SOUTHWICK – Because the town allowed Western Massachusetts Electric Co. (WMECO) to set up camp at town hall during the Halloween storm cleanup, WMECO is offering Southwick a monetary gift.
The company sent a letter to the Select Board thanking them for the space and offered to make a donation, the use of which is to be determined by the board.
The letter did not state an amount.
Selectman Russell Fox suggested they gift the town a generator to replace one stolen from the Emergency Management Department. The board, and Chief Administrative Officer Karl Stinehart, agreed.
“They are offering $500 to us, in appreciation of allowing them to set up in town hall,” said Stinehart.
Stinehart said the town’s Emergency Operations Center (EOC) is two small rooms located in the town hall’s ground level. However, it has the ability to expand.
“During an emergency, the other functions of that ground level space get put on hold and it becomes 6,500 square feet of EOC,” said Stinehart.
Stinehart said offering WMECO the space was “beneficial to both of us.”
The stolen generator was taken before the storm, but Stinehart said it was needed and the storm “highlighted its absence.”
The town owns several generators, most of which are large commercial generators. A small 5,000 kw generator was stolen from the old Department of Public Works (DPW) storage area several months ago, when the new DPW was under construction.
