WESTFIELD – First introduced in March by Mayor Brian P. Sullivan, and after undergoing three attempts to gain a super majority of 9 votes on two readings in the City Council, the $13 million water filtration bond passed 9-4 on Thursday night at a Special City Council meeting. Councilors Daniel Allie, Matthew Emmershy, Nicholas J. Morganelli, Jr. and Andrew K. Surprise dissented.
Before the vote on the motion made by Ward 2 Councilor Ralph J. Figy, several councilors for and against the bond had something to say.
Ward 3 Councilor Andrew K. Surprise (WNG File Photo)
“I think we all know all of our feelings,” said Surprise, who attended an Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) conference held earlier in the week in Exeter, NH. He said he let EPA officials know they should be moving all of the perfluorinated compounds onto the CERCLA (Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act) list. He also said he was told that communities that pay for their own remediation will not be reimbursed. “I don’t believe we should ever open Wells 7 & 8,” Surprise said.
On the other side, At-large Councilor Brent B. Bean, II expressed pride in the process the city has undertaken to get to the vote. “How proud I am of this city and how they’re reacting to this situation,” Bean said. He said the Water Department was proactive in turning off the wells. “Thank you to the employees of the City of Westfield,” Bean said.
Ward 1 Councilor Mary Ann Babinski (WNG File Photo)
“I couldn’t agree more heartily,” responded Ward 1 Councilor Mary Ann Babinski. She also thanked the many departments in the city, including Water, Law and the Mayor for making this happen, along with the Mass Department of Environmental Protection and CDM Smith. “Most of all, the people who deserve this the most, the residents of Ward 1, 6 and 2, who said to me even today, ‘I hope you pass this bond,’ “ Babinski said.
“The work is not done. This is not the fix. We need to find another source of water for the north side,” said Morganelli, after concurring with Babinski’s statements about the work done by city departments.
At-large Councilor Dave Flaherty, who previously voted against the bond, said it would have gone forward months ago if Wells 7 and 8 had been separated out. He said he believes the City Council got the answers they needed. “We may not like all the answers. I’m convinced by the experts that this will be the cleanest water we’ve ever had. I’m confident we have the experts we need in the city,” Flaherty said.
At-large City Councilor David Flaherty
Flaherty went on to thank WRAFT (Westfield Residents Advocating for Themselves), saying “the pressure they put on us helped us look at this.” He also said he wants to see blood testing for residents go forward, as well as allowing area colleges doing research access to the water.
Flaherty said he had received questions on Thursday asking how the results of the testing will be measured. “None of us are experts. We have experts. Those questions should be directed to them. We’ve taken more time on this bond issue than any other in the last ten years that I’ve been on the council,” he said.
“I don’t think anyone here thinks it’s an end to the situation, just another step in the journey. Nobody wants citizens to pay for this; however, if we wait, it will be many years down the road,” said Figy. He also said the Mayor has made a commitment to pay down the bond with any funds received from litigation while he is in office.
Emmershy said he hadn’t planned to make any comments, because he knew the bond would pass. “At the end of the day, Holyoke has clean water,” he said.
“Thank you everybody for your hard work on this,” said City Council president John J. Beltrandi, III following passage of the bond.
