Subdivision Issues May Lead to New Permit Requirement by Amy Porter He Said
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tONiGHt: Mostly Clear. Low of 50. Search for The Westfield News The Westfield Search for The Westfield News HILE WE News “W Westfield350.com The Westfield READ HISTORY News Serving Westfield, Southwick, and surrounding Hilltowns “TIME IS THE ONLYW E MAKE WEATHER CRITIC WITHOUTHISTORY .” TONIGHT AMBITION.” Partly Cloudy. —JOHN Ge STEINBECKOrGe WiLLiam Curtis Low of 55. www.thewestfieldnews.com Search for The Westfield News Westfield350.comWestfield350.org The WestfieldNews “TIME IS THE ONLY VOL. 86 NO. 151 Serving Westfield, Southwick, and surrounding Hilltowns WEATHER TUESDAY, JUNE 27, 2017 75 centsCRITIC WITHOUT VOL. 88 NO. 201 MONDAY, AUGUST 26, 2019 75 Cents TONIGHT AMBITION.” Partly Cloudy. JOHN STEINBECK Low of 55. www.thewestfieldnews.com VOL.Tighe 86 NO. 151 & Bond partnersTUESDAY, help JUNE 27, 2017bring bridge to Haiti 75 cents By HOPE E. TREMBLAY Murphy and Jay Cashman are friends and when Cashman Assistant Managing Editor found himself the owner of a prefabricated pony truss panel WESTFIELD – Tighe & Bond is known as a leader in engi- bridge formerly known as the Fore River Bridge connecting neering and environmental consulting. That alone is attractive Weymouth and Quincy, he reached out to Murphy who sug- to prospective employees, but when David Murphy was look- gested donating the bridge components to communities in ing for a new job more than 10 years ago, it was the company’s Haiti. connection to causes that mattered to Murphy that drew him in. Murphy said a bridge would be a lifesaver – literally – for Tighe & Bond is based in Westfield and has offices in nine residents of Perches. communities in New England and New York. “Dozens of people die every year trying to cross that river,” Murphy is Tighe & Bond’s vice president who mainly serves Murphy said, “mostly children and elderly women.” Eastern New England. For many years, Murphy worked as an Murphy has been very active in Haiti for the last eight years, engineer but tried to tie his career with his passion for helping donating his time and engineering expertise to help build others. pedestrian bridges alongside Cashman and seeing firsthand the “I was working on the Big Dig and my boss knew Andrew impact infrastructure improvements can have on these com- Card (former White House Chief of Staff under President munities. George W. Bush) and I met him and wound up working with Perches is a remote and isolated location, with about 20,000 This former Massachusetts bridge was brought to Perches, him through Catholic charities,” said Murphy. residents who live in the town and many more in the surround- Haiti by The Cashman Family Foundation and Tighe & That work led him to Indonesia with Catholic Relief Services ing area. Residents rely on an unpaved road to access facilities Bond. (Photo courtesy of Tighe & Bond) where he managed all engineering and construction following to the north, including a local hospital and an industrial park. the tsunami that devastated the country. The road is impeded by the Rivière Cochon Gras and during the equipment were available in this rural area. The bridge is now Murphy then became involved in helping rebuild communi- three or four rainy months, the crossing is frequently impass- substantially complete and local Haitian engineers and con- ties in Haiti. able. structors will finish the grading of the approach roadways. When Murphy returned to the United States, he said he Tighe & Bond contributed design services for new abutment “Perches is a small town with limited access during the fielded several job offers, but Tighe & Bond stood out because walls and supports for the bridge, and The Cashman Family rainy months. This bridge will help to provide connections, its partners cared about what their employees cared about. For Foundation donated the bridge superstructure and assisted the and we engineers were grateful to contribute to a project that Murphy, this was the deciding factor and since then, Tighe & town in providing construction services. Tighe & Bond’s will directly improve many peoples’ lives,” said Brenner. Bond has become involved in Murphy’s work in Haiti. Principal Engineer, Brian Brenner, led the design project with Murphy noted that Tighe & Bond set aside 120 working The firm recently donated engineering services to design a collaboration from his colleagues, Principal Engineers Duncan hours for the project. new bridge over the Rivière Cochon Gras for the residents of Mellor and Craig French, and Project Engineers Kamila “When those hours ran out, instead of asking for more time Perches, Haiti. O’Neill and Eric Ohanian. and money, our employees continued to see the project The project was led by The Cashman Family Foundation, a The construction and engineering teams worked together through,” Murphy said. “That’s what makes this company charitable subsidiary of the Cashman Family of Companies. closely, considering site conditions and what materials and special.” Subdivision issues may lead to new permit requirement By AMY PORTER he said. adjust the swale and add fill in order eyeballing contractors would have Staff Writer “Are you saying if you lay out a for the drainage to work for the low- had a better sense of how their land WESTFIELD – Issues raised at plan for a neighborhood and a plan lying lots. would drain. But the responsibility last week’s Planning Board meeting is approved by the Planning Board, “The swale, I agree with you, was also on the owner and builder to about the completion of work at the builder doesn’t have to pay atten- wasn’t done in a timely manner, but raise the house to the grading plan. Angelica Estates could lead to a tion to vertical plans,” asked John that’s a poor excuse for not follow- Carellas asked City Planner Jay change in building permit require- Bowen. ing a grading plan,” Kelly said. Vinskey what they were responsible ments. Levesque said they will pay atten- Kelly said they had started build- for as a Planning Board. Vinskey Robert Levesque of R. Levesque tion to the grading for the septic ing on the other side of the cul-de- said the city is responsible for the Associates gave an update to the system, but may just look at the sac after the road was done, where common infrastructure, which board about the closeout of Angelica septic system. He said it takes a there is no swale. But, he said includes the roadway, pavement, Estates, on which the city is holding builder that knows all the pieces to sophisticated builders would have sidewalk, street trees, underground the bond, on behalf of developer Joe the puzzle. shot the grade. utilities, storm basin and swale, for Kelly, who was also present. Angelica Estates lot owner Jeanine “I wouldn’t be hiring someone which the city would have an ease- Levesque, who designed the over- Ruccio, who lives on one of the lots who’s going to eyeball it,” he said, ment. all plans for the subdivision, builders who did not follow the that was built too low, according to adding that the biggest problem was “We don’t get into the individual explained that the lots were sold off grading plan and saved money on Levesque, said she believed that the that the builders wanted to cut cor- lots,” Vinskey said, adding they by Kelly and built by different build- fill, the houses were too low and had drainage problems were caused by ners when significant fill was would be under the Building ers who did not follow the grading the problems. the swale not being in place at the required. Department. He said he had dis- plan. He said several of the houses Levesque recommended to the time that her house was built. “It was all about money and sav- cussed the recommendation with the were built too low, and had drainage Planning Board that a grading plan Ruccio, who said her children could ing fill,” he said, adding that he building inspector. He said it may be and puddling issues. be added to the building permit for not even play in the back yard, asked agreed with Levesque about chang- an ordinance change to require a Also discussed at great length at individual houses on a subdivision. who would be held accountable. ing the requirements for a building grading plan as part of building per- the meeting was the fact that the He said other communities, notably Planning Board members also permit. mits. swale that was to be put in the rear Agawam and Southwick, require a said the swale should have been put Both Levesque and Kelly said “What’s before you now is the of the properties on one side of the grading plan for a building permit. in with the roadway and stormwater they had worked with Ruccio to subdivision. The swale was the last road had only just been constructed He said this will cost a little more for infrastructure and called it “unac- attempt to alleviate the problems in outstanding piece of the subdivision. by John and Jay Beltrandi of Belco the homeowner, but would alleviate ceptable” and “disappointing” that it her back yard. Levesque said he We don’t get into the layouts of indi- Construction, who put in the road in problems. took the developer being called in would meet with her following last vidual lots,” Vinskey said. 2016. One homeowner and several Levesque said that he is designing before the board to get it done. week’s meeting, and had designed a Levesque said he and the devel- board members questioned whether a subdivision at the Southwick Both Levesque and developer simple grading plan that would oper were preparing the “as built” the delay was partially responsible Country Club, where there are three agreed that the swale should have allow the drainage to flow correctly plan to present to the Engineering for the problems.