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The Westfield News Serving Westfield, Southwick, and the surrounding Hilltowns
www.thewestfieldnews.com MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 15, 2014
VOL. 83 NO. 216
“The lack of
a sense of history is the damnation of the modern world.” — Robert Penn Warren
75 cents
Study: Many voke schools have waiting lists
An aerial view of construction of an extension of the Columbia Greenway at the Tin Bridge. (File photo by Frederick Gore)
Next phase of rail trail taking shape By Dan Moriarty Staff Writer WESTFIELD – City officials are meeting this morning in Worcester with the Columbia Greenway design team of VHB to discuss actions which can be taken to position the city for the next phase of rail trail construction. Mayor Daniel M. Knapik said in late August that the city has been notified through the Executive Officer of Environmental Affairs that the funds will be made available for construction next summer. City Engineer Mark Cressotti said this morning that the city “is putting everything we can in place” in anticipation of receiving that funding through the state’s Greenway Community grant program. “I’ve been told by the Gateway Communities people that the money is real, but I can’t award that work until the money is in place,” Cressotti said. “I am moving to get the bid documents ready because we will have to move fast when the funds become available.” “Apparently the DOT is putting the $2 million toward the (Columbia) Greenway project because the city has received Gateway Communities grants (in the past) and has been successful in completing the work within the required timeframe,” Cressotti said recently. The second part of the South Phase is now underway by ET&L Corporation which submitted the low bid of $2,297,538 to construct the next three quarters of a mile of the trail,
MARK CRESSOTTI work that includes extensive bridge work over Little River and South Meadow Road. Work to complete the second part of the South Phase of the rail trail construction, extending the Columbia Greenway from just south of Little River to East Silver Street, is expected to be completed by the end of this month. “The contractor is waiting for the bridge railing to come in, which should happen by the end of the month, and have some landscaping to do,” Cressotti said, “but I anticipate (the trail) will be opened to the public by the end of September.” The city will “have to do public outreach” during the design of the next phase, extending the rail trail from East Silver Street to the area of Main Street, Cressotti said. RALPH FIGY
The scope of the work will be to extend the trail from East Silver Street to the area of Stop & Shop on Main Street. The next phase of construction will include installation of a new bridge, with a 14-foot-six-inch clearance, over East Silver Street and tunnel for a multiuse trail under the elevated railroad bed connecting the Hedges Avenue/St. Dennis Street neighborhood with the Taylor Avenue/Ashley Street neighborhood. Ward 2 City Councilor Ralph Figy, in whose ward much of the trail is located, said that part of the planning process, for the proposed phase of work extending the trail to the area of Main Street, will include public comment. “I’m advocating strongly for public meetings,” Figy said recently. “I have several issues pertaining to safety and privacy. I don’t want kids having to cross East Silver Street on bicycles to access the ramp up to the trail. I think we need to have access on both sides of East Silver Street.” Figy said the location of the northern access from East Silver Street up to the trail, to complement the southern access ramp down to East Silver Street, constructed this summer, has yet to be identified. Figy said the privacy issues have been raised with each new construction phase and will be addressed as the projects continue to proceed through the downtown neighborhoods.
Changes to solar project discussed By Hope E. Tremblay Staff Writer SOUTHWICK – Representatives of Kearsarge Energy met with the Southwick Board of Selectmen last week to discuss changes to plans for a solar project on Congamond Road. Kearsarge Managing Partner Andrew J. Bernstein said the project was originally presented by Carbon Finance Strategies but the company was not able to finance the project and Kearsarge Energy acquired it. Bernstein said there was also a change in the net meter power purchasing allowed by the state that would increase the net metering cap from three-percent to five-percent. Bernstein said this would allow the town to use more of the energy produced by the solar array. He said more communities would likely
vie to take advantage of the increase. “So it’s a race,” he said. “It’s first come, first served.” Kearsarge has plans to begin construction at the site near the Congamond Lakes in the next few weeks and Bernstein said the town needs to decide quickly if it wants to purchase more net meter power. “We’ve spoken to a couple of towns that are interested, but we want to give Southwick the opportunity first,” Bernstein said, adding he believes Western Massachusetts Electric
Company would likely reach its cap in the next several months. Board members were concerned the town would not be able to use all the kilowatt hours produced. Bernstein said he believes if the schools were included, the town would use what was available from the solar project. Board Chairman Russell Fox said he did not want to make a decision without input from the Southwick-Tolland-Granville Regional School District. “We need to get the schools involved,” said Fox, who also asked Bernstein about the cons of purchasing the net meter power. “There is no downside to the town,” he said. “Unless there’s a dramatic push to cut your electricity by 50 percent.” The board agreed to consult the school department before making any decisions.
By PETER FRANCIS Staff Writer WESTFIELD — A study has found that many vocational and technical high schools in Massachusetts have long waiting lists for students seeking admission at a time when well-paying jobs are going unfilled for lack of skilled labor. The Northeastern University School of Law study found that at least 3,500 students were unable to get into public vocational schools in the past two years. The Boston Globe reports that the longest waiting lists are in communities with high unemployment and large minority popStefan ulations. Greater New Czaporowski Bedford Regional Vocational Technical turned away more than 500 students. Putnam Vocational and Technical Academy in Springfield had a waiting list of more than 300. Almost half the state’s 66 vocational and technical high schools in Massachusetts responded. Of those, 21 had waiting lists and 10 did not. Stefan Czaporowski, principal at the Westfield Vocational-Technical High School, said that his school currently has a much smaller waiting list. “We have about a list of about 40,” he said. “We have less of a waiting list than others because, while we’re open to other districts, we’re a city vocational school as opposed to a regional school.” “A city vocational school takes kids from the city and then outside, so we have a waiting list even without considering kids we take from out of district,” Czaporowski added. “Regional schools typically have larger (waiting) lists because they serve multiple towns exclusively.” Regarding why economically devastated areas such as New Bedford and Springfield are turning away students in droves, Czaporowski said that state regulations play a big role. “The state’s Chapter 74 regulations limit the amount of students per instructor and they also look at square footage, how big your space is to have a certain shop or program,” he said. “Voc-Tech schools are bursting at the seams, if you will. We’ve taken as many kids as we possibly can based on Chapter 74/ DESE (Department of Elementary and Secondary Education) requirements.” “It’s not that we’re turning away kids because we don’t want them – we do. We wish we could educate everyone, but we only have a certain amount of space,” Czaporowski added, explaining that the student-to-teacher ratio at WVTHS is typically 16-to-1, but that that ratio depends on the shop. Westfield Mayor and School Committee Chair Daniel M. Knapik said that increasing offerings at WVTHS will be key to decreasing waiting lists and getting as many students as possible into the institution. “We’re looking at our offerings and changing them around for today’s economy,” said See Voke Schools, Page 3
Former Special Olympics president, CEO joins Westfield State Board of Trustees WESTFIELD – Westfield State University President Elizabeth H. Preston announced today that Robert Johnson has been named as the newest member of the Westfield State University Board of Trustees. He will be sworn in on Wednesday, September 18. Johnson earned his B.S. and M.Ed. from Westfield State University in elementary education, and special education administration respectively. “I owe my career to Westfield State and would like to give back,” Johnson said. “I look forward to serving the Board, the students, and the community of Westfield state University.” Johnson retired in 2013 from his position of President and CEO of Special Olympics Massachusetts Inc. In this position, he established an entrepreneurial approach to fundraising that funded the programs for the organization for nearly 23 years at an estimated total of $75
million. He managed a capital campaign to raise $12 million to build a state-of-the-art of training center, the Yawkey Sports Training Center in Marlborough Mass. In March 2013, The Robert A. Johnson Center for Integrity was dedicated at the Yawkey Sports Training Center. Johnson also developed a strategic affiliation with the University of Massachusetts Medical School designed to improve the quality and availability of healthcare for people with intellectual disabilities. “Bob Johnson represents the best in public service,” said Elizabeth H. Preston, president, Westfield State University. “He led the Special Olympics with integrity and vision and his longstanding history with both public and nonprofit institutions will provide immeasurable value to the work of the Board.” See Board of Trustees, Page 3
MAYOR DANIEL M. KNAPIK