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The Westfield News Serving Westfield, Southwick, and the surrounding Hilltowns
“The willing contemplation
of vice is vice.” — ARABIC PROVERB
www.thewestfieldnews.com TUESDAY, JULY 14, 2015
VOL. 84 NO. 176
75 cents
Second suspect charged in theft of Boys & Girls Club donation box
Senior Center work on target By DAN MORIARTY Staff Writer WESTFIELD – The Senior Center at Mary Noble Estates is moving forward rapidly, with construction work projected to be completed by the end of September. Council on Aging (COA) Executive Director Tina Gorman reported to the COA Board Monday that the building will be turned over to the city by the end of September. TINA The city will need one to two months to install technology, assemble furni- GORMAN ture and train staff on the operations in advance of the facility opening. Gorman said that the COA board is also reviewing a needs assessment report, based upon a survey of senior citizens, completed by a Western New England University student intern this spring. The needs assessment was submitted earlier this summer to the COA Board. Gorman said that additional staff will be hired to support the expanded programming at the senior center and the needs assessment may impact hiring to fill those new positions. See Senior Center, Page 3
This October 2014 file photo shows the new Westfield Senior Center, top center, on Noble Street continue to progress, with parking for more than 100 vehicles. (WNG file photo)
By CHRISTINE CHARNOSKY Correspondent WESTFIELD – A second suspect has been charged with stealing a Boys and Girls Club money donation box from a Dunkin’ Donuts. Guillermina Vega, 43, of Westfield, was released on her personal recognizance pending an August 6 hearing after being arraigned Friday in Westfield District Court on charges of larceny from a building, brought by Westfield police. Co-suspect, Jose Vargas, 50, also of Westfield, was held in lieu of $1,000 personal surety pending an August 6 hearing after being arraigned in Westfield District Court on June 30 on charges of larceny from a building. Westfield Police Det. Timothy Fanion responded to a call from the Dunkin’ Donuts on Elm Street at 9:34 p.m. See Theft Suspect, Page 3
Westfield native represents U.S. in Special Olympics World Games By MICHELE HAMEL Correspondent WESTFIELD – Thirty-year-old Brandon Wood will represent the USA in the Special Olympics World Games this July. Brandon started competitive swimming at age 11 at the Westfield YMCA and swam on the Westfield High school swim team. Through training and hard work, he soon became a contributing member of both the YMCA Wave Swim team, as well as the high school team. During high school in 2001, he proved he was an essential part of his team by earning the one point the team needed for a win. After high school, he joined and continued swimming for the Pioneer Valley Special Olympics Swim Team. In 2006 he started training for the Special Olympics. Last year he competed in Nationals representing
Open space, town library discussed
BRANDON WOOD Massachusetts and received a Gold Medal in 200 free style, a Gold Medal in 100 breaststroke, a Silver Medal in 100 free style and 5th Place ribbon for the free relay team. At that time, he received the news that he had been chosen to represent the USA in the Special Olympics World Games in Los Angeles. Brandon will be one of 7,000 athletes competing from 177 different countries. This will be the biggest humanitarian and sports event in the world during 2015. LA hasn’t seen an event like this since the 1984 Olympics Games. The Special Olympics World Games will start July 25 through August 2.
By AMY PORTER Correspondent SOUTHWICK — Chairman Joseph Deedy opened Wednesday’s Board of Selectmen meeting with a moment of silence for Richard F. Buckley, former Special Town Counsel and long-time resident. Vice Chair Russ Fox said that Buckley had a brilliant legal mind and was an outstanding lawyer and friend to residents of the town. Fox said Buckley was an officer in the Marines and a Vietnam veteran. During the open portion of the meeting, Paul Kireyczyk, the finance officer for American Legion Post 338, said that he was there to turn over a check for $5,000 to Administrative Assistant Cindy Pendleton for the motocross fee the board had voted for at the June 29 meeting. He said that the American Legion has a 10-year contract with motocross and that motocross is losing money and can’t pay the fee. He said he hopes the three selectmen are satisfied with “taking away money that could have helped veterans, scouts, and the food pantry.” See Selectment, Page 3
CPR awareness now Westfield graduation requirement By AMY PORTER Correspondent WESTFIELD – Westfield Public Schools became the first district in western Mass. to require cardio pulmonary resuscitation (CPR) and automated external defibrillator (AED) awareness training for graduation following a vote by the school committee at its July 6 meeting. Susan Canning of the KEVS Foundation, who has been working with the school district in conjunction with the American Heart Association, said, “I’m so proud of the school department. Right from the get-go it made sense to them.” Canning contacted Westfield Public Schools Superintendent Dr. Suzanne Scallion in the spring about the training. She also worked with Susan Dargie, curriculum director, for the district. Canning made the
presentation to the school committee at its May 4 meeting. “It’s important to make the distinction that it’s CPR/AED awareness training,” Dargie said. “not a full CPR course.” Dargie said they had recommended that in order to receive a Westfield High School diploma or a Technical Academy diploma, that students take the 30 minute awareness training session to receive the psycho-motor skills to perform hands-only CPR and use an AED. “We’re happy to be able to ensure that all of our graduates will be able to respond in an emergency. This is something that we’ll all benefit from as a community,” Dargie said. “This is a must-do for any public building – not only for our students but our staff,” Scallion said. Scallion called Canning and her work in the KEVS Foundation an
inspiration to the district, and said Canning just donated two more AEDs to the schools. Now almost all the schools are equipped with the devices, including several in the high school. “We’re thankful to be recipients of her commitment and her inspiration,” she said. “This is an easy thing for us to do, and it’s the right thing.” Teaching students how to use an AED is an important part of the
training, Canning said. “We want students to know what an AED is, to know in an emergency to call 911, and ask for an AED,” she said. She said that the survival rate is three-fold with the interventions. The mission of the KEVS Foundation is to educate and help prevent Sudden Cardiac Arrest (SCA) in children and young adults. Canning, who founded the organization following the tragic loss of her son Kevin Major at 19 from SCA, said the goal is to get all schools across the commonwealth to enact the CPR/AED requirement. “Most students are required to take physical education or health as freshmen and sophomores. We try to get it into one of those classes. We like to say it takes less time to teach kids CPR than to watch a TV sitcom,” Canning said about the 30
minute life-saving training, More than a dozen states have signed laws requiring CPR training in high schools. In October, Massachusetts signed a law requiring all coaches to obtain CPR training, but the state house cannot mandate the same for schools. It must be done school district by school district, according to Canning. Canning has committed to reaching out to all the school districts in western Mass. To date, she has contacted West Springfield, Southwick, Hampshire Regional, So Hadley, Granby and Chicopee, which she said may be the next district to vote for the requirement. “It’s a feel good thing,” she said. “These are life skills that students will take with them. It’s an asset for them. It could change somebody’s life.”