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 WEDNESDAY,TUESDAY, JUNEAUGUST 27, 2017 4, 2021 VOL. 75 cents 90 NO. 184 SummerFest adds more music, art to downtown Westfield By HOPE E. TREMBLAY Aug. 7, the Lambson Square by The Keepers at 1 p.m., Dan Editor Stage at 53 Elm St. — next to Kane Young Singers at 3 p.m., WESTFIELD — The Mina’s Wine & Spirits — will Neal Liptak & Friends Acoustic Downtown Live! Free concert be filled with local musicians Jam at 5 p.m. and Mac’s series has ended, but organizers and dancers. Slowhand Band at 7 p.m. are extending the fun this SummerFest begins at 10 White Lion Brewing and Saturday with SummerFest a.m. with ArtWalk Along Elm, a Legacy Craft Smokehouse will Westfield, a music and arts festi- showcase for local artists that be serving local craft beer and val. runs along Elm Street from BBQ from 3 to 9 p.m. in the ArtWorks Westfield President School to Arnold streets until 2 performance space during the Bill Westerlind said the success p.m., where more than 15 concert presentations. of the Friday night concerts regional artists will offer their SummerFest came together prompted him and fellow orga- art works for sale. quickly, said Westerlind. nizer Thomas Sawyer to create The performances kick off at “The idea of extending the one more day of live music noon with the Huntington downtown. From noon to 9 p.m. Dance Centre dancers, followed See SummerFest, Page 5 The Westfield Athenaeum hopes its new “READ” bike rack will encourage children to bicycle to the library and increase its visibility on Court Street. (HOPE E. TREMBLAY/ THE WESTFIELD NEWS) ArtsWEST at 35: Friendships ‘Read’ rack is a statement blossom through the years By LORI SZEPELAK Correspondent for Westfield Athenaeum WESTFIELD – Under a canopy of trees with a slight breeze, members of ArtsWEST met for By MICHAEL BALLWAY replaced by large, glass display cases. a garden party recently on Ward Road to share Staff Writer McLain said he wants to use the space to each other’s art and catch up after COVID-19 WESTFIELD — The new bike rack showcase the best items from the had sidelined their gatherings for more than a outside the Athenaeum says “read,” but Athenaeum’s Edwin Smith Historical year. Guy McLain’s plans are bigger than that. Museum. The group, now in its 35th year of sharing McLain, the executive director of the Many patrons don’t realize that the critiques, conversation and camaraderie, has 13 nonprofit library and museum on Park Athenaeum has an extensive historical members. Square, said he hopes that in addition to collection, McLain said. That’s because “At one time we were all invited to be a serving bicyclists, the new installation the historical museum is tucked away on member of ArtsWEST,” said Marie Flahive, will be a prominent advertisement for the the second floor, in a non-handicap- who has been with the group almost since its library. accessible part of the building. The muse- inception. Flahive has an art studio on Cherry “We’re trying to really upgrade the um is open only limited hours, as it needs Street in the downtown area where members looks outside, too,” McLain said. He said to be staffed separately. also meet on a regular basis. he wants to “get people’s attention when The renovation will bring artifacts from Flahive noted that the late Ed Mead had been they go by, and remind people we’re Westfield’s history into the main part of the driving force to bring artists together to here.” the building, open whenever the library share fellowship and ways to market each oth- The Athenaeum is more than a reading is. The room will still have comfortable er’s works. room, McLain said. It’s also a historical seating and will be available as a quiet “He was the heart and soul of the group,” museum and an art gallery, two missions reading room. said Flahive, adding that the late Richard Kunst he hopes to emphasize as COVID-19 The other large room off the main foyer was also a key artist involved in the early days. restrictions are lifted. Both large rooms is the Jasper Rand Art Gallery. McLain Luann Rose hosted the garden party in her on the Park Square side of the building said when the gallery reopens, he hopes backyard and the afternoon was picture-perfect are currently closed off, one of which is to attract high-profile, regional artists for for the gathering that featured easels displaying Marie Flahive captured this image of a group under renovation. longer shows, rather than the local, favorite pieces of artwork and new works by of people using their technology to communi- Bookcases have been removed from cate – rather than talking to each other. (LORI two walls of the reading room, to be See Read, Page 5 See ArtsWEST, Page 3 SZEPELAK PHOTO) Developers plan 100 condos on Depot St. in Southwick mit before they can begin the development at 42 Depot St., written with maximum design standards in mind. He said the Proposal faces Conservation, Southwick. actual water usage for a development like this would likely not The site plan submitted by the real estate firm shows a devel- come close to the maximum usage. Planning Board scrutiny opment consisting of multiple buildings, each with multiple “There are things called design standards, those are signifi- units of housing connected side-by-side. There is a designated cantly higher than any actual use,” said Doherty. By PETER CURRIER buffer area to the nearby wetlands, and a fence surrounding The Planning Board will hold a continued public hearing on Staff Writer much of the development. a proposed residential development next Tuesday, Aug. 10, in SOUTHWICK — Plans for a 100-unit residential building It would consist of two streets, Wildflower Lane and Town Hall. The plan was discussed briefly in a Planning Board on Depot Street have entered the permitting stage, with devel- Primrose Way. The sole entrance to the property would be public hearing on June 29. It was continued to Aug. 10 as the opers set to appear before the Southwick Conservation through Depot Street. discussion that night was nearly entirely dominated by Carvana. Commission and Planning Board in the coming weeks. During one of the Carvana hearings, a resident expressed The project was on the agenda for the Aug. 2 Conservation Right Hand Clyde Real Estate LLC is seeking a special per- concerns about the water usage projected by the Depot Street Commission meeting, but it was continued to a future meeting mit, site plan approval, and earth excavation permit, a wellhead development. Planning Board Chair Michael Doherty said in without discussion at the request of former Planning Board protection district permit, and a stormwater management per- response that any water use projections in the applications are Chair Roz Terry. DPW trucks raise interest at summer camp By AMY PORTER Staff Writer WESTFIELD — The Department of Public Works sent several big rigs to the Westfield Technical Academy on Aug. 2 for a Touch-a-Truck event at the Parks and Recreation Adventure Zone day camp for children ages 5 to 12. Interim DPW Director Francis Cain said they sent over a 75-foot bucket truck, a roll-off container truck and 10-wheeler dump truck from all different divisions, including Water, Natural Resources and Stormwater. Cain said DPW workers explained to the campers what each truck does. “Some kids are way more interested than others, but they get to sit in the DPW trucks lined up in the upper parking lot at Westfield Technical Academy. trucks and ask questions,” he said. (PHOTO SUBMITTED BY FRANCIS CAIN) Rachel Baillargeon, director of the that had facts about bugs on them. “The lifted them off the ground a little. “All of Adventure Zone, said DPW staff had the kids were fighting over them,” the age groups liked it. They had fun, doors and hoods of the trucks opened, Baillargeon said. She said a lot of the and didn’t want to leave,” she said. and the 60 kids were able to go in the boys knew a lot about trucks, especially Cain said all of the deputy superinten- trucks and honk the horns. “They liked one boy whose dad drives trucks. But dents were instrumental in making sure it. They had fun. Their favorite thing was she said the girls were interested, too. the trucks were available and were clean honking the horns,” she said. At the very end, one of the DPW and presentable. “It triggers young DPW staff and campers apply bug tattoos while others explore Some of the DPW staff brought fake workers went into the basket of the the trucks at the Touch a Truck event. (PHOTO SUBMITTED BY tattoos of bugs, along with note cards bucket truck with two counselors, and See DPW Trucks, Page 2 SCOTT HATHAWAY) PAGE 2 - WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 4, 2021 WWW.THEWESTFIELDNEWS.COM THE WESTFIELD NEWS DPW Trucks Continued from Page 1 minds, and it’s good exposure. We’ve Technical Academy, activities include arts done this sort of thing in the past, for com- and crafts, sports, tournaments, field trips, munity outreach,” Cain said, adding, “You swimming once a week at the Agawam never know what you trigger when you do State Pool, environmental activities, guest things like that.” speakers and much more.