Kristen Mello, a founding member of WRAFT (Westfield Residents Advocating for Themselves.) (Photo submitted)
WESTFIELD – A petition drive has been started by some residents looking to rescind the $13 million water bond.
WRAFT (Westfield Residents Advocating for Themselves) founder Kristen Mello, who co-sponsored the petition with Rudy Musterait and Ann Mello said it came about after she returned from out of state. “I learned that residents had been asking if we still had a Referendum Petition regarding the $13M water bond. We had created one back in May,” Mello said.
The new petition reads: We protest against the $13 Million Bond Authorization entitled “A BOND ORDER FOR WATER WELLS, CONNECTOR AND WATER TANK”. We request this Bond Authorization to be annulled, repealed or rescinded, and if it is not, that the city council submit the referendum petition to a vote of the qualified voters, either at the next regular city election or at a special election which the city council may, in its discretion, call for such purpose.
Mello said according to section 49 of the city charter, if 12% of Westfield registered voters sign the petition before the July 18 deadline, the decision can be annulled, repealed or rescinded, or sent to a ballot for a vote.
Mello went on to say the residents organizing the petition drive knew they only had a few days, but felt so strongly about this that they wanted to try anyway. “Even though WRAFT took no official position on the bond, our mission is education and advocacy for those affected by the contamination of our natural resources. This request from our neighbors qualifies, and the WRAFT members who were approached to help have stepped up to assist the residents,” Mello said.
To succeed residents will need to gather over 3,000 signatures of registered Westfield voters, which can be disqualified if not legible. The goal is set at 3,500. Mello called it on Friday “a Herculean task with less than 6 days left.” In the November 2017 local elections there were 25,628 registered voters.
Residents have used social media to announce the following collection points: Pancake Sundaes on Elm St beginning at 8:30 a.m. on Saturday and Sunday morning, Westfield’s Wal-Mart from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturday, and 4 to 8 p.m., Sunday on Western Ave. near Westfield State University and Stanley Park.
Information being disseminated with the petition drive calls into question the effectiveness of the GAC filters for Wells 7 and 8, using the catch phrase “too late for 7 & 8,” and demands that the city adapt its plan, recommending a connection to the Tighe-Carmody reservoir in Holyoke.
David Billips, Director of Westfield Department of Public Works.
In response to the petition drive, DPW Director David Billips said that the Granular Activated Carbon (GAC) filters that the city will be using to clean the water are effective. “The method was approved by the Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). All evidence is that it works, and there’s no evidence that it doesn’t work,” Billips said.
Billips also ran down the consequences to the city if the referendum petition were to be successful.
“If you stopped the bond, we’d have to stop any work on the wells. We wouldn’t have a water restriction, we’d be headed for an all-out water ban for the entire city,” he began.
He went on to say that even if the referendum went to the ballot and passed by a majority of votes, the city would still be two years from getting the wells back online. So the water ban would be in effect for more than two years, this summer, next summer and probably the summer after. During a water ban, all outdoor non-essential water uses are not permitted. “You can’t water your lawn at all,” he said.
Billips said they would also have to rebid the project on Wells 7 and 8, and the prices would increase dramatically, in part because of the new tariffs. “Contractors will increase their prices and some may not want to do business with us,” he said.
Granular Activated Carbon (GAC) filter for Well 2.
“Without the bond money, only the E. Mountain Water tank (replacement) would go forward,” he said. Billips said the work on the Springfield interconnect would stop. The temporary filtration on Well 2 is being built, but Billips said that it is only permitted for one year.
Billips also addressed several demands in the petition; including temporary treatment on Well 1. He said there is no place in the Holyoke Road area, because it is too close to customers for any chemical additions to be added to the water.
He also talked about connecting to the Tighe-Carmody Reservoir in Holyoke. “If we started that today, it would be a minimum of five years before you could get water from Holyoke, and at a cost of $25 million,” he said, adding that the maximum yield from the reservoir would only be 2 million gallons a day, which is equal to the individual output of Wells 1, 2, 7 or 8, and would not be enough water to satisfy the north side.
“We want to fix all of our wells. Our plan of action is to use the technology that is proven, and which engineers and professionals have shown works,” said Westfield Mayor Brian P. Sullivan.
“It’s taken us so long to get this project moving, that it’s already cost us additional money based on the bidding. If we have to stop now, it’s going to cost us much, much more,” Sullivan said, adding, “The finances take away from the focus on the ultimate goal, which is clean water.”
