TONIGHT Chance of Showers. Low of 51. Search for The Westfield News The WestfieldNews Search“W for ARThe Westfield MAKES News STRANGE Westfield350.com The Westfield News GIANT CREATURES IME IS THE ONLY Serving Westfield, Southwick, and surrounding Hilltowns “T OUT OF US LITTLE WEATHER CRITIC WITHOUT ROUTINE MEN WHO TONIGHT AMBITION INHABIT THE.” EARTH.” Partly Cloudy. JOHN STEINBECK Search —for ErTheNIE Westfield PYLE News Westfield350.comWestfield350.orgLow of 55. Thewww.thewestfieldnews.com WestfieldNews Serving Westfield, Southwick, and surrounding Hilltowns “TIME IS THE ONLY WEATHERVOL. 86 NO. 151 TUESDAY, JUNE 27, 2017 75 centsCRITIC WITHOUT VOL.88TONIGHT NO. 90 THURSDAY, APRIL 18, 2019 75AMBITION Cents .” Partly Cloudy. JOHN STEINBECK Low of 55. www.thewestfieldnews.com VOL.Scam 86 NO. 151 TUESDAY, JUNE 27, 2017 L&O Committee 75 cents allegedly recommends involves stormwater fee increase By AMY PORTER police Correspondent By CARL E. HARTDEGEN WESTFIELD – At its meeting on Wednesday, the Correspondent Legislative & Ordinance Committee took another look at a WESTFIELD – A city man was stormwater fee increase. Department of Public Works defrauded to the tune of $2,650 Director David Billips said the discussion actually dated recently after he was apparently back ten years, when the city put together a committee to assured by city police that he had develop a stormwater fee. Billips said at that time the City really been contacted by the federal Council cut the proposal. social security administration. “This proposal is basically what we proposed ten years The victim ago,” Billips said about the original proposal that he gave to came to the sta- the committee last year, and resubmitted on Wednesday tion Monday and along with a new proposal. told Westfield He said in the new proposal the stormwater fee for resi- Officer Aleksandr dents, currently at $20, increases to $30 for the next three Golenev that he years. “If you accept this, you’re voting on a one year received an auto- increase,” he said. mated telephone In the original proposal, which Billips said he presented to call on April 12 the City Council eight months ago, the fees for residents which purported to come from the increase to $30 in FY2020; $40 in FY21, and $50 in FY22. social security administration and Commercial rates in both proposals are also impacted. In instructed him “to call them back, if the new proposal, the rate would change from the present he didn’t want to go to jail.” The mes- $.045/sq. ft. of impervious surface to $.014 in FY20 and sage advised him that his name had remain there for three years, with the cap raising from $640 been connected with drug trafficking to $1,200 for parcels with impervious surface of 80,000 to and money laundering. 150,000 sq. ft., and to $2,100 for parcels greater than The victim said that when he called 150,000 sq. ft. Billips said there are about 50 commercial the number provided he spoke with a entities in both of these larger categories. man who spoke fluent English with- Smaller businesses (less than 45,000 sq. ft.) would pay out a foreign accent and who told him less each year than they do now, while the larger ones would that he had been the victim of identity Westfield 350 Talk at WSU pay more. Currently, any commercial property 14,222 sq. ft. fraud and claimed that 15 bank or greater is paying the maximum cap of $640, Billips said. accounts were open in his name. Professor Robert Bristow and Associate professor Dristi Neog prepare In his original proposal, the rate per square footage would When the victim asked the man if to present their talk on Wayfinding Through GPS at Westfield State be $.014 in FY20, increase to .020 in FY21, and .024 in Wednesday night. See additional photos Page 8. (Photo by Marc St.Onge) Fy22. Billips said smaller businesses would still pay less See Scam, Page 3 See Stormwater Fees, Page 3 New Library Director being sought By GREG FITZpaTRICK According to Southwick Public Correspondent Library Board of Trustees member SOUTHWICK – At a meeting Michael McMahon, the notice seek- Tuesday night, the Select Board ing to fill the Library Director’s posi- approved the posting from the tion is being posted internally first Southwick Public Library and for nine or 10 days. If it is deter- the Library Board of Trustees in mined that there are no internal can- order to hire a Library Director. didates the position will become This past January, current external and available to candidates Southwick Library Director throughout the area. Diane Caruso announced she Candidates for the position are was retiring at the end of this fis- required to have at least three or cal year on June 30. Serving as more years of library administration Mark Cressotti, Jeremy Cigal, Engineering; Casey the Library Director since 2014, experience as well as two to four Berube, Highway; Joseph Kietner, Stormwater; Ward 4 Caruso has been working at the years of supervisory experience as a Councilor Michael Burns and Mayor Brian P. Sullivan Southwick Public Library since at work site on Granville Road in October. (WNG File 1996. (WNG File Photo) Southwick Public Library. See Library, Page 3 Photo) Public offers input on open space in Southwick By GREG FITZpaTRICK Comic book fans Correspondent SOUTHWICK – The Open Space and Recreation Committee held a mandatory public input session on in for a treat Wednesday night at Southwick Town Hall to seek public By LORI SZEPELAK input for open space plans. Correspondent Every community in Massachusetts has the option to WESTFIELD-As comic book fans worldwide gear up for renew their Open Space and Recreation plan every seven Free Comic Book Day on May 4, local residents will also years. Southwick’s latest plan was in 2011 and the dead- have a chance to experience the fun as the Boys and Girls line for them to renew the plan is November of 2019. Library at the Westfield Athenaeum will be hosting its own Having an updated plan allows municipalities to apply for People throughout the community are seen at the public event. various grants from the state. “First come, first serve, and limit one comic per person When hearing feedback from those in attendance at the input meeting on Wednesday night for the Open Space and Recreation Committee. (Photo by Greg Fitzpatrick) beginning at 9 a.m.,” noted Olivia Eberli, assistant youth meeting, the Committee discovered that a main concern services and young adult librarian at the Athenaeum. from the public is that there are several recreational areas “We had no idea some of these were even parks,” said “While I cannot say which comics are being given away, I in Southwick that a lot of people aren’t aware of. Humphrey. Deb Humphrey, who lives on Congamond Road and has Living on Granville Road, Jessica Thornton, who’s also See Comic Books, Page 3 lived in town for a long time, was unaware of certain rec- reational sites in Southwick and the rules of them. See Open Space, Page SAVE THE DATE! ANNUAL GOLF TOURNAMENT SATURDAY • JUNE 22, 2019 Tekoa Country Club • Westfield, MA ONLY $10000 www.stmsaints.org/upcoming-events Questions: Kathy Labrie • 413-335-4676 • [email protected] per Golfer! Robin Jensen • 413-568-1160 x147 • [email protected] PAGE 2 - THURSDAY, APRIL 18, 2019 WWW.THEWESTFIELDNEWS.COM THE WESTFIELD NEWS TONIGHT FRIDAY SATURDAY Light Rain Showers. 68-70 64-66 Today: A chance of showers after 3pm. Cloudy, with a high near 53. Tonight: A chance of showers or drizzle before 7pm, then a chance of drizzle with a slight chance of light rain after 7pm. Chance of Showers. Cloudy, with a low around 51. Friday: A chance of drizzle or light rain before 2pm, then a chance of light rain after 2pm. Cloudy, with a high near 70. South wind 11 to 14 mph, with gusts as high as 31 mph. Friday Night: Showers, mainly after 7pm. Low of 60. 51-52 Saturday: Showers. High near 66. Chance of precipitation is 90%. WWLP.COM • Working For You TODAY 6:07 AM 7:35 PM 13 hours 28 Minutes SUNRISE SUNSET LENGTH OF DAY ODDS & ENDS LOCAL LOTTERY LAST NIGHT’s numBERS Colorado city MASSACHUSETTS MassCash 02-14-18-29-30 Mega Millions votes to rename Estimated jackpot: $175 million Megabucks Doubler ‘Swastika Acres’ 01-03-06-10-13-48 Estimated jackpot: $1.6 million neighborhood Numbers Evening 6-2-4-2 Beth Cardillo, Executive Director at Armbrook Senior Living. 1-8-1-0 CHERRY HILLS VILLAGE, Colo. (AP) Numbers Midday Powerball — A Colorado city has voted to drop the 01-15-17-46-66, Powerball: 15, Power Play: 3 name “Swastika Acres” from a subdivision. Estimated jackpot: $118 million Beth Cardillo Honored KDVR-TV reports the Cherry Hills Village City Council voted unanimously Tuesday to approve a name change to “Old Cherry Hills” to prevent future controversy. as 2019 Alzheimer’s Champion The neighborhood in the Denver suburb was named Swastika Acres decades before the symbol was adopted by the Nazis. CONNECTICUT at Benefit Gala Councilman Dan Sheldon spearheaded the Cash 5 change and says the name comes from the 15-16-19-27-31 HOLYOKE — The Pioneer Valley Friends of Alzheimer’s Association held its fourth Lucky Links Day annual Alzheimer’s Benefit Gala on Saturday, April 7th at the Log Cabin in Holyoke. Beth Denver Land Swastika Company that divid- ed area land into plots near the turn of the 02-05-07-08-13-14-18-19 Cardillo, Executive Director at Armbrook Senior Living, was honored as the 2019 Alzheimer’s 20th Century.