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The Westfield NewsSearch for The Westfield News Westfield350.com The WestfieldNews Serving Westfield, Southwick, and surrounding Hilltowns “TIME IS THE ONLY WEATHER CRITIC WITHOUT TONIGHT AMBITION.” Partly Cloudy. JOHN STEINBECK Low of 55. www.thewestfieldnews.com VOL. 86 NO. 151 $1.00 FRIDAY,TUESDAY, APRIL JUNE 23,27, 20172021 VOL.75 cents 90 NO. 95 Community Development block grants 2021 action plan presented By AMY PORTER Staff Writer WESTFIELD – Community Development Director Peter J. Miller presented plans for $500,000 in CDBG 2021 grant funds at a public hearing on April 21. These funds include the annual entitlement grant of $369,000 plus remaining CARES Act funds. CDBG funds are intended to serve low to moderate income people, and provide improvements to housing and neighbor- hoods. Fifteen percent of the funds are allowed to be spent on public service Christine Fedora and Peter J. Miller, programs. Community Development Block Grant Miller said this year they will be fund- program. (AMY PORTER/THE At a 2019 site inspection of the Little River Levee, (L-R) USACE intern Brennan O’Neil and project ing nine service programs, including the WESTFIELD NEWS) manager Drew Cattano were joined by Flood Control Commissioners Al Giguere, Mark Goodniss, Boys and Girls Club summer camp, transition program from homelessness. Henry Wachtol, Utility Engineer Matthew Gamelli and Barry Plumley. Wachtol and Plumley have Camp for Kids, DOMUS HiSet, which He said more than 800 people will be announced their retirements after decades of service to the commission. (THE WESTFIELD NEWS provides GED instruction; the Samaritan served by these programs. FILE PHOTO) Inn Day Center, Westfield Food Pantry, Other priority projects this year include Meals on Wheels, the Council on Aging continuing small business assistance with Companionship program, YWCA New 2019 CARES Act funds. Miller said to Beginnings for domestic violence survi- Flood control projects stack up vors, and the Mental Health Association’s See Block Grants, Page 3 By AMY PORTER order to prepare for reconstruc- Staff Writer tion work. Giguere said they WESTFIELD — The Army have not yet heard back on the Corps of Engineers (ACE) per- appropriation. formed an annual inspection of “The levee has to get fixed, the Little River Levee on April we all know it. God forbid, we 21, meeting members of the have a serious flood and the Flood Control Commission, levee fails,” Giguere said, add- Conservation, Department of ing that he wasn’t confident the Public Works and city council- levee would sustain a major ors at the site. storm. Flood Control chairman “Hopefully time is on our FCC Chairman Al Giguere Albert G. Giguere, Jr. said the side, we get the money we need, points to erosion on the levee inspection would likely fail to and start rehabilitation of the from the Dec. 25 storm. (AMY meet the ACE standards again two culverts. Hopefully, Mother this year, considering the levee PORTER/THE WESTFIELD Nature and time are on our has suffered additional erosion. NEWS) side.” Giguere said the big problem achieved. “We’re trying to correct mul- is two culverts under the levee Currently, the commission is tiple decades of deferred main- intended to prevent backflow looking to take down seven tenance,” Giguere said. from the river flooding the mostly dead trees on the levee The Little River Levee is only neighborhood are corroded and and clear debris in order to pre- one of the projects being over- need to be replaced. “The bot- pare for that work to be done. seen by the all-volunteer Flood tom of the culverts are rotted He said one tree fell during a Control Commission. For the out, as are the metal plates to storm on Dec. 25, root ball and last several years, they have prevent water from coming all, causing about 5 more feet of also been working with the back to the city,” he said. erosion on the river side of the National Resources Giguere said they discovered levee. A Notice of Intent pre- Conservation Service (NRCS) the deterioration on the culverts pared by Tighe and Bond for the on analysis and recommenda- four years ago. tree clearing will be going to the tions for rehabilitation of the Giguere said the city has a Conservation Commission at Powder Mill and Armbrook local cooperation agreement the end of the month. dams. with the ACE, which built the Flood Control has also asked Giguere said the NRCS rec- levee in 1955 and rebuilt it after the mayor for an appropriation ommendations will bring the Westfield winds a flood in 1983 when the sec- of $120,000 to purchase six pri- dams up to safety and perfor- Wednesday’s wind and rain storm resulted in a fallen tree at Pine Hill ceme- tion collapsed during a flood, to vate parcels of private land mance standards, and have them tery which left branches and debris scattered through the Technical Academy maintain the levee to a certain along the levee upstream to parking lot. (MARC ST.ONGE/THE WESTFIELD NEWS) standard, which has not been approximately Amelia Park, in See Flood Control, Page 3 Cannabis Connection celebrates their first 4/20 By PETER CURRIER celebrating cannabis use. The holi- pull off the best of both worlds,” said Staff Writer day’s exact origins have never been Gezotis. WESTFIELD — Cannabis clear, but the long lines at Cannabis When deciding how to go about Connection celebrated their first 4/20 Connection throughout the day show their first 4/20, Gezotis said that they less than a year after its grand open- that it is widely celebrated. looked at what was being offered at ing and the owners are calling the day Gezotis said that Cannabis other local dispensaries to gauge what a great success. Connection has been a net benefit to kind of deals they should be offering. Cannabis Connection Director Westfield as its first marijuana dispen- North Elm Butcher Block set up a Curt Gezotis said April 21 that the sary. stand outside the shop to serve food to store’s first April 20 brought in 850 “I feel that we have been a good customers. A Northampton-based customers. They sold more than partner to the community,” said cannabis vape company called 3,000 individual products. He said Gezotis. Fernway also set up a stand with a that the holiday is a way for most He said that the store created 35 wheel one could spin to win small cannabis companies to reward their local jobs with full benefits and has prizes. customers for their loyalty through- contributed about $400,000 in local Gezotis said that on April 22 the out the year. tax revenue thus far. If one includes Grateful Dead Bertha Bus made an “Profit margins go way down on the community host fee, that number appearance at Cannabis Connection 4/20 because we want to help the Cannabis Connection Director Curt Gezotis said that the line for could be as high as $800,000. to promote Garcia Hand Picked, a customer out,” said Gezotis. Westfield’s first cannabis dispensary was out the door throughout the day. “I don’t think it could have worked cannabis line developed by the family April 20 is an unofficial holiday (PETER CURRIER PHOTO) out any better. I think we were able to of the late musician Jerry Garcia. A Heartfelt In honor of National Volunteer Week, Baystate Health would like to thank our many volunteers for their dedication and Thank You commitment to our patients, families and staff. Although your presence is currently missed in our hospital, we look forward To Our Volunteers to being together again and supporting our community. BaystateHealth.org CS12104 PAGE 2 - FRIDAY, APRIL 23, 2021 WWW.THEWESTFIELDNEWS.COM THE WESTFIELD NEWS WSU students participate in Model United Nations simulations WESTFIELD — Students from opportunity to learn about foreign vided a unique experience in the Westfield State University’s policy and other countries in a situ- models as it affects every aspect of International Relations Club partici- ation where you feel included. It international relations. How does pated in two virtual Model United also allows you to get into the minds the shutting down of borders affect Nations (UN) simulation events in of these countries and their UN del- refugees? Or hurt the economic out- Montreal and New York City this egates.” put of developing countries? These semester. The annual events bring Johnston, a business major from are questions that we get to explore together students from all over the Agawam, was initially worried with a wide variety of students.” world to represent future diplomats, about the online format, having Westfield State Political Science politicians, and activists. attended other Model UN simula- Professor Brian Steinberg, Ph.D., Joseph Joyal, a senior economics tions in person during his time at accompanied the students to each major and IR Club member from Westfield State. virtual event. Agawam, describes the Model UN “After all, it is such an interactive “The nature of our model UN process as “the hidden gem of event where you must communicate work involves intense lectures with- Westfield State.” Joyal attended with your peers constantly and in a tight time framework as our Model UN sessions the past two effectively,” he said. “I didn’t think model UNs act as labs to the years and this year’s Montreal event. that we would be able to do that Comparative Foreign Policy “The incomparable experiences under the circumstances” he course,” he said. that we gain from participating in explained. “However, I was proven Founded in 1839 by Horace these models cannot be overstated.

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