TONIGHT: Mostly Clear. Low of 50 The Westfield News Search 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 TUESDAY, JUNE 27, 2017 75 cents $1.00 TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 24, 2019 VOL. 88 NO. 225 Preliminary mayoral election is today By HOPE E. TREMBLAY Ward 1A – Southampton Road Elementary School Assistant Managing Editor Ward 1B – Westfield High School WESTFIELD – The polls are open across the city today and voters will Ward 2A – Westfield Senior Center narrow their mayoral candidates from four to two ahead of the upcoming Ward 2B – Westfield Senior Center city election. Ward 3A – Franklin Avenue Elementary School Polls are open from 7 a.m. – 7 p.m. for the preliminary mayoral elec- Ward 3B – Westfield Technical Academy tion. The top two vote recipients will move on to the Nov. 5 election. Ward 4A – Second Congregational Church The four candidates are political newcomer Andrew Mullen, city advo- Ward 4B – Highland Elementary School cate Kristen L. Mello, Police Capt. Michael A. McCabe and state Sen. Ward 5A – Munger Hill Elementary School Donald F. Humason Jr. Ward 5B – Munger Hill Elementary School Residents who are not sure where to vote can check the Commonwealth Ward 6A – Paper Mill Elementary School website and enter their address, or use the city’s street list to determine your Ward 6B – Paper Mill Elementary School ward online at cityofwestfield.org. Absentee ballots were due at noon Monday. Residents can register to POLLING LOCATIONS ARE: vote in the November election by Oct. 16. Commissioner passes on Westfield charter school By AMY PORTER the application criteria, or, in the Staff Writer case of one resubmission, the WESTFIELD – Last week, area requirements necessary for proven superintendents received notifica- provider status. tion that Commissioner Jeffrey C. The site plan for the school, which Riley would not be extending an is not yet built, was approved by the invitation to the Foundation Planning Board in March of 2018. Academy Charter School in Applicant Frank DeMarinis of Sage Westfield to submit a final applica- Engineering and Roots Athletic tion this fall to establish a charter Center, located adjacent to the pro- school that would serve students in posed school at 181 Root Road, had their school districts. said at the time several parties were Notified were superintendents in interested in opening a school for Westfield, Easthampton, Holyoke, grades 6-12. Gateway and Hampshire Regional “I do have two or three interested districts. parties,” DeMarinis said following The Foundation Academy Charter the March 2018 meeting , but added School had proposed opening a K-8 that they had asked to keep that school on Root Road next to the information confidential. He said Roots Academy with a maximum one was sports-focused, and the enrollment of 580 that would serve other two, science and education- students from Westfield, focused. Easthampton, Gateway Regional, A press release sent by DESE on Hampshire Regional 7-12, Aug. 3 of this year announced that Chesterfield-Goshen, Southampton, four groups had sent prospectuses Westhampton, Williamsburg and announcing their intentions to open Holyoke, with an anticipated open- new charter schools, among them ing in 2020. the Foundation Academy Charter The notification, from Alyssa K. School. The other proposals were Hopkins, school development man- for schools in Lynn and Milford. ager in the Office of Charter Schools Commissioner Jeffrey C. Riley and School Redesign, stated that the said at the time they would decide review of the Foundation Academy by mid-September which applicant Charter School prospectus had been groups to invite to submit full pro- completed. posals for new schools, which would “Based upon a review of the pro- have been due Oct. 16. spectus against the application crite- “We will review these prospec- Frank DeMarinis addresses the Planning Board on a proposed charter school in 2018. (WNG File Photo) ria, Commissioner Jeffrey C. Riley tuses and expansion requests care- is not extending an invitation to the fully and will consider their strengths tuition, except in the state’s lowest providers, according to the press negatively influence public school proposed school’s applicant group as they relate to opportunities that performing districts, where the cap release. districts for a variety of reasons. to submit a final application this fall. they would offer students,” Riley on charter tuition is 18 percent. The There are currently 82 charter While I am relieved that the The applicant group may submit an said. proposals received over the summer schools in Massachusetts serving Commissioner Riley has decided not application in a future charter appli- Under state statute, the charter would create new schools or expand over 45,000 students, which is to approve this application this year, cation cycle,” Hopkins stated. school cap limits the amount of net existing schools to serve communi- almost five percent of all public this relief is likely temporary. I fully According to the Department of school spending that a school dis- ties that are still below their caps, school students in the expect the Foundation Academy Elementary and Secondary trict can spend on charter school including Westfield. Commonwealth. For more informa- Charter School to reapply next year,” Education website, the commission- tuition. No more than nine percent Nearly all of the groups proposing tion on charter schools, visit http:// said Westfield Public Schools er’s determination is based upon a of a district’s net school spending new schools or expansions this year www.doe.mass.edu/charter/ Superintendent Stefan Czaporowski, review of each prospectus against may be allocated to charter school needed to show that they are proven “The reality is that charter schools in response to the announcement. EEE, blue green algae will be closely monitored next year By PETER CURRIER factors such as the temperature of of Toxicology would weigh in on than humans, but that getting them Staff Writer the air and water as well as the nutri- the city’s options to mitigate it. to the vet quickly increases their WESTFIELD — The Westfield ents in the water allowed for the For the current outbreak, Rouse chance of survival. Health Department has said that the algae to bloom heavily. said that they have installed warning Rouse also noted that he does not cyanobacteria causing algae detect- The algae is blamed nationally for signs in the vicinity of the affected believe Westfield will be affected by ed in some bodies of water in the deaths of several pets and for bodies of water. During the Board of the mosquito borne eastern equine Westfield and Southampton could illnesses in some humans. Health meeting Thursday evening, encephalitis (EEE) before the warm go away soon as the colder weather Rouse said that he thinks part of board members said that the signs weather is gone. Should the recent moves in, but that it could come the reason for this year’s heavy keep being stolen. The signs advised epidemic continue next spring, back next year. bloom could have been from nearby people to not swim in the affected Rouse said that state officials may Public Health Director Joseph residents and businesses using fertil- water, not to swallow the water, to start monitoring the situation closer, Rouse said that the blue-green algae izer that infiltrated the water. keep any animals or pets away from including communities that have not that has been found in the Westfield Although the algae was not it, and to rinse it off quickly after yet detected the disease. This would Sportsman’s Club Pond and other detected until later into the summer, exposure. take the form of mosquito control bodies of water in the north side he said that it is possible it could At the Board of Health meeting, it districts, which have been imple- were present because the conditions return next spring. Should that be was noted that dogs are affected by mented in 10 municipalities across JOE ROUSE were perfect for it. He noted that the case, the Massachusetts Division the cyanobacteria more severely the state so far. Westfield Director of Public Health PLEASE VOTE! FOR MAYOR TODAY IS Paid for by the Committee to Elect Don Humason PRIMARY DAY! PAGE 2 - TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 24, 2019 WWW.THEWESTFIELDNEWS.COM THE WESTFIELD NEWS Big E weird food review: Python and sausage sub By PETER CURRIER its final week. To start, here is a review of the either. To be perfectly honest, the only down- Staff Writer python and rabbit sausage grinder. fall of the sub is that it had that sharp sausage WEST SPRINGFIELD- When it comes to When I walked up to the cashier at Yankee taste, which I personally do not like, but I the Eastern States Exposition, there are a lot of Boy near the McDonalds slide and ordered know others do. constants one will undoubtedly notice each this bizarre combination of food, I asked the Ultimately, if one actually likes sausage and year: the traffic will be bad, the crowds will be cashier how often people actually order it. To wants to mix things up a little with their Big E frustrating to get through, and the food makes my surprise, and apparently hers, it sells rather food, this is not a bad choice. it worth it. well considering neither python nor rabbit is a I do plan on continuing this series through- I made the choice to attend the Big E common dish in New England. out the week, or until I run out of weird food Saturday on its record setting attendance day I paid my $9.75 and quickly received my ideas which I do not believe to be possible at of just over 176,000 people.