Ward 5 Councilor Bob Paul speaks with residents before the meeting. (Photo by Amy Porter)
WESTFIELD – Ward 5 Councilor Robert A. Paul, Sr. and At-large Councilor Brent B. Bean, II hosted an informational meeting for Ward 5 residents at Munger Hill Elementary on Tuesday night.
Bean promised the more than 100 residents that gathered that they wouldn’t be hearing from politicians, but from the designers and engineers of the projects presented, and from school officials. Paul introduced the professionals in the room who could answer any questions.
The first topic discussed was the Bigwood Drive area sewer extension project, which is part of a $4 million bond to connect residents to city sewer who now have septic tanks. Rob Levesque of R. Levesque Assoc. said the design phase is complete, and will be going out to bid this summer. He explained that the project will last two years, and the streets affected will be repaved, and sidewalks removed and replaced.
City engineer Mark Cressotti said the design will be online, and residents are welcome to call or email him at the city throughout the bidding and construction to answer any questions or concerns. “The construction is unnerving, hang in there,” Cressotti said.
Cressotti also spoke about Little River Road, which is currently under construction. He said they are totally rebuilding the road from the ground up. At the end of the construction season in November, the road will be wrapped up with a base coat, and continued in the spring.
Another sewer project covered by the $4 million bond is the pumping station that will be located along Plantation Circle. Cressoitti said the station would be 12’x16’, with a design to fit the residential neighborhood. In answer to a question, he said the pumping station would be built beginning in March to April of 2018, and would take two to three months. The pumping station will hook up to pipes that were laid under the Plantation subdivision when it was built.
Director of Public Works David Billips was invited by Paul to speak about the water quality and supply. Billips got straight to the point. “The water is 100% safe. Anyone who says different is doing you a disservice,” he said.
Billips said the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) had new regulations, which identified a contaminant or “compound” of concern in Wells 7 & 8, which were offline at the time. He said most of the water in the city right now is coming from the reservoir, and although Westfield is still in a drought restriction, officials are meeting this week, and he expects that may be lifted.
Paul added that the city is getting new water meters, and is in good shape under Billip’s leadership.
Munger Hill vice principal Chris Manfredi speaks about safety measures at the school. (Photo by Amy Porter)
Paul then gave the floor to public school officials to address some of the residents’ questions about Munger Hill, the only school in Ward 5.
Westfield Public School superintendent Stefan Czaporowski introduced principal Salvatore Frieri, vice principal Chris Manfredi and district business manager Ron Rix. Frieri welcomed the residents, adding that it gave him a “nice sense of civic pride to see so many people.”
Munger Hill has 409 students in 24 classrooms, Frieri said, who are excelling in English, math and science, scoring in the middle of the state at the 44th percentile. Recently all students took the MCAS 2.0 test, the new generation of standardized testing, with every student taking every section of the test.
Another program highlighted at the school was PBIS (Positive Behavior Intervention Systems), which Frieri said recognizes students for good behavior. He said the recognition begins as children get off the bus and continues all day long, both in the classroom and in other activities. Frieri said adults and peers model the positive behavior all day long, and both he and Manfredi are there every morning to greet all of the students by name.
Manfredi said there is a drawing at the end of every week for PBIS rewards, the most popular of which is lunch with Frieri or Manfredi on the stage in the cafeteria. He also spoke about safety at Munger Hill, which was a question submitted by residents. He said there is more adult presence in the halls and outside the school. Students that get off the bus also now go directly into the classrooms, instead of hanging outside on the blacktop, which he called a “soft opening,” allowing them to get ready for the class. Kindergarteners also go straight into the classrooms from the bus.
Czaporowsk, in speaking about infrastructure, said the roof was replaced in 2012. They are planning boiler work and maintenance, and repairing the irrigation system. He spoke about the apple trees recently planted by Westfield Technical Academy horticulture students, and buddy benches which will be going outdoors. Woodchips are also being added to the playground.
Westfield G&E will be upgrading and replacing the lighting in the school for more energy efficiency, and the internal phone line and communication system is also going to be replaced, as well as new carpets in Rooms 201 and 210.
Speaking about the capital needs of the district overall, he said Fort Meadow is slated to receive a new boiler, and Westfield High School is getting the roof patched and lockers repaired. Southampton Road is getting work on its chimney and oil burner, and Abner Gibbs is having their ground tank removed, and roof leak addressed.
Czaporowski said they are currently establishing a new technology plan for the schools, that has upgrades and replacements built into the budget.
He said the district’s challenges are due to a new elementary school being on hold for eight years, costing the district $1.2 million annually by operating the three elementary schools that would be consolidated.
In response to a question on the status of the Ashely St./Cross St. school project, and whether the city should continue with it, Mayor Brian P. Sullivan said that the city is currently waiting for a decision from the Supreme Judicial Court on the appeal decision. He said that “it’s difficult to change horses in mid-race,’ and that the city has prevailed in the two earlier decisions. He added that Abner Gibbs and Fort Meadow schools, both of which are scheduled for maintenance, “should have been offline five years ago.”
Council president Brent Bean points to streets that will receive sewer hookup on a slide at the meeting. (Photo by Amy Porter)
Czaporowski explained that the MSBA (Massachusetts School Building Authority) won’t approve any new building projects in the city until the elementary school, which has been approved, is built. They recently turned down a request for a new roof for Westfield High School.
“What we have is a committed, competent group of people entrusted with our children, their education and well-being,” said Paul.
Dan Howard was invited to give an update on Whip City Fiber in Ward 5. Howard said that everybody in Ward 5 should have access by this time next year. He said that Country Club and Colony would be the last areas to be hooked up in the ward in the spring of 2018.
Howard said right now in the city there are 3,000 homes connected, and by next summer, there will be 13,000. He said the installation from street to house and inside the house is free, unless there are custom requests. He also said the service generally saves customers $100 per month.
Howard also invited residents to drop in to the Westfield G&E main office on Elm Street any time. He said they are also at the Senior Center the third and fourth Tuesdays of the month.
Don Podolski of New Horizon Bikes also invited residents to join the Columbia Greenway Rail Trail meetings on the third Tuesdays of the month. He said the group is dedicated to completing the Rail Trail, and members are removing graffiti and picking up trash regularly.
Paul thanked the residents for attending, and remained to answer questions they might have.
