Lecture on Red Sox Slated

Search for The Westfield News Westfield350.comTheThe Westfield WestfieldNews News 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 TUESDAY, JUNE 27, 2017 75 cents $1.00 WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 9, 2020 VOL. 89 NO. 217 Commission FEMA grants appointments aim to approved protect city By AMY PORTER Staff Writer WESTFIELD – Personnel Committee Chair firefighters Cindy C. Harris asked the City Council to con- sider approving several appointments and reappointments for immediate consideration last By HOPE E. TREMBLAY week. Editor “I”ve worked many hours with phone calls WESTFIELD — The Westfield Fire Department and going through background information to received two grants from the Federal Emergency bring you these fantastic reappointments for the Babe Ruth 13-Year-Old World Series 2019 opening ceremonies at Bullens Management Agency (FEMA) that will have a big Historical and Conservation Commissions,” Field. (MARC ST. ONGE/THE WESTFIELD NEWS) impact on the safety, health and quality of life of city said Harris. firefighters. First up was Crystal Hollister as a member of Fire Chief Patrick the Historical Commission. Harris said although Egloff said he applied this is a new appointment to complete the term Babe Ruth donates for three FEMA of Amanda Goodheart Parks, which expires in grants this year and is June, 2021, Hollister has volunteered for many waiting for a decision years for the Historical Commission. She has on the third. participated on the Ghost tours at the Old new scoreboard “Receiving two Burying Ground, and served on the Westfield grants is fairly 350 historical and education committee. unheard of,” he said. One grant is This mask is one of the per- Hollister is the lead social studies teacher at the sonal protective equipment Westfield Middle School, co-director of the to Bullens Field COVID-19 related and is a matching that will be purchased for WMS Drama Club, and a 2019 winner of the the Westfield Fire Pioneer Valley Grinspoon Excellence in By AMY PORTER families and fans, as well as grant of $61, 025. Staff Writer Westfield HIgh School, Westfield The city has to match Department using a FEMA Teaching Award. The appointment was unani- grant. mously approved by the Council. WESTFIELD – Daniel Welch, Technical Academy, St. Mary’s 10 percent, for a total Harris then brought forward the reappoint- president of the Greater Westfield High School, the American Legion of just over $67,000. ment of five members of the two commissions, Babe Ruth, presented the gift of a and Westfield Starfires for many Westfield was one of all of whom received the unanimous support of scoreboard valued at $32,900 to the years to come,” Welch said, adding 40 fire departments nationwide to receive a grant the City Council. City Council at the Sept. 3 meeting, that the current scoreboard is 20 through the agency’s FY2020 Assistance to Debbie Oppermann, a three-year reappoint- which the Council unanimously and years old. Firefighters Grant COVID-19 Supplemental program ment to the Historical Commission, has served enthusiastically accepted. “It’s a pleasure and honor for the (AFG-S). the Westfield Redevelopment Authority, presi- Welch said following extensive Greater Westfield Babe Ruth and Egloff said he must accept the grant within 30 days dent of the Westfield Community Development renovations at the field, the Babe our players and coaches to provide and expects it will be approved at the next Westfield Committee, the Pioneer Valley Planning Ruth League hosted the 2016 World this new scoreboard as a major City Council meeting. Commission, as well as non-profits, including Series, which were a tremendous improvement to the field which we Egloff co-wrote the grant application with Deputy her current service on the development events success, hosting 12 teams. He said call home,” Welch said. Chief Seth M. Ellis. He said the funds are specifi- committee of Girls, Inc. in Holyoke. Harris said based on the strong support of Babe Council President Bean B. Bean, cally for personal protective equipment. Some of the Oppermann has been an active member on the Ruth headquarters, they hosted a II said he appreciated Welch coming grant funds will be used for reusable masks with Historical Commission. second World Series in 2019 which to the meeting. “A lot of money changeable filters for every member of the depart- Also up for a three-year reappointment was was also very successful, thanks to went into that field, and you guys ment. Historical Commission chair Cynthia Gaylord. the support of volunteers, the City have only enhanced it even further,” “We will also order gowns, gloves and anything we Harris said Gaylord is passionate about pre- of Westfield and the business com- he said. need to use on an ambulance call,” said Egloff. serving, restoring, and promoting the education munity. “Thanks to all the volunteers not Egloff said while he is not “expecting” a big surge of Westfield’s history. “The list is long regard- Welch said they saved the finan- only for creating a great experience in COVID positive patients, “you have to be ready ing this commission’s contributions to cial gains from both tournaments for all the players over both those for it.” Westfield, and Miss Gaylord’s contributions with the intention to support long- tournaments, but those two tourna- “1918 was the last time we had a pandemic like are long, also,“ Harris said. term improvement projects at both ments generated $2M in spend in this,” he said. “Our emergency management and She created the Historical Downtown Bullens and Jachym fields which the local economy between hotel health department were proactive with getting us Walking Tours in downtown, the historic down- will benefit the Westfield baseball rooms and meal taxes and other PPE. This is more of a stockpile so we have it.” town walking tour for fifth graders; created and community. purchases those families made Egloff said the department had its share of corona- “With the support of city officials while they were here, so it’s not an virus and two members are currently out because of our league has truly had the honor the virus, a big decrease from March and April when See Commission, Page 3 insignificant opportunity that was and privilege to call Bullens Field created by Westfield Babe Ruth and at one point there were 10 members out because of our home for more than 50 years,” all those volunteers. It’s a great COVID-19. Welch said. thing to showcase the city and the “I am expecting something of an increase in posi- The scoreboard, which Babe Ruth region,” said At-large Councilor tive cases in the city, but I’m not expecting what we is working with Westfield Gas & Richard K. Sullivan Jr. had in March and April – but we’re ready for it,” Electric to install later this month, At-large Councilor Dave Flaherty Egloff said. was approved unanimously by the agreed that the tournaments were AFG is one of three FEMA grant programs that Park & Recreation Committee in great events for the city. “Thank you focus on enhancing the safety of the public and fire- March. The scoreboard will feature dan, thank you for all your years of fighters with respect to fire and fire-related hazards. LED lighting, changeable home and service. People don’t realize how The AFG-S Program accomplishes this by providing away team names and will be wire- much time goes into running leagues financial assistance directly to eligible fire depart- less. Welch said later in the year, like this. You’ve made a huge dif- ments, nonaffiliated emergency medical service orga- Babe Ruth also plans to pay to ference to the city,” Flaherty said. nizations, and State Fire Training Academies for Cindy Gaylord, kneeling, discussing head- install dugouts at Jachym Field. Ward 1 Councilor Nicholas J. critical Personal Protective Equipment and supplies stone cleaning procedures at the Old Burying “The new scoreboard will Ground. (THE WESTFIELD NEWS FILE PHOTO) improve the baseball experience for See Babe Ruth, Page 3 See FEMA Grants, Page 3 ‘Ultimate’ lecture on Red Sox slated By LORI SZEPELAK and I have remained so the rest staffers thought an author talk Correspondent of my life.” about the Boston Red Sox WESTFIELD-Sports jour- Gitlin will share his love of might be enjoyable for patrons, nalist and author Martin Gitlin the game – and the Red Sox – according to Blackburn. has “loved Boston” since a during a virtual Zoom platform “I like the Red Sox, though I family trip in his youth includ- program on Sept. 14 from 7 – am originally from Seattle,” ed a visit to Fenway Park. 8:30 p.m., sponsored by the said Blackburn, adding, “So I “When I was 10 years old my Westfield Athenaeum. His pro- also really like to see the father took the family to one of gram is titled “The Ultimate Mariners win. I am always torn our annual vacations to Presentation for Red Sox when they play each other.” Massachusetts because we Nation.” Over the years, Gitlin said he loved Boston and the state so Gitlin released his latest worked as a sports journalist much,” said Gitlin, noting he book, “The Ultimate Boston for the largest suburban daily in immediately “fell in love” with Red Sox Time Machine Book” Ohio from 1991 to 2002, cover- the cozy atmosphere of Fenway. earlier this year. ing Major League Baseball. “I was struck by how you “We can have up to 100 peo- “I covered every Indians-Red could enter Fenway right off Martin Gitlin, author of The ple in this Zoom event,” said Sox series home and away, as the street and how people were Ultimate Boston Red Sox Time Becky Blackburn, public ser- well as the Red Sox in the play- streaming in, quite a departure Machine Book, will provide an vices librarian, Westfield offs during that time,” said from mammoth and distant entertaining, virtual program Athenaeum.

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