The Southwest Sewer project will involve three stream crossings.

AGAWAM – The Conservation Commission is poised to issue an order of conditions for the second phase of the Southwest Sewer project, a $7-million-plus project that has been in the works for the last several years.

The commission is expected to issue the order at its Feb. 9 meeting. The commission closed the last of two public hearings on the project Jan. 26.

“We are researching what we want to put into it,” Conservation Commission Chairman Henry A. Kozloski said Tuesday of the order of conditions.

An order of conditions from the Conservation Commission is needed for the project because work will take place near wetlands along Pine and Barry streets. In addition, it is required because it will involve crossing Still Book at both Pine and Barry streets as well as an unnamed brook on Barry Street.

The Conservation Commission is empowered by the Wetlands Protection Act to set the conditions of projects that involve disturbing areas within 100 feet of a wetland.

The project will involve 21,000 feet of sewer lines being installed starting on Pine Street at South Westfield Street and including parts of Barry Street and the rest of South Westfield Street. Sewer lines will also be installed along Tannery Road, Bradford Drive, Meyers Drive, Oakmont Place and Spruce Circle.

The project will include laying 13,900 feet of 8-inch- through 18-inch-diameter sewer lines, reconstruction of 1,150 feet of Pine Street and pump stations at both Pine and Barry streets. Both pump stations will be within 100 feet of a wetland.

The city through its engineers Tighe & Bond has estimated that the project will involve disturbing about 74 square feet of bordering vegetated wetlands on the east side of Still Brook south of Barry Street. It has proposed restoring the area by planting red maple saplings and seeding the area.

Plans also call for taking erosion and sedimentation control measures during construction, according to papers on file in the Conservation Office.

The project is needed because the southwest area of the city has a lot of old septic systems that are failing. The first phase of the project was completed for $1.7 million last fall. It involved installing sewer lines along Route 57 starting at Shoemaker Lane near the Route 67 Bridge to South Westfield Street and along South Westfield Street to the neighborhood of the former state police academy.

Some city councilors say they are concerned that contamination left on a site that consists of small parts of School Street Park and the former Agawam Sportsman's Club property could leave the city liable.

File photo by Jessica Hill

AGAWAM – City councilors have tabled a resolution that they put a deed restriction on part of School Street Park to facilitate sale of the former Agawam Sportsman’s Club property until they can learn more about contamination at the site.

The resolution by City Councilor Robert A. Magovern would allow the sale of the property to local contractor Thomas Russo, who wants to build condominiums there. The federal Environmental Protection Agency and the state Department of Environmental Protection have required a deed restriction for parts of both School Street Park and the club property that abut each other and where they spent about $817,000 remediating the site because it had high levels of lead and arsenic from having been used as a shooting range. Because there are still slight amounts of contamination left, the agencies want the land restricted from being used to grow food.

City Councilor Robert E. Rossi expressed concern that lead and arsenic may be stirred up if there is any excavation such as for a cellar hole at the site.

“What sort of hornet’s nest are we going to expose?” Rossi said.

Magovern said Rossi was reading from a part of a report that describes what the site was like before remediation.

“I concur with Councilor Rossi on this,” City Councilor Paul C. Cavallo said, adding that the city could be liable five or 10 years from now.

City Councilor George Bitzas said the area for which the restrictions are proposed are wetlands where crops could not be grown and the resolution will help clean up an eyesore in the community.

“It’s still telling me there is a risk here,” City Councilor Dennis J. Perry said if the report.

Council President Christopher C. Johnson said he is concerned that the remediation did not include dirt more than 18 or 24 inches below the surface.

“I need a little more information before I can cast my vote,” Johnson said.

The club property is located to the rear of the park and has an address of 358 Corey St. The government agencies worked on the site following the closing of the club and its dissolution about eight years ago. The mayor has said he wants to see the property sold to Russo to get it producing tax revenue for the city again. About $46,000 is owed in back taxes on the former club property.

The club property consists of a building assessed at $120,900 on 5.2 acres assessed at $125,300.

City officials expect to learn this spring if there will be another round of funding of a state program they want to tap to finish developing the park.

Richard Cohen

AGAWAM – Mayor Richard A. Cohen says he is continuing to work to finish developing School Street Park despite the city not getting a $500,000 state grant to help fund the $2 million-plus undertaking.

“We will continue to move forward with the project,” Cohen said earlier this week.

He met with representatives of Berkshire Design Group earlier in the day to talk about the project in preparation for them developing design costs. Cohen said he has no plans to scale back the project.

Late last month, the city learned it was denied a $500,000 Parkland Acquisitions and Renovations for Communities program grant from the state Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs. Only 17 of the 49 applicants were awarded funds.

The Community Preservation Committee had recommended using $2 million of its money as a match to get the state grant to finish work at the park, estimated at $2.3 million.

However, City Councilor George Bitzas withdrew his resolution asking the council to authorize spending the Community Preservation Committee funds on the project during Monday’s council meeting because the grant was denied. He said he will resubmit a resolution after designs are finished if the Community Preservation Committee agrees to recommend funding again.

Cohen said he will go back before both the committee and the council seeking funding.

If there is another round of funding for the state grant program, Cohen said the city will file another application for money. He does not expect to know that until sometime this spring.

When the city gets final designs it will then hold public hearings on the plans, according to Cohen.

The city finished developing 30 acres of the site in 2008, including establishing a softball diamond, a multi-use field, a baseball diamond, bocce courts, shuffleboard courts, a playground, parking for 214 cars, buffers for abutters, a walkway-bike path and rest rooms. The city bought the 50.6 acre site on School Street in 2002.

The final phase of the project may include open space covered with picnic shelters, a volleyball court, a playground, a spray park, a rest room, parking for more than 200 cars, a band shell, a multi-use field, an educational wetlands overlook and maintenance facilities. Plans also call for additional athletic fields for lacrosse, field hockey and soccer.

Superintendent Alan Ingram said the declining graduation rate was tied to the state’s boosting of standards for passing the Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment System test, a requirement for graduation.

Alan Ingram

SPRINGFIELD – High school graduation rates rose in 2011 for the fifth year statewide, but Springfield was excluded from the trend.

A report by the state Department of Elementary and Secondary Education showed that 83.4 percent of four-year high school students graduated last year, an increase of 1.3 percent from 2010.

The statewide dropout also improved last year, with 2.7 percent of students quitting school – the lowest figure in 20 years, according to the study.

In terms of race, 43 percent of dropouts were white, 36 percent Hispanic, 15.5 percent African American, and 3.3 percent Asian, according to the report, which found 56.4 percent of dropouts were from low income families.

Gov. Deval L. Patrick said the trends are encouraging, but more needs to be done.

“I’m proud of the progress we have made, but we won’t be satisfied until we have a system that closes the achievement gap and prepares all of our students for success,” Patrick said.

In Springfield, the graduation rate was 52.1 percent, down from 53 percent last year. The dropout rate was 11.7, higher than the 10.5 figure from 2010.

Superintendent Alan J. Ingram said the declining graduation rate was tied to the state’s boosting of standards for passing the Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment System test, a requirement for graduation.

“We expected that would likely have a short-term effect on the graduation rate,” said Ingram, adding that reversing the trend is a top priority.

“We cannot and will not make excuses,” the superintendent said, adding: “It is important for all of us to understand the strength of the tide we are swimming against.

In Holyoke, the high school dropout rate increased slightly in 2011 from the previous year, to 9.8 percent from 9.5 percent. The graduation rate has hovered near 50 percent in recent years, and was 49.5 percent in 2011.

Mayor Alex B. Morse, who is chairman of the School Committee, said changes obviously are needed at the city’s two high schools because the low rates show the status quo isn’t working.

“The numbers aren’t improving because we keep doing things the same way over and over,” Morse said.

West Springfield High School Principal Michael J. Richard said the 5.1 percent dropout rate his school had last year is something educators want to work on.

“That is not the direction we want to move in. We are looking to lower than number, not increase it,” Richard said.

In Agawam, where the dropout rate was 1.9 percent for the last two years, high school principal Steven P. Lemanski said the school monitors students at risk.

“We set up a net to help kids so they don’t fall,” Lemanski said.

Ludlow School Committee member James P. Harrington said Ludlow traditionally has a low student drop-out rate.

“Even if there is one student, you wonder what went wrong,” he said.

Harrington said Ludlow officials are more concerned with tracking who goes to two-year versus four-year colleges and whether they complete their degree programs.

“It’s difficult to find out what happens to our students after they leave here,” he said. “We have been trying to work with HCC and STCC.”

“We find that a lot of our students choose two-year schools because of the cost,” he said.

In Monson, Superintendent Patrice L. Dardenne said he was pleased to see the dropout rate drop, from 2.7 to 1.4.

“This is the lowest they’ve been in the last three years,” Dardenne said. “It’s a good sign.”

Staff writers Mike Plaisance, Sandra Constantine, Lori Stabile and Suzanne McLaughlin contributed to this story.

Here is a list of major municipal meetings for the coming week: Agawam Mon.- Board of Appeals, 6:30 p.m., Agawam Public Library. Tues.- Agawam Cultural Commission, 7 p.m., Agawam Public Library. School Committee, 7 p.m., Roberta G. Doering School. Fri.- Agawam Municipal Golf Commission, 7:45 a.m., 128 Southwick St. Amherst Tues.- Shade Tree Committee, 4 p.m., Town Hall. Agricultural...

File photo | The RepublicanEast Longmeadow Town Hall

Here is a list of major municipal meetings for the coming week:

Agawam

Mon.- Board of Appeals, 6:30 p.m., Agawam Public Library.

Tues.- Agawam Cultural Commission, 7 p.m., Agawam Public Library.

School Committee, 7 p.m., Roberta G. Doering School.

Fri.- Agawam Municipal Golf Commission, 7:45 a.m., 128 Southwick St.

Amherst

Tues.- Shade Tree Committee, 4 p.m., Town Hall.

Agricultural Commission, 7 p.m., Town Hall.

Wed.- Kanegasaki Sister City Committee, 4 p.m., Bangs Community Center.

Bang Planning Board Zoning Subcommittee, 5 p.m., Town Hall.

Planning Board, 7 p.m., Town Hall.

Amherst Leisure Services and Supplemental Education, 7:30 p.m., police station.

Thu.- Human Rights Commission, 7 p.m., Bangs Community Center.

Community Preservation Act Committee, 7 p.m., Town Hall.

Chicopee

Mon.- Human Resources Committee, 6 p.m., City Hall.

Ordinance Committee, 6:30 p.m., City Hall.

School Facilities subcommittee, 7 p.m., 180 Broadway.

Tues.- Council on Aging, 4:45 p.m., 7 Valley View Court.

Wed.- Ambulance Commission, 5:15 p.m., 80 Church St.

School Committee, 7 p.m., 180 Broadway.

Board of Registrars, 5 p.m., City Hall.

Thu.- Public Safety Committee, 6:30 p.m., City Hall.

East Longmeadow

Mon.- Capital Planning Committee, 6:30 p.m., Pleasantview Senior Center.

Tues.- Planning Board, 6 p.m., Town Hall.

Council on Aging, 9 a.m., Pleasantview Senior Center.

Board of Assessors, 6:30 p.m., Town Hall.

Wed.- Community Preservation Committee, 7 p.m., Pleasantview Senior Center.

Thu.- Mountainview School Council, 3 p.m. at the school.

Appropriations Committee, 6:30 p.m., Peasantview Senior Center.

Easthampton

Mon.- Highway Business Review, 6 p.m., Municipal Building.

Easthampton Housing Authority, 7 p.m., 112 Holyoke St.

Conservation Commission, 6 p.m., Municipal Building.

Tues.- Planning Board, 6 p.m., Municipal Building.

Wed.- Board of Public Works, 4:30 p.m., Municipal Building.

City Council, 6 p.m., Municipal Building.

Greenfield

Mon.- Council on Aging, 2 p.m., Senior Center.

Human Rights Commission, 6 p.m., 14 Court Square.

Appointment and Ordinance Committee, 6:30 p.m., Police Station.

Tues.- Greenfield Redevelopment Authority, 4:30 p.m., 114 Main St.

Library Board of Trustees, 5:30 p.m., 402 Main St.

Economic Development Committee, 6:30 p.m., 321 High St.

Conservation Commission, 7 p.m., 114 Main St.

Wed.- Board of Assessors, 8:30 a.m., 14 Court Square.

Ways and Means Committee, 6 p.m., Police Department.

Town Council, 7 p.m., 393 Main St.

Thu.- School Committee, 6:30 p.m., Town Library.

Hadley

Tues.- Board of Healt, 7 p.m., Town Hall.

Wed.- Select Board, 7 p.m., Town Hall.

Hatfield

Mon.- Planning Board, 7:30 p.m., Memorial Town Hall.

Emergency Management Committee, 9 a.m., Memorial Town Hall.

Tues.- Selectmen, 8 a.m., New Town Garage.

Council on Aging, 5:45 p.m., Memorial Town Hall.

Thu.- School Improvement Council, 6:45 a.m., Smith Academy.

School Committee, 6:15 p.m., Smith Academy.

Sat.- Selectmen, 9 a.m., Hatfield Elementary School.

Holyoke

Mon.- Board of Health, noon, City Hall, City Council Chambers.

Morgan School Council, 3:45 p.m., 587 South Summer St.

Citizens Advisory Council, 5:30 p.m., City Hall Annex, fourth-floor conference room.

Fire Commission, 6 p.m., Fire Department headquarters, 600 High St.

Water Commission, 6:30 p.m., 20 Commercial St.

Tues.- Retirement Board, 9:30 a.m., City Hall, Room 207.

Planning Board, public hearing, 6 p.m., City Hall Annex, fourth-floor conference room.

City Council Ordinance Committee, 6:30 p.m., City Hall, City Council Chambers.

Fairfield Avenue Local Historic District Commission, 6:30 p.m., Wistariahurst Museum, carriage house, 238 Cabot St.

Wed.- School Building Advisory Committee, 10 a.m., Holyoke High School, 500 Beech St.

Thu.- Citizens Advisory Council, 5:30 p.m., City Hall Annex, fourth-floor conference room.

Longmeadow

Mon.- School Committee, 6 p.m., Longmeadow High School.

Park Board, 7 p.m., Fire Department.

Select Board, 7 p.m., Fire Department.

Tues.- Historic District Commission, 7:30 p.m., Fire Department.

Wed.- School Committee, 6 p.m., Wolf Swamp Road School.

Cable Advisory Committee, 7 p.m., Longmeadow High School.

Capital Planning Committee, 7 p.m., Police Department.Thu.- Adult Center Board of Directors, 9:30 a.m., 231 Maple Road.

School Building Committee, 7 p.m., Fire Department.

Monson

Mon.- Finance Committee, 7 p.m., Hillside School.

Keep Homestead Committee, 7 p.m., Hillside School.

Tues.- Replanting Monson Tree Committee, 6 p.m., Hillside School.

Board of Selectmen, 7 p.m., Hillside School.

Wed.- School Committee, 7 p.m., Quarry Hill Community School.

Board of Health, 6 p.m., Hillside School.

Water and Sewer Commission, 6:30 p.m., 198 WD Main St.
Thu.- Tornado Anniversary Committee, 10 a.m., fire station.

Northampton

Mon.- Board of Public Works/City Council Conference Committee, 4 p.m., 125 Locust St.

Committee on Social Services and Veterans Affairs, 6 p.m., Council Chambers.

Committee on Elections, Rules, Ordinances, Orders and Claims, 7 p.m., Council Chambers.

Committee on Appointments and Evaluations, 11:30 a.m., Council Chambers.

Board of Registrars, 4 p.m., City Hall.

Housing Authority, 7:30 p.m., 49 Old South St.

Tues.- Bicycle and Pedestrian Subcommittee, 7;30 a.m., City Hall.

CDBG Public Hearing, 6 p.m., City Hall.

Wed.- Youth Commission, 7 p.m., City Hall.

Community Preservation Committee, 7 p.m., Council Chambers.

Pleasant/Conz street intersection public hearing, 7 p.m., Senior Center.

Smith Vocational High School Council, 3:30 p.m., Culinary Arts Department.

Thu.- Board of Health, 5 p.m., City Hall.

City Council, 7 p.m., Council Chambers.

TRIAD Committee, 1 p.m., Senior Center.

Palmer

Mon.- Town Council, 7 p.m., Town Building.

Planning Board, 7 p.m., Town Building.

Tues.- Board of Health, 6 p.m., Town Building.

Springfield

Mon.- Public forum on superintendent search, 5:30 p.m., Rebecca Johnson School, Catharine Street.

City Council Finance Committee, 4:30 pm., Room 200, City Hall.

City Council General Government Committee, 5:30 p.m., Room 200, City Hall.

City Council Maintenance and Development Committee, 6 p.m., Room 200, City Hall.

City Council, 7 p.m., Council Chambers, City Hall.

Tues.- Conservation Commission, 5 p.m., 70 Tapley St.

Wed.- Pioneeer Valley Transit Authority, 11 a.m., PVTA office, 2808 Main St.

Public Health Council, 6 p.m., Room 201, 95 State St.

Thu.- School Committee Parent Concerns Subcommittee, 5 p.m., 1550 Main St.

School Committee, 6 p.m., 1550 Main St.

Warren

Mon.- Library Needs Committee, 6:30 p.m., Shepard Municipal Building.

Tues.- Board of Selectmen, 7 p.m., Shepard Municipal Building.

Wed.- Capital Planning, 7 p.m., Shepard Municipal Building.

Sewer Commissioners, 8 a.m., Wastewater Treatment Plant.

Thu.- Warren Casino Study Committee, 6:30 p.m., Shepard Municipal Building.

West Springfield

Mon.- Park and Recreation Commission, 7 p.m., municipal building.

Tues.- Community Preservation Committee, 5:30 p.m., municipal building.

School Committee, 7 p.m., municipal building.

McCluskey spoke highly of her court and said each one of them deserved to be the 2012 Colleen.

AGAWAM - The St. Patrick's Committee crowned 17-year-old Allison McCluskey the 2012 Colleen, a title for which 10 other young women competed, and four girls were chosen to be in the Colleen Court.

The annual competition is open to young Agawam women of Irish descent. Winners ride a float in the city's contingent of the Holyoke St. Patrick's Day Parade, make public appearances and, McCluskey said, act as role models by serving in the community.

The 2012 Colleen and her court were chosen by three judges at a ceremony on Sunday at Chez Josef banquet hall.

This year's court: Sarah Murphy, 18; Nicole Parent, 18; Jenna Fenton, 18; and Kara Franqueza, 17. All are students at Agawam High School.

"I've always been so proud of my Irish heritage," said McCluskey in an interview after the Grand March around the room, during which Mayor Richard A. Cohen shook hands with all five girls and congratulated them. "I'm so excited to be a role model to other young girls."

McCluskey spoke highly of her court and said each one of them deserved to be the 2012 Colleen.

"I love them all," she said. "I've gone to school with all those girls forever and played sports with them. Sarah Murphy is my best friend."

McCluskey, who plays field hockey at Agawam High and is captain of the track team, said she is going to Bryant University after graduation to study marketing.

But, while she's in the area, she and the court will be plenty busy.

The crown comes with a responsibility to attend two public events, a corn beef dinner for seniors and the traditional Holyoke Love-In, and appear in both the Memorial Day and St. Patrick's parades.

McCluskey said she was prepared to adorn the parade floats.

"I've been practicing my princess wave since I was little," she said.

Jude O'Hare, the committee's president, said the judging is based on four areas: poise, presentation, the contestant's own knowledge of her Irish heritage and appearance. But, he said, "It doesn't have anything to do with beauty."

Contestant Paige Moriarty, 17, earned the Bill Pfau Cultural Award, named after a founding member and past president of the committee. She will also participate in the Holyoke parade.

Two brothers, who are among the founders of Opa-Opa Steakhouse & Brewery in Soutwick, plan what is believed to be the first restaurant-micro-brewery on the East Coast.

File photo by Dave Roback / The RepublicanThe owners of the Opa-Opa brewery, Peter Kantos, Efthimios Rozos and Antonio Rizos, from left, are seen in Southampton in 2009.

AGAWAM – The Board of Appeals Friday approved the two local special permits needed to open a restaurant and micro-distillery in the former Pananas Restaurant building. The venture, to be called Kaptain Jimmy’s, is thought by the owners to be the first of its kind on the East Coast.

George Flevotemos said he believes there is only one restaurant-distillery in the country and it is in Idaho. He is the project manager for the venture for the two brothers who were among the founders of the Opa-Opa Steakhouse & Brewery and who are now involved in the Agawam enterprise.

Efthimios Rizos, who will own and run the distillery, expressed gratitude following the board’s 3-0 vote. He opened the Opa-Opa restaurant in 2004 with his brother Antonio Rizos and two other partners.

“I thank the board and the town for their support,” Efthimios Rizos said.

The restaurant, owned and to be run by Antonio, could open sometime next week depending on how soon it is granted a certificate of occupancy by the city, according to Flevotemos. However, the brothers are still waiting to get licenses from the state and federal governments to operate the distillery.

The pirate-themed restaurant will seat 300 and serve American food. Flevotemos said it will have 69 different types of beer on tap, with the barrels visible behind a glassed-in area behind the bar. Plans also call for diners to be able to look through a glass wall at the distillery operation.

“All of the concerns we had have been addressed. The Fire Department is satisfied with the plan and they hold a lot of weight with me,” Board of Appeals Chairwoman Doreen A. Prouty said before Friday’s vote.

There had been some concerns about the flammability of the distilling process.

The board approved one special permit to operate a distillery in an industrial zone on the condition that fire safety regulations be met and another special permit allowing for the ceiling to be raised to accommodate a still in a building that constitutes a preexisting, nonconforming use.

The property at 916 Suffield St. has wetlands to the rear and a deed restriction put on it by the state Natural Heritage Foundation because part of the property is home to the protected box turtle. Any work within 100 feet of the wetlands would require the permission of the Conservation Commission.

However, Henry Kozloski, chairman of the Conservation Commission, said he does not anticipate any problems because the structure and parking lot at the property have already been constructed.

Antonio also has financial interests in Mullino’s Trattoria and Bishop’s Lounge, both in Northampton, and Brewmaster’s Tavern, a restaurant-micro-brewery in Williamsburg.

Manager Roberta Deragon was reacting to news that Mayor Gregory Neffinger had fired assessor Christopher Keefe following a disagreement on holding tax abatement hearings.

WEST SPRINGFIELD – The manager of the West Springfield- Agawam Elks Club said if her organization has to pay an approximately $25,000 property tax bill it could well have to close its doors or drastically curtail its charitable functions.

“I don’t think we would be able to survive that kind of a slam,” Roberta A. Deragon, who manages the club, said Monday. She spoke on the heels of reports of newly installed Mayor Gregory C. Neffinger firing Principal Assessor Christopher Keefe after disagreeing about holding tax abatement hearings for the Elks as well as the Tatham Memorial Club, Dante Club and Verdi Club.

The four organizations, which for property tax purposes have been classified as social clubs, have contested tax bills for fiscal 2012, the first year they have had their real estate taxed. Taxing social clubs is a long-standing Bay State practice, according to a state Department of Revenue spokesman.

The city has assessed the West Springfield-Agawam Elks Home Inc. Lodge at 2174 at 429 Morgan Road at $709,700, generating a $25,546 tax bill for the fiscal year that started July 1.

Deragon said calling the four organizations social clubs is a misnomer and that she thinks of them as community-based clubs because of all the charity work they do. The hall is available for free for the meetings of such wide-ranging community groups as the local Boy Scouts and Trout Unlimited, according to her.

All proceeds from its bar are plowed back into maintenance and upkeep of the building as well as to the club’s many charities like sponsoring a youth soccer association, she said. In addition, Deragon said no one employed at the Elks, including her, is paid for working for the club.

Meanwhile, Neffinger has started soliciting applicants to replace Keefe, whom he fired Wednesday.

Deragon said Keefe was not sympathetic to the plight of the Elks and the other three clubs, none of which had officials who could be reached for comment Monday.

It’s your problem. He was not kind to us,” the Elks official said.

And as for reports of Neffinger shouting at Keefe for not holding abatement hearings, Deragon said, “That isn’t the man we know who is trying to help everybody out.”

Neither Keefe nor Neffinger could be reached for comment Monday.

Westfield is also considering creating a dog park.

AGAWAM – The city is moving forward with plans for a dog park because a majority of residents surveyed favor developing such an amenity, according to Mayor Richard A. Cohen.

“I fully support it,” Cohen said Tuesday of the concept, noting that the Agawam Dog Owners Group has agreed to fully fund and supervise a park.

The mayor also pointed out that other communities, Westfield among them, are eyeing have dog parks.

Sixty-seven percent of 338 residents surveyed favor developing a dog park where canines could safely play unleashed, according to the Office of Planning and Community Development.

Another 28 percent disagreed. The survey was done by the planning and community development office in response to recent efforts of the Agawam Dog Owners Group to promote creating a dog park in the community.

The mayor called for the study to measure public support for a dog park as it would most likely be established on city-owned property.

Of those who took the survey, 28 percent would visit the park at least once a week and 24 percent would use it at least three times a week. Thirty-one percent listed maintenance as their greatest concern and 15 percent worried about animal vaccinations and diseases.

Deborah S. Dachos, director of Planning and Community Development, said health issues could be easily addressed by requiring an annual permit to use the dog park with evidence of immunizations mandated. Dog park users would be required to have their permit with them while using the area. Twenty-right percent of survey respondents stated they have no concerns about having a dog park.

The city is eyeing a small section of its 35-acre Shea Field property as a possible site. Shea Field is located off Maynard Street behind Robinson Park School near Robinson State Park. Dog parks generally take up an acre or more, Dachos has said.

The cost of developing a dog park has been estimated at anywhere from $20,000 to $50,000 with most of the cost being fencing materials.

The deal includes freezing rates for 4 years, including rates for 200,000 customers of Western Massachusetts Electric Co.

BOSTON – State leaders on Wednesday unveiled a landmark agreement with NStar and Northeast Utilities that would permit the two electric utilities to merge in return for purchasing a certain amount of power from the Cape Wind project and for freezing rates for four years including for 200,000 customers in Western Massachusetts.

Under the agreement, which still needs approval of the state Department of Public Utilities, the combined company would keep its electric distribution base rates the same through 2015.

In addition, the merged utility would also have to award customers with a one-time rebate of $21 million, or about $12 to $15 for the average ratepayer.

The Republican photo by Dave RobackMassachusetts Gov. Deval L. Patrick talks to Belchertown residents during a meeting last November about the Oct. 29 snow storm. At right is Richard K. Sullivan Jr. Secretary, Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs. Patrick and Sullivan on Wednesday announced that a merger of two electric utilities would be conditioned on a freeze of rates for four years for ratepayers including about 200,000 in Western Massachusetts.

At a press conference, Gov. Deval L. Patrick said the merger will be good for ratepayers, the environment and the economy.

"What we have today is a landmark agreement for customers," Patrick said. "It will protect ratepayers from rate increases now and into the future and it passes the savings from the merger directly back to the customer."

According to Richard K. Sullivan Jr. of Westfield, the state's secretary of energy and environmental affairs, state officials made sure that customers in Western Massachusetts would benefit from the merger.

Sullivan said the merged utility will also need to improve reliability and response to power outages in Western Massachusetts.

"This is a fair agreement, a good agreement," Sullivan said.

Under the settlement, the merged entity will enter into a 15-year contract to purchase 27.5 percent of the electricity from the 133-turbine Cape Wind, the fully permitted offshore wind energy project planned for Nantucket Sound off the south shore of Cape Cod, the Patrick administration said. If that project does not break ground by 2016, the utility will buy an equal amount of clean energy from another source, likely land-based wind or solar, the Patrick administration said.

In 2010, another key utility, National Grid, agreed to buy about 50 percent of the power output of Cape Wind.

Northeast Utilities, based in Hartford, owns the Western Massachusetts Electric Co., which serves 200,000 residential and other customers in Western Massachusetts including Amherst, Agawam, Greenfield, Ludlow, Springfield and West Springfield.

NSTAR, based in Boston, has electric customers in 81 communities and gas customers in 51 communities.

Connecticut regulators also still need to approve the merger of the two utilities.

With its provisions to boost clean energy and help ratepayers, state officials hailed the agreement as a major victory for the state and customers.

Attorney General Martha Coakley said the agreement is a condition for her approval of the merger. Coakley said her office negotiated the agreement with the two utilities.

"The merger of these public utility companies has the potential to lower costs for customers through increased operating efficiency, but we believed ratepayers needed to see the results of those savings in their bills," Coakley said in a statement. "Through this agreement, customers across the commonwealth are ensured much needed savings through the distribution rate freeze and customer credits."

The agreement also calls for restructuring existing rates that currently result in commercial and industrial customers for Western Massachusetts Electric paying significantly more than the actual cost to serve them, Coakley said.

House Minority Leader Bradley H. Jones Jr., a North Reading Republican, criticized the agreement. Cape Wind has a higher cost for power when compared to some other sources of energy.

"Strong-arming NSTAR to purchase Cape Wind as a condition of the company’s merger with Northeast Utilities will ultimately increase electricity costs and hurt Massachusetts’ ratepayers, businesses and municipalities," Jones said.

The merger, which would create a company valued at $17.5 billion, was announced in October 2010. The new company would be called Northeast Utilities and would result in one of the country's largest utilities.

Sullivan said the state utilities department still needs to rule on a separate investigation into the response of electric companies to the freak Oct. 29 snowstorm, which knocked out power for a week for some customers. The state investigations, announced on Nov. 8, focus on the companies' efforts to restore electric power, including their communications with cities and towns.

West Springfield Mayor Gregory Neffinger said he has already received four applications for the job of principal assessor.

West Springfield Mayor Gregory Neffinger, left, is seen in this composite photo with principal assessor Christopher Keefe, who he fired last week.

WEST SPRINGFIELD – Mayor Gregory C. Neffinger has found someone to fill in temporarily as the city’s principal assessor until a permanent official can be put in place.

Chester J. Nicora Jr., who retired as Agawam’s assessor, will work about an hour a day concentrating on abatements and abatement hearings, according to Neffinger. Nicora’s rate of pay is still under negotiation, according to the mayor.

In addition, Neffinger said he has gotten four applications for the job of principal assessor. Neffinger needs to find a replacement for former Principal Assessor Christopher Keefe, whom he fired last week.

He dismissed Keefe, one day after a contentious Board of Assessors meeting during which Keefe refused to hold tax abatement hearings for four local social clubs on the grounds that they must pay their taxes before they can have abatement hearings.

Neffinger said Thursday that the firing was not connected to the meeting, but came about because Keefe had not been forthcoming with information he had sought.

The city has advertised the job as carrying a salary of $53,480 to $75,010. Keefe had been paid about $71,000 annually.

The city has advertised the job with the Massachusetts Municipal Association as seeking applicants who have a bachelor’s degree with five to seven years’ work experience in assessing and/or property appraisal and demonstrated skill in data processing, data base management required to continue the use of the Patriot Assess Pro system, GIS mapping and computer applications. A Massachusetts accredited assessor certification is required, or the ability to obtain it within two years of appointment.

The principal assessor works under the direction of the Board of Assessors and the chief financial officer. The person holding that office is responsible for administrative, technical and supervisory work related to the valuation and re-evaluation of all residential, industrial and commercial real estate and personal property within state Department of Revenue regulations and for providing related information to the mayor, Town Council and department heads.

Neffinger said he is unsure how long it will take to get a permanent replacement for Keefe, but that he hopes to make the workings of the office more “transparent” as he goes through the process.

The fall was reported Wednesday night at about 11:30 p.m.

Republican file photo

This is an update to a story originally posted at 8 a.m.

AMHERST - A man who tumbled 25 feet down a steep section of Bare Mountain late Wednesday night is lucky to have escaped more serious injury, according to his rescuers.

“This guy needs to play the lottery now,” Amherst Fire Chief Tim Nelson said. “There are spots where he could have gone down 75 to 100 feet. He just kind of bounced and rolled down to 25 feet. He got lucky.”

The man, identified by WWLP as 22-year-old Scott Merrick of South Hadley, was taken to Baystate Medical Center in Springfield for treatment of non-life-threatening injuries. He was listed in good condition, a hospital spokesman said.

Emergency personnel received a call regarding a fall on the mountain from the victim’s female companion at about 11:30 p.m., Nelson said.

Fortunately for the victim, two of the responding paramedics are members of the Amherst Fire Department Technical Rescue Team and one of them had gone for a run on the trails on the mountain, part of the Mount Holyoke range, the day before.

“Our team uses Bare Mountain as a training site so the guys are familiar with it,” Nelson said.

Rescuers, including members of the Amherst Police Department and District 2 of the South Hadley Fire Disttrict 2, rigged up a rope system and lowered a rescue basket down to the injured man. They conducted an initial assessment and then hailed him up the 25 feet in the basket, Nelson said.

“Our field assessment really didn’t show any serious injuries,” Nelson said.

Once the victim was safely brought to the top of the drop, some 20 to 25 of the rescuers were required to shuttle the basket down the steep and icy trail.

The rescue took a number of hours and emergency personnel used the state Department of Conservation and Resources visitor center as a command post. Emergency personnel finally cleared the scene at about 5 a.m., Nelson said.

The fire chief said he was pleased with the way that multiple agencies worked together on the rescue. “That’s the way it’s supposed to work,” Nelson said. “I couldn’t be more proud of everyone that was involved. Everybody brought something to the dance.”

Even actors and dancers are needed to keep the amusement park running this upcoming season.

Photo by Dave Roback / The RepublicanDerick Handley, of Manchester, Conn., applies for a job at Six Flags New England in Agawam during a job fair Friday. Jessica Johnston an employee trainer at the park looks over Handley's paperwork.

AGAWAM – Once again people of all ages crowded into the human resources building at Six Flags New England to vie Friday for the 3,000 jobs that need to be filled to operate the regional amusement park when it opens for the season on April 14.

Jennifer Mance, director of sales and marketing, said there were 60 to 70 people lined up outside the building when it opened its doors to job applicants at 3 p.m.

“We have all different ages. Teachers who are off in the summer. College students. High school students,” she said.

Job seekers came for interviews Friday after having applied for jobs online at sixflagsjobs.com. Job interviews will also be conducted from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday.

Starting pay is $8 an hour and applicants must be at least 16. There are positions open in the following areas: admissions, food service, games, lifeguarding, loss prevention, park services, emergency medical technician, security, entertainment, retailing and rides. The park also seeks on a full-time, year-round basis a food services supervisor, a sign shop carpenter, a controller and a business analyst.

Most positions will be filled after interviews conducted on the spot.

Seventeen-year-old Taylor E. Stevens of South Hadley was among the applicants at the park Friday.

“I’m very outgoing and it seems like a fun job,” Stevens said in answer to why she is seeking her first job at Six Flags New England. Stevens said she would use her pay to save money for a car and college expenses.

Donald R. Gladu, 61, of Chicopee got laid off three years ago from his job as a machinist and wants to work at the park to supplement his retirement benefits. He is hoping to get a job as an emergency medical technician.

“I think it would be an interesting place to work,” Gladu said. “Other EMTs who have worked here have told me it was a nice atmosphere.”

Six Flags New England will also start its auditions of performers starting Sunday, when it will interview them from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. It seeks dancers, actors, specialty acts, and superhero and character performers to entertain guests as well as stage support staff including sound and light technicians and costume repairers.

Agawam is also planning to move forward with creation of a dog park in that community,

WESTFIELD – The City Council will join the Friends of Westfield Dog Bark in finding a suitable location for the city’s first dog park.

The council Thursday authorized council president Christopher Keefe to appoint a special committee that will study the feasibility and location of a dog park. Keefe is expected to announce committee appointments and seek council approval of the group within two weeks. He already announced that Ward 6 Councilor Christopher M. Crean will serve as chairman.

Members of the friends group, a non-profit organization, are also expected to be appointed to the committee.

Crean, along with councilor James R. Adams sought council approval for the committee following a hearing earlier this month before the Parks and Recreation Commission. The commission, which oversees all city parks and playgrounds was considering Paper Mill Recreation Area off Paper Mill Road as a dog park site at the request of the friends group.

But, several persons at that hearing expressed concern about the location, including Crean and Adams.

“We need more input to make sure we get this right,” Crean told council members. “At the hearing there were some concerns but many people are in favor of a dog park in Westfield.

“We want to look for a permanent location, look at all city lands and want to see what assets are available,” said Crean.

Adams said the committee, in conjunction with Parks and Recreation Commission should also look at non-city owned property.

Veteran City Councilor Brian P. Sullivan said the city must “find a place everyone can use and enjoy and not interrupt or be interrupted by other activities.”

Ward 4 Councilor Mary L. O’Connell noted the friends group is “not looking for any city financing for this project.” The group has estimated the cost of creating a dog park at about $10,000 and has agreed to finance that through fund raising and then supervise and maintain the facility.

The may concern expressed during the earlier hearing was that Paper Mill area supports Westfield Little League baseball games and the proposed dog park there could impact that operation.

Agawam is also considering creation of a dog park and the Agawam Dog Owners Group has agreed to finance and provide supervision for a facility in that town.

A recent survey of Agawam residents showed that 67 percent of the 338 who responded favor a dog park.

The ceremony marked the 67th anniversary of the invasion that left more than 6,800 American armed service personnel dead and 20,000 wounded.

View full sizeManon MirabelliAGAWAM - Three survivors of Iwo Jima were honored Sunday, Feb. 19, by Westfield River Valley Detachment 141, Marine Corps League. It was the 67th anniversary of the World War II battle. From left to right, they are Donald F. Withee of West Springfield, Joseph F. Oleskiewicz of Westfield, and Donald S. Dorrington of Cummington.

AGAWAM – A local detachment of the Marine Corps League on Sunday honored three survivors of the 1945 invasion of Iwo Jima, a famous and infamous month-long battle that chalked up a crucial victory for the allied forces in World War II against the Japanese.

The ceremony, held at Heritage Hall Nursing Center, marked the 67th anniversary of the invasion that left more than 6,800 American armed service personnel dead and 20,000 wounded. Donald S. Dorrington of Cummington; Joseph F. Oleskiewicz of Westfield, a patient at Heritage Hall; and Donald F. Withee of West Springfield helped take the small Pacific island with more than 110,000 Marines.

Japanese armed forces occupied the island, which featured two working airfields and a third under construction. The U.S. wanted Iwo Jima as an emergency landing strip for B-29 Superfortress bombers and escorts damaged during aerial bombardments, but also as a staging point for a potential assault on the mainland.

But 22,000 Japanese soldiers and naval infantry put up a fight until March 23, when the island officially came under American control.

Oleskiewicz, who declined to discuss what he experienced, served in a batallion that advanced only 250 yards on the first day because the enemy soldiers were so well-trained and determined to keep Iwo Jima, according to Mark S. Dunne, Senior Vice Commandant of Westfield River Valley Detachment 141.

Dorrington, a former Marine corporal, told the story he had tried to forget until the 50th anniversary, when a friend convinced him to keep the memories alive.

“I have been overwhelmed by this. Every year there’s more attention than there was the year before,” said Dorrington. “I was just doing my thing. That’s why I was there.”

Dorrington’s unit arrived at a southern beach in a small landing craft and immediately came under enemy fire, he said. But the craft was stuck in mud so deep it dirtied the soldiers’ knees. Chaos ensued as the men exchanged fire and tried to free the craft.

Ultimately, his unit took the beach, advanced, and didn’t see another Japanese soldier for three days, said Dorrington.

“I might forget where I put my shoes tomorrow morning, but I will never forget” Iwo Jima, he said. “Today, it’s just as fresh in my mind as yesterday is.”

All three men were presented with citations of thanks from local communities. Dorrington and Oleskiewicz earned praise from Westfield and Agawam while Withee was honored by Agawam and West Springfield.

“I feel like an impostor,” said Withee. He was wounded on the second day of the invasion and airlifted off the island.

“I owe my life to lots and lots of people,” he said. “I couldn’t move from the waist down. ... God tossed me back that day and I don’t know why.”

U.S. armed forces officials declared the island secured on March 17, but the Japanese had constructed an elaborate system of caves and underground tunnels that allowed survivors to lie in wait to strike. More than 1,000 Marines were killed before the fighting ended March 23.

“The island was secured, but it was not secure,” said Dorrington.

By the end of the war, 2,251 B-29 bombers had made emergency landings on Iwo Jima. Eighty-five Medals of Honor were awarded for valor in the Pacific theater and 27 of them went to men at Iwo Jima, said Dunne.

“The more I read about Iwo Jima, the more I am in awe of these guys,” he said.

Here is a list of major municipal meetings for the coming week: Agawam Tues.- Beautification Committee, 9 a.m., Department of Public Works at 1000 Suffield St. Agawam Disability Commission, 4 p.m., Senior Center. Agawam Housing Authority, 4:30 p.m., 66 Meadowbrook Manor City Council, 7 p.m., Roberta G. Doering School. Thu.- Conservation Commission, 6:30 p.m., Agawam Public Library. Amherst Tues.-...

Republican file photoHolyoke City Hall

Here is a list of major municipal meetings for the coming week:

Agawam

Tues.- Beautification Committee, 9 a.m., Department of Public Works at 1000 Suffield St.

Agawam Disability Commission, 4 p.m., Senior Center.

Agawam Housing Authority, 4:30 p.m., 66 Meadowbrook Manor

City Council, 7 p.m., Roberta G. Doering School.

Thu.- Conservation Commission, 6:30 p.m., Agawam Public Library.

Amherst

Tues.- Amherst Housing Authority, 33 Kellogg Ave.

Wed.- Board of Assessors, 5 p.m., Town Hall.

Planning Board and Zoning Subcommittee, 5 p.m., Town Hall.

Thu.- Zoning Board of Appeals, 6:30 p.m., Town Hall.

Board of Health, 7 p.m., Bangs Community Center.

Chicopee

Tues.- City Council, 7:15 p.m., City Hall.

Wed.- Sewer Commission, 5:30 p.m., 80 Medina St.

Water Commission, 5:30 p.m. 115 Baskin Drive.

Cultural Council, 6:30 p.m., 449 Front St.

Thu.- Finance Committee, 6:30 p.m., City Hall.

East Longmeadow

Wed.- Conservation Commission, 7 p.m., Town Hall.

Easthampton

Tues.- Zoning Board of Appeals, 6:30 p.m., Municipal Building.

Wed.- City Council Finance Committee, 6 p.m., Municipal Building.

Granby

Tues.- Selectboard, 6:30 p.m., Senior Center

Board of Assessors, 7 p.m., Town Hall Annex

Wed.- Library Building Committee, 6 p.m., Public Safety Building

Greenfield

Tues.- Greenfield School Building Committee, 5:30 p.m., Town Hall.

License Committee, 6 p.m., 14 Court Square.

Thu.- Council on Aging, 2 p.m., Senior Center.

Hadley

Tues.- Planning Board, 7 p.m., Town Hall.

Select Board, 7 p.m., Town Hall.

Board of Health, 7 p.m., Town Hall.

Sat.- Finance Committee, 8 a.m., Senior Center.

Hatfield

Tues.- Board of Selectmen, 9 a.m., Memorial Hall.

Board of Health, 9:30 a.m., Memorial Hall.

Housing Authority, 6:30 p.m., 2 School St.

Sat.- Board of A Selectmen, 9 a.m., Hatfield Elementary School.

Holyoke

Tues.- Fire Commission, 6 p.m., Fire Department headquarters, 600 High St.

City Council, 7 p.m., City Hall, City Council Chambers.

Thu.- Handicap Commission, 6 p.m., City Hall, City Council Chambers.

City Council Redevelopment Committee, 6:30 p.m., City Hall, City Council Chambers.

Monson

Tues.- Planning Board, 7 p.m., Hillside School.

Wed.- Veterans Services District, 7 p.m., Hillside School.

Assessors, 2 p.m., Hillside School.

Thu.- Zoning Board of Appeals, 7:30 p.m., Hillside School.

Northampton

Tues.- Transportation and Parking Commission, 4 p.m., Council Chambers.

Smith Agricultural Vocational High School, 5 p.m., Vocational High School

Wed.- Board of Public Works, 5:30 p.m., 123 Locust St.

Human Rights Commission, 7 p.m., City Hall.

Thu.- Conservation Commission, 5 p.m., Council Chambers.

Zoning Board of Appeals, 5:30 p.m., Council Chambers.

Planning Board, 7 p.m., Council Chambers.

South Hadley

Mon.- Capital Planning Committee, 5 p.m., Town Hall 204

Tues.- Community and Economic Development Commission, 3 p.m., Town Hall 109

Solid Waste Advisory Committee, 5:30 p.m., 10 Industrial Drive

Sustainability and Energy Commission, 6 p.m., Town Hall 204

School Committee, 6:30 p.m., South Hadley High School Library

Wed.- Town Meeting Electronic Communication Advisory Committee, 6:30 p.m., Police Station

Thu.- Fire District 1 Prudential Committee, 6 p.m., 144 Newton St.

Selectboard, 7 p.m., Town Hall

Fri.- Selectboard, 7:30 a.m., Town Hall

Springfield

Tues.- City Council Planning and Economic Development Committee, 3 p.m., room 200, City Hall.

Springfield Redevelopment Authority, 4:30 p.m., conference room, 18 Saab Court.

Springfield Parking Authority, 5:30 p.m., authority office, 150 Bridge St.

Wed.- Superintendent search hearing, 5:30 p.m., Roger L. Putnam Vocational Technical Academy, 1300 State St.

Thu.- City Council Committee on Elder Affairs, 2 p.m., Greenleaf Community Center, 1188 Parker St.

City Council General Government Committee, 5 p.m., Room 200, City Hall.

Superintendent search hearing, 5:30 p.m. Frederick Harris School, 58 Hartford Terrace.

Fri.- City Council Human Services Committee, 12:30 p.m., community room, 18 Saab Court.

Warren

Tues.- Warren Water District, 1 p.m., 20 Old West Brookfield Road.

Assessors, 4 p.m., Shepard Municipal Building.

Wed.- Planning Board, 6 p.m., Shepard Municipal Building.

West Springfield

Tues.- West Springfield Arts Council, 6:30 p.m., municipal building.

Board of License Commissioners, 7 p.m., municipal building.

Planning and Construction Committee, 7 p.m., municipal building.

Board of Library Trustees, 7 p.m., West Springfield Public Library.

Town Council, 7 p.m., municipal building.

The Agawam Fire Department extinguished the flames, which destroyed the truck and spread to an adjacent building.

03.09.11 | Photo by Julian Feller-Cohen – The Agawam Fire Department's patch.

AGAWAM – An empty refrigerated truck that caught fire Monday afternoon in the parking lot of the H.P. Hood facility at 233 Main St. was destroyed by flames that spread to an adjacent building on the property, Agawam Fire Lt. James Lancour said.

Firefighters who responded to the 4:10 p.m. call found flames from the truck igniting the exterior siding of a repair shop building, bu they were able to stop the blaze before it harmed the building's interior, Lancour said.

The 25-foot truck was a complete loss, but the cargo area was empty and no merchandise was lost, Lancour said.

No injuries were reported.

As of Monday evening, fire inspectors were attempting to identify the cause of the fire, Lancour said.

View Larger Map

Funding to the Meals on Wheels program would mean the loss of more than 200,000 meals per year.

Photo by Michael S. Gordon / The RepublicanLunch time at the Pleasant View Senior Center in East Longmeadow. The state is considering cutting funding to meal programs in 2013.

Marge Sheehan, of East Longmeadow, has lunch at the Pleasant View Senior Center on North Main Street every day at noon. For Sheehan, and many seniors, lunch is a chance to get out of the house, meet with friends and eat an inexpensive and healthy meal.

“It’s a lifeline,” said Sheehan, who has also volunteered to prepare the meals for the Meals on Wheels program. “It gives me a chance to socialize, eat a healthy meal and have a good time with friends.”

Gov. Deval Patrick’s proposed budget for fiscal year 2013 includes a 24 percent cut to funds that pay for Meals on Wheels and congregate meal programs like the one at Pleasant View. Elder care service providers said the cuts would be devastating to the program.

“This is an important nutrition program, but also an important socialization program for seniors,” said Albert Norman, the executive director of Mass Home Care. “Whether they go to a congregate meal site or they get a meal delivered at home it is an opportunity to interact with other people.”

Norman said Patrick’s budget slashes the elder nutrition program by $1.5 million, from the fiscal year 2012 level of $6.3 million, to $4.8 million in fiscal year 2013.

“The loss of funding will cut nearly a quarter a million meals in 2013. Total meals served to seniors will plummet from 996,000 meals in 2012, to 754,000 meals in 2013, a loss of 242,000 meals,” he said.

Mass Home Care works with WestMass ElderCare, Greater Springfield Senior Services, Highland Valley Elder Services, Franklin County Home Care Corporation and Elder Services of Berkshire County, which in turn provide funds for meals at individual towns in Hampden, Hampshire, Franklin and Berkshire counties.

WestMass ElderCare Executive Director Priscilla L. Chalmers said her organization is responsible for meals in Belchertown, Chicopee, Granby, Holyoke, Ludlow, South Hadley and Ware. They also provide funds for Lorraine’s Kitchen in Chicopee and Kate’s Kitchen and the Salvation Army in Holyoke. In fiscal year 2011 they served 380,320 meals.

“We do get federal funding and some local donations, but we rely heavily on funds from the state,” Chalmers said. “This would be a devastating loss for us.”

Photo by Michael S. Gordon / The RepublicanLunch time at the Pleasant View Senior Center in East Longmeadow.

Chalmers said the program helps seniors stay in their homes for longer.

“By providing them a daily meal we help keep them out of nursing homes,” she said.

John Lutz, executive director of Highland Valley Elder Services, which serves twenty-four communities in Hampshire and Hampden county including Northampton, Hadley, Amherst, Southwick, Westfield and Easthampton, said they serve about 950 meals a day with 826 of those being home delivered and 124 at congregate meal sites. He said this is the first time in years that the state has considered cutting funding to the program.

“Seniors are very aware that there could be a cut and we are encouraging people to advocate for the program by calling their local legislatures and telling them how important the meals are,” he said.

Ruth Pessolano, Connie Garcia, Marilyn Cramblit and Kay Murphy meet for lunch every day at Pleasant View. They are aware of the possible funding cut and said they will write letters to their legislatures and promote the program any way they can.

“If it wasn’t for this program I don’t know where I would be,” Murphy said.

Garcia said the program gets her out of the house and into the senior center where she can then participate in a variety of activities throughout the day.

Local senior center directors like Carolyn Brennan, who runs Pleasant View, said the funds are essential to for operating the program.

Brennan said she budgets about $100,000 a year for the meals program. The money comes from federal and state grants as well as donations. They do not receive money from the town’s general fund, she said.

Brennan said she receives about $20,000 from the state to run the program.

“If we lost that it would be a huge blow to us. I don’t think we could supplement such a large amount,” she said.

Senior center’s like Pleasant View receive the grants from Greater Springfield Senior Services, one of the organizations Mass Home Care supports.

“We provide grants for East Longmeadow, Longmeadow, Monson, West Springfield and Agawam,” said Elaine Massery, the executive director of Greater Springfield Senior Services.

Massery coordinates 20,000 meals per day through the congregate sites, but mostly through the Meals on Wheels program. The organization directly serves communities including Springfield, Wilbraham, Palmer, Wales, Holland, Brimfield and Hampden.

Massery said the program receives about $315,000 in state funds. With Patrick’s cut they would lose about $75,000 dollars.

“If we lose that money some things will have to change. We will have to look more closely at who is getting meals, we might require our drivers to take on more meal deliveries,” she said. “This has never been an issue before, so we will have to come up with some other options.”

Chalmers hopes an event put on by WestMass ElderCare in March will bring awareness to the importance of the program.

“On March 23 we will be organizing an event called March for Meals where we will invite elected officials to assist us in delivering meals to people. It will give them a chance to speak with seniors about the value of this program,” she said.

Brennan said she is working with the Meals on Wheels Association of America to raise awareness about the importance of the program.

“This is more than just a meal, it serves as a method of socialization and a well-being check,” Brennan said. “Often times our drivers will stop by to deliver a meal and find an elderly person on the floor or in need of medical help. For some seniors this is the only person they will talk to in day.”

Norman said he will be going to Beacon Hill to defend the program before the Senate and the House of Representatives make a decision on whether to cut funding.

“We are ready to fight for this program,” he said.

Despite the defeat of a resolution by the City Council, Russo said he will still be able to buy the property, a former brownfields site.

File photo by Dave Roback / The RepublicanThis 2006 photograph shows the cleanup site at the former Agawam Sportsman's Club.

AGAWAM – Undaunted by a small area of contamination, local contractor Thomas Russo Jr. said he will buy the former the Agawam Sportsman’s Club property next week and plans to build 30 condominiums.

“I’m looking forward to getting the project going,” Russo said of the five-acre property, which shares part of a small contaminated area with School Street Park.

The contractor said he can – and will – move forward with the project.

Mayor Richard A. Cohen and City Councilor Robert A. Magovern have said a deed restriction on School Street Park was needed in order to develop the long-vacant Sportsman’s Club property. They said the state Department of Environmental Protection and the federal Environmental Protection Agency sought deed restrictions prohibiting the growing of crops on a small section of the park contiguous to the club as well as on part of the club property.

A resolution to that effect offered by Magovern failed on a 4-5 vote Tuesday.

Voting in favor of the resolution were city councilors George Bitzas, Ceciia P. Calabrese, Gina M. Letellier, and Magovern. Voting against it were city councilors Christopher C. Johnson, Joseph Mineo, Dennis J. Perry, Donald M. Rheault and Robert E. Rossi. City Councilor James P. Cichetti abstained from voting.Russo said Wednesday he learned from his consultant on the project that the restriction was not a requirement.

Magovern said Wednesday that a consultant for Russo had sought the deed restrictions only as “a precaution.”

The state and federal governments have spent about $817,000 cleaning up a brownfields site that straddles both properties because it had high levels of lead and arsenic left behind from having been used as a shooting range.

Some members of City Council had earlier expressed concern that if the land is developed, the city might have liability as there are still some traces of contamination.

Rossi at one point, along with other councilors, favored adding the club property to the park. He said he voted against the resolution because he doesn’t believe the site is safe for housing.

“The risks are too great,” Rossi said. “Too many things can happen when lead and arsenic get into the system, particularly with young people.”

Magovern pointed out that 2,367 tons of soil have been removed from the site.

“The property is clean. I don’t know why they turned it down,” Magovern said.

In addition, he produced a document from DEP Brownfields Coordinator Ben Fish stating that the levels of residual chemicals are within the agency’s standards for residential areas.

Cohen said he just wants to see the former brownfields site back on the tax rolls.

Since Feb. 29 happens only every 4 years, leap-year babies have only a quarter of the birthdays ordinary people have – technically.

The Republican | Don TreegerLeap Year baby Aryana Angelis will be 8 this year. She is seen here with her mother, Yansa Garcia.

James Kalbaugh, who celebrates his 9th birthday today, is a firefighter in Agawam.

James Wooller, of Holyoke, is a pastor with four kids. He turns 11 today.

In Northfield, Walter Morgan, who is retired from a long career in environmental management and forestry, turns 16.

No, these are not alarmingly precocious children.

They are all people who were born on Feb. 29. In a leap year, February has 29 days instead of 28.

Since that happens every four years, leap-year babies have only a quarter of the birthdays ordinary people have – technically.

That’s why Aryana Angelis, who made the front page of The Republican when she was born eight years ago, is telling people that she turns 2 today. She arrived minutes after midnight on Feb. 29, 2004.

It’s also why, although the calendar says she is only 4, Westfield High School sophomore Monica Browne will celebrate her “Sweet 16” birthday with a special party.

There’s no question that this calendrical oddity catches people’s attention. There’s even an Honor Society of Leap Year Day Babies (leapyearday.com), which claims to have more than 10,000 members

“People are just fascinated by it,” said leap-year baby and psychic medium Jess Steinman, of the Agawam-based business In Touch with Spirit.

“I get a lot of jokes like, ‘Wow, you’re really smart for 8 years old,’” said Steinman, who is actually 32.

Kalbaugh, who lives in Chicopee and is a paramedic as well as a firefighter, says his 10-year-old daughter Meghan loves the fact that she’s “older” than her dad.

Julius Caesar adopted the leap-day concept from the Egyptians after figuring out that the quadrennial addition of an extra day could make a precise calendar. Leap years are necessary to keep the calendar in alignment with the Earth’s revolutions around the sun. It takes the Earth approximately 365.242199 days to circle once around the sun.

Being the fanciful critters they are, people soon began attaching special meanings to leap year.

For example, on Feb. 29 it’s supposed to be permissible for a woman to propose marriage to a man. Also, leap-year babies are thought to be lucky.

The myths keep coming. Wooller said a member of his congregation at Crossroads Community Church in West Springfield reported hearing on the radio that “you can’t put Feb. 29 as your birthday on a driver’s license.” False!

Calendar or not, rare is the family that doesn’t celebrate Feb. 29 birthdays in the off-years, too.

Lisa Guillemette, of Ludlow, couldn’t wait to celebrate her son Caleb’s birthday. She and her husband, Justin, had been childless for 10 years when Caleb was born on Feb. 29, 2008.

A year later, they celebrated with a “big party in a rented hall,” said Lisa.

She would have done the same this year for Caleb’s other “first” birthday, but the 4-year-old wanted to have his party at home. Fifteen of his friends have been invited.

Aryana’s mom, Yansa Garcia, said she usually celebrates her daughter’s birthday on March 1 in the off-years. Morgan said his parents used to celebrate his birthday on either Feb. 28 or March 1, and would let him choose what kind of cake he got.

Springfield FalconsDamon Markiewicz

Damon Markiewicz, head of marketing for the Springfield Falcons hockey team, jokes that he got “greedy” as he got older, so he started claiming both days in off-years.

Wooller claims he went even further. One of the good parts of being a leap-year baby, he says, is that he gets to decide when to celebrate his birthday – “and sometimes I can make it several days!”

Though leap-year babies tend to shrug off the idea that they are “special,” Markiewicz was indeed a miracle baby.

He was supposed to be born on April 10 – and was born on Feb. 29 instead.

Doctors gave the preemie a 2 percent chance of survival. His chest collapsed and he was baptized in the hospital in case he didn’t make it.

He grew up strong and healthy. He got involved in youth sports. When his birthday fell on the day of a game, he and his pals would all go out together afterwards to celebrate.

He is now 36. “I’m very lucky,” said Markiewicz.