January
The year started tragically when a Granby, Conn. man was killed Jan. 3 when he crashed his vehicle near 26 College Highway.
The initial investigation showed that the involved vehicle was travelling south on Rt. 10 when it departed the travelled portion of the road, struck a large rock and flipped over.
The motorist involved was found to be dead at the scene. The lone operator was identified as William T. Burgess, 91, of Granby.
The year also began with another change at Motocross 338. Chief Administrative Officer Karl Stinehart met early on with new motocross promoter Keith Johnson, a professional motocross racer since 1988 and is an owner of the Keith Johnson MX Racing School in Middleboro.
Residents of Southwick also had something new in their census packet. The census contained a survey regarding the Southwick Community Preservation Act (CPA), which is currently administered by the Southwick Community Preservation Committee (CPC). The Board of Selectmen voted to include the survey in the census to gauge whether or not residents support continuing the CPA, which is a 3 percent tax assessed to homeowners.
February
In February, the Board of Selectmen met with Department of Public Works (DPW) Director Randy Brown this week and approved bringing a sewer question to voters in the spring.
Brown said the Congamond Road state road project was in the design phase and would include the dry sewer and sewer main installment. The question Brown posed to the board was what area to do next. His recommendation was to bring the sewers north toward Westfield.
February also saw the favorable audit of the Southwick-Tolland-Granville Regional Schools. audit of the Southwick-Tolland-Granville Regional Schools
“You’ve got an unmodified opinion, which is the best opinion you can get,” said Richard Sullivan of Powers and Sullivan.
March
In March, the Southwick Council On Aging got social when Director Cindy Sullivan set up Facebook and Twitter accounts for the senior center. Sullivan said more and more seniors – and their families – are using social meeting to keep in touch.
“I hear them talking about keeping up with their grandchildren on Facebook and email,” Sullivan said of the Southwick Senior Center participants.
The school department proposed its budget in March. The budget reflected level funding and shifting of funds between schools over past years because of the grade changes.
Business Manager Stephen Presnal said the high school had the largest budget with the inclusion of grades seven and eight. Woodland School’s budget decreased because two grades moved to powder Mill, and Granville Village School’s budget also decreased with the move of grades seven and eight.
In March, returns from the first-ever survey sent with the census yielded 1,141 responses to questions about the town’s Community Preservation Act funds. Town Clerk Michelle Hill said 500 respondents wanted to keep the CPA as is, 380 wanted to eliminate it as is, 225 said they would modify it, and 248 approved the business exemption.
April
Southwick showed its support for two causes in April by lighting Town Hall and the Police Department blue, joining buildings around the world in raising autism awareness. Also, the town raised several flags in honor of Donate Life month.
The Southwick Cultural Council’s 16th annual juried Fine Art Exhibition and Sale offered a glimpse into the varied world of local artists, and the Annual Home and Business Show attracted area businesses.
Southwick Tae Kwon Do owner Gary Cormier wanted to help students defend themselves against bullies and presenedt “Done with Bullying,” a free anti-bullying seminar for children ages 8-15, in April.
May
More than a year after the Planning Board approved a special permit for Rite Aid to build a facility at 592 College Highway, construction activity begun in May.
Douglas Moglin, longtime Southwick Planning Board chairman, was elected in May to the Board of Selectmen. The Republican caucus candidate ran unopposed.
Southwick honored its war dead on Memorial Day with its annual parade and ceremonies at the Town Common Memorial as well as at the cemetery.
June
In June, Whalley Park officially opened and soccer games were played on the fields. The park was used unofficially for about a month before the Parks and Recreation Commission allowed field play.
“I’m very excited,” said Commissioner Daniel Call. “There are a lot of opportunities that will open up with Whalley Park. I think it will be an asset to the town.”
In June, Stinehart announced that the town received a state grant for $450,000 for a new salt shed at the DPW garage on College Highway. State Sen. Donald Humason and state Rep. Nicholas Boldyga were instrumental in the award of the grant.
The Southwick Board of Selectmen voted in June in favor of the $5,000 fee to the American Legion Post 338 for use of the town land for motocross. The motion also included an increase to $3 million on insurance, which received much negative response from the Legion.
July
In July, Southwick Days took place once again, with the Rotary Club organizing the event, including fireworks, live music, carnival games and rides, a car show for charity and the annual BBQ competition.
While celebrating summer, the Planning Board looked forward to fall and approved an Oktoberfest event at the Westfield River Brewery, set for Oct. 17-18.
July ended with a fire at 15 Sunnyside Road, which resulted in a total loss of a two-car garage, but little damage to the home.
“We were able to contain it to the garage, however, we had to cut a hole in the kitchen ceiling to access the attic,” said Fire Chief Richard Anderson.
August
In August, the Southwick Historical Society promoted some of the town’s most interesting historical homes in its new brochure. David Gunn, chairman of the Commission, said homes and buildings located around the center of town were selected for the first brochure, titled “A Sampling of Historic Buildings of Southwick, Massachusetts Center,” because of their proximity to the Rail Trail.
“We plan to place these in the kiosks on the trail so people can use it as a walking tour guide,” said Gunn.
Southwick seniors went high-tech in August when the Senior Center began using touch-screen technology that eliminated some data entry, allowing greater efficiency in tracking center use.
Two of Southwick’s “Most Wanted” were arrested in August. Malcolm Wilson was found and arrested in Hartford, Connecticut, while Henry Mercado was found and arrested in San Juan, Puerto Rico. Both were wanted on different charges committed in Southwick.
In 2013, Wilson left the state after he was charged with trafficking cocaine in Southwick.
In Mercado’s case, a warrant was issued for his arrested in March after he didn’t appear in Springfield Superior Court on sexual assault charges that happened in Southwick, during the summer of 2012.
The Community Preservation Commission asked the Board of Selectmen to approve spending up to $4 million to preserve property on North Pond. The property was for sale for $5 million.
September
In September, The Southwick Public Library received a $5,800 boost when Humason and Boldyga presented a ceremonial check to Library Director Diane Caruso Friday morning and said they wished it was more.
Residents and officials of the Town of Southwick gathered at the Southwick Fire Department to mark the events of Sept. 11, 2001.
Fire Chief Richard Anderson recalled the tragic event where thousands of people lost their lives in the terrorist attack that changed America.
“There was a difficult pause on that September morning when a question seemed to hang in the air: How do we respond to a moment such as this? Can we respond to a moment such as this?” said Anderson.
Southwick was one of the area towns taking increasing advantage of the state attorney general’s Abandoned Housing Initiative (AHI) to turn around blighted properties. “It’s a huge advantage for three reasons,” Southwick’s Health Inspector Thomas FitzGerald said of the program. “The resources come from the state for legal services. Their people are experts in the process. Gets rid of the blight, improves the neighborhood, and puts houses back on the tax rolls.”
The month ended with a near-fatal cautionary lesson when a 21 year old woman crashed her car into a tree while texting while driving.
She was driving on Granville Road when she drove right off the road, yanked the wheel, crossed into the opposite lane, went off the road again and hit a tree.
October
In October, residents of Powder Mill Road made it clear they do not want sewers.
The residents crowded a meeting of the Sewer Implementation Committee (SIC) and their voices were heard when the Committee voted 5-1 to recommend a new version of Phase II sewers. After hearing the residents’ arguments, the SIC approved recommending another option, which would connect only the school campus.
After pulling out of Southwick’s famous sandbox motocross track in 2013, the Lucas Oil Pro Motocross Championship is returning July 9, 2016. In October, MX Sports Pro Racing and NBC Sports unveiled the 2016 Lucas Oil Pro Motocross Championship schedule. The tour is sanctioned by AMA Pro Racing,
The month ended on a spooky note when the Agawam Paranormal Society presented its findings of an investigation of the two buildings and evidence points to activity from beyond the grave.
“There is a sufficient case to believe there is paranormal activity,” said Rob Goff of the APS. “We do not believe any of the activity is negative or evil in intent.”
Goff’s presentation included photos, videos and audio evidence that he said made him say “hmmmmm, there’s something there.”
November
In November, the Board of Selectmen met with the Historical Commission to discuss reuse of the Old Town Library and how to go about finding the right tenant for the historical building.
Selectmen Chairman Joseph Deedy said he is not looking to sell off the building for $1 – or to sell it at all.
“It’s not about having someone come in and knock it down, ” Deedy said.
Selectman Russ Fox agreed.
“We’re considering looking for proposals and seeing if someone is interested in the building and reusing it,” Fox said.
The Board of Selectmen approved a tax classification factor of one this month. The single tax rate means that residents and business owners will continue to be taxed at the same rate. Many communities have separate rates for residents and commercial and industrial properties often shifting the burden to the businesses.
The Deedy and Magni families hosted its annual Thanksgiving for All once again at Moolicious Farm, serving 15 turkeys in the dining room as well as delivering meals on Thanksgiving.
December
In December, Zachary P. Dougherty, 30, of Robin Road, was arraigned in Westfield District Court Dec. 7 on charges of assault and battery on a police officer and resisting arrest.
Judge Phillip A. Contant released Dougherty on personal recognizance and set his next court appearance on Jan. 11, 2016. Dougherty was arrested Dec. 6 after assaulting two environmental police officers, Lt. Mike Scibelli and Officer Frank Soleimani.
The Southwick-Tolland-Granville Regional School Committee discussed what test students will take this spring. Superintendent John Barry said although the state Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) approved the creation of a new test that combines the Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment System (MCAS) and the Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers (PARCC), it is allowing school departments to decide if students will take the current MCAS or PARCC this spring.
“I have not made up my mind yet,” Barry told the Committee about his recommendation.
Garret Parker and Andrew Smith were selected the town’s new reserve police officers in December, and a new assistant, Marcie Humphrey, was hired in the Town Clerk/Collector/Treasurer’s office.
