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WEATHER TONIGHT Mainly clear. Low of 42.
The Westfield News Serving Westfield, Southwick, and the surrounding Hilltowns
www.thewestfieldnews.com WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 17, 2014
VOL. 83 NO. 218
Prolamina headquarters located at 132 North Elm St. (Photo by Frederick Gore)
— W. Somerset Maugham
75 cents
Southampton residents oppose city subdivision
Knapik seeks tax deal to keep jobs in city By Dan Moriarty Staff Writer WESTFIELD – Mayor Daniel M. Knapik is submitting a request the City Council Thursday night to consider a special tax assessment agreement to keep Prolamina, and more than 250 high-paying jobs, in the city. City Advancement Officer Joe Mitchell has been working with officials MAYOR DANIEL M. KNAPIK at Prolamina, formerly Jen Coat, on an agreement to reduce the company’s tax. The company is planning to invest nearly $7 million in its Westfield facility, with $4 million to be used to expand the plant by 8,700 square feet, renovate another 22,000 square feet and to improve the roof and façade of the building on North Elm Street, the city’s northern gateway. Prolamina would also invest $2.95 million in new equipment to position the company for the market. Prolamina makes products for the food and health industries. The firm would also increase its workforce by 12 jobs as part of the agreement. “Jen Coat has been in the city since 1972 and at the 132 North Elm Street JOE MITCHELL location for more than 30 years,” Mitchell said this morning. “Prolamina has plants in Wisconsin and Canada and could be spending money elsewhere.” Mitchell said the company has five years left on its current lease and is in the preliminary stages of negations for a 20-year follow-on lease, if it makes economic sense. “Any company wants to spend money wisely,” Mitchell said, but declined to present specific terms of the special tax assessment (STA) agreement until the issue comes before the City Council for action. Typically, the City Council refers Tax Incentive Financing (TIFs) and STAs to its Finance Committee and Legislative & Ordinance Committee for further review before the agreements are brought back to the full council for action. Mitchell said keeping Prolamina, and the 268 jobs, is also motivated by the trickledown economics generated by the plant which does business with other city companies. “Prolamina uses the Pioneer Valley Railroad quite extensively,” Mitchell said. Knapik is submitting a “resolution authorizing a special tax assessment agreement for Prolamina” under the City Council’s communication from the mayor portion of its agenda.
“The great tragedy of life is not that men perish, but that they cease to love.”
Many Westfield residents and businesses were visited by a flock of pink flamingos during the Westfield Athenaeum’s “Follow the Flock” campaign this summer. (Submitted Photo)
Tickets on sale to ‘Follow the Flock’ south By Peter Francis Staff Writer WESTFIELD – In an effort to raise additional funding for the Westfield Athenaeum, a strange flock of plastic pink flamingos has descended upon the front yards of city businesses and residents alike since June. “We’ve been doing this flocking all summer,” said Westfield Athenaeum Volunteer Jayne Mulligan of the ‘Follow the Flock’ campaign. “We’ve been flocking people all over town, either anonymously or for birthdays or anniversaries, with all the funds going to the library.” On Saturday, October 4, the Westfield Athenaeum will be bidding the birds farewell for the fall and winter with a sendoff at Papp’s Bar and Grill on 110 Airport Road from 3-6 p.m. The gathering is intended to celebrate the success of the birds in raising funds for the library this summer. “It started in the middle of June, just in chit-chat between myself and Cher Collins, the director of the Athenaeum,” said Mulligan. “It started off as silliness, but it’s gotten an awful lot of attention.” In a summer that saw the vaunted Ice Bucket Challenge become a national phenomenon, raising millions of dollars for research of Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS), the flocking initiative functioned in a similar manner. “The initial intent was that we would put it on someone’s yard and they would have to pay $10 a day to move the flamingos off their lawn,” Mulligan stated. “But people then got ahold of us to do it for graduations and things with ‘congratulations’ around their necks. We had them at (State
Senator Don) Humason’s house with flags on them.” “We’ve actually raised about $800. For something that started really small with just a goal of getting the word out, it’s really come a long way,” said Collins, adding that the Athenaeum’s original fundraising goal was only $100. “We’ve probably flocked between 60 and 65 people during the summer. We marched in the Memorial Day Parade with them just to generate that buzz, and then we kicked it off in June.” Much in the way of the Ice Bucket Challenge, the flocking has taken off via social media. “It’s hit all age groups,” said Mulligan, who posts pictures of each ‘flocking’ to her Facebook page. “A couple who live in the city, their daughter lives in upstate New York. She saw it on my Facebook and called to ask me to flock her parents for the weekend. Its hit all demographics.” The campaign has been carried out by volunteers, who sneak up to the properties of designated individuals or businesses and stick the plastic flamingos all over their lawns, thus tagging them to donate to the library. “Initially it was done more as a ‘fun-raiser’ than fundraiser,” said Mulligan. “It has done the trick, though. People see the birds – they think ‘library fundraiser.’” Collins said that the hope is that the flocking campaign can be a precursor of sorts to a larger capital campaign for the library, similar to efforts put on by Noble Hospital and the Amelia Park Children’s Museum. “Before we even get in the league of the Noble Ball or the Penguin Plunge, we have to raise See Follow the Flock, Page 3
Focus on STEM discussed By Hope E. Tremblay Staff Writer SOUTHWICK – Powder Mill Middle School teacher Beth Grady is picking up where retired science teacher Sue Pac left off. Grady is taking over many of the duties performed by Pac concerning STEM – Science, Technology, Engineering and Math. Grady and Principal Ronald Peloquin met with the Southwick-Tolland-Granville School Committee yesterday to discuss her plans for the coming year, which included an integration of STEM rather than eaching each area separately. Grady said she hopes to continue the tradition of an overnight science program, if construction allows, and she plans to add new programs to the STEM curriculum, including the Future City and Math Counts competitions. “I think it’s important not to get rid of programs students like so I’ll be talking to them,” Grady said. Grady offered a short STEM presentation that addressed the need to offer integrated STEM education. Peloquin said he hopes to do more specific testing of STEM to collect data about which areas students gravitate toward and where there needs to be work. “We want to identify strengths and to stretch and reach as much as we can,” he said. Also during last night’s meeting, the committee agreed to
By Dan Moriarty Staff Writer WESTFIELD – The Planning Board is reviewing the preliminary subdivision plan for development of 11 lots as part of a court settlement after denying an earlier version of the project. One of the primary concerns of the board and nearby residents is that the land where the proposed subdivision may be constructed is accessible through Southampton via Old County Road, described as narrow and winding by residents. The property, held in a trust, abuts the city line with Southampton at the end of Old Long Pond Road which is a private way in Westfield. As part of the negotiated settlement the developers agreed not to use that road. The proposed R&L Golden Acres subdivision plan does not comply with the Planning Board’s subdivision requirements. The developers are seeking several waivers from those regulations. Those waivers request the board to approve a proposed subdivision road that would be only 20-feet wide, and would not have sidewalks, hydrants or a drainage system. Drainage would be swells on either side of the road and a high crown in the center of the road for sheet drainage flow. The subdivision houses would not have city water or sewers. The developers first presented details of the project to the Planning Board at its July 15 session and made changes recommended by the board. One change presented last night was to increase lots to two acres because of the need to have both drinking water wells and subsurface septic disposal. Last night the developers said the Land Court mediation process is still ongoing as the subdivision plan takes shape and could change the definitive subdivision plan that will be presented to the Planning Board. One of those changes is the request to use Old Long Pond See Residents, Page 3
Indecent assault suspect arraigned and detained By Carl E. Hartdegen Staff Writer WESTFIELD – A city man has been held in lieu of $1,000 cash bail after he allegedly assaulted his brother’s girlfriend Saturday morning. Officer Dermot Hurley reports that the alleged assault was preceded by a fight between the suspect, Jason W. Rodriguez, 29, of 9 Grant St., and his brother because Rodriguez was jealous of his brother’s relationship with the victim. Hurley reports that, “when the Jason W. victim attempted to drive away Rodriguez with her boyfriend from the site of the 1:30 a.m. altercation, Rodriguez punched her driver’s side window out and took her car keys away from her.” He went on to state that Rodriguez threw the keys “over a fence and into the darkness.” Later that morning, about 8:20 a.m., Hurley reports, Rodriguez appeared at the victim’s Jefferson Street apartment where he entered without invitation. There, Hurley wrote in a court document, Rodriguez “tore (the victim’s) clothing off her… He threw her to the floor and said “If you (had sexual relations with) my brother, you’re gonna (have sexual relations with) me now.” Hurley wrote that the victim tried to call police but “Rodriguez took her phone away from her and crushed it by dropping a weight on it.” Rodriguez was arrested and, on Monday, appeared for arraignment on charges of indecent assault and battery on a person 14 year-of-age or older, breaking and entering a building in the daytime with intent to commit a felony, malicious destruction of property valued more than $250 and intimidating a witness. He was determined to be indigent and an attorney, Kathleen See Indecent Assault, Page 3
declare furniture stored in the Granville Village School basement as surplus. Superintendent Dr. John Barry said there are more desks than the district can use. “Given the number of surplus desks from this (Southwick) campus, it’s inconceivable that we will need these in Granville,” he said. Barry said with the new furniture that was ordered as part of the Southwick school campus renovations, there will be more than enough desks. Business Manager Stephen Presnal said there are about 146 desks and 60 chairs to surplus. “They’re 1960s and ’70s era,” Presnal added. “They will be disposed of or donated.”