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TONIGHT Chance of Showers. Low of 53. Search for The Westfield News The WestfieldNews Search for The Westfield News “WHEN YOU BETRAY Westfield350.com The Westfield News SOMEBODY Serving Westfield, Southwick, and surrounding Hilltowns “TIME ISELSE THE, ONLYYOU ALSO WEATHER BETRAYCRITIC WITHOUT YOURSELF .” TONIGHT AMBITION.” — Isaac BashevIS SINGER Partly Cloudy. JOHN STEINBECK Search for The Westfield 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 75CRITIC centsWITHOUT VOL. 88 NO. 129 TUESDAY, JUNE 4, 2019 75 Cents TONIGHT AMBITION.” Partly Cloudy. JOHN STEINBECK Low of 55. www.thewestfieldnews.com VOL.Huntington 86 NO. 151 TUESDAY, JUNE 27, 2017 Cross Street 75 cents residents neighbors to approve weigh-in on marijuana bylaws playground By AMY POrter Correspondent plans HUNTINGTON – After two years of pains- taking work and research by the Planning By HOPE E. TREMBLAY Board, residents of Huntington approved five Correspondent articles related to marijuana at the Annual WESTFIELD – Westfield resident Mandi Rodriguez Town Meeting on Monday with little opposi- is thrilled that her wish for a playground for children tion. of all abilities is coming to fruition. Residents voted to impose a local sales tax Several years ago, Rodriguez brought her idea for upon the sale of adult use marijuana within such a playground to the city. Since then, Director of the town at a rate of 3% of the gross receipts, Development Peter J. Miller hosted numerous meet- after Planning Board chair Linda Hamlin ings and jumped through many hoops and is now explained that this general bylaw was the only presenting plans for renovations at Cross Street way the town would be allowed to assess the Playground to the public June 5. permitted 3% sales tax. Mayor Brian P. Sullivan will solicit feedback from There was some discussion on the prohibi- neighborhood residents during the meeting, which is tion on public consumption of marijuana, at 6 p.m. at the playground. which included vaping whether the ingredient According to a press release from Sullivan’s office, in the device was marijuana or anything else. the highlight of the proposed renovation is the instal- Resident Melissa Nazzaro questioned the lation of an all-abilities playground with accessible street or sidewalk prohibition of the vaping of surfacing and a playscape that integrates features to tobacco as not being realistic. The article was allow for people of all ability levels to play together. amended to include a prohibition on vaping of Rodriguez said she supplied the city with as much any substance where tobacco is already pro- information as she could from her research and even hibited, and the question passed with six no raised some funds toward the project. votes, the most at the meeting. “I did raise some funds — not a lot — but close to The heftiest article, which took up 13 $400 on my own with donations from the gofundme,” pages, of which five were definitions, was the she said. insertion into the zoning bylaws of a new sec- The city has worked with R. Levesque Associates tion on Adult Use Marijuana. Its stated pur- on a concept plan for the improvements to the park, pose was to protect the health, safety and which currently houses a small playscape, a baseball welfare of the public as well as legally autho- diamond, and a grass panel in need of improvement. rized adult customers, to regulate the use and WHS vs. SciTech The concept plan includes an accessible path from development of the land and structures in the existing parking on the northern portion of the prop- town in an appropriate manner, to ensure that Westfield’s Stephen Hinck (10) sneaks one in over a Sci-Tech defend- erty to the planned playscape and pavilion area, which facilities are not located within 500 feet of er. See additional photos, story in today’s Sports Section. (Photo by Marc is located on the southern end of the property. St.Onge) “The rehabilitation of Cross Street Playground and See Marijuana Bylaws, Page 3 specifically this all-abled playground model has gen- erated a great deal of support from the community at large,” Sullivan said. “This meeting is to solicit sup- port and feedback from the Cross Street neighborhood to ensure we are meeting their needs and addressing Old Dominion Public Hearing, Free Cash on the agenda their concerns with our design.” The state grant being sought is through the Executive Office of Energy & Environment and could provide a for Wednesday’s rescheduled City Council meeting maximum of 70 percent reimbursement up to $400,000. By AMY POrter details,” added Bean, saying that the rest will be coming “Cross Street Playground holds a special place for Correspondent commercial development is from free cash. many of us in Westfield,” Sullivan said. “The site has WESTFIELD – The City one way to reduce taxes. “This Another $200,000 appropri- Council’s regular monthly Council right now has not ation from free cash for the See Cross Street Playground Plans, Page 3 meeting was moved to been friendly to business Department of Public Works, Wednesday at 7 p.m. this development,” he said. Wastewater Division, is to week, in order to avoid con- Bean will also be reporting complete the sludge water flicting with Thursday’s the recommendations from the treatment improvements cur- Westfield Technical Academy finance sub-committee for rently being undertaken. graduation at 7 p.m. at appropriations from free cash. The finance sub-committee Westfield Barnes Airport. The The Finance sub-committee will also look at an appropria- Westfield High School gradu- BRENT B. BEAN, II will be meeting at 6 p.m. prior tion of $350,000 from free ation will be held at the airport At-large City Councilor to Wednesday’s City Council cash for the overlay account, on Friday evening. to see what their different plan meeting. to reduce the FY2019 deficit A public hearing for a spe- is from last time,” said At-large Included in the free cash in order to prevent having to cial permit for Old Dominion Councilor Brent B. Bean, II. appropriations is $930,327 to raise the deficit in the FY20 Freight Lines on Medeiros He said in reality their trucks the snow & ice budget. Recap. Bean said the FY2019 Way is on the agenda. Old are already on the road driving “It’s right around what we deficit is due to business taxes Dominion withdrew its appli- in Westfield , “and we’re not do every year. This is the only forecast in 2019 that the city cation in October for a truck collecting a nickel on them.” account that we can deficit didn’t collect, usually due to terminal at the site without spend in,” Bean said, adding movement or closure, such as “I welcome any plan when Cross Street playground is the subject of a neigh- prejudice. it comes to commercial devel- that $300,000 is usually bud- “It’s going to be interesting geted in the account, knowing See City Council, Page 3 borhood meeting June 5, 2019. (Hope E. Tremblay opment. The devil is in the Photo) Fire Commission votes on uniform changes, removing active grievances By PETER CURRIER by the firefighters in the local 1111 tionary firefighter and help them make it difficult to tell which fire- Correspondent union, except for new hires. accomplish their task.” fighters are more experienced and WESTFIELD- The Fire Firefighters do have a uniform allow- The new insignia is a shield with which are still in their probationary Commission convened Monday eve- ance through which they may pay for an orange background and a large period. The new design should allow ning at the Little River Fire Station such things. letter ‘P’ in the front, to designate the the incident supervisors at a fire for its regularly scheduled monthly The second uniform change was wearer as probationary. Egloff said scene to better give commands with- meeting during which they voted on considered to help distinguish that the idea of having an easy dis- out putting new firefighters in situa- uniform changes and removing old between the more experienced fire- tinction between firefighter’s experi- tions they are not ready for. grievances from the table. fighters from those who are relative- ence was thought of by Union The final items on the agenda were The commission voted on two uni- ly new on the job. The change would President Capt. Keith Supinski. The to remove four active grievances form changes involving the firefight- implement an insignia on the helmets actual design of the insignia was cre- from the commission’s table at the er’s hats. One such change was going of firefighters in their probationary ated by Capt. Christopher King and request of Supinski. The four griev- from their current “8-point” style period in their first year on the job. Firefighter Travis Lucia. Lucia also ances were in relation to a group of hats to a more traditional bell style “It allows the captain and the dep- made the very first model of the firefighters who were placed on hat. Fire Chief Patrick Egloff said uty at a hectic fire scene to go and insignia that was presented at the administrative leave last year. The The insignia that will now that the current hats are used by see where a probationary firefighter meeting. grievances were filed because the appear on the hats of new fire- police officers and bus drivers, and is and make sure that they do not get The commissioners voted unani- firefighters did not believe that their fighters in their probation peri- that some within the department in over their heads,” said Egloff, mously to implement the two uni- leave was justified.

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