Good afternoon City of Westfield, I would like to suggest that The Westfield News put in everyday, dogs and cats that are able to be adopted and dogs and cat that have been lost and need to be found. We read so much about adopting pets, but to drive to an area everyday or once a week to see adoptable pets, that if you would show these either on a weekly or daily bases, just a small section, that I think that there would be more pets adopted. I would love to adopt a dog but I don’t always drive out toward Barnes but I think about them. This is just a suggestion. I am looking for a little dog. I have a small home but would like to have a dog to walk so I have a pet and I would have to get exercise. Thank you for your time. I love the newspaper. Every other week we print dogs up for adoption at the Westfield regional animal shelter in both The Westfield News and PennySaver. To do so more frequently means someone would have to produce that information which the volunteers at the animal shelter do not have the time to do. Please visit their web site at http://www.petfinder.com/shelters/MA70.html for more information and to volunteer your time.
Just a question: could it be the reason our taxes went up is because the city council and the mayor want raises? I think enough is enough. Thank you. To become more informed on this issue, we suggest you read Dan Moriarty’s story from December 11 where the City Council voted to table consideration of increasing compensation for elected city officials, following a protracted debate to set the tax rates for the current fiscal year. You can also watch the city council meeting in it’s entirety if you choose. Here’s the link to the story and the video: https://thewestfieldnews.com/?p=39734.
These questions and/or issues are being addressed to our councilmen:
1. Years ago, our waste collection used to be part of our taxes. Then several years ago, the city spiked them out and made them a separate fee, to which we get charged $85 a year. Then recently, our council thought it was fair to charge us a dump fee of $10 a year to prevent non-residents from using the dump (so residents get penalized for the non-residents). When does it end? How about residents get a sticker when the first property tax payment is made? Or a resident can come down and show their tax bill and get a sticker? Why do we keep having to spend more money for services that should be included with our property taxes? Please councilmen, stop and think before you pass these things. They may be small but they all add up. And since so many of us have gone without raises or are unemployed, how will we ever catch up?
2. I was reading that EMCC wants the City to pay almost a million dollars for development rights over the aquifer? Please explain why Westfield should have to pay anything? EMCC owns the property and I’m sure it is against code to build over wetlands – let alone an aquifer – so any permits would be rejected. No?
3. I’m confused about Mr. Miller. Was he the councilor that stepped down early because he just didn’t have the time to give his ward – the ward that is now unrepresented – and he wanted more time with his family? Reading the PulseLine the other day, I agree with the writer that it doesn’t sound right that he stepped down, waited for a change in job description to which he now becomes qualified, and then he’s offered the job when there is another candidate with more qualifications? Yes, I guess cronyism is alive and well and quite obvious in this City. With everything else going wrong with the country, maybe the residents should start voting in new people. Maybe people running for office should divulge their family tree.
4. And finally, while I can appreciate some of the councilor’s concerns about Mr. Winters. I was upset with the council originally but then I thought about it more and I can see where they had concerns. It was a fluke thing him and his wife did – writing in each other’s names. It would have been easier if he ran a write-in campaign. However, that being said, the law department and the State said his vote did count so why isn’t he in that seat? The Mayor should have appointed him OR there should have been a special election.
Thank you for your time and I hope that the Mayor and councilmen take a moment to read this.
The Westfield News has addressed all of your concerns in past articles. Please search the database on our web site for the answers to your questions.
The price of the paer has increased. The idea of a newspaper is to have access to the latest up to date news. I find the police log tonight dated January 11 and here it is January 15. What happened to providing the LATEST NEWS?
Why I read The Westfield News : 1. Obituaries. 2. Police Reports. 3. PulseLine. Now I read a councilor, who is running for apparently his seventh term is looking for re-election. This is exactly the reason we need term limits. Give it up and give somebody else a chance to move this city forward.
The article published on the death of Howard Beardslee offended and saddened me, even as someone with no relation nor contact with him or his family. The title of the article, “Another bicyclist killed on Western Avenue” sets a tone of detachment from the situation. It lacks a certain humanity that one would come to expect in a local paper. It was a tragic accident yet the article published was more about local politics than his life. Yes, another man was killed on the same stretch of road just a few short months ago, but if the paper wished to point out that pattern, I think there would have been a better time than the day after the incident. Give Mr. Beardslee the respect he deserves; celebrate his life, mention his accomplishments, and his family. He was not just “another bicyclist”. It is also important to note that the man’s name is spelled wrong on two different occasions. This article is a piece of what his family will have to remember him by. Mistakes like that look careless, even if the intentions are not. The Westfield News regrets the typo.
In response to a recent PulseLine article submitted anonymously I would like to respond: Llewellyn Drive and this area of the city is indeed on the list of city streets to see sewer installation. The first installment is scheduled to begin in 2015/2016. A progressively set-aside funding level was established in 2004. In my opinion, this was a very progressive move by our city leaders. In establishing this separate account we are able to protect neighborhoods that would have a challenge in meeting Title 5 regulation standards. The balance at year end (FY12) of this infiltration and inflow fund was $3,203,358.08. To answer another specific question, construction costs have escalated since this time with impacts to the schedule. Anyone who knows me knows that I am vigilant in fighting for the protection and advancement of Ward Four. If constituents have specific issues and concerns I encourage them to contact me at [email protected] or call me at 562-6605. – Councilor Mary O’Connell
Councilor Sullivan: if we wait for a primary associated with Kerry’s seat, to get a councilor for ward two that means it will be almost a year that we have no representation. That being said, will you, Councilor Sullivan, please answer this question: if DOMUS paid $104,900 for the house on State Street why does the city have to pay $80,000 toward it? And who ends up owning it? And are property taxes paid on it? Thank you sir. This is Brian Sullivan and here are my answers to the person that questioned me in PulseLine regarding Domus and the Special Election. Since 2002 when it adopted the Community Preservation Act, the City of Westfield has collected revenues for projects such as the Dansereau House, where DOMUS will preserve and restore historical resources, as well as create and support community housing. In drawing up its construction plans, DOMUS has insisted on restoring the historic façade of the building while adapting the interior for residential use by three low-income, developmentally disabled individuals and a live-in caregiver. The house will carry a deed restriction limiting its use to affordable housing in perpetuity. DOMUS will own and manage the property; all future residents (after the Dansereau siblings) will be referred directly by the State Department of Developmental Assistance.
For Community Housing proposals, this project will:
· Contribute to the goal of 10% affordability (Chapter 40B)
· Promote a diverse socioeconomic mix in an established residential neighborhood
· Through careful renovation, provide housing that is harmonious in design and scale with the surrounding neighborhood
· Intermingle affordable and market-rate housing in this existing single- and two-family market-rate neighborhood
· Ensure long-term affordability
· Promote reuse of an existing building on a previously-developed site, and
· Rehabilitate existing housing stock
Regarding the Ward II election, I was simply looking for an alternative to what has happened. I guess my attempt does not make too much sense. You are right. Don’t punish me for trying.
I am a business owner in town and I am hoping that something is done about the parking situation and the condition of the lots. I was informed that when I opened my business needed to purchase a parking permit which to this day has been nothing but a joke! Following the advice of the woman in charge I parked where I was told. The pass included 1 of 2 spots. She also informed me about another lot near by which happens to be filled with broken glass and gravel, would be available if the 2 were full. When parked in the gravel lot not only did I receive a ticket but a flat tire also. I’ve also received tickets for being in the right spot but I had my husband’s car for the day. I recently received a parking ticket for $200 because my tires were barely touching the blue on a handicap space only because of the horrible job the lots were left after the snowstorm and only half of a space was available and I have been ticketed everywhere else. I have owned businesses in Southwick, West Springfield and now Westfield I have never come close to this aggravation in the other towns. If Westfield would like new businesses to come to town maybe parking should be free for everyone and the tickets should wait until the city is FULL and thriving.
Yes, referring to the article in Wednesday night’s paper, January 16th, Westfield Weapons Resolution by Ms. Agma Sweeney: I’d like to say I do hope she will write some of her other messages and articles that were in the paper in Spanish so that others can understand it. Thank you. Bye
I don’t know if anyone else has had this experience but I figured I’d put this out there. The one and only time I had the flu shot was a few years back and I went into my doctor’s office on a regularly scheduled appointment. I felt good and was not symptomatic of any flu-like warnings. In fact, I don’t ever remember having the flu in my life. They asked me if I wanted a flu shot for nothing and I said okay, why not? Big mistake. That night was the sickest I have ever been in my life. You’ll never convince me that flu shot didn’t get me sick and it wasn’t coincidental either, that I was right on the cusp of being sick with the flu. That wasn’t the case. I’ll never get another flu shot. I was wondering if anyone else went through this or am I the only one?
