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The Westfield News Serving Westfield, Southwick, and the surrounding Hilltowns

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Petsense special permit approved By DAN MORIARTY Staff Writer Pet sense logoWESTFIELD – The Planning Board voted unanimously Tuesday night to grant a special permit to allow a pet kennel and grooming facilities in a pet food and supply retail store to be located in the Little River Plaza. The special permit application was submitted by Petsense, Inc. to establish a pet supply and grooming retail store at 619 East Main St. Petsense Inc., founded in 2005 and based in Scottsdale, Arizona, is planning to provide pet food, supplies, toys and grooming in smaller retail markets nationwide. Petsense applied for the kennel special permit to support its grooming business and to promote pet adoptions. The retail chain works in coordination with local animal shelters and has a weekend program in which dogs and cats are brought to the store for adoption. The retailer petitioned the Planning Board for permission to set up nine adoption kennels in the front of the store for the adoption animals. Shelter volunteers and store staff frequently walk those dogs and cats inside the store so that patrons can interact with the adoptive animals, as well as to exercise the animals. Adoptive dogs are not kept overnight, but cats may be kept for several days. The store will also have 12 kennels in the rear of the store in the area dedicated to bathing and grooming operations. Those kennels are equipped with blow dryers so the animals will be dry when returned to their owners. Local residents involved in the pet grooming, training and show dog businesses raised a number of questions during the Nov. 19 public hearing on the special permit application, regarding animal care and safety, animal control, and sanitary practices. The board members requested the applicant to provide additional information on the store protocols and procedures specific to

if we have the courage to pursue them.”

— WALT DISNEY

THURSDAY, DECEMBER 5, 2013

VOL. 82 NO. 283

“All our dreams can come true,

Veteran remembrance events slated

Lights & Latkes A deep orange glow appears on the face of Jacob Blumenthal as he partakes in the Hanukkah Candle Lighting Blessing in the front courtyard of the Westfield Athenaeum last night. Visitors gathered in the courtyard to sing songs prior to a Lights & Latkes celebration at the Amelia Park Children’s Museum. (Photo by Frederick Gore)

Alexandra Gary, 9, enjoys the music during a Lights & Latkes gathering at the Amelia Park Children’s Museum last night as part of the Hanukkah Candle Lighting Blessing in the front courtyard of the Westfield Athenaeum. Joining Gary are, Sylvana Forgey, 8, center, and Rabbi Joyce Galaski, rear.

Anna Blumenthal, foreground, plays the organ as her brother Jacob, center, join their dad Andrew, rear, for Hanukkah songs during a gathering at the Amelia Park Children’s Museum as after a Menorah lighting and ceremony at the Westfield Athenaeum last night. (Photo by

(Photo by Frederick Gore)

Frederick Gore)

See Petsense, Page 3

By DAN MORIARTY Staff Writer PETER FRANCIS Staff Writer WESTFIELD – Two events are slated to honor the service and sacrifice of veterans. The American Legion Post 124 will conduct a Pearl Harbor Memorial Ceremony on Saturday, Dec. 7, marking the 72nd anniversary of the Japanese attack which claimed the lives of 2,388 men and women serving in the US Navy, Army, Marine Corps, Army Air Corps and Coast Guard. That memorial service will be conducted at 10:30 a.m. at the stone monument dedicated to COP Frank P. Wojkiewicz in the park on the south bank of the Westfield River at the Great River Bridge. Wojkiewicz, the first Westfield FRANK P. resident to lost his WOJKIEWICZ life in WWII, was serving on the USS Arizona, a battleship sunk by Japanese aircraft during the early morning attack. Wojkiewicz is entombed in the Arizona Memorial with 1,000 of his comrades. Robert Greenleaf, a WWII Navy veteran and Pearl Harbor survivor, will be a special guest at the ceremony which will include a 21-gun salute, followed by Taps and the placing of a memorial wreath into the waters of the Westfield River. Post 124 and all of the local veteran organizations will be represented at the event with color guards. The public is invited to attend the tribute to those who made the ultimate sacrifice. A second event is scheduled at Stanley Park Veterans’ Memorial on Tuesday, Dec. 10. The city has been selected for the second time to be a stop in the Wreaths Across America tribute. An escort is taking the wreath from Maine to Arlington National Cemetery in Virginia, stopping in communities along that route. See Veterans, Page 3

Hampden County to receive manufacturing training By PETER FRANCIS Staff Writer LYNN – Yesterday, the Commonwealth’s Housing and Economic Development (HED) Secretary Greg Bialecki pledged $1.3 million from the state in support of programs designed to train Bay Staters for careers in advanced manufacturing. According to the HED, those who will benefit most from the program are the unemployed, underemployed, and veterans. “Massachusetts is on the cutting-edge in terms of what states are doing to grow 21st century manufacturing,” said Bialecki. “By collaborating with regional partners, we can help provide those looking for employment with the skills and knowledge necessary for careers in advanced manufacturing.” The announcement was made at Lynn Vocational Technical Institute on Boston’s north shore, which hosts an adult machinist training program with 30 adult enrollees that received a $46,735 grant that will fund it completely. Other regions of the state will receive state funds to boost their manufacturing might, with the Metro North Regional

Employment Board, and The Greater New Bedford Workforce Investment Board receiving $500,000 and $330,000, respectively, on behalf of the Northeast Advanced Manufacturing Consortium and Southeastern Massachusetts Advanced Manufacturing Collaborative. The Hampden Regional Employment Board received the second highest allotment from Beacon Hill yesterday, raking in $444,208 in funding that will support a year of a Precision Manufacturing Training Program, which will seek to provide students with the skills necessary for careers in the industry and at companies such as Advance Manufacturing in Westfield. “It’s very important to find trained help,” said Jeffrey Amanti, a production manager for the Turnpike Industrial Road institution. “It’s extremely difficult. The trend has been people moving away from manufacturing.” Amanti finds said trend to be a real shame, since the cupboard for manufacturing in western Mass. is far from bare. “There is a lot of manufacturing in this area,” he said. “But in the next 10 to 15 years, this cur-

rent crop of workers is going to retire, and there’s going to be a shortage of workers in manufacturing.” A shortage that the administration of Governor Deval Patrick is well aware of. According to a statement from the HED, the industry is expected to require 100,000 jobs in the next decade, a figure which led Patrick to form the Advanced Manufacturing Collaborative in 2011. A group comprised of leaders from industry, academia, and government, the AMC has been working together to enhance the competitiveness of Massachusetts manufacturing in the 21st century. Their efforts led to the creation of the Advanced Manufacturing Regional Partnership Academy in June, which Patrick heralded as a “first-in-the-nation program designed to meet the manufacturing industry’s future workforce needs.” The Academy will look to provide hands-on learning opportunities, as well as tool and peereducation to regional leaders, helping eliminate one of the industry’s chief concerns of find-

It’s my party…

ing well-trained employees to fill available jobs in manufacturing. With an average annual salary of $75,000, many believe the positions should sell themselves, and that unemployed and underemployed Bay Staters, as well as veterans, would do well to take advantage of the training. Amanti believes the grant will help his company immensely, but doesn’t see it changing how Advance Manufacturing does business. “It’s huge. It means a lot to get this money, but I’m not sure it’s going to change our business,” he said. “Both of my grandfathers are vets. It’s the skills that are going to be important, and anytime we can hire skilled veterans, it’s important.” Amanti also lent a shout out to other area manufacturing luminaries like Clement Fucci, a manufacturing shop instructor at Westfield Vocational-Technical High School who has received major kudos from Beacon Hill for his efforts in attempting to reestablish western Mass. as a hub of manufacturing activity. “There are a lot of people who

By HOPE E. TREMBLAY Staff Writer SOUTHWICK – The annual town employee and volunteer holiday celebration is being changed a bit this year. Traditionally, a luncheon for town employees and committee members has been held the week of Christmas during work hours in addition to a donut and coffee hour for volunteers. This week, the Board of Selectmen agreed to change the start time, among other things. “I’d like to see the time switched to 4:30 so it doesn’t interfere with the work day,” said Selectman Joseph Deedy. “I’d also like to see two vendors or go to bid [for food].” The changes stemmed from a letter to the board written by employee Victoria Hickey. Hickey was present at the Nov. 25 board meeting and discussed her thoughts with selectmen. Hickey asked the board to consider changing the time and changing the vendor. “There are a number of restaurants in town we could give our business to,” said Hickey. “We’ve used the same vendor for years. We’re not complaining, just asking to change it up.” Hickey surveyed employees on their

See Training, Page 3

See Party, Page 3

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