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WEATHER TONIGHT
The Westfield News Serving Westfield, Southwick, and the surrounding Hilltowns
Rain. Low of 49.
Note: In observance of Memorial Day, The Westfield News will not publish
Monday, May 29.
www.thewestfieldnews.com VOL. 86 NO. 125
75 cents
THURSDAY, MAY 25, 2017
Memorial Day Observances on Monday in the Hilltowns By AMY PORTER Correspondent
“The willingness of America’s veterans to sacrifice for our country has earned them our lasting gratitude,” Chester Memorial Day observance organizers.
A float in the Russell Memorial Day parade 2015. (Photo by Amy Porter)
BLANDFORD is one of two towns that will have the Gateway Marching Band, which alternates towns every year, to participate in the Memorial Day ceremonies. In Blandford, marchers will meet for a lineup at Town Hall at 10 a.m., and the parade will step off at 11 a.m. The parade will march up to the
flags, where there will be a ceremony. A community cookout/picnic down at Watson Park will immediately follow. RUSSELL is the other town this year that will have the Gateway Regional Marching Band for the Memorial Day observances. Marchers will gather at the Fire Station, and step off at 1 p.m. The parade will march down Main Street to Route 20, to the Russell Cemetery on Old Westfield Road where there will be a ceremony honoring the fallen, and back up to Veterans Park on Main Street where another formal ceremony will be held. MONTGOMERY will hold its Memorial Day observances beginning at 12 p.m. in front of the church. Participants will march to the cemetery
See Farmers’ Market, Page 5
The Westfield Farmers’ Market runs every Thursday from 12n-6pm on the lawn of the Church of the Atonement on Court St. in Westfield. (Photo courtesy Danny Nason)
See Hilltowns, Page 3
Lights tested for Whalley Park project
Farmers’ Market one week away By LORI SZEPELAK Correspondent WESTFIELD-The Westfield Farmers’ Market opens for its third season as an outreach project of the Episcopal Church of the Atonement on June 1. The market will run every Thursday, rain or shine, from noon to 6 p.m. on the lawn of the church at the corner of Court and Pleasant streets. On June 1, a brief opening ceremony will take place at noon, featuring musician Ed Bentley who will play his original Farmers’ Market Song created for the Westfield Farmers’ Market. Bentley will also perform from noon to 2 p.m., followed by Eva Cappelli from 2 to 4 p.m., and Gary Kotros from 4 to 6 p.m. At 3 p.m., chef Frank Baldwin of Pancake Sundaes on North Elm Street will demonstrate how to make a hollandaise sauce. Also, vendor Carmel Ann Lariviere is donating a welcome back gift basket to be raffled off. “Since it opened two years ago with seven vendors, the market has grown to nearly 40 vendors, including farmers who sell locally grown produce, and those who use agricultural products to make jams, jellies, relishes, breads, cheeses, sandwiches, soaps, oils, seasonings, Italian gelato, hot doughnuts and pretzels,” said Debbie Randzio, market manager. In addition, Randzio notes there are crafts made from natural products, as well as nonprofit organizations and businesses distributing information about healthy lifestyles. Free parking and a playground are available,
where an observance will be held, and Steve and Mike Pitoniak will sing. HUNTINGTON marchers will assemble at Pettis Field at 8:30, and the parade will step off at 8:45, when they will march to the town green, with a ceremony to follow. Keynote speaker will be Edward Renauld, Jr., veterans services officer for the town. There will also be a guest appearance by Adam LeBarron as Abraham Lincoln. After the ceremony and “Taps” is played, there will be a viewing of the PBS documentary “Hallowed Ground” in Stanton Hall. The film shows 22 American military cemeteries overseas,
By GREG FITZPATRICK Correspondent SOUTHWICK – Late on Tuesday night, one of the finishing touches was completed for the Whalley Park project. Musco lighting, the contractor for the lights portion of the project, did a test on all the baseball and softball fields that had lights installed. In order to conduct the test, Musco made a grid See Lights, Page 5
Administrative assistant Stacy Stewart, School Committee chair Michele Crane and Gateway superintendent Dr. David B. Hopson at meeting on Wednesday. (Photo by Amy Porter)
Gateway’s new auditor discusses OPEB liability By AMY PORTER Correspondent HUNTINGTON – Gateway Regional School District’s new auditor Patrice Squillante of Melanson Heath of Greenfield gave an abbreviated report to the School Committee on Wednesday of the recently completed 50-page FY16 audit. Squillante, who took over for long-time Gateway auditor Stan Kulas, said at her firm she has audited 200 cities, towns and school districts. She started with an explanation of the government-wide balance sheet, which must show longterm assets and liabilities. She said Gateway, as in all of the other audits she has done, has a net deficit of $11 million, largely due to Gateway’s share of OPEB (Other Post Employee Benefits) and pension liabilities. Specifically, the balance sheet shows a net OPEB obligation of $6.3 million and a pension liability of $5.8 million. Squillante also asked and answered the question as to what effect this liability will have on the district. “There really isn’t any effect,” she said. She said rate setting agencies and the Department of Revenue aren’t looking at it. She said the liability is included to get municipalities and school districts to look at it. Squillante also said that Bond ratings are more interested in whether or not districts have set up an OPEB Liability Trust Fund, whether or not there is any money in it, although any kind of reserve is
The lights on the baseball field at Whalley Park were tested on Tuesday night. (Photo courtesy of John Whalley)
Lifeguards needed this summer at local town beach Gateway Regional auditor Patrice Squillante gave an overview of the FY16 audit to the School Committee on Wednesday. (Photo by Amy Porter)
a plus. The School Committee voted to establish an OPEB trust fund two years ago, and transferred $106,000 from surpluses in health insurance that year into the fund. Business manager Stephanie Fisk said that in a state review, officials were quite impressed with the amount of discussion by the School Committee of the OPEB liability, as shown in the minutes. The district-wide balance sheet, which Squillante said is the one viewed monthly by the School Committee, showed an undesignated E&D (excess & deficiency) fund balance of $681,000, which she said is 4% of the district budget, See Gateway, Page 5
By GREG FITZPATRICK Correspondent SOUTHWICK – With the Southwick Town Beach scheduled to open up on June 30, the Parks and Recreation Commission for the Town of Southwick is making sure they have a full staff. According to Parks and Recreation Commission member Cara Cartello, there has been an issue with a shortage of lifeguards for the summer. Currently, there is only one lifeguard employed. If more lifeguards can’t be found, Cartello said that the town beach could in danger of only being open on the weekends. “If we only have one (lifeguard), we can’t be open seven days,” said Cartello. The Parks and Recreation Commission believed that the lifeguarding job presents an attractive opportunity, especially for high-schoolers and college students who See Lifeguards, Page 3
Southwick Town Beach (WNG File Photo)