Granville Police Chief Says 'Don'

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JOHN STEINBECK Low of 55. www.thewestfieldnews.com All articles VOL. 86 NO. 151 TUESDAY, JUNE 27, 2017 ‘Numbers 75 cents pass at don’t work’ Russell right now Annual Town for Elm Meeting Street Urban Russell passes Renewal Gateway statutory assessment; Project defunds economic By PETER CURRIER Correspondent development WESTFIELD- The Westfield director Redevelopment Authority (WRA) met Tuesday morning to give an update on the By AMY PORTER Elm Street Urban Renewal Project (URP). Correspondent WHS vs. West Side Jeff Daley, founder of CJC Development RUSSELL – All warrant Michael Hall (22) avoids a low one. See story and photos Page 9. (Photo by Marc St.Onge) Advisors, LLC, briefed the WRA members articles were approved by on the recent developers preview for the Elm the 35 residents in atten- Street project. Daley noted that there did not dance at the Annual Town seem to be overwhelming excitement among Meeting in the Russell possible investors at the time, but with the Elementary School June 10. rollout of the Request for Proposal (RFP) he AMong the articles were believes people will learn more about the the Gateway Regional and project. He did say that a couple people vocational school budgets Granville police chief says expressed interest, but that they would need and authorization for the to check finances first. town to borrow up to “As presented right now, the numbers $180,000 to purchase a new don’t work,” said Daley. dump truck and plow. ‘Don’t feed the bears’ The project is being proposed thanks to a The biggest discussions technical assistance grant of $50,000 from of the meeting centered on By HOPE E. TREMBLAY usual making their way through neighborhoods MassDevelopment last summer. The WRA the school budget and the Correspondent across the region. contracted with Boston architects and urban absence in the budget of GRANVILLE – “Don’t feed the bears” isn’t “It’s not just in Granville,” Rindels said. “It’s planners Utile Design to study the city block Russell’s shared portion of just a sign in national parks, it’s the best way to the surrounding communities, Southwick, and utilization of parking. The current plan is the salary for the regional keep the animals out of your yard. Westfield – it’s all over. It seems to be almost to design and build a mixed-use residential economic development Granville Police Chief Richard Rindels said the daily that someone reports a bear sighting, either and commercial building on the Elm Street position, currently held by town shares its community with many bears and to the police department or posting it online. lot next to the PVTA bus station, however, Jeanne LeClair. they often find themselves sniffing out a snack Typically, the weather has something to do with it, WRA board member Kathleen Witalisz said The article for the that leads them to a residence. but I’m not sure why there are so many this year.” in past meetings that it could be subject to Gateway Regional School “Birdfeeders are the biggest culprit,” Rindels If a person encounters a bear close-up, Rindels change. District asked residents to said. “We tell people all the time to remove their said to make a lot of noise. Witalisz said they received good feedback raise and appropriate birdfeeders.” “A lot of people don’t realize that they’re as during the rollout event with investors and $2,126,966 for Russell’s Even a bear not hunting food can be lured into afraid of humans as we are of them,” he said. developers. She was hopeful there could be statutory assessment to the a yard by the smell of dinner. “When you make loud noise, they usually retreat more excitement about the project in the district. “Bears are attracted to food, so keep trash bar- and run away.” future. The School Committee rels locked up, too,” Rindels said. His best advice for avoiding the animals, how- Daley and Witalisz said they would float had asked the towns to This spring there seems to be more bears than ever, is simply don’t feed the bears. the idea of a Request for Interest (RFI), approve the alternative which would allow developers to express assessments based on an initial interest in the project without specific equal percentage increase to amounts of money up front. It would let the all the towns of 1.97%, WRA choose a specific development partner which matched the increase based on the developer’s estimates to move in the district budget, and Cruise allows paddlers to forward down the line. Part of the process, required all six towns to however, may require public subsidies. Some pass. The alternative assess- WRA members said that the next mayor will ment for Russell would experience nature up-close have to negotiate subsidies such as tax incen- have been $2,280,598 for tives or housing incentives for the URP’s fiscal year 2020. developers. Since the town of By LORI SZEPELAK Correspondent “Ground-ups in an urban environment are Montgomery voted down super difficult to make the numbers work,” the alternative assessment at WESTFIELD — John “Jack” Pelli has traversed the Westfield said Daley. its annual meeting in May, Witalisz mentioned that the Westfield the Russell Select Board River for the past four years as part of the Westfield River instead posted the statutory See Urban Renewal, Page 5 assessment of $2,125,966 in Watershed Association’s annual the warrant. The statutory canoe/kayak cruise and recom- assessment is based on the mends the experience to anyone March 1 student census in who wishes to “witness nature in each town, and can swing all of its glory.” wildly based on the move- “In the past I have witnessed ment in or out of town of a eagles, hawks, herring, beavers, small number of students. and osprey,” said Pelli who is At the meeting, Gateway serving as prime organizer of the Superintendent David B. June 15 event. Pelli is also the Hopson said because the incoming treasurer of the associa- School Committee gave the tion. “When you do the cruise, you town the alternative assess- Phil Sousa and Brian Conz examine the status of the Westfield ment to approve, they River water flow prior to a past canoe/kayak cruise. (WNG File First floor of Test A concept by Utile Design See Paddlers, Page 5 should have kept the alter- Photo) for Elm St. Urban Renewal Plan. native in the warrant and changed it on the floor. “Because one town rejected the alternative assessment, it’s’ a moot point. The statutory figure is State Rep. Velis hosts PFAS briefing what we’re left with,” said resident Virginia Hardie. BOSTON – State Rep. John Velis ties at the state-level,” said Velis. direction on that front,” Velis said. is obviously an issue front and center (D – Westfield) co-hosted a briefing Also present at the briefing was During the briefing, Velis was able in the minds of Westfield’s residents See Russell, Page 5 Monday with three of his colleagues Marty Suuberg, commissioner of the to share Westfield’s experience with and therefore, at the forefront of my on the legislative response to PFAS Department of Environmental PFAS contamination with all those agenda, as well.” contamination across the Protection, State Fire Marshal Peter present and hear similar stories from Just this year, RVelis has co-found- Commonwealth. Ostroskey, and representatives from his colleagues who represent other ed the PFAS caucus in the state legis- “As the representative from one of the Massachusetts National Guard. affected areas like Cape Cod and the lature with state Sen. Donald F. the worst affected areas of “It was great to see buy-in and towns around Fort Devens. Humason Jr. to bring together legis- Massachusetts, I feel like it is part of engagement from the Department of Velis concluded, “On one hand, it lators from affected communities and my job to help raise awareness Fire Services and the National Guard. was upsetting to hear about the other others who are interested in address- among the rest of the legislature. As The most polluted sites in towns that are also going through this ing this growing environmental and more and more cities and towns are Massachusetts, like Westfield, are crisis, but it was also heartening to public health crisis. To date, the cau- Russell Finance Committee discovering PFAS in their water, I mostly due to the use of certain fire- know that Westfield is not alone and cus has 12 members but is expected Nick Balboni, Ruth think that my colleagues can learn fighting foams at military bases, so that there are other members of the to grow in the coming months. Kennedy and Derrick from Westfield’s experience and join having them there was certainly a legislature who are working towards Mason. (Photo by Amy Porter) me in advocating for our communi- sign that we are heading in the right a legislative response to PFAS.

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