Please be advised Governor Deval L. Patrick has ordered the United States flag and the Commonwealth flag be lowered to half-staff at all state buildings from sunrise until sunset on Thursday, September 11, 2014, Patriot Day and National Day of Service and Remembrance, in honor of the individuals who lost their lives on September 11, 2001. This gubernatorial order applies to: 1. The main or administration building of each public institution of the Commonwealth, e.g. town and city halls. 2. Other state-owned or state-controlled buildings. 3. All state military installations
IMMEDIATE ATTENTION REQUIRED! The lanes for 3 separate lanes are NOT visiable AT all. WHERE: from the Green Bridge heading towards the Turnpike. The lanes were IMPROPERLY MARKED to begin with. NOT within State Requirements. A ZigZag broken dotted line in the back of the North Elm Butcher Block heading North, is Inexcusable. Shame on: The State Police, and City Officials who travel this road up and back each day, and have not made sure the public safety is a concern. These lanes are NOT visible AT ALL. When coming from the light @ the Green Bridge, it is pick or choose which lane is best. There is tractor trailers who use this road back and forth into Westfield, and this is a danger to ALL who use this road. #2: The Lanes across from Home Depot heading towards Shaker Rd. There are NONE!. There is NO double solid yellow lines. They are completely worn away. #3 Franklin St. From the beginning all the way to Franklin Ave School Crossing. The Cross walks are NOT properly marked. The double solid lines are worn away. They are barely visible. SHAME ON: ALL CITY EMPLOYESS WHO USE THESE ROADS, AND WORK IN OUR CITY. OUR CHILDREN’S SAFETY NOW THAT SCHOOL IS BACK IN SESSION, WITH SCHOOL BUSES USING THESE ROADS TO PICK UP AND DELIVER OUR CHILDREN SAFELY TO SCHOOL AND HOME AGAIN. SERIOUSLY CONCERNED
DPW response: The City has already been in contact with our line painting vendor, and plan to have them remark lines and crosswalks in the downtown area and center lines on major arterial ways, where warranted, this construction season. Part of the delay in getting the contractor in town is that we’re waiting to add newly resurfaced roads to the schedule, and we have additional paving work that is yet to commence. Marking modifications to improve traffic flow patterns north of the Great River Bridge have been approved by the Traffic Commission, and will be included as part of our line painting effort. The section of Little River Road across from Home Depot is maintained by the Massachusetts Department of Transportation(MassDOT) Highway Division. For the purposes of public safety, a City Department of Public Works crew refreshed the directional arrows at this intersection earlier this summer. Should MassDOT not have addressed the yellow center line painting at this location by the time our contractor comes to town, we’ll have our contractor refresh the center line. As stated above, the Franklin Street crosswalks are to be included as part of the downtown line painting.
Knew Mary Hurley had some type of ulterior motive for publicly castigating Shawn Allyn over his representation of the Carbone family and wondered what it was. Thank you, Shawn Allyn, for letting us know Hurley’s sister has contributed money to one of your opponents in the District Attorney’s race and also that Hurley received a $30,000 raise for working one day in July and she has the utter gall to criticize Allyn? You got my vote, Shawn, and good luck in the election.
Why does the Westfield Athenaeum lock the drop box during the day? It is the only area library to do so. It is a major inconvenience to mothers of small children and others who have difficulty getting in and out of vehicle. Athenaeum response: Thank you to the writer concerned about our book drop. This is not the first inquiry regarding the inconvenience of a locked book drop. As you know, the drop is located on the building as you enter our Court Street parking lot. This is also the right of way for our patrons entering the parking lot. To tie up traffic in an already congested parking lot, would be a greater safety concern for all of our patrons. There is simply not enough room for cars to go around other cars or pedestrians depositing into the book drop. As it is, cars would have to enter the lot, find space to turn around and return items from the driver’s side. Keeping our drop locked during the day also encourages our patrons to visit during open hours. We recognize the inconvenience this may cause for busy moms on rainy days, and sunny days, for that matter. It is not a perfect arrangement, and we apologize for the inconvenience. Until we find a solution that ensures the safety of car and foot traffic alike, we ask for your patience. Please do not hesitate to contact the Library Director at any time.
