Greetings from Ward 2 and I hope that everyone is surviving this winter. What a difference a year makes!
Progress continues at the old Red Cross Building on Broad Street. The projected opening of Our House is for this spring. Staff at Domus has been busy supervising the construction as well as putting together the programming necessary to help our homeless youth become successful adults.
Another Domus project beginning soon is the Mosley School Rehabilitation. Domus will rehab this historical structure to as nears as possible to its original condition. They propose to develop moderate to low income housing at this old School. One, two and three bedroom apartments will be created. This property will also generate new tax revenue for the city. There will be an informational community meeting on Tuesday March 22 at 6 PM at the Church on Dartmouth Street. This is a long awaited improvement for this neighborhood. The neighbors have been more than patient with the City and have cared for this property on their own. For this I say Thank You.
Congratulations to all of the Ward 2 voters that participated in the Presidential Primary Election this past Tuesday. You set a record for the size of the turnout. The turnout for the Presidential Primary in 2012 was 11%. The turnout on Tuesday was 39.3%. The City Clerk was totally impressed by the voter participation. Hats off to Tina Gorman and her staff at the Senior Center, you did an outstanding job making everyone feel welcome. The staff at the Senior Center was there past the regularly scheduled day giving tours, answering questions and signing up new members. The change in polling location appeared to help increase the voter turnout. Well Done Ward 2!!!
Westfield has a deadly problem with the current Heroin crisis. I tip my hat to the Mayor for his speedy response to this crisis. The Community forums that have been or are going to be held in the future are a great first step. These forums will not solve the problem, but they will help to educated community member of the situation. There are two more forums scheduled for March. They are scheduled on March15 at 7PM at the Westfield Academy and on March 30 at 7PM in the Westfield South Middle School. Please make an effort to attend at least one of these forums. This crisis will not be solved until everyone can talk about in an educated fashion. The whole community needs to be aware of and able to discuss this issue with anyone being affected by this deadly curse. My sympathies go to all of the families that have lost a loved one to this epidemic.
The School Committee continues the long and arduous process of selecting our next superintendent. This is probably the biggest responsibility that they have since Ed Reform changed their role dramatically. A ten member review committee has been hard at work screening applicants and narrowing the field of potential mandates. It is the hope of the School Committee to begin live interviews with the finalist by the end of March and have a selection sometime in April. I wish the Community Committee and the School Committee due diligence as they proceed with this difficult but most important task as the future of our children rests in their decision.
Respectfully submitted;
Ralph J. Figy Ward 2
413-568-9954
Disclaimer: The views expressed in this column are those of the author and not the staff, editor, or publisher of this publication.
