Massachusetts Senate passes sweeping environmental bond bill
The Massachusetts Senate recently voted 36-3 in favor of a $3.64 billion bill to address climate change, protect the state’s natural resources and make much needed infrastructure improvements across the state, including in Western Massachusetts.
Page 2
Baystate Health to absorb Mercy Medical Center
Mercy Medical Center, which has been affiliated with Trinity Health of New England for more than a decade, is slated to become Baystate Mercy Hospital by the end of the year.
Page 6
Transgender rights activists call out Baystate for ending care
A small but vocal group of people, sporting protest signs and wearing pink, white and blue transgender flags as capes, attended a rally on the steps of Springfield City Hall on April 26.
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Springfield Pride unveils plans for fifth annual event
By Peter Tuohy ptuohy@thereminder.com
SPRINGFIELD — What began as a vision for a community celebration five years ago is now gearing up for one of its biggest weekends yet. The Springfield Pride Parade Weekend is back from June 4-6.
To celebrate the organization’s impact and unveil plans for this year’s events, Springfield Pride Parade Organization Executive Director Taurean Bethea was joined by Springfield Mayor Domenic Sarno, Chief Diversity and Inclusion Officer Judi Crowell and Division of Health and Human Services Commissioner Helen Caulton-Harris on April 30.
The Springfield Pride Parade Organization is a nonprofit dedicated to expanding access to leadership development, workforce readiness and opportunity for young people across Springfield. Bethea began the organization in 2017 after a hate comment on social media about his assumed sexual orientation resonated with him.
The organization’s website has a quote from Bethea stating, “At the time, I was a closeted gay Black male, not because of shame, but because coming out as a gay Black male can be life threatening, even in the 21st century … on Oct. 17, 2017, three days after my 33rd birthday, I decided to stand with those, young and old, that may have had something that should be celebrated and encouraged framed in hate. I decided to commit my life to helping individuals be unapologetically who they are.”
The parade weekend aims to be a community-driven movement of support, inclusivity and public recognition to “remind our LGBTQIA+ youth that they are safe, they are loved and they are not alone,” according to the website.
“I’m super excited about this year,” Bethea said. “Pride is bigger
than just one day, you know, pride is community, pride is access to health care, to just things that a lot of what our youth need here. We’re not just celebrating color and enjoying the fun, we’re celebrating lives that we’re seeing everyday.”
The weekend kicks off in front of Springfield City Hall on Thursday, June 4, with a flag raising and a Credit for Life session, which informs youth on life skills like applying to college, finding a job, saving and budgeting.
The main event on Friday, June 5, introduces something a little more fun, according to Bethea, with a “Pride Strikes Charity Bowling” event.
The parade steps off at noon on Saturday, June 6, beginning on the Springfield Technical Community College campus and marching to Stearns Square for the annual block party.
“I’m so excited that this is our fifth year, I cannot believe it,” Bethea said. “Our theme this year is ‘Beyond the Rainbow,’ which means we are going beyond just celebrating one day; it’s a year round effort.”
Sarno said that when the parade began, he received calls, emails and letters from some people who may have been against it, but that the backlash has significantly declined over the past five years. He
added that over 5,000 people celebrated it for the first year, making it one of the biggest celebrations in the state.
“You still have haters out there, for whatever reason, but we have to show them that love, respect and pride are going to champion,” Sarno said. Crowell said she looks forward to this event every year and said that everybody needs a place to go where they don’t feel left out, and that’s what this initiative is.
Caulton-Harris began by thanking Sarno for making sure Springfield is an inclusive city and was
SPRINGFIELD
Springfield Pride Parade Organization Executive Director Taurean Bethea unveils plans at City Hall for fifth annual parade weekend. Reminder Publishing photo by Peter Tuohy
See PRIDE on page 2
Massachusetts Senate passes sweeping environmental bond bill
By Sarah Heinonen sheinonen@thereminder.com
The Massachusetts Senate recently voted 36-3 in favor of a $3.64 billion bill to address climate change, protect the state’s natural resources and make much needed infrastructure improvements across the state, including in Western Massachusetts.
State Sen. Jake Oliveira, who represents the Hampden, Hampshire and Worcester District explained that environmental bond bills, like the Mass Ready Act, are usually taken up by the Legislature every five years. A bond bill utilizes the state’s ability to take on debt to fund policy priorities and infrastructure. Massachusetts’ general obligation bond rating from Standard & Poor is AA+ and stable, which Oliveira said allows the state to borrow money at favorable interest rates and spread out costs over time.
“With the budget, we have to make sure the state keeps operating and moving forward,” said state Sen. Adam Gómez, who represents most of Springfield and part of Chicopee. Therefore, he said, “With some of these bigger projects, the only way they’ll happen is with bond money.”
Because the state takes on these projects and policies once every few years, Oliveira said the Mass Ready Act is “a pretty intense bill.”
Water and sewer
Much of Oliveira’s work on the bill focused on clean water. He recalled the contaminated water situations that occurred in Flint,
Pride
Continued from page 1
proud to have him as a boss before expressing her appreciation for Bethea and his movement.
Michigan, from 2014-2025 and Jackson, Mississippi, in August 2022, and said those issues took a significant toll on the local economies, as well as impacting people’s health.
Many of the water and sewer lines in Massachusetts are about 100 years old and made of cast iron. Municipalities have slowly been replacing them with modern PVC pipes, but the projects are expensive. “It’s not just the pipes but it’s also filtration systems,” Oliveira said.
Oliveira said the Mass Ready Act also includes provisions that increase how much input Western Massachusetts towns have when it comes to regional water supplies. Springfield and Ludlow, where Oliveira lives, both receive water from the Springfield Water and Sewer Commission. Additionally, the water for Agawam, Southwick, Longmeadow and East Longmeadow are treated by the SWSC. Further, the SWSC gets its water from the Little River Watershed in Blandford and Russell.
“A significant portion of the people who get their water through Springfield Water and Sewer Commission live outside the city,” he said. Oliveira filed an amendment to the bond bill that expanded the commission from three people to seven and guaranteed representation for area towns on the commission’s advisory committee.
Meanwhile, in Chicopee, South Hadley and Wilbraham, residents receive their water from Quabbin Reservoir through the Massachusetts Water Resources Authority. Oliveira said he fought to ensure
“I have such a great affection for this young man, who took a risk, came home and said ‘I am going to create something so that all of the individuals in our city feel seen,’ and he has done that,” Harris said. “Taurean, I am so incredibly proud of you.”
a seat on the MWRA board is reserved for someone from Western Massachusetts.
“If you’re a rate payer, if your resources are being used, you deserve a seat at the table,” Oliveira said.
In addition to these changes, Oliveira said $5 million was allotted to help remediate the polychlorinated biphenyls, banned chemicals also known as PCBs, which were found in the Westfield River. Also in the bill is $4.5 million in a clean water trust, $15 million to filter water in schools and child care settings, and $120 million to filter per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, widely referred to as PFAS, from private drinking water wells.
A fund was created to replace channel markers in the Connecticut River near the Holyoke Dam, and $20 million was provided to update the antiquated McLaughlin Fish Hatchery in Belchertown, which Oliveira has fond memories of visiting with his grandfather.
Air quality
While Oliveira was focused on clean water, state Sen. Adam Gómez had his sights set on clean air. He secured a $5 million amendment to the bill, establishing a pilot program to improve indoor air quality in schools, public housing, correctional facilities and other public spaces.
“For communities like mine in Springfield, this is not theoretical — it’s everyday life,” Gómez said in a press release. “This amendment is about something fundamental: the right of every person in the Commonwealth to breathe
clean, safe air, no matter their zip code, income, or the condition of the building they live, learn, or work in.” He later told Reminder Publishing, “This is an environmental justice issue. It’s a matter of dignity.”
Gómez said the air conditions at the Roderick L. Ireland Courthouse, which have long made employees sick and drove the state to build a new courthouse, was one of the main reasons he pursued the amendment. Another was Springfield’s Gerena School, which has seen similar issues linked to poor air quality.
“We’re still an asthma capital,” Gómez said about Springfield, which had the highest rates of asthma in the country in 2018 and 2019. He said, “Poor air quality contributes to asthma in communities along highways and train tracks,” a situation present in many neighborhoods in Springfield. Smog and pollutants settle in those low-lying areas. He said, “That’s why you see these levels in Black and brown communities.”
Gómez previously filed a bill to establish a framework that will identify, monitor and remediate indoor air pollution and mold contamination in public buildings. He said it was the first program of its kind in Massachusetts. Gómez said, “It’s a preventative policy, but it will save money” in subsequent health care costs.
Other priorities
Among other Mass Ready Act provisions is one that bans single-use plastic bags from retail checkouts. Oliveira said the en-
vironmental impact of single-use plastics, which do not degrade over time, but instead break apart into microplastics, cannot be overstated. “These bags can get into drinking water,” he said, adding that they are ubiquitous. When participating in an Earth Day cleanup recently, he saw bags “go by like tumbleweeds.”
Oliveira said he did not receive any comments or emails in opposition to this change. He noted many municipalities have already adopted similar bans and supermarkets, like Big Y, provide paper bags at a minimal cost, or otherwise incentivize people to bring reusable bags.
Three million dollars would be used to address a levee on Riverside Drive in Springfield, which Gómez said has caused sinkholes, while $1 million would go to fix a road in Blunt Park that Gómez described as “dilapidated.”
Over the past decade, the PFAS in firefighter equipment have been identified as a cause of cancers among fire personnel that are otherwise rare. The bill set aside $25 million to help departments replace the expensive equipment with new, safer versions.
Another fund was created to help with reforestation to address the dead and dying trees left in the wake of a gypsy moth infestation nearly a decade ago. Beyond the aesthetic value of trees, Oliveira said they help cool communities, and one tree provides a person with a year’s worth of oxygen.
Now that the bill has passed in the Senate, it moves to the state House of Representatives for review.
Harris told the story of Carl Walker Hoover, a Springfield Public Schools sixth grader who died by suicide in 2009 after relentless bullying by other students who told Hoover that he was “acting gay” on a daily basis. She said that Bethea’s efforts to reach out to students in school through the IGNITE and Future Sparks youth programs has given them a voice, a place and have allowed them to be seen.
we have stopped, through [Bethea’s] efforts and our ability to fund, our many children from feeling isolated, hopeless, powerless,” Harris said. “Taurean Bethea has made that difference in Springfield.”
“I am so incredibly proud that
The Springfield Pride Parade Organization is also calling for all musicians, dancers, drag artists and all other performers to help bring the energy and power of pride to life in Springfield for the block party by submitting a consideration form at SpringfieldPrideParade.org/Pride5. Vendors, partners or parade participants can also apply on the same page. Donations to the organization can also be made on the website.
Springfield College’s Juan Zhong selected as a Fulbright U.S. Scholar
SPRINGFIELD — Springfield College is pleased to announce that Juan Zhong, Ph.D., associate professor of psychology, has been selected as a Fulbright U.S. Scholar for 2026-2027 for Malaysia.
Zhong, who has been at Springfield College since 2019, will focus her Fulbright project on Financial Identity Development and Psychological Well-Being in Malaysian Emerging Adults. In a dynamic global economy, her work aims to understand the intersection of financial identity and mental health. Through both quantitative and qualitative approaches, Zhong will investigate how individuals construct and reconstruct their financial identity during this distinct developmental stage, navigating tensions related to financial independence, fam-
ily responsibilities and cultural expectations.
“Receiving the Fulbright award in Malaysia advances my growth as an international scholar in cross-cultural research. This award strengthens my dedication to fostering long-term academic and cultural exchange programs between Springfield College and institutions in Malaysia,” said Zhong.
Reflecting Springfield College’s longstanding commitment to global engagement, Zhong has continued to cultivate international partnerships, including supporting a collaboration with Shenzhen University. Her expertise has also extended her impact globally through a leadership role in the Society for the Study of Emerging Adulthood.
FOSTER MEMORIAL CHURCH FOOD DRIVE
Foster Memorial Church, UCC will hold our monthly Food Drive for food donations on Saturday, May 9, from 1-3 p.m. in the church’s back parking lot. We will be collecting non-perishable food for the Emergency Food Cupboard of the Open Pantry. All donations are greatly appreciated. Our church is located at 1791 Wilbraham Road in Springfield.
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Baystate Health to absorb Mercy Medical Center
By Sarah Heinonen sheinonen@thereminder.com
SPRINGFIELD — Mercy Medical Center, which has been affiliated with Trinity Health of New England for more than a decade, is slated to become Baystate Mercy Hospital by the end of the year.
In announcing Baystate Health’s acquisition of Mercy, Baystate Health President and CEO Peter D. Banko stated, “Mercy and the Sisters of Providence have been a fixture in our community since 1874. This is an investment in both the past and the future of health care and economic development in Western Massachusetts. Today, access forces too many patients to leave the region to seek care, and we need to ensure that care is compassionate, high quality, affordable, and local.”
A joint press release from Baystate and Trinity about the transition cited “inadequate reimbursement for care, industry-wide shifts — such as declining pay-
ment rates, changing consumer preferences toward outpatient services and persistent staffing shortages,” at Mercy as reasons behind the move.
Mercy has taken steps in recent years to bolster its financial position. Among them, Mercy Medical Center’s Certified Nurse Midwives moved maternity delivery services to Baystate Medical Center in December 2025.
Baystate’s website states, “We have rigorously prepared for an additional 800 deliveries annually, including actively recruiting more OB/GYNs, midwives and nurses.”
Mayor Domenic Sarno released a statement on the merger.
“I am very thankful to Baystate Health’s efforts to preserve two hospitals in the city. There was a distinct possibility that Mercy/ Trinity would simply close down.
That was unacceptable,” Sarno said. “From the beginning, with my continued interaction with Baystate Health and Mercy/Trin-
ity officials, as well as state officials, notably Gov. Maura Healey and Lt. Gov. Kim Driscoll, I indicated that it was imperative that Springfield and the region must preserve two top notch hospitals for health care accessibility for the residents of Springfield and the surrounding areas. I am thankful to Baystate Health President & CEO Peter Banko, Gov. Healey, Lt. Gov. Driscoll and all parties involved for their efforts, and after long negotiations, that this has come to fruition.”
U.S. Rep. Richard Neal, who represents the state’s first congressional district, including the greater Springfield area, also praised the move. “I am pleased that Baystate Health and Trinity Health have reached an agreement that will allow these two vibrant hospitals to continue serving our communities,” Neal said. “As the country continues to grapple with unprecedented health care cuts resulting from President Trump’s One Big, Ugly Law, this acquisition will expand access to health care and improve services throughout the Pioneer Valley and beyond.”
Neal continued, “Together, these institutions represent more than three centuries of service to western and central Massachusetts. Ensuring their viability and continued success is vital to the health of our families and our local economies, and this announcement represents a critical
step in strengthening our regional health care system for generations to come.”
Baystate issued a statement thanking the Healey-Driscoll administration, Neal, Sarno and the Western Massachusetts Legislative delegation “for their steadfast and unwavering support of this hospital partnership in Western Massachusetts.”
Despite this statement, some members of the Western Massachusetts legislative delegation have questions about the change. State Rep. Carlos Gonzalez said he has reached out to Banko to request a meeting with himself and the rest of the Springfield delegation to discuss the implications for local health care services and personnel.
“The announcement of the acquisition raises significant concerns regarding the future of our health care landscape,” said Gonzalez. “It is vital that we ensure the continued operation of both hospitals in Springfield. Protecting our dedicated workers and staff is essential, as is guaranteeing that our community retains access to critical medical services.”
Like Gonzalez, state Sen. Jake Oliveira, who represents portions of Springfield, also said he has many questions about Mercy becoming affiliated with Baystate. However, he said the priority is to ensure that both Mercy and Baystate Medical Center continue to operate.
“If Mercy shut their doors, it would send a ripple effect” through Western Massachusetts health care, he said, adding that the hospital serves a lot of people on Medicare and Medicaid. “It’s my hope that we have two hospitals operating in Springfield because there is such a great need.”
Oliveira said he hopes that Mercy will keep its character, as he said other hospitals have done after being absorbed by Baystate. He said many people seek treatment at Mercy because it is a Catholic hospital and people “value that kind of care.”
The legislator said he was concerned about health care consolidation but pointed out that Baystate hospitals are not people’s only options in the Pioneer Valley. Cooley-Dickinson Hospital in Northampton is affiliated with Mass General Brigham and Holyoke Medical Center is an independent hospital.
Trinity Health of New England stated on its website that no immediate staffing changes are planned. The health care group declined to make any other comment. Reminder Publishing reached out to Baystate with questions about staffing and personnel changes, but did not receive a response by press time. Provided that the transition is approved after the regulatory review process, Mercy will be absorbed on Nov. 1.
Baystate Health recently announced that it will absorb Mercy Medical Center (pictured), which has been operated by Trinity Health of New England since 2015.
Reminder Publishing photo by Sarah Heinonen
Celtics award $750,000 to Square One for program
By Sarah Heinonen sheinonen@thereminder.com
SPRINGFIELD — The Boston Celtics recently surprised Square One, a Springfield-based early education and family support organization, with a check for $750,000, presented on the court at TD Garden.
“It’s quite an honor,” said Kristine Allard, vice president of development and communication for Square One, who was on hand when the grant announcement was made.
Since 1883, Square One has provided services to Springfield children. Begun as Springfield Day Nursery, Square One now offers early education and care at its centers, home-based care settings and programs for elementary school age children. It also provides the community with parent education, support and training programs.
“We’ve had a relationship with the Celtics for some time,” Allard said. The team
has provided auction items for Square One fundraising events in the past. A few months ago, Square One was invited to submit a grant application to The Shamrock Foundation for the inaugural round of awards from its Fast Break Fund. The Fast Break Fund was created to provide direct funding for educational initiatives.
Eleven organizations were invited to apply for up to $750,000, Allard said.
Square One applied for the full amount, and at the Celtics game on April 21, Square One was one of two primary organizations awarded grants. The other was Horizons for Homeless Children, which received $530,000. Another $670,000 will be distributed between the remaining nine organizations, bringing the Fast Break Fund grants to a total of $1.2 million.
“This wonderful gift will be transformative in the lives of our Square One children,” said Dawn DiStefano, president and CEO of Square One. “Specifi-
Square One Vice President of Development & Communication
Kristine Allard, surrounded by Celtics cheerleaders and mascot Lucky the Leprechaun, accepts a grant award of $750,000. Reminder Publishing submitted photo
cally, the funds will be used to enhance the programs and services offered to our school-age children, providing them with greater opportunities for longterm success — academically, physically, socially and emotionally. We are humbled by
and grateful for this amazing show of generosity.”
Allard explained that Square One has identified a growing need in the community for programs for school-aged children.
Transgender rights activists blast Baystate for ending care
By Sarah Heinonen sheinonen@thereminder.com
SPRINGFIELD — A small but vocal group of people, sporting protest signs and wearing pink, white and blue transgender flags as capes, attended a rally on the steps of Springfield City Hall on April 26. They were there to oppose a move by Baystate Health to end certain care for transgender patients under 18 years old.
In February, Baystate Health notified families of patients under age 18 who were receiving gender-affirming medical care, such as puberty blockers and hormone replacement therapy, that it would no longer offer these treatments. It referred these patients to TransHealth in Northampton.
The change was made after a December 2025 announcement by Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. that hospitals providing the gender-affirming care to patients under 18 would no longer receive Medicare and Medicaid reimbursements. Despite the directive being under regulatory review, Baystate Health and Boston-based Fenway Health, complied in advance. On April 18, U.S. District Judge Mustafa T. Kasubhai issued a ruling that the federal government’s attempt to withhold Medicare and Medicaid reimbursements is illegal. Baystate has not yet reversed its decision.
The rally was organized by Trans Alliance, a group that formed as a result of Baystate Health’s decision. Organizer Joseph Bonilla said the company’s behavior was “institutional cowardice and institutional silence.” He added, “We will hold Baystate accountable.” Sasha Moresmith condemned Massachusetts Attorney General Andrea Joy Campbell for not forcing Baystate Health to reverse its decision, despite a 2022 state law expanding protection for reproductive and gender-affirming care. She praised New York Attorney General Letitia James for pushing back when New York University Langone Health made a similar move. Another River Valley Socialists of America organizer, Hazel Alexis Fogarty, said the group delivered hundreds of printed letters to Campbell’s office that urged her to act on this issue. Fogarty said they were told Campbell is aware of the situation and is “looking into it.”
Jenn Northcut, the mother of two queer children, moved from Texas to the Berkshires to protect her children and provide them with care. But when she asked her local doctor about hormone replacement for her transgender son, “They acted like I had said something really
unethical,” she said. The family was referred to Baystate, an hour from their home. Then, days before her teenage son was scheduled to begin testosterone treatments, she found out she would have to transfer to Transhealth and make an even longer drive for care.
“Massachusetts, in my mind, was synonymous with freedom and dignity,” Northcut said of her decision to move her family but said the state was letting them down.
Seeing Rainbows Executive Director maayan nuri héd, a trans woman and mother of a trans child, called out what she sees as a double standard. She said Baystate is still delivering hormone replacement therapy for people experiencing menopausal symptoms and for cis gendered youth with hormonal conditions, both types of gender-affirming care.
“Baystate never had to cancel gender-affirming care,” héd said. Her family, who also live in the Berkshires, was referred to Transhealth. She likened it to a restaurant refusing to serve someone but telling them another restaurant 30 miles away would. Unfortunately, she said, “We don’t have other options.”
héd said she understands that Baystate was concerned about its finances and needs to look out for their patients as a whole, but asked, “At what point is a minority large enough that you care about canceling their care?”
See AWARD on page 10 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.
CHICOPEE
Marian A. “Pookie” Champigny (Sousa)
James E. Czerwiecki
Margaret Ann McClure Deitz
Levis J. P. Drapeau
Yvette Harrington
Claire Y. Henault
Jeannine M. Martell
John D. McClure
Orminda M. Oliveira (Do Souto)
Gregory J. Pray Sr. Fletcher D. Ramsey
Jean J. Sullivan
EAST LONGMEADOW
Marcia M. Kessler
Lynn Ann O’Connor
HOLYOKE
Agustin Rivera Coldero
Christine A. Dearborn
Richard A. Desgres Kevin Lukasiewicz
LONGMEADOW
Brian C. Edgerly
Stephan John Wilfred Platzer
LUDLOW
Dennis M. Daviau
Sandra Lee Kulig
Annette M. Polansky
Alan John Vautrain
SOUTH HADLEY
Susan E. Donais
Richard A. Narkiewicz Dorothy N. Schenker
Luigina A. Barbieri Jacob Barnard
Rose M. Dennis
Roger Arthur Dziuban
Sr. Master Sergeant James
Kiser McLaughlin Joanne Elizabeth Moran
Thomas C. O’Sullivan
E. Sampson
Beverly J. Chiarizio
Davis Ursula Whyte “Wendy” Gibb James E. “Jim” Wilkinson Sr.
People gather on the steps of Springfield City Hall to protest Baystate Health’s decision to end gender-affirming medical care. Reminder Publishing photo by Sarah Heinonen
Richard Eber Jr. drives the jump serve over the net.
Springfield College celebrates their sixth D3 National Championship in front of their home crowd.
Will Kirchhoff looks for a hitting lane at the net.
The Pride finishes off their championship season by cutting down
SPRINGFIELD COLLEGE VS CARTHAGE COLLEGE
VOLLEYBALL
The Springfield College Men’s Volleyball team won its 6th NCAA DIII National Championship on April 25, sweeping Carthage College 3-0. Springfield College hosted the semifinals and championship for the third time since 2012.
REMINDER SPORTS PHOTOS TAKEN BY
DAVID HOSMER
Jake DesLauriers goes up for the block at the net.
Brennan Cutter rises for the kill.
Dylan Mulvaney stretches to tip the ball over the net.
Ricardo Ortiz keeps his eyes on the ball as he returns the serve.
Jake DesLauriers drives it past the blocker.
The team celebrates on the court.
Scoreboard oozes traditional sports bar feel at every corner
By Ryan Feyre rfeyre@thereminder.com
AGAWAM — No matter the season, an avid sports fan such as myself usually spends my weekends on the lookout for the perfect spot to watch the game. There are very few things more exhilarating than experiencing the highs and lows of your favorite team with total strangers at a local spot. Heck, why spend hundreds of dollars on gas, parking and tickets, when you can capture a thrilling atmosphere five minutes away?
When I first walked into the newly renovated Scoreboard Bar & Grille in Agawam, I had a feeling the place could accomplish just that. Boston sports memorabilia graced every corner of the 15 King St. restaurant, TVs ran highlights of the prior night’s Boston Bruins and Boston Celtics playoff games, and the wooden rectangular bar invited guests to chat about their daily minutiae. Between the decorations and the exterior ambience generated by the Front Street rail crossing just outside, it truly felt like I was pregaming at a bar adjacent to Fenway Park.
Despite it being 3 p.m. on a random Tuesday, I could immediately sense the vibe the bar is going for. The owners’ sister bar, Murphy’s Pub on 664 Suffield St. in Agawam, has become a staple weekend gathering spot for those in Western Massachusetts who want drinks and a late-night bite while the big game is on. Although Scoreboard captures a similar sentiment, I noticed that the new renovations yielded much more space to walk around, and based on its location and compact menu, it appears the bar
is trying to capture a chiller, more localized atmosphere.
Most of the food is standard bar fare. Handheld sandwiches, burgers and classic appetizers like mozzarella sticks grace the brief menu. I opted for a bacon cheeseburger and fries on my solo adventure, but patrons have the option of building the burger however way they want. My personal preference is a burger that‘s cooked to medium, but the one I had at Scoreboard was essentially well-done. Still, I thought the charred fusion of blackened burger, crispy bacon and ooey-gooey
Continued from page 7
Square One serves 600 children, 70 of whom are school-aged, between 5 and 12 years.
American cheese in between a warm and slightly toasted brioche bun was enough to satiate my hunger, even if the taste profile’s uniformity didn’t elevate it to a higher status.
The fries, in my opinion, were the best part of my meal because they embodied that perfect blend of crispy and fluffy, while the seasoning accentuated the flavor without diminishing the core qualities of the side dish. Like any good fry, it carried that addictive quality where, even
when full, you don’t want to stop picking at them.
Food aside, I do think Scoreboard’s strengths lie in its atmosphere and proximity to the Agawam and West Springfield border. They truly nail the traditional sports bar feel without relegating itself to a Murphy’s 2.0. One day, I’ll have to visit on a Friday and Saturday night to really experience the local spot at its fullest capacity. Maybe by then the Red Sox are out of this early season slump.
“There’s lots of attention to preschoolers and teens,” she said of Springfield’s community programs, but “less opportunity for school aged.” To address this, Allard said Square One is expanding the number of positions it has open for after-school and school vacation programs at its King Street and Sumner Avenue locations, bringing the organization’s total school-aged capacity to 100 children. As part of that expansion, the organization’s cornerstone therapy program will be available to more school-aged children, with two mental health clinicians expected to be hired. The funding will also pay for new resources and technology in the schoolaged classrooms.
The bacon cheeseburger and fries at Scoreboard Bar & Grille.
