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WEATHER TONIGHT Scattered clouds. Patchy frost. Low of 38.
The Westfield News Serving Westfield, Southwick, and the surrounding Hilltowns
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Barry offers renovation update By Hope E. Tremblay Staff Writer SOUTHWICK – Southwick-Tolland-Granville Regional Schools Superintendent Dr. John Barry updated the school committee this week on renovation progress. The Southwick campus is undergoing a three-school renovation, which includes upgrades at Woodland Elementary School, numerous improvements at Powder Mill Middle School, which will become an intermediate school, and the high school, which will become a 7-12 school. “We delayed the opening of school because of change orders to construction,” Barry said. “We are working with project management to pay more attention to details.” Barry said they do not want any more delays, especially because they are nearing the end of several phases at Powder Mill and the high school. “Most of the work is done at Woodland,” he said, noting there are just a few finishing touches and punch list items to complete. “The only other thing is the portables and whether to use them for storage or take them out.” Barry said if they choose to remove the portable classrooms, which will no longer be needed once all projects are complete, the project manager wants to remove them before it snows. “Otherwise they will be there until next summer,” he said. Renovations at Powder Mill are currently focused on the gymnasium and its roof. At the high school, the new construction of the grade 7-8 wing is winding down. “We’re getting ready for the January move-in,” Barry said. “The rooms are really See Update, Page 3
DR. JOHN BARRY Superintendent
— Sean O’Casey
THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 18, 2014
VOL. 83 NO. 219
“It’s my rule never to lose me temper till it would be detrimental to keep it.”
75 cents
Westfield seeking truck bids Pictured left to right, Girl Scout Council of Western Massachusetts Board President and TDBank Retail Market Manager Linda Skorupski; Paige Stawasz, Kristen Stawasz, Heather O’Connor, Jordan Bower, Allison Bower of Westfield troop 40230 and Pattie Hallberg, GSCWM CEO, pose after the girls received the coveted Silver Award recently. (Submitted Photo)
Girl Scouts on lookout for volunteers By Peter Francis Staff Writer WESTFIELD – For decades, the Girl Scouts of America have been a fixture in western Mass. and are looking to continue making an impact on the lives of young women in the western Mass. region. While the organization teaches young women the value of “being prepared” and “doing a good turn daily”, it takes reliable and responsible volunteers to help instill these values in troops all over the region. “I would love the experience of being a Girl Scout Leader,” said Dana Carnegie, community relations manager for Girl Scouts of Central and Western Massachusetts. “When I watch girls and leaders in action, I’m filled with admiration and, to tell you the truth, a little bit of envy.” Carnegie said that she was a Girl Scout up until sixth grade, starting with the Brownies and working her way up to the Juniors before she stopped participating. “It wasn’t cool to be a Girl Scout anymore and out I went,” she said. “But what I’ve learned in coming back to Girl Scouts is, the longer you stick with it, the cooler the opportunities become.” “I’ve watched girls contribute to their communities in such significant ways, earn their own money by selling cookies to go on these really phenomenal trips,” Carnegie said. “And just the camraderie with each other and in a girl’s life, the importance of the all-girl environment really matters.” Pat O’Connor, a secretary in the Agawam School District, has been a volunteer for 10 years with two Westfield troops, 40230 and 40222, and started when her older daughter wanted to participate. “I said I would help with the troop, but we had no volunteers. We had three parent meetings before we had a good amount of people,” she said. “There’s probably about 20 troops in
Westfield.” O’Connor listed off several of the trips her troops have made and places they will go soon. “Girl Scouts have pretty much traveled the world, but we do a lot of smaller, day trip-type things because the girls are involved in so many other things,” she said. “We don’t do as many weekend things as other troops, but that’s the good things about Girl Scouts – the individual groups can do different things to fit the girls they’re working with.” Having participated in the Girl Scouts as a young girl, O’Connor said she stopped doing it in high school and is enthused that many of her charges are serving well into their high school years. “In 40230, all but one of the girls is in high school and it is exciting that they’re sticking with it,” she said. “We adjust the meeting times to all their sports teams and church events and they’ve really formed a bond and enjoy being together.” O’Connor stressed the skills learned through scouting that have already benefited her girls. “They start working on business skills and leadership skills even when they’re young in the first grade,” said O’Connor, adding that 80 percent of female business owners in the U.S. were Girl Scouts. “It’s a safe environment and they feel really comfortable. It enables girls to gain that self-esteem so that they feel comfortable at the next step.” When asked about what a western Massachusetts without the Girl Scouts would look like, O’Connor shudders at the thought. “That would be an awful thing,” she said. “So many Girl Scouts, current and former, have done such amazing things, it’s kind of frightening to think about if they didn’t have this program.” “Their Gold Award projects are just amazing
By Dan Moriarty Staff Writer WESTFIELD – Interim Public Works Director Dave Billips presented a plan Tuesday to the Board of Public Works that will provide the city with information about the cost of purchasing new solid waste and recycling trucks. Billips said yesterday that the Purchasing Department is releasing DAVID BILLIPS a bid this week to rent at Interim Public Works least two trucks and then Director will use basically the same bid language next week to advertise the purchase of trucks. “The bid to rent trucks is going out today or tomorrow, and then next week we’ll put out almost the same bid to purchase trucks to see what it will cost,” Billips said. “When we get those bids back, we’ll know how much money we need, then we’ll go to the mayor and City Council with a funding request.” The Department of Public Works, which collects See Truck Bids, Page 3
Man loses job for stealing cans By Carl E. Hartdegen Staff Writer WESTFIELD – A city man has lost his job after he was found to be stealing empty bottles and cans from his employer. Officer John Barnachez responded Tuesday morning to a report that a person was in the act of stealing redeemable bottles and cans from the redemption center where he was employed at an East Main Street liquor store. When Barnachez arrive, the caller told him that she had seen an employee place two large bags of redeemable containers into his personal vehicle.
See Girl Scouts, Page 3 See Cans, Page 3
Rail trail issues before City Council By Dan Moriarty Staff Writer WESTFIELD – The Legislative & Ordinance Committee will give positive recommendation tonight to the City Council to approve a “confirmatory order of taking of real estate for the purpose of continuing the Columbia Greenway by right of eminent domain.” The committee discussed the issue last night with City Engineer Mark Cressotti who said that while the city holds two deeds for the land on which the rail trail, a former section of the Northampton-New Haven rail line, is located, there may be exposure to litigation contesting that ownership. “The state Department of Transportation (DOT), which is funding construction of
the Columbia Greenway, is concerned that others may contest that they have some interest in this property,” Cressotti said. “The DOT is recommending that the city (approve) a confirmatory taking just to be safe.” Cressotti said the eminent domain taking process protects the city’s interest. “There will then be no question of who holds title,” Cressotti said. “So anybody who might have a claim, does not have rights to the property, just a claim for financial rights.” Cressotti said the DOT and city investigated the deeds now held by the city when the initial funding was provided to the city, but that the survey referenced in the original deeds are a century old and in some cases not clear. The confirmatory
taking by eminent domain will clarify any ambiguity in the original deed, taking the former railroad land from the Southwick Line to the CSX railroad line in the Depot Square area. The L&O members also discussed a broad issue defining and regulating use of the Columbia Greenway with Bob Pac, a representative of the Friends of the Columbia Greenway, Cressotti and Ward 2 City Councilor Ralph Figy, in whose ward much of the trail is located. Cressotti said rail trails can be defined as both transportation corridors and linear parks and that either definition has benefits. Defining the trail as a transportation corridor means the city can use Chapter See City Council, Page 3
‘Birdies for the Veterans’ to tee off tomorrow By Peter Francis Staff Writer WESTFIELD – An organization seeking to help veterans reacclimate to life back home is hosting what it hopes to be the first of many benefit golf tournaments tomorrow. Project New Hope, Inc., an non-profit organization which hosts week-long retreats throughout the year for vets and their families, is teaming up with Shaker Farms Country Club in Westfield for the first annual “Birdies for the Veterans” tournament. According to Project New Hope, the retreats are free for participants, which include families and children, both female and male veterans and Gold Star & Survivor Families who have lost loved ones during military service. Issues and conditions such as post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), traumatic brain injury (TBI) and military sexual trauma (MST) are addressed during these retreats, as
well as drug and alcohol addiction, lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and questioning (LGBTQ) issues and suicide prevention. According to Susan Teitel, an Army veteran and golf professional who is helping organize the event, the non-profit’s mission will benefit servicemembers and their families immensely. “I ran across one of my student’s parents who were in the reserves and went on one of the retreats they offer,” said Teitel. “I asked if it was like the Wounded Warrior Project, but what Project New Hope does is try to reac-
climate soliders back to the norm, whatever their norm may be.” Teitel said what clinched her involvement in organizing the tournament was the organization’s total dedication to vets. “The CEO and office staff are running this program as volunteers, with all the proceeds going to the soliders and veterans, so why wouldn’t I want to give back to that?” Teitel said. “I don’t think we give back enough.” “We started Project New Hope in January 2011 out of my home,” said Bill Moore, the CEO of Project New Hope and an Air Force veteran. “The VA can’t do it alone and I wanted to start offering free weekend retreats. Today the suicide rate for servicemen and women… we lose 22 people a day. Their marriages are falling apart, there is drugs and alcohol… We can do something about this.” Moore stated that his volunteer Board of See Birdies for the Veterans, Page 3
MARK CRESSOTTI City Engineer
Police refuse man’s request By Carl E. Hartdegen Staff Writer WESTFIELD – A city man who came to the police station early Wednesday morning with a simple request was denied. City police report that a resident came to the station at 2:37 a.m. yesterday and asked if he could “stay in the cell block.” Sgt. Michael Kane reports the man was advised of alternative lodging options but asked how he could “stay in the cell block.” When the man was told that the cells are reserved for persons arrested he threatened to commit a crime so he could be arrested, Kane reports, but was told again that he could not stay in a cell. When he claimed to be suicidal Kane offered to call for an ambulance but the man left the station after saying “I ain’t paying for an ambulance.”