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WEATHER TONIGHT Partly cloudy. Low of 20.
The Westfield News Serving Westfield, Southwick, and the surrounding Hilltowns
- Virginia Woolf
www.thewestfieldnews.com
VOL. 83 NO. 15
“The eyes of others our prisons; their thoughts our cages.”
SATURDAY, JANUARY 18, 2014
75 cents
City weighs urban housing mix Westfield Fire Chief Mary Regan talks about the department’s new aerial truck, ‘Tower One’, with Mike Wailgum of Westfield who participated in the Fire Explorers during his senior year at Westfield High School and is currently working to earn a B.S. degree in Fire Science at the University of New Haven. The truck was on display Thursday at an open house at City Hall, hours after it arrived in the city. (Photo by Carl E. Hartdegen)
Tower truck arrives in city By Carl E. Hartdegen Staff Writer WESTFIELD – The public got a glimpse of the Westfield Fire Department’s new aerial truck at a City Hall open house Thursday but the new $1.16 million truck will probably not be seen at any fires which might occur in the city this winter. “We’re not going to rush it into service,” said Westfield Fire Chief Mary Regan. “We’ll keep the platform (truck) in service until enough folks get trained” on the new truck, ‘Tower One’. She said that the tower truck is “a little bit different from the platform” because the turntable for the aerial equipment is mounted in the
middle of the new truck while on the platform truck it is mounted at the rear. She said the new truck is going to be “much more user friendly.” She said that it that both aerial platforms extend the same distance, 95 feet, but the new truck’s working height may be a little greater because the tower truck is more maneuverable than the old truck and offers more options when setting up at a fire scene. The department’s mechanic, Chris Bard, said that the Pierce Velocity truck was made in Appleton, Wisconsin, but he didn’t have to go there See Tower Truck, Page 5
G&E researching charging stations By Peter Francis Staff Writer WESTFIELD – With green energy initiatives springing up all over the Commonwealth emphasizing the transitioning away from fossil fuels towards renewable forms of electricity, institutions such as Westfield Gas and Electric are beginning to look into such measures as implementing charging stations in the city for hybrid
and electric automobiles. “As we go through renovations to the Gaslight District, the G&E is looking at siting electric and L&G fueling stations,” said Mayor Daniel M. Knapik. Sean Fitzgerald, energy specialist and customer liaison for the G&E, said they are “really looking” at research being conducted on charging stations. “The G&E has put more than $2
million into efficiency (in the city),” he said, adding that the G&E has given $50,000 to retrofit such municipal buildings as City Hall. “We got started with a grant a few years ago,” said William Dwight, Northampton’s city council president. “We have stations in our parking garages, at City Hall, near the Police Department.” Northampton’s Director of
Facilities David Pomerantz was able to expand on Dwight’s assessment, saying that the grant was issued through the state, and resulted in the installation of eight dual head stations. “They were put around the city in different locations to expose the public,” he said. “To get people thinking about and understanding See Charging Stations, Page 5
Link to Libraries seeks partners By Hope E. Tremblay Staff Writer WESTFIELD – Link to Libraries has been supplying books to children and schools in the area for six years, and is hoping to expand its presence in Westfield. The nonprofit organization was founded by Susan Jaye-Kaplan and Janet Crimmins with a mission to collect and distribute new and gently used books to elementary school libraries and non-profit organizations and to enhance the language and literacy skills of children of all cultural backgrounds. Through grants and donations, Link to Libraries gives brand new books to mainly underserved schools and to individual children so that they can have a home library. The group has a partnership program for businesses and individuals to partner with a school or other nonprofit ogranization. The partnership calls for a $1,200 commitment for one to three years and an “adoption” of the school. “We currently have 47 schools sponsored and are hoping for 50 by spring,” said Jaye-Kaplan. “The business feels a sense of ownership and Susan Jaye-Kaplan, left, and Francie Cornwall display some of the books included in the Link to Libraries’ Welcome to Kindergarten bags. Jaye-Kaplan hopes to bring the program to Westfield. (Photo See Link to Libraries, Page 5 by Hope E. Tremblay)
Rehab the Right Way
By Dan Moriarty Staff Writer WESTFIELD – Community Development Director Peter J. Miller Jr., and Jayne Armington of the Pioneer Valley Planning Commission presented a report on the downtown housing market to the City Council Thursday night. “This is a draft report on market rate housing in the downtown,” Miller said, “with the intent to create a better ration of higher end housing. We’re trying to attract high-end quality housing without displacing anyone.” Miller said that much of the current housing is categorized as affordable for residents with lower income, but there is little to attract residents with a higher income to live in the downtown. Many of those residents are currently living in homes with two, three and four bedrooms, but whose children no longer reside with them “The goal is to make the downtown a more vibrant area where people (with a higher income) would want to live,” Miller said. “It’s a small market. We recognize that the downtown has a number of affordable housing units, but also recognize that we need to bring in a more diverse population.” Armington said that report identifies a number of barriers to achieving that goal, including zoning regulations, construction costs, infrastructure and amenities. “There are barriers to attracting middleclass income families to the Elm Street corridor and adjacent neighborhoods,” Armington said. “There are ways the city could close the existing market gap.” Miller said one barrier is economic; the investment developers would have to make to create up-scale housing and the return on that investment through higher rental rates. The downtown currently does not support that economic model. Miller and Armington described a state Department of Housing & Development program which would assist the city in fostering investment in higher rent housing. The Housing Development Incentive Program (HDIC) “gives a rent floor in contract to affordable housing which gives a rent ceiling.” Miller said that under the HDIC program developers could create between two and 50 high rent units. “The city would adopt a HDIC zone” to support that investment in higher-end apartment units, Miller said. At-large Councilor Dan Allie said that rents of $1,000 or more a month are “close to what a mortgage would be” adding that the report has a lot of component parts which have to be further discussed. Armington said the target market is comprised of residents who already own a house, but no longer need those larger residences. “It is a small market, people who want to downsize, but who want to remain in Westfield to be near their children and grandchildren,” Armington said. Allie asked if the study group would be available to discuss the report and further action with the Zoning, Planning & Development Committee on which he serves. Miller said he and the study group would be available to the ZP&D Committee to further discuss the 39-parge Market Rate Housing Plan. At-large Councilor David A. Flaherty, chairman of that committee said it would meet every month on the fourth Thursday to discuss issues such as the housing report. The third committee member is At-large Councilor Cindy Harris.
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