PRSRT STD Belchertown, Granby & Amherst U.S. POSTAGE PAID PALMER, MA PERMIT NO. 22 ECR-WSS LOCAL POSTAL CUSTOMER THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 26, 2020 ENTINELYOUR HOMETOWN NEWSPAPER SINCE 1915 S A TURLEY PUBLICATION ❙ www.turley.com Volume 105 • Number 34 www.sentinel.turley.com BELCHERTOWN GRANBY SENIORS Yuletide Craft Sale..p. 5 ‘Wimpy kid’ author Season of visits kid...p. 10 Giving...p. 12 GRANBY EDUCATION Granby Belchertown sees spike Schools, BOS talks task force Belchertown is seeing discuss an increase in COVID-19 MVP grant cases, mirroring an increase throughout the metrics MELINA BOURDEAU state of Massachusetts. Staff writer for closing GRANBY – The Granby MELINA BOURDEAU Selectboard heard from Staff writer the Pioneer Valley Planning Commission about the upcom- BELCHERTOWN – ing task of integrating cli- As case numbers rise in mate resilience into a master Belchertown and the state, plan through a Municipal discussion of what fac- Vulnerability Preparedness tors would lead to the grant. Belchertown Public Schools Patty Gambarini of Pioneer going remote was brought up Valley Planning Commission in the COVID-19 task force presented the project to the meeting. board last week. In the COVID-19 task The town, partnering with force meeting on Nov. 20, PVPC and the Massachusetts School Committee Chair Executive Office of Environ- Heidi Gutekenst said as far as mental Affairs, are working deciding if the school’s clos- on two major elements of the ing, she doesn’t believe it’s a grant – regulatory review for School Committee decision. resilience and updating the COVID-19 task force approves signage The task force members town’s 2016 master plan. agreed that reopening depart- The town is on a tight dead- MELINA BOURDEAU From Oct. 31 to Nov. 7, there Nov. 14 data. ments in town was not going line to have the work com- Staff writer was a total of 185 cases of Board of Health and COVID- to occur any time soon, espe- pleted by June 2021. Using COVID-19 in Belchertown, 15 of 19 task force member Hope cially with a moratorium $34,272 and grant funding BELCHERTOWN – As the which were new cases, according Guardenier said the positivity rate keeping Belchertown in stage and about $19,000 from the town and the state see an increase to the Quabbin Health District. in town is now at 1.7% when the three step two of Gov. Charlie town, the total project cost is of cases spike over a short period Then, Nov. 8 through Saturday, town has remained below 1% for Baker’s reopening. $53,304. of time, the COVID-19 task force Nov. 14, there was an increase of a “good long time.” “I feel like our superin- discussed different enforcement 17 new cases, bringing the total “The number of cases is tendent has been tasked with Regulatory review methods, signage around town up to 202 cases to date. doing this with (Quabbin “The regulatory review for and their thoughts on what is The number of COVID-19 resilience is being more able being described as a second wave. deaths remains at eight, as of See SPIKE, page 5 • See SCHOOLS, page 8 • to adapt to changes we’re see- ing in weather due to climate,” she said. She said she would be REGION doing most of the work related to regulatory review. “The major piece of work Mass Central Rail Trail is on stormwater manage- ment and integrating the consideration of new rain- feasibility study released fall data that’s much more updated than the 1960s data, State considers it The study focuses on the or before 1960s, that a lot of 68.5 miles that run between our regulatory code refers to,” The Warren Wright an important trail Belchertown and Hudson, of Gambarini said. “There are a Road parking which17.5 miles already exist and lot of standards for MS4 stan- area for the EILEEN KENNEDY 51 miles need to be built out. The dards including that projects Norwottuck Rail Staff writer state has rated the difficulty level take a low impact develop- Trail in Belcher- of a number of pieces that still ment approach.” town. The state REGION – Eventually, the need work, with 20.2 miles rated PVPC will look at per- recently released Mass Central Rail Trail will run moderately difficult to implement mitting and process, which a feasibility report from Northampton to Boston, and 22.4 miles rated as highly dif- “needs to be aligned with the for a portion of the and MassDOT has released a ficult. Nine new bridges would be Mass Central Rail other permits required.” feasibility plan detailing what necessary to complete the trail, Trail, running from is needed to complete the 68.5 according to the state. Erosion and sediment con- Belchertown to trol standards will be looked mile section. It runs from the end This study divides the MCRT the Hudson/Berlin analysis into three segments. The as well. town line. of the Norwotttuck Rail Trail in “Another thing that was Belchertown to the I-495 area at first one goes from the eastern- included in the proposal is a the Hudson/Berlin town line, and most part of the Norwottuck Rail the state says it is a priority to complete. When the entire trail is See MVP, page 10 • built out it will run for 104 miles. See RAIL TRAIL, page 11 • Call Surner Surner Heating has partnered with the and ask for our Susan G. Koman Foundation to support all 60 Shumway Street PINK truck those whom have been touched by to make your Breast Cancer. Amherst, MA 01002 next delivery. lf! urse Yo 413.253.5999 Check CONTACT SURNER HEATING TODAY! VISIT OUR WEBSITE SURNERHEAT.COM PAGE 2 THE SENTINEL • THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 26, 2020 ❚ COMMUNITY Group to focus on providing harm reduction services Will explore a to see if they were interested in accessed Tapestry’s harm reduction at Mary Lane on South Street was PHONE talking about such a plan. If the services in fiscal 2020 in Holyoke also suggested because it would be regional approach exchange services were approved, or Springfield or other locations. more private than an open Main 413.283.8393 it might foster a shared agreement They include 39 people from Ware, Street location. Fax: 413.289.1977 between the towns and Tapestry 34 from Palmer, 49 people from Abaigeal Duda, coordinator of Subscriptions: 413.283.8393 EILEEN KENNEDY Inc., a nonprofit that provides harm Belchertown, 24 from Monson and the newly-created Ware Regional Staff writer EMAIL reduction services. It is based in seven from Warren. There were Recover Center, which now has Northampton, and focuses on pro- also four from Brimfield, one from office space about Hanna Devine’s he Quaboag Hills Substance Advertising Sales viding harm reduction services in Holland and three from Wales. restaurant on Main Street in Ware, Use Alliance will focus more Maureen McGarrett Hall a number of areas as well repro- “There has been a need in the said there is the potential for of its energy on drug preven- [email protected] T ductive health clinics. It provides Ware-Palmer area for some time,” Tapestry to partner with the center tion and education but it will give services in Springfield, Holyoke, she said. and use the center’s space to offer Editor more time and attention to bring- Greenfield and North Adams, and Much of their work revolves services. Melina Bourdeau ing harm reduction strategies to the has a mobile van from which ser- around distributing clean needles Susan Collins, with Q-Drug and [email protected] area, such as establishing needle vices are provided. and taking old needles in, Whynott the North Quabbin Community exchanges. Subscriptions Liz Whynott, Tapestry’s harm said. “We talk to them about ways Coalition, said her organization Gail Gramarossa, who acts as $31 per year pre-paid reduction programming director, of using drugs, and using the safest would like to work together with the alliance’s facilitator, said the ($36 out of state) and Antonio Roman, Tapestry’s practices,” Whynott said. They also Quaboag Hills to expand services group has always wanted to focus Northampton reduction manager, distribute Narcan, which tempo- in the North Quabbin area. on recovery and harm reduction WEB spoke to alliance members Monday rarily blocks opioids from working Michele Farrar, of Hampshire services, but originally thought it www.sentinel.turley.com during its monthly Zoom meeting during an overdose, allowing med- HOPE, a coalition that helps should focus on providing educa- about potential services the non- ical help to arrive or for the person with drug prevention education tion around substance use to stu- @ The Sentinel profit could provide in the Ware, to be rushed to the hospital for fur- and substance use recovery pro- dents, parents and other community Palmer and Belchertown area. ther help. They also train people grams across Hampshire County, members. It has been part of two “The point is to meet people how to use Narcan effectively, she suggested there could eventually The Sentinel is published by large federal grants so far for drug Turley Publications, Inc. • www.turley.com where they are,” Whynott said. said. be a limited loop on the Quaboag prevention and education in the “We want to approach people, show If the Board of Health in those Connector, a low-cost van service Ware area. we’re interested and we understand, communities approved nee- for low-income residents, which After discussing harm reduction but not act like we’re the experts,” dle exchanges, then the state takes people to work, school and Support the local strategies, the group also decided said Roman.