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The Westfield News Serving Westfield, Southwick, and the surrounding Hilltowns
www.thewestfieldnews.com
VOL. 83 NO. 215
SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 13, 2014
Aviation advisors meet with Westfield State By Peter Francis Staff Writer WESTFIELD – Progress is being made by the administrative team in charge of getting Westfield Vocational-Technical High School’s Airframe and Powerplant (A&P) program off the ground. WVTHS Principal Stefan Czaporowski led a delegation from the Aviation Advisory Board, including Program Advisor Ken Dromgold, the program’s General Advisory Chairman Ed Watson and Barnes Regional Airport Manager Brian Barnes, to meet Friday with Westfield State University President Dr. Elizabeth Preston to discuss future interactions and collaborations between the two schools. “We wanted to know what the status is of their program because they have aviation management. They also had a flying component and we’re trying to see the status of that,” said Czaporowski, adding that Voc-Tech is seeking and is expecting to receive articulations for students. “Articulations are when kids get credit for coursework they do in our aviation program if they want to continue on to aviation management (at Westfield State),” said Czaporowski, stating that he expects WVTHS students will want to learn all aspects of aviation. “Once you learn how to fix a plane, you’re probably going to want to learn how to fly one, too. We have an interest in Westfield State keeping their flight program open.” “We’re totally focused on the A&P at the Voke, but we want to give the kids an avenue to articulation,” said Dromgold. “Lets say they don’t want to go into the workforce right away or go to college – we want to see schools with programs that have viability going forward.” Dromgold stated that the WVTHS A&P project is drawing interest from all over the state, but that having an institution with an aviation management program at a university in the same city is among the best scenarios imaginable. “They really didn’t know much about us, but now they understand the energy in the program, the enthusiasm throughout the state for the program,” he said. “We impressed upon the university that we’d like to have this avenue at Westfield State. It so convenient and so right. It is a winwin for both of our programs.” Czaporowski said that some of WSU’s professors are already on the A&P program’s advisory board. “One of the things we want to do is, once we get the day program going, we also want to offer adult education,”he said. “They obviously might be able to go at an accelerated pace and if they want to do the See Aviation, Page 7
terror pay a price. Order and law have a cost.” — Carl Sandburg
75 cents
Maintenance contract under council review
Democrat gubernatorial nominee, state Attorney General Martha Coakley, left, embraces lieutenant governor nominee Steve Kerrigan at the party’s unity breakfast Wednesday in Boston. They will face Charlie Baker and Karyn Polito respectively, who won Tuesday’s Republican primary, in the Nov. 4 general election. (AP Photo/Josh Reynolds)
Candidates for governor hit campaign trail By STEVE LeBLANC Associated Press BOSTON (AP) — Democratic gubernatorial candidate Martha Coakley is calling for at least six debates with her Republican and independent opponents between now and Election Day. Coakley said the debates should not only include Republican nominee Charlie Baker, but also the three independent candidates: Evan Falchuk, Scott Lively and Jeff McCormick. Baker campaign spokesman Tim Buckley said Baker looks forward to giving voters a chance to see the differences between Coakley’s “campaign for higher taxes and Charlie’s positive vision for Massachusetts where everyone who wants to work can.” Buckley said Baker expects to have some “one-on-one” opportunities with Coakley. Coakley said the campaign has been reviewing the debate invitations. She said she’s committed to at least six “regionally balanced” debates in different parts of the state. Both candidates spent Friday courting voters.
Baker toured downtown Quincy with the city’s mayor, Thomas Koch, a Democrat who supported Steven Grossman in the Democratic primary for governor. Koch hasn’t endorsed in the general election. Baker later visited with senior citizens at the Greater Boston Chinese Golden Age Center’s Brighton House in Boston. Coakley joined the Democratic nominee for attorney general, Maura Healey, and U.S. Rep. Michael Capuano to greet diners at the Warren Tavern in the Charlestown neighborhood of Boston. Coakley downplayed Baker’s tour of Quincy, saying she also plans to visit the city. To win in November, Baker also has to appeal to independents and moderate Democrats. During the Charlestown campaign stop, Coakley was asked about her campaign pledge to institute universal prekindergarten education in Massachusetts. Coakley said she doesn’t yet have a See Candidates, Page 3
Bank break-in not a robbery By Carl E. Hartdegen Staff Writer WESTFIELD – Employees arriving for work at the First Niagra Bank on Broad Street Friday morning suspected that something was amiss when they found blood on the shattered glass door but, before long, realized that no attempt had been made to rob the bank. Officer David Racicot was the first officer to arrive at the bank after the 8:06 a.m. call and found that a cleaning person had apparently broken the glass door to regain entry after he locked himself out of the bank. Racicot’s report was incomplete pending a report from the bank’s security department but Lt. Michael Ugolik reported late in the afternoon that police were still waiting to hear from the bank to learn the name of the cleaning company and the identity of the culpable employee. Ugolik said that an informal review of the banks’ security video showed the cleaner break the glass to get back into the bank and then vacuum up the shards from the floor before leaving the bank, apparently without notifying anyone of his actions.
Budget transfer to cover severance By Peter Francis Staff Writer WESTFIELD – Director of Technology and Business Services for the Westfield School Department Ronald Rix will be making a recommendation for a budget transfer at Monday evening’s meeting of the Westfield School Committee. “It’s to cover some of our severance obligation that wasn’t included in the final budget,” said Rix Friday. “So we’re looking to balance it so we can fill those (obligations).” Rix added that the district has $83,000 of severance obligations for staff that have retired since July 1. These funds will be transferred
“Revolt and
See Contract, Page 3
Single, lower tax rate set for Southwick By Hope E. Tremblay Staff Writer SOUTHWICK – The Board of Selectmen set the tax at a minimum residential factor of one again this week and the state certified a rate of $16.94 per $1,000 valuation. The recommendation of a single tax rate was given by the Southwick Board of Assessors. Chairman Paul Connolly noted that the majority of taxpayers in town are residents. “Commercial makes up just 5.5 percent and industrial is 2 percent,” Connolly said. “We recommend we maintain a tax rate of one.” Finance Committee member Robert Horacek spoke in favor of the single rate. Resident Deb Herath spoke during the single rate discussion and told selectmen that residents of the lakes would be seeking tax relief once a sand and gravel mining business on the Connecticut side of the lakes gets underway. “People will petition to bring the value of the lake down, just when you need it most,” she told the board See Tax Rate, Page 3
Westfield man back in jail By Carl E. Hartdegen Staff Writer WESTFIELD – A city man, sent to jail in 2012 for stealing from an elderly relative he had been caring for, has been sent back to jail after again victimizing his great-aunt. He also waived any interest in the victim’s estate. Eric J. Lamire, 43, formerly of 41 Noble Ave., had been sentenced to two concurrent 18-month terms in June, 2012, when he pleaded guilty to charges of permitting abuse of an elderly person and larceny of property valued more than $250. Those charges stemmed from an incident on March 21, 2012, in which Lemire turned off the power in his great-aunt’s home, unplugged the telephone and stole
from an “out of grade” line item. “Many of our teachers notified us that they’re going to be completing their college degree, be it a masters degree or a Certificate of Advanced Graduate Study (CAGS) degree in December,” he said of the line item. “So they’re be entitled to a pay raise starting in February. So we have money that we have budgeted in there that we’re going to move that out of – hopefully temporarily – then backfill it to cover the expense that we have here in September.” Rix said that seven staff members employed See Budget Transfer, Page 7
By Dan Moriarty Staff Writer WESTFIELD – The Finance Committee will review a $326,167 appropriation submitted by the Purchasing Department to the City Council at its Sept. 4 session to allow the city to enter into a contract to provide building and equipment maintenance, funding that was cut during the FY 2015 budget review process in June. Purchasing Director Tammy Tefft said this week that the appropriation is the exact TAMMY TEFFT amount cut by the Finance Committee during its budget review in June when the committee requested Tefft to rebid the maintenance contract. “They cut the money and told me to bid out the contract and come back to them, Tefft said Monday. “We opened the bids on Aug. 27 at 2 p.m. There was only one bidder, Siemens, with a bid at the same amount.” The Siemens contract is for maintenance of HVAC and controls recently installed in buildings throughout the city under the energy efficiency program. The maintenance is required to maintain equipment and
RON RIX
See Jail, Page 3