WESTFIELD – The Planning Board will continue the public hearing requested by Pride Limited Partnership to construct two fueling facilities in the area of the “Jug Handle” at the entrance of the Massachusetts Turnpike.
Robert L. Bolduc, the founder of Pride and engineering consultant John Furman of Springfield office of VHB, presented details of the complicated project which involves two separate property parcels, one for commercial vehicles and the other for passenger vehicles. Both parcels have frontage on Owen District Road and Friendly Way.
The commercial truck facility will be located behind the Friendly’s Restaurant and given the designation as 33-39 Southampton Road. That site will primarily provide diesel fuel for commercial trucks, but will also have a compressed natural gas (CNG) pumping station which will be operated in conjunction with the Westfield Gas & Electric (WG&E) Department pending a public-private partnership agreement.
Bolduc said that CNG is the “fuel of the future” because it costs half of the price of diesel fuel and because CNG is 14 times cleaner than diesel. The commercial fueling station is designed to fill the saddle tanks of truck from both sides of the vehicle.
The passenger car fueling station across Friendly Way from the commercial facility also will have an alternative fueling station proposed in conjunction with the WG&E Department, Bolduc said. The plan is to put a recharging station at the front of the passenger vehicle facility.
The passenger vehicle fueling facility would have to one-way entrances, one form Owen District Road (the jug handle) and the other from Friendly Way. There would be a second entrance and exit onto Owen District Road and a second entrance and exit, with a right turn only onto Friendly Way near the intersection with Owen District Road.
Furman said that much of the road improvement work will be triggered by the Mass Turnpike transition to electronic tolls, replacing the toll booth system with Fast Lane technology and cameras to record registration plates of vehicles, without Fast Lane transponders, entering and leaving the turnpike.
Residents were asking questions of fact when Board Chairman Philip McEwan called for a vote to continue the hearing to tonight when residents may continue to ask questions of Bolduc and Furman. That will be followed by the part of the hearing which allows residents to speak in favor or against a special permit proposal.
The board closed the public hearing for a special permit requested by Marc Hortie to erect an internally illuminated sigh at Aaron’s store which is being relocated from East Main Street to 64 Main St. at the intersection of Mechanic Street.
The board closed that hearing and indicated that the internally illuminated sign is not consistent with the character of the CORE district. The vote was delayed until Principal Planner Jay Vinskey prepares the documents supporting the board’s decision which have to be accepted to become part of the decision.
Ironically the Planning Board will have another opportunity to assess a request to erect an internally illuminated sign in the CORE district. Berkshire Bank is seeking to change the sign in front of the office at 31 Court Street, replacing the present sign with a new sign reflecting the bank’s newer corporate brand.
