,” he said. Thornton believed it was important that the town offer fair and competitive compensation packages to all its employees
Randy Wynglarz of Granville
Road and a town employee of 32 years closed the debate.
“It’s pretty bad. Sixteen hundred bucks a month. I pay more for health care than to live here. We can’t get anybody to stay. All the good people left, and we’re getting some good people but no
Progress continues on partial fiber optic network in Southwick
By Cliff Clark cclark@thereminder.com
SOUTHWICK — While it’s been several months since the Select Board committed to building a fiber optic network as a pilot project to gauge customer participation rates, getting the project off the ground is still in the works.
“We have a second contract in front of us,” said Select Board member Douglas Moglin during a recent board meeting, giving a status report on the project.
“[The] contract is to start the minimal project that is funded,” he said, adding the town’s legal counsel has been looking over it so the project can proceed.
Once the Select Board approves the contract, Moglin said “permitting and construction” can get started.
At the Town Meeting last May, there was an article on the warrant asking residents’ approval to borrow $16 million to build out the network throughout the town over five years.
The article got a majority of votes, but not the two-thirds required – it fell 14 votes short.
In June, Moglin, who has championed the project for over five years, came back to the board and proposed using a $3 million borrowing authorization approved by Town Meeting in 2023, $900,000 of American Rescue Plan Act money, and a $250,000 state grant to build a portion of the network using a fiber optic
cable that was installed under the rail trail when it was being built.
“We are committing to fund make-ready work for poles that have already been approved in line with the municipal network construction, and the costs for the same will be accommodated within existing funds already approved,” Moglin said about a pole inventory developed when planning for the network to be townwide.
Each pole where cable is
hung must be surveyed by the pole owner, mostly Verizon, to determine what cables, if any, need to be moved to make space available for the fiber optic cable.
In August, with the board’s blessing, Moglin began working with Whip City Fiber, which is a wholly owned subsidiary of WG&E, to develop a new contract that would specify where the fiber optic cable would be strung.
The Fire Department’s Fire Prevention Officer Brian Schneider asked Southwick’s residents to support the town being allowed to negotiate a higher contribution to the town employees’ health insurance during the Special Town Meeting held on Jan.
Reminder Publishing photo by Cliff Clark
Ghalayini named to SUNY Potsdam president’s list
WESTFIELD — Samir Ghalayini of Westfield was recently named to the president’s list at The State University of New York at Potsdam.
Ghalayini, whose major is Music Performance, was among 738 students who were honored for academic excellence in the fall 2025 semester. SUNY Pots-
WHS Hockey
Continued from page 3
er students, read to students in Claire Adams’ class at Munger Hill on a visit to the school with his teammates Tyler Goodreau, Owen Colbath and Will Shea. Nathan Jarvis, Treygan Lamanski, Chase Liptak and Brady Corliss signed up to read at Southampton Road Elementary. In a full circle moment, Nathan read to students in the same second grade classroom that he was taught in by the same teacher, Mary Loughrey.
CodeRed
Continued from page 3
It is highly recommended that residents register at least one phone number and email address.
dam President Dr. Suzanne Smith recognized the students for earning top marks. To achieve the honor of being on the president’s list, each student must have satisfactorily completed 12 numerically-graded semester hours, with a grade point average of 3.5 or higher.
Cody Bard, Aidan Casey, Ayden Ciavola, Josh Elmer, Andrew Galczynski and Colton Moraweic read to students at Westfield River Elementary.
Cody, a senior at WHS and the team’s captain, said he went to school at Munger Hill, but wanted to read at Westfield River, where his mother, Wendy Bard, is a first grade teacher. He said he was also excited to see the new school for the first time.
In the classroom, Wendy Bard told her students that the captain of the team is chosen by teammates. Cody explained that this is a very big responsibility and involves helping the coach.
About SUNY Potsdam: Founded in 1816, The State University of New York at Potsdam is one of America’s first 50 colleges — and the oldest institution within SUNY. Now in its third century, SUNY Potsdam is distinguished by a legacy of pioneering programs and educational excellence. The college currently enrolls approximately 2,500 undergraduate and graduate students. Home to the world-renowned Crane School of Music, SUNY Potsdam is known for its challenging liberal arts and sciences core, distinction in teacher training and culture of creativity. To learn more, visit potsdam.edu.
A photo of the team’s 2025 Western Mass. championship win was displayed during his visit.
Before reading the book, “Your Fantastic Elastic Brain” by Joann Deak, to the students, Cody answered a long list of questions the students had prepared in advance, such as who was his favorite player — the Bruins’ Charlie McAvoy — and how long he’s played hockey for. His answer of 14 to 15 years was hard for the 6 and 7-year-olds to grasp. Wendy said all the students in her class had been looking forward to the visit.
Puntillo, a math and science teacher at WIS, pointed to the
district’s “portrait of a graduate” program, which determined that Westfield students should be leaving high school with the ability to be resilient, collaborate, think critically, communicate respectfully and demonstrate integrity.
“These are all characteristics that we want to foster in our hockey program as well,” Puntillo said.
“I appreciate our players taking time out of their busy schedules, and I hope we inspired a few future Bombers. Westfield is a proud hockey city, and doing things like that hopefully leads to success on the ice and in the classroom years down the road,” Puntillo added.
Town Meeting
Continued from page 4
one wants to stay,” he said.
The question was called and, Town Moderator Celeste St. Jacques called for a voice vote.
There were clearly more yeas than nays and the article passed.
Article 2, which would allow the town to negotiate a better thanan 50% split on the health insurance premiums for town’s
Network
Continued from page 4
At that meeting, he proposed connecting the DPW, public library and the Southwick-Tolland-Granville Regional School District to the cable branching off from the trail. With the library included, it would bring the fiber cable nearly to the entrance of the town’s industrial park, Hudson Drive.
This week, Moglin wrote in an email that connecting those municipal buildings to the network was still a “couple of years out.”
He also proposed hanging cable along the north side of Depot Street, where a 100-unit condominium project is planned, and along the north and south sides of South Longyard Road to Liquori Drive, and along the east and
If a resident gets an alert, don’t call 911 for additional information unless directed to do so.
The system will leave a message on an answering machine or voicemail if the phone is missed.
“This is to ensure that you will receive alerts in the event of a power outage or incident that occurs late a night,” according to a CodeRed fact sheet.
59 retirees was also approved after a short debate which featured some opposition.
Perry Schwarzer of Crystal Drive pointed out that Article 2 is just for “people who worked for the town” and was not as an incentive to work for the town.
“This has nothing to do with that. I encourage people not to vote for this because it really is, you know … nobody’s giving me a raise today or giving me more money. I feel bad for people in
west side of Powder Mill Road up to Legion Road.
He also proposed to hang cable along Sheep Pasture Road starting at about 210 Sheep Pasture Road and then continuing along Point Grove Road on the northern side until it reaches the culvert between the north and middle pond of Congamond Lakes. It would be hung on the southern side of the road until it reaches 49 Point Grove.
In those areas, the town will try to get an idea of the participation rate, which is the percentage of potential customers who would subscribe to the service at an estimated price of $89 per month.
During the development of the townwide network plan to present at Town Meeting, it was estimated that a take rate of between 40% and 50% would be needed to pay for the network’s buildout without needing taxpayer funds.
If no one answers or the line is busy, the system will retry the call two more times.
“At any point, you may redial the 800 number on your caller ID to hear a replay of the message,” according to the fact sheet.
The city also recommends downloading the free app, which,
the world. But anyway, I hope people vote no for this,” he said. St. Jacques called for voice vote, and there were significantly more yeas than nays, even more than on Article 1.
Article 3 asking for $220,000 to finish the town’s public safety radio system. That was passed
in addition to getting alerts based on the location of the phone, allows users to hear alerts from other cities and towns they may be traveling to.
To sign up, visit cityofwestfield.org/codered, and for questions, email codered@cityofwestfield.org.
unanimously, as was Article 4, which was minor amendment to the town’s zoning bylaws.
Article 5, asking for the town to adopt a temporary moratorium on building large-scale solar projects or installing battery energy storage systems, was also approved unanimously.
BASKETBALL
Maiki Gomez tries to drive past Jacoby Haney and Francis Jordan.
Westfield's Maiki Gomez drives around Jacoby Haney with Garrett Berube setting a pick. WESTFIELD HIGH VS CHICOPEE COMP
Pat Lech goes up for a basket.
Garrett Berube collects a rebound with Pat Lech looking on.
Ceaser Quinto looks
The Westfield High boys basketball team before their January 12 game with Chicopee Comprehensive.
Westfield's Cesar Quinto cuts around Comp's Edrin Rivera.
Noah Rivera grabs a rebound.
Evan Miller tries for a long shot.
Francis Jordan and Pat Lech maneuver down the sideline.
Oliveira hosts workforce summit with statewide leaders
By Sarah Heinonen sheinonen@thereminder.com
SPRINGFIELD — Western Massachusetts leaders in education and economic development met with Massachusetts Secretary for Labor and Workforce Development Lauren Jones for a summit on how to grow the region’s workforce to meet the needs of today and the future.
The meeting, hosted by the Community Foundation of Western Massachusetts and led by state Sen. Jake Oliveira, identified the need for a robust bridge between education and the workplace, in the form of educational pathways, internships and registered apprenticeships.
Jones said the roundtable was an opportunity for “candid conversations on how we can advance labor force participation, grow our workforce in this region by tapping into the great talent that studies in our higher ed institutions right here.”
Speaking about the higher education partners at the summit, Oliveira said, “They’re the folks that are training the next generation of workers here in Western Massachusetts, and I wanted to
make sure that our higher ed institutions, our workforce development leaders know that they have a partner in the state government — the Executive Office of Labor and Workforce Development, the Executive Office of Education and the Skills Cabinet.”
The Massachusetts Workforce Skills Cabinet coordinates the work done in the state offices of Education, Labor and Workforce Development, and Housing and Economic Development to create a cohesive agenda.
Bay Path University President Sandra Doran said, “We need to think about our students.
That is our only focus, making sure our students are successful. We know that a good internship leads to a better job and career. Students who have internships frequently start at more of a mid-level position than a junior position, at a higher salary, and I don’t think that’s completely understood. Where you start in the marketplace, the workforce, has a direct relationship to where you’re going to end up.”
Oliveira pointed out, “A lot of their students can’t afford to take the time, that might be working full-time jobs already, to do
unpaid internships. To find ways that we can get more paid internships here to students in Western Massachusetts with Western Massachusetts employers, I think is another very important piece.”
Jones said registered apprenticeships, which combine paid, on-the-job training with classroom education, are a “proven model” that has long been used in trades and is becoming more common in other fields. In December 2025, the Healey-Driscoll administration announced $1.8 million in grants for registered apprenticeship opportunities in the field of early childhood education. The funding went to eight organizations to train and place more than 300 apprentices.
Holyoke Community College Vice President of Business and Community Services Jeff Hayden said, “HCC has a fairly strong infrastructure in relation to the current employment market, much of it at the entry level.” However, he said some entry level positions do not offer a family-sustaining wage. “What we need to do is to build pathways so that people can not only get a job but get into a career where they can advance. How do we get them more edu-
cation and more employment for them to get that sustaining wage.”
One example of such a pathway would be to become a licensed practical nurse. He said the program would be designed for people who work in health care fields but not providing direct medical care. The pathway would allow them to further their education and work in the field with the goal of becoming an LPN.
Among the challenges that the summit explored was connecting people with what Oliveira called “the changing economy,” and ensures the workforce continues to meet the future employment demand in various sectors, including quantum computing and food science. He said the colleges and universities in Western Massachusetts are positioned to meet those needs.
Jones said that her office takes “a sector-based strategy” and looks to prepare people entering the workforce for the fields where there are opportunities, such as health care, education and advanced manufacturing in Western Massachusetts. She described it as “building a bridge.”
Jones said it was important in designing a strong network of pathways to “understand what the gaps are in our skills for our current talent as well as our future talent. Linking that to sector strategies and making sure that we are closing that immediate gap that we know employers are looking for today, but also leveraging our workforce infrastructure, our education ecosystem, that we’re preparing our future students for opportunities that we know will also be here down the road.”
TheReminder.com
Every week we will provide you with a complete listings of deaths from the preceding week from throughout Greater Springfield. We are doing this as a convenience to our readers in case you miss an obit in the daily paper. We hope you find this useful and that you will refer to it weekly.
AGAWAM
Alice M. Buell
Maureen Anne Costello
Walter S. Kamyk
Wayne Richard Robblee
FEEDING HILLS
Daniel “Gil” Tetreault HUNTINGTON
Jennifer L. Hebert
SOUTHWICK
Linda A. Jacobs
WEST SPRINGFIELD
Robert F. Amsden
Ralph Bartholomew Tage Gustav Alexander Brannkarr
June M. Heelon
Barbara Lambert
Charles E. Petschke Jr.
Elizabeth Robbins Svec WESTFIELD
James E. Crawford
Jacques B. Dejean
Philip A. Gould
David R. Jarret
Therese J. Madiera
James Maher
Levi J. St. Onge Jr.
Doran said the three principal areas of study at Bay Path University are health care, education and entrepreneurial management. “Our programs are intentionally aligned with needs of this community,” she said, “That’s our mission, for our students and for the region. We are ready to go. We’ve always been career focused, for 125 years. We’ve got the infrastructure, the programming, we’ve got the personnel. We just need more internships.”
Funding will be critical to creating those internships, Doran said, adding, “We’re looking to some of our closest friends and donors. We’re looking for grants. We know that the federal government may not be a partner in this.”
Likewise, Oliveira said funding will be key to making pathways work. “Funding is always a challenge, especially when the federal government is pulling away from a lot of grant programs that go to help institutions of higher education, nonprofits and the workforce side,” Oliveira said. While the state cannot fill that funding gap, he said, “What we can do is identify proven programs that have worked in the past and build off of that.” He cited Westfield State University’s internship incentive program, which provides funding that is matched by the university to provide paid internships as one such proven program.
When it comes to funding, Jones said, “I think it’s an opportunity to understand, what do we want to do, how can we do it and how can we be more efficient with the tools that we do have?”
Provisions Picks: Big Italian reds from Campania
We’re back in the cold weather everyone, and you know what that means: big reds. Big Italian reds to be specific!
I’d like to turn your attention to Campania in Italy. It’s located right on the Mediterannean in the south along the boot’s ankle, and it is one of Italy’s oldest wine regions, dating back to the 1100s B.C. As you may have guessed, this makes for a hot and dry climate with a long growing season perfect for bulking up the wines from their local red variety Aglianico. While Aglianico has remained a popular wine grape for centuries, it actually achieved its greatest acclaim in the days of the Roman empire
when it was used to make the famous wine Falernum. Interestingly, the Romans chose not to use Aglianico’s thick, tannic skins in Falernum winemaking, opting instead to directly press the freshly picked fruit in order to produce a white wine. Today, however, the most acclaimed versions of this grape are mostly red in color, richly ripe, tannic, high in natural acidity due to volcanic soils and full-bodied with a tendency to reveal a great deal of complexity when aged.
In fact, top-tier red appellations such as Taurasi produce wines that can happily age for decades, although not all of the wines require it. Don’t be fooled by the
richness and ripeness described here though; Aglianico is more than a simple fruit-bomb. Look out for notes of plum, cocoa, medicinal herbs, leather, pipe tobacco, meat and dark cherry.
We’ve loved the wines of Casa di Baal for many years now, and their reds offer an excellent introduction into the region for the curious. The Salerno family own and operate this small vineyard and winery producing a mere 2,000 cases of wine each year with their primary business being in olive orchards and olive oil production. In the early 2000s, the family’s daughters decided that they wanted to stop selling grapes to other local win-
eries in order to establish their own wine program and Casa di Baal was born. They are excellent farmers who care tremendously for their land and have been farming the vines organically since 2006 before converting to biodynamic agriculture back in 2014. While this article focuses on their reds, the Salernos also produce some excellent white and sparkling wines that you won’t want to miss either!
• Casa di Baal Rosso di Baal 2022 ($19.99) — 40% Merlot and 40% Aglianico with the remainder made up of Barbera, this was the first wine produced at Casa di Baal, and it serves as an approachable
introduction to the region’s red wines. Rosso di Baal offers notes of red berries, plum, ample spice, and wet earth with lively acidity. Excellent with sharp Italian cheeses like Pecorino, red sauce pasta dishes or pizza.
• Casa di Baal Aglianico di Baal 2019 ($24.99) — Entirely composed of Aglianico and aged in a mix of stainless steel and used French oak barrels, this wine is bold and full-bodied with rich tannins now softened by age. Look for notes of leather, high quality tobacco, and dark fruit with a backbone of minerality. Pair with red meat or truffle dishes.
UMass Amherst to host the return of Five College Opera
AMHERST — When the cast of
“The Marriage of Figaro” takes the Bowker Auditorium stage for the first of two performances on Feb. 6, it will mark an important return for the opera community in the Pioneer Valley.
For the first time in nearly a decade, the Five College Opera will be mounting a full stage production, bringing together cast, crew, orchestra and resources from the University of Massachusetts Amherst, Smith College, Hampshire College, Amherst College and Mount Holyoke College to present one of the pillars of the operatic canon.
“The Marriage of Figaro’s story and beautiful music have continued to resonate with audiences for more than 200 years since its premiere,” said Jamie-Rose Guarrine, professor of voice and interim associate chair of the UMass Department of Mu-
sic and Dance. “It’s a universal story of people falling in love, falling out of love, and finding each other again, told with wit, warmth, and a shared humanity that has stood the test of time. It’s comic and iconic, and the perfect story to experience live, told in the theater.”
Melanie Bacaling, guest stage director for “Le Nozze di Figaro,” has described the design concept as “stylized period, focusing on how the themes of the opera transcend time.”
The performance on Friday, Feb. 6 will start at 7:30 p.m. There will be a second show, on Sunday, Feb. 8, beginning at 3 p.m.
The Five College Opera is a collaborative production in which faculty from across the campuses join together to plan an opera, and students in music and theater from all of the campuses have the opportunity to study and
The Penguin Plunge is back
WESTFIELD — Amelia Park
Children’s Museum is asking local residents if they are daring enough to take a dip into the icy, cold waters of Hampton Ponds State Park, Westfield, on Jan. 24. That’s when participants can defy winter and help raise money for the museum. Now in its 21st year, the Penguin Plunge has raised over $370,000 to support Amelia Park Children’s Museum.
Highlights include cash prizes to the top three entities (individual or group) raising the most funds and a costume contest — with prizes.
For those who aren’t going in the water, there’s plenty to do, including roasting a marshmallow by the campfire, enjoying a warm beverage, playing an outdoor game and cheering on the brave participants.
There will be an after-party at Bright Ideas Brewing at 109 Apremont Way, immediately following the Plunge.
Register in advance online, at the museum or in person on the day of the event from 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.
Registration and pledge forms are available via the museum website at www.ameliaparkmuseum.org or can be picked up at the museum. Online registration closes at 11:59 p.m. on Jan. 23.
The money raised by the plunge goes to providing a safe, welcoming, fun place for children to learn and play. This event is critical to supporting the work of Amelia Park Children’s Museum.
Amelia Park Children’s Museum provides hands-on learning for children ages 1 to 7. Children can learn through play with APCM’s highly interactive exhibits and facilitated programming. The museum offers daily programs in literacy, creative art and STEM. Additionally, APCM hosts field trips with state curriculum-aligned programs as well as birthday parties.
perform. Students learn operatic techniques from experts and perform in a production which is open to the public.
Previously produced every three years, the Five College Opera’s operations were postponed indefinitely when the COVID-19 pandemic hit. Last year, a steering committee was formed with representatives from all five institutions to re-envision the direction of the organization. The result was the decision to return with a show that highlighted the unique talents of an all-student cast.
That cast was auditioned with “Le Nozze di Figaro” in mind, with the added consideration that performers will be able to capitalize on learning these core arias of the opera canon in their future careers, including in upcoming graduate auditions.
At UMass, opera is on the rise, following last spring’s pro-
duction of “Fairy Tales and Magic”, a collaboration between the vocal and orchestral programs in the Department of Music and Dance. It’s a career pipeline that’s still being built, but Guarrine sees it as on an upward trajectory.
“Opera is just one part of a multi-faceted approach to prepare our students for the career landscape, whether as performers, educators, choral, oratorio, or opera singers,” she noted. “What has been nice about Five College Opera is that it strengthens that area, but it also provides a connective force to the operatic experience by uniting us with the Five College community.”
Guarrine also hopes that this year’s production will provide a scaffolding for the future of the Five College Opera. At a time where budgets are stretched, the production team of “The Marriage of Figaro” is exploring out
of the box solutions and documenting best practices of the massive logistical undertaking of mounting an opera, hoping to create a roadmap for future productions.
The Marriage of Figaro is Mozart’s sparkling comedy of love and class, set during a single chaotic day. When Figaro and Susanna’s wedding plans are jeopardized by Count Almaviva’s entitled advances, a whirlwind of disguises and misunderstandings ensues, culminating in a joyous celebration of wit, compassion, and the triumph of love.
Tickets for “Le Nozze di Figaro” (“The Marriage of Figaro”) can be purchased at the Fine Arts Center Box Office (in the lobby of Frederick C. Tillis Hall), by calling 413-545-2511, or by going to UMasstix.org/ musicanddance.
