Planning Board Votes Down Special Permit for Marijuana Growing
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JOHN STEINBECK Low of 55. www.thewestfieldnews.com VOL. 86 NO. 151 TUESDAY, JUNE 27,Planning 2017 Board 75 cents votes down Special Permit for Marijuana Growing Operation By AMY PORTER Correspondent WESTFIELD – Continuing its discus- The Select Board set the date for the special town meeting on Tuesday night. (Photo by Greg sion after closing the public hearing on Fitzpatrick) Feb. 5, the Planning Board repeated its concerns about the location of a proposed cannabis cultivation facility at 798 Airport Industrial Road, 120 feet from an North Pond warrant articles being active youth soccer field; ultimately, vot- ing it down, 5 to 2. City Planner Jay brought to special town meeting Vinskey said he had showed the board’s condition of no odor at the property line Community Agreement. By GREG FITZpaTRICK serve the land. to the Law Department, and was told that Planning Board chair William Carellas Correspondent Of the $5 million target, there is roughly while the determination of no odor is said since the last meeting, he had visited SOUTHWICK – Supporters of saving the $1.7 million left to raise, but if the $500,000 subjective, it was understandable, and no a local growing operation, and had stood open space land adjacent to Congamond’s allocated from the Community Preservation further suggestions were given. outside at approx. 75 feet from the build- North Pond have established a petition in an Committee (CPC) account passes at a special Vinskey also said odor violations ing, where he could clearly smell the effort to raise the money to preserve the 146- town meeting, there will only be $1.2 million would need to be documented by the odor of marijuana come and go. He said acre property. remaining. police department. at 105 feet, he could not detect the odor. Michelle Pratt, a Southwick resident who At their meeting Tuesday evening, the Planning Board member John Bowen Carellas, who said he was not against supports the North Pond land preservation, Select Board announced that the vote on asked if the responsibility could be put the operation, said he believed the odor started a petition that already has well over whether or not to allocate the $500,000 from on the applicant to monitor the odor once would travel unless the owners were the required 100 signatures from voting resi- the CPC’s account will go to a special town a month using the cyber sniffer device willing to spend “an awful lot of money” dents in town. There is a minimum of 100 meeting on March 19 at 6:30 p.m. at the described at the previous meeting, and on high end HVAC systems to capture all signatures from the town’s voting residents in Southwick Regional School. If the Select leave the city out of it. the smells. order for a warrant article to be drafted. The Board allows the petition for the remaining Vinskey said for the condition to be Board member Bernard Puza said he warrant article would see if the town would enforced, the police department would also visited a cultivation facility in bond the remaining money needed to pre- See Special Town Meeting, Page 2 have to be notified. He said it would be Franklin, Mass. He said at 300 feet away, similar to conditions on noise. Vinskey he could smell the marijuana “like it was also said the Planning Board could in my back seat. My feeling is you’re request that the Mayor include the cyber sniffer device as part of the Host See Special Permit, Page 3 Town officials, school district revisit Planning Board votes Safe Routes program By GREG FITZpaTRICK to allow auto repair shop Correspondent SOUTHWICK – At the Select Board meeting Powder Mill Road is one of the routes to Tuesday night, Select Board Vice-Chairman Russ Fox to reopen on Union Street school that could be part of the Safe By AMY PORTER informed the board that he and DPW Director Randy Routes to School program. (WNG File Photo) Brown are planning to meet with Southwick-Tolland- Correspondent Granville Regional School District representatives WESTFIELD – Mark Arena came before the Planning Board on Tuesday for a later in the month to discuss the Safe Routes to Schools Routes program, the respective school dis- special permit to open an auto repair shop at 233 Union St. Arena said he purchased (SRTS) program. trict would need to initiate the program into the property to relocate his main business, A Signature Fence, and wanted to also A federally-funded program established in 2005 by the school system. Participation in the pro- reopen the auto repair shop, formerly Brookside Auto, that had been there since Mass. Department of Transportation, the SRTS works gram would allow the school district to fix 1982. Arena said the auto repair will offer small engine repair, brakes, rotors, with schools to increase transportation for children that infrastructure issues that are two miles or exhaust, tune-ups. He said due to its proximity to the water zone area, they would are in elementary or middle school. not offer oil changes. In order for a community to be a part of the Safe See Safe Routes, Page 3 City Planner Jay Vinskey said the business is not over the aquifer, which is located across the street. When asked about disposal of hazardous materi- als, Arena said they would be transported out of the location. Two arrested, one arraigned after Speaking on behalf of the proposal was Ward 2 Councilor William Onyski, who said that the busi- ness would be a benefit to the area. He also said the early Saturday fight outside bar new traffic signals at the bottom of Springdale and Paper Mill would benefit the business. By PETER CURRIER Officer Jared Rowe had been eral times. Ward 4 Councilor Michael Burns said he has Correspondent on a normal patrol shift at at At some point during the known Arena for a while, and he does his best for WESTFIELD- One man 1:37 a.m. early Saturday when incident, an officer deployed Mark Arena speak to the the community. “I support him,” Burns said. appeared in Westfield District he was flagged down by two pepper spray to subdue one of Planning Board about When Planning Board member Jane Magarian Court Tuesday for an early employees of The Maple Leaf the individuals in the alterca- reopening the auto repair asked about employees, Arena said he would have Saturday morning assault at a Inn who said there was a seri- tion. A woman was uninten- shop at 299 Union St. (Photo one mechanic working the auto repair shop, who downtown bar, according to ous altercation happening. tionally hit with the cloud of by Amy Porter) had previously worked for Brookside Auto. He said police and court records. When Rowe turned down the spray and required transport to there are six employees in the fencing company, Nickolas Malo, 22, was road to respond, he observed a Baystate Noble Hospital as a and in addition he would hire someone to shuttle people who dropped off their cars. arraigned in Westfield District group of men on the sidewalk result, according to police Laura Arena said she would have project oversight, including of any contaminants Court for charges of assault and with Malo punching another battery and disorderly conduct. man in the face and head sev- See Arrests, Page 3 See Auto Repair Shop, Page 3 Review: ‘Charlie and the Chocolate Factory’ at The Bushnell By MARK G. AUERBACH put on the top of my “must see” list. The tour, playing Hartford’s Bushnell this Correspondent musical, with book by David Greig, a week. I’ve always been a fan of Roald Dahl’s score by.Hairspray’s Marc Shaiman and The touring production at The Bushnell Charlie and The Chocolate Factory, a Scott Wittman, staged by Broadway vet- through Sunday is engaging, and much story deliciously covered in chocolate. I eran Jack O’Brien. It featured choreogra- better than the word-of-mouth coming read the book after seeing the now phy by Joshua Bergasse, the up-and- from those who saw it on Broadway. famous film version, Willie Wonka and coming super talent who had choreo- Mark Thompson’s sets and costumes are The Chocolate Factory with Gene Wilder graphed Barrington Stage’s and later, eye-catching, and Jeff Sugg’s projections and those two Anthony Newley and Broadway’s On The Town, and it starred are dazzling. Joshua Bergasse’s choreog- Leslie Bricusse songs, now pop stan- funny man Christian Borle, and in a sup- raphy, particularly for the Oompa dards, “Pure Imagination” and “The porting role, Berkshires born and raised Loompas is superb. “Venica’s Nutcracker Candy Man”, and I always thought that actor Michael Wartella Sweet”, danced by Jessica Cohen as a this movie had “Broadway musical” Unfortunately, the musical was poorly bratty Russian child ballerina and squir- written all over it.