LOCAL NEWS. LOCAL STORIES. LOCAL ADVERTISERS. SINCE 1998. Chicopee Register A TURLEY PUBLICATION ❙ www.turley.com May 7, 2021 ❙ Vol. 23, No. 8 ❙ FREE www.chicopeeregister.turley.com COMMUNITY Chicopee’s regional vaccine site a reality By Dalton Zbierski Staff Writer CHICOPEE – Four neigh- boring communities celebrated together on April 28, as a re- COMMUNITY gional vaccination site began operating out of the Castle of Firefighters Knights in Chicopee, on Me- morial Drive. The opening receive awards served as a tremendous accom- plishment for all involved. See Page 2 The clinic will adminis- ter state-allotted doses of the Moderna vaccine to residents from Chicopee, Granby, Holy- oke and South Hadley, and has the capacity to administer 800 shots a day. After several weeks of discussions, the Department of Public Health approved the COMMUNITY regional vaccination site at the Castle of Knights in late Happenings at March. Doses, however, were Chicopee Library slow to follow. The operation remained uncertain until an See Page 3 opening date was announced in mid-April. Weeks of waiting culmi- nated in the April 28 opening, which drove Chicopee Health Director Lisa Sanders to tears. “I’m so excited today. I’m used to being at this podium and telling you guys all the ac- TURLEY PUBLICATIONS STAFF PHOTO BY DALTON ZBIERSKI tive cases we have, but it’s so Holyoke Community College nursing students Shauna Martinez, Matthew Tetreault, Veronica Machu- ca, Edward Brewer prepare for the first day of the regional vaccination clinic that is operating at the See VACCINES page 4 Castle of Knights in Chicopee. COMMUNITY COMMUNITY OPINION COVID case Leave no trace Sikhism celebrated in Chicopee hiking counts trend See Page 6 positively By Dalton Zbierski Staff Writer CHICOPEE – Progress is being made as Chicopee bat- tles the spread of COVID-19. Case counts are down, multi- ple vaccine distribution sites are operational, and the city is inching closer to attaining that elusive sense of normalcy. During his May 4 brief- ing, Mayor John Vieau re- layed a positive observation he made at the city’s municipal COVID-19 testing site, which is active at the RiverMills Se- SPORTS URLEY PUBLICATIONS STAFF PHOTO BY DALTON ZBIERSKI nior Center at 5 West Main St. Members of Sikh Nation celebrate Vaisakhi on April 26 in Chicopee Center. from 8 a.m. until noon every Spring sports TBy Dalton Zbierski doctors, scientists and busi- 9/11, a lot of American folks Monday and Wednesday. return Staff Writer ness owners.” thought we were Muslim be- “We went through just Members of Sikh Na- cause we wear a turban and over 40 tests on Monday, and See Page 9 CHICOPEE – On the tion arrived at Market Square our beards in public. I was I can proudly say for the first morning of April 26, a flag in front of Chicopee Hall on wondering how I can express time since we opened our test was raised in downtown Chi- Springfield Street last Tuesday myself.” site, it is a small sample, that INDEX copee to honor the city’s Sikh to witness the flag-raising. Sikhism was founded we had no positives out of the Seniors 5 population. It was the first Gurninder Dhaliwal emi- around 1,500 CE, when Guru almost 40 people who went Opinion 6 through on Monday morning,” time the municipality raised grated to Holyoke in 2002; he Nanak began teaching a faith Faces and Places 7 the Sikh Nation flag. spoke about his experiences in that contrasted with Hinduism said Vieau, on Tuesday eve- “Today is a very special the United States post-9/11. and Islam. ning. Sports 9 day; it’s a day of firsts,” said “Being a small business- To this day, Dhaliwal said All residents, who feel Public Notices 12 that they might have been ex- Chicopee Mayor John Vieau, man, it was very hard that that people confuse the reli- Around the Region 13 adding that Sikhs, “contribute when people see me, some of gions; he hopes that the flag’s posed to COVID-19, are en- to the economy of the United them started calling me Bin Classifieds 14 States as farmers, engineers, Laden,” said Dhaliwal. “After See SIKHISM page 5 See COVID CASES page 5 IN THE CITY Fire ceremonies honor heroes, new recruits By Dalton Zbierski Staff Writer CHICOPEE – Members of the Chi- copee Fire Department were recognized during multiple ceremonies that occurred in the city earlier this week. On May 3, nine new recruits were sworn in as firefighters in the City Hall auditorium. The following day, State Fire Marshal Peter Ostroskey presented an award to nine other department members, who risked their lives during a 2019 rescue on the Chicopee River. Monday morning’s ceremony was among the first to have occurred in the newly-renovated City Hall auditorium since it reopened in March. Mayor John TURLEY PUBLICATIONS STAFF PHOTOS BY DALTON ZBIERSKI Vieau was on hand to welcome the depart- On May 4, Deputy Chief Wayne Lemay, Captain Peter Jerusik, Lt. Nicholas Lacasse, Lt. Daniel Sousa, FF Donald Grey, FF Jon Fisher, FF ment’s newest members. Steven Laurin, FF Zachary Pirog and FF Stephan Willett were recognized by the state for a 2019 river rescue. Those sworn in on May 3 include Firefighters Steven Hupfer, Mason Labon- department members, who were awarded te, Sam Laurin, Benjamin Lawlor, Trevor by Ostroskey on Tuesday, rushed to the McKenna, Shawn Miller, Jonathan Paster- scene, took to the water and rescued one nak, Devan Stamborski and James Sydor- of the children, who would later succumb ak. to his wounds. The moment was extra special for Fire The second child was also killed as a Chief Dan Stamborski, whose son Devan result of the incident, but the bravery dis- was sworn in. Devan follows in the foot- played caught the attention of Ostroskey steps of his father and grandfather, a Chi- and other state officials. Ostroskey com- copee firefighter for 28 years. plimented the awardees on their humble “Proud is an understatement. He’s attitudes. always been the type of kid that I knew “It’s really awe-inspiring and compel- The majority of the Chicopee Fire Department stood at attention on Tuesday afternoon as would fit in here. He’s real mechanical, ling to see the work that goes on out there. State Fire Marshall Peter Ostroskey awarded nine members of the department. he’s intelligent and he’s good in an emer- We always kind of kid each other about the gency situation, so I’m very proud to have audience,” said Ostroskey. “This is about to not believe that it can occur to them,” some form of expert, stay off the ice.” him here. He has a long road ahead of him, the most unwilling audience of recipients said Jerusik. “When you memorialize the In February, 11-year-old Aiden a lot of training, a lot of studying, but I’m that we’ll ever find because we, in the fire tragedies that have occurred, it makes a Blanchard fell through the ice of the Con- confident he’ll do a good job,” said Stam- service, don’t come to work each day to be connection to more people. Hopefully, that necticut River. After a two-month search, borski. recognized in this way. We come to work will keep more people safe by realizing it his body was recovered last month. On May 4, Deputy Chief Wayne Le- each day to work as part of a team and join can happen to them. Stamborski relayed a similar message may, Capt. Peter Jerusik, Lt. Nicholas in an effort that’s bigger than ourselves as Jerusik relied on his experience in the as Jerusik, reminding residents that flowing Lacasse, Lt. Daniel Sousa, and firefighters individuals.” U.S. Army and Fire Academy to navigate river water is much different than standing Donald Grey, Jon Fisher, Steven Laurin, Jerusik appreciated Ostroskey’s ges- the river that day. Despite his continued ex- lake water. Zachary Pirog and Stephan Willett were ture but acknowledged that no award will tensive training, Jerusik approaches frozen “When you have moving water, that’s awarded for the 2019 rescue effort. bring back the children who lost their lives rivers with the utmost caution. where you have different thicknesses of In late December 2019, two boys fell on the river. He believes that it is critical “The safest rule I would ever follow, ice so we try to do some community out- through the ice on the Chicopee River. The for everyone to keep the deceased in their and I do with my child, is to stay off of the reach and some training in that regard,” thoughts. ice,” said Jerusik. “Whether water is mov- said Stamborski. “As far as on our end, all “It’s extremely important to keep their ing or not moving, you never know; there we can do is do what we do, which is train memory alive. I have a 9-year-old daugh- could be a natural spring underneath it or every day and train with rescue techniques, ter myself, and without the memories of moving water could affect the thickness train with the boats, train with the ice sled, these tragedies, it’s very easy for people of the ice. As a general rule, unless you’re and that’s all we can do; be prepared for it.” State Fire Marshall Peter Ostroskey shakes COURTESY PHOTOS BY CHICOPEE FIRE LT. KATIE KALBAUGH the hand of Chicopee Fire Captain Peter Firefighters Steven Hupfer, Mason Labonte, Sam Laurin, Benjamin Lawlor, Trevor McKenna, Shawn Miller, Jonathan Pasternak, Devan Jerusik on May 4.