LED Streetlight Conversion Considered
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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 THURSDAY,TUESDAY, NOVEMBER JUNE 27, 2017 12, 2020 VOL. 75 cents 89 NO. 272 Conservation LED streetlight Commission conversion continues hearing considered By HOPE E. TREMBLAY on ALDI Market Editor SOUTHWICK – Department of Public Works Director By AMY PORTER Randy Brown Nov. 9 presented options for switching street- Staff Writer lights to LED bulbs to the Southwick Select Board. WESTFIELD – During a continuation of the public hear- The town owns the 58 decorative black light poles that line ing for the proposed ALDI Market at 231 East Main St., the College Highway corridor and lease the rest of the town’s Robert Levesque of R. Levesque Assoc. presented the com- 304 lights from Eversource. munication he had with David Foulis of the Western Brown said the first option would be to do nothing and Regional Office of the MassDEP about the concerns of the keep the current arrangement with Eversource, which costs Conservation Commission and abutters on Mainline Drive of $60,000 annually. While the cost seems hefty at first glance, the project’s impact on flooding in the area. Brown said it includes a lot. At the end of a long discussion, the “We don’t have any responsibility in maintain these,” commissioners were still not comfort- Brown said. “The poles with lights are jointly owned by able with the plan and continued the Eversource and Verizon, and any poles without lights are hearing, charging Conservation The Our Community Food Pantry on College Highway owned by Verizon.” Coordinator Meredith Borenstein with has been rearranged and made safer for participants Brown said the second option was to wait for Eversource seeking advice from an outside expert. during the pandemic. (SALLY MUNSON PHOTO) to update the high-pressure sodium lights currently installed. Levesque said that the DEP made it Brown said Eversource has an inventory of the lights and clear to him that they are not requiring would not be switching to LED for several years. a study of dynamic waters as buildings “It’s five to seven years out,” said Brown. “They will are being introduced. He said the per- Our Community replace them one at a time as lights fail.” formance standards require compensa- The cost to wait and replace will be nearly as much as the tory storage at the same elevation, which the plan has on a current program at $55,000. neighboring farm field, with an unobstructed hydraulic con- Pantry seeks The third option would be to purchase the lights and nection. upgrade. This would have the least annual cost once the lights “They made it very clear. They’re not looking for us to do are paid for, but a hefty upfront cost. Brown said he is not a flood analysis. Nowhere does it say they’re looking for us donations for sure how much it would be to purchase the lights, especially to study floodways. We are well within the regulations,” because the poles are jointly owned. If the town went this Levesque said, adding that the question of whether adding a route, it would cost $10,000 annually, however the town building to the site would increase flooding on Mainline would be responsible for maintenance. Drive may be a good one, but it is not within the purview of Thanksgiving “One of my concerns with ownership is maintenance the commission. He also noted that the Flood Control costs,” Brown said. “When there’s a storm and poles are Commission had approved the project on Oct. 27. down we need those poles up and running ASAP. Right now, Borenstein said the compensatory storage plan does meet and beyond we don’t have the capability to do that.” the performance standard, except for the statement in stan- The town would have to contract with another provider, dard number #2 that work within border lands subject to By HOPE E. TREMBLAY possibly Westfield Gas & Electric, to provide service in case flooding shall not restrict flows, so as not to increase flood- Editor a storm or car accident downed poles. ing. SOUTHWICK – Our Community Food Pantry, which Select Board Chair Douglas Moglin asked if the town “My question is in regards to the building itself, will that serves Southwick, Granville and Tolland, is accepting owned the poles could they charge rent to other utilities. restrict flows or cause an increase in flood or velocity,” she donations for Thanksgiving through Nov. 16. Brown said they would have to figure that out with Verizon, said. Pantry Director Sally Munson said she expects up to 150 At a previous hearing, several abutting business owners meals will be needed and she was grateful that the See Streetlights, Page 3 asked the commission to study the impact the new building Southwick Episcopal Church was donating enough turkeys would have on the area, which is in the 100-year flood zone for everyone. between the Westfield River and Little River. “I am picking up the turkeys, which will then be blessed, “Will, by putting this big building in the path of where and every family will get a frozen turkey for Thanksgiving,” water traditionally flows in a flood event, make it worse? Munson said. Pleasant Street Have we influenced the path of this water? I think we do Distribution is scheduled for 2:30-4:30 p.m. Nov. 23. have a responsibility to that immediate neighborhood. How Munson said the reason for the early donation deadline do we find out if we’re making it worse,” asked Commissioner is COVID-19. Market liquor license Thomas Sharp on Tuesday. “We need time,” she said. “We can only have four peo- Commission James Murphy, who stepped in as chair due ple in the pantry at a time and we need the donations to sit to David Doe’s recusal on this project, asked if the proposed for three days, then we sort everything and they need to sit suspended for 30 days storage area is filled before ALDI water reaches it, how can before they’re distributed.” Munson said the pantry looks much different with By PETER CURRIER it be effective. Staff Writer COVID precautions in place. The entire pantry is sanitized “I don’t have the expertise to do that; a peer review is WESTFIELD- Pleasant Street Market had its alcohol throughout the day and plexiglass dividers keep everyone needed. What documents and data exist to ensure that ALDI license suspended for 30 days Nov. 9 after the License apart. Munson said her three-day rule of not touching non- water flow to that basin and not be impeded. What we’re Commission found the corner store in violation of selling perishables may seem “a bit much,” but it has helped keep looking for is data and documentation to show that water is alcohol to underaged persons on at least two occasions. the pantry up and running. going to go where you would like it to go, and also that it The License Commission voted unanimously to suspend “We did not shut down at all since the pandemic start- won’t bounce back and flood Mainline Drive even further,” the store’s alcohol license for 30 days beginning Nov. 19. The ed,” Munson said proudly. “We want to keep everyone store will also have to remove all alcohol advertisements and See ALDI Market, Page 3 remove its alcohol inventory for the store for that duration. See Pantry Donations, Page 3 During the Monday evening License Commission meeting, Chairman Christopher Mowat said that Westfield police had sent an underaged police cadet into the store without identi- fication to purchase alcohol. On both occasions the cadet was able to purchase the alcohol without the clerks checking their Calf creates ID. The License Commission decided on a six-day base sus- pension in addition to one 12-day suspension for each of the ‘quite a splash’ at known offenses. The suspension comes on the heels of the arrest of the owner of Pleasant Street Market, Bhikhabhai C. Patel, in animal sanctuary October. Patel was caught selling thousands of cigarettes that By LORI SZEPELAK had an out-of-state or nonexistent tax stamp. He was charged Correspondent in Westfield District Court with possession of more than WESTFIELD — A year ago, Robin Plourde’s dream of 12,000 cigarettes without a tax stamp, selling more than owning an animal rescue and sanctuary came true, and 12,000 cigarettes without a tax stamp, and tax evasion. this past week, the Whip City Farm and Sanctuary has More than $150,000 in illicit and improperly taxed tobacco been the talk of the town because of a little calf named products were seized from the store on Oct. 14. “Teddy.” Two weeks later on Oct. 29 a representative of the “We purchased this farm a year ago,” said Kerry Department of Revenue entered Pleasant Street Market to Plourde, noting they have been married 32 years. “This perform a compliance check. An additional 400 packs of has been Robin’s dream since I met her.” illegal cigarettes were discovered. Police Capt. Michael The couple’s daughter, Jessica Coggin, and her husband Five-year-old twins Skyler and Camden Coggin, grandchildren McCabe said that he believes the cigarettes were brought into Jayme and their 5-year-old twins Camden and Skyler, live the store after Patel’s arrest on Oct. 14.