Art Gallery Taken to A

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, JULY JUNE 16, 27, 20212017 VOL. 75 cents 90 NO. 167 Heritage Park Art gallery taken improvements to a ‘new level of presented to professionalism’ Conservation By LORI SZEPELAK Correspondent WESTFIELD — When the Commission wrought iron gate of the Jasper By AMY PORTER Rand Art Gallery reopens this fall Staff Writer at the Westfield Athenaeum, an WESTFIELD – Brent White of educational experience will accom- White Engineering in Pittsfield came pany each exhibition which will now be expanded to two months. before the Conservation Commission BURT HANSEN on July 13 for a Notice of Intent (NOI) “The Athenaeum is the center of culture in Westfield and we want to on improvements planned at the enhance the art experience through Heritage Residents Association at 898 an educational mission,” said Guy Southampton Road, including paving Agricultural McLain, executive director. roadways, new water lines and storm- While the gallery space still has water management with the 200 foot odds and ends within its walls, that riverfront area of Arm Brook. all changes in September when the White said approximately a year and Commission Insun Russell, seen in her home first major exhibition by Russell studio in Russell, will be the first a half ago the resident of the mobile artist Insun Russell is showcased. featured artist when the Jasper home park acquired ownership through “We will bring in regional artists Rand Art Gallery at the Westfield ROC (Resident Owners Communities), who are interesting and create planning fall Athenaeum reopens to the public and retained his firm. He said they have unique work,” said McLain, noting since the COVID-19 pandemic. discovered a fair amount of leakage in that Russell was born in Seoul, the water system, the road needs repair, South Korea, where she initiated (LORI SZEPELAK PHOTO) and they also plan to provide stormwa- Open Farm Day her art studies at Hongik University. rienced in the various places she ter management improvements. Atter moving to the United States, has lived,” said McLain. White said among their plans are rain By PETER CURRIER care of farm animals. she continued her studies at Santa While the educational program- gardens and buffer plantings for miti- Staff Writer “Small farms that normally Monica College. ming is still being planned for gation of disturbed areas. He said the SOUTHWICK — The aren’t open to the public will “Her art has developed through goal is to completely reconstruct the Agricultural Commission open up that day and show the many impressions she has expe- See Gallery, Page 3 water distribution system throughout announced July 14 that mem- their operations, giving maybe the park, adding that his firm has bers are trying to organize an two or three tours that day to worked for a number of mobile home Open Farm Day in the fall, show people how they operate parks, and will provide state of the art modeled after a similar annual and to give people an insight materials. event in Granby, Conn. into what farming is day to White said as part of the repaving, The Agricultural day,” said Commission mem- City-wide ‘Duck Hunt’ there is some existing gravel that they Commission is looking at ber Maryssa Cook-Obregón, will pave, and some that they will weekends in September to “It’s supposed to be educa- restore to lawn. host the event. Granby’s Open tional, but it is also insightful set for July 19-25 White also provided a filing with the Farm Day is Sept. 18. to everybody to know what is Department of Environmental An Open Farm Day is an actually going on in your com- By HOPE E. TREMBLAY loved it. Protection (DEP) along with their com- event in which many of the munity 24 hours a day, because Editor “We both want to collaborate on ments on the project. He said the site farms in a community open up farming is 24 hours a day.” WESTFIELD – With all the rain an event and felt this would help visit with the commissioners will allow to the public, who can tour the Cook-Obregón said that the that has drenched the city the past get families out into the community them to look at the comments with farms, pick fruits and vegeta- Open Farm Day will likely be two weeks, the city-wide duck again – and ducks are super cute,” greater detail. bles, and interact with farm free, as is the case in Granby. scavenger hunt July 19-25 is a fit- said Eberli. Commission chair David A. Doe animals. Agricultural She said the day can act as an ting family event. Radigan said the museum wanted asked where the work will occur. White Commission member Tammy economic driver, because The Amelia Park Children’s to participate because, “We’re said throughout the entire property, Ciak-Bissaillon said that kids farmers can show off their Museum and the Westfield always looking to strengthen our both inside and outside of the riverfront in the Granby event are given products and have them avail- Athenaeum’s Children’s Library community connections. Working resource area. a “passport” with all of the dif- able for purchase, almost like are challenging families to get out with the Athenaeum on a public Reviewing the DEP comments, ferent farms participating in a town-wide farmers market. and find ducks hidden at some of event right in the heart of Westfield White said his company had failed to the town. The kids would go to She also suggested having a the city’s historical buildings. that focuses on children’s learning identify Arm Brook as a coldwater fish- each farm and have their pass- tractor rally take place on the Amelia Park Children’s Museum is right in line with our mission.” Director Ray Radigan said the ery, which has been corrected. port marked, and they would Open Farm Day, to give the There will be eight ducks hidden museum’s Education Manager He said there are a number of exempt receive a small prize for going day an event to be centralized throughout the city. Participants Bridget Leahy worked with the activities, such as all work associated to every farm. around. can either send pictures of the ducks “Some of them you can pick Commission Chair Burt Athenaeum to organize the event. to [email protected] with water line repairs, which are clear- “The ducks, you may notice, are ly needed. Other DEP comments apples if they are ready. Some Hanson said that the commis- or print out a PDF at westath.org or of them will have a corn sion had been considering all reading books! So, the connec- ameliaparkmuseum.org and fill out referred to unpermitted clearing or tion to the Athenaeum is clear,” mowing, which White said they are maze,” said Ciak-Bissaillon, something like this for a while, the answers. Once completed, bring “they do different events. It is but that the pandemic came Radigan said, “but it also connects the scavenger hunt to either the checking into and will address if need- to the museum because we just ed with a mowing plan. really popular for families, but along and derailed any plans Amelia Park Children’s Museum or even for those of us who don’t received grant support from multi- With respect to rain gardens, White that were made. He said they the Westfield Athenaeum Children’s have children, I really like it.” considered doing a virtual ver- ple foundations to invest in literacy said from his perspective as a designer Library for a goody-bag and to be She said part of the appeal is sion, but decided that it learning and redesign our library there are relatively small sub catch- entered in a raffle. that not every farm has the wouldn’t be nearly as enjoy- space.” ments where rain will drain, which has “Our hope is that this is a fun same crops or products, and in able as the live version. Olivia Eberli, the head of Youth resulted in problematic pooling. He way to get kids and caregivers out some cases the farms would A specific date for the Open Services and Young Adult librarian and about in Westfield,” said said they need to pitch the roads to at the Athenaeum said when Leahy have a local veterinarian come Farm Day has not yet been Radigan. drain and provide depressed areas to to talk about how one takes decided. approached her with the idea, she drain, and proposed rain gardens with more natural vegetation, as compared to a rip rap, a hole in the ground with a few shrubs “My goal is to make conditions of StoryWalk planned for children entering kindergarten the road safe for residents year-round,” White said, adding that the rain garden By AMY PORTER Kindergarten,” created by and provided to the would help and would be an improve- Staff Writer CFCE by the Berkshire Museum. ment to the property, but could be con- WESTFIELD – Children entering kinder- Hebert-Pike thanked Christina Pagella, the verted to four bays and more planting garten in the fall are invited to participate in a general manager of Amelia Park Arena for the around Arm Brook. He said there is Kindergarten Kick-off Story/Walk on Aug. 5 use of the park for the StoryWalk. very little information on the under- in Amelia’s Garden, 21 South Broad St.

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