Wilbraham BOS hears crumbling concrete presentation

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The Wilbraham-Hampden

TIMESOCTOBER 28, 2021 www.wilbrahamhampdentimes.turley.comA TURLEY PUBLICATION ❙ www.turley.com

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By Dalton ZbierskiEditor

HAMPDEN – There were 15 warrant articles on the agenda at the Oct. 18 Hampden Special Town Meeting, and residents voted in favor of all 15. During a meeting that ran just north of an hour, a handful of items drew the most discus-sion.

The meeting was held in the auditorium of Thornton W. Burgess School on Wilbraham Road. Shortly after it began, Advisory Committee Chair Carol Fitzgerald outlined the town’s financial standing.

“As of tonight, our Stabi-lization Account Balance is $1,264,000; that’s town’s long-term savings account,” said Fitzgerald.

It was also announced that there will be a $174,311 re-duction in appropriations to the Hampden Police Depart-ment, based on savings from the town’s decision to merge its dispatch services with Wil-braham. The reduction was approved by residents with the passing of Article 3 on police budget adjustments.

“Based on all this, we be-lieve that the net effect will be about a 1% increase in the average tax bill, which is sub-stantially lower than increases we’ve had in the past couple of years. We think that this will allow us to meet our current financial needs and obligations to the town and prepare us for potential challenging times ahead as well,” said Fitzgerald.

Free Cash is certified at $1,113,937, and recommen-dations given by the Advisory

Committee for the warrant arti-cles proposed on Oct. 18 were based on input and discussion with Town Accountant Cliff Bombard, Town Treasurer Richard Patullo and the Board of Selectmen.

Article 1 proposed spend-ing $53,000 of unappropriated funds on a new police cruiser. A new cruiser was also ap-proved in May at the Annual Town Meeting.

Selectman John Flynn ex-plained that the town has four patrol vehicles; the average mileage of all four is between 70,000 and 80,000.

Due to a chip shortage that is impacting the automobile manufacturing market interna-tionally, there will be a “tre-mendous delay” in getting both new vehicles. By the time they arrive in Hampden, mileage on all four current vehicles will exceed 100,000.

“That’s not very efficient. The maintenance costs go way up. The vehicles in the winter will not be able to do what they need to do,” said Flynn. “We have a mobile police depart-ment. They need to be able to respond, get to your house and help you, and you need appro-priate vehicles for that.”

Article 2 referred to the implementation of a Munici-pal Light Plant. The town will not be building an actual light plant, but it must follow state procedure and name an entity to oversee a MLP before in-stalling fiber optic cable across town.

The Board of Selectmen will be responsible for over-

By Kimberly Palmucci Correspondent

WILBRAHAM – Crumbling foundations caused by the min-eral pyrrhotite are leaving Mas-sachusetts home owners with nowhere to turn.

“It’s a very emotional and financially devastating thing to happen to you,” said Michelle Loglisci, a Monson resident whose home suffered from a crumbling foundation.

Loglisci appeared at the Wil-braham Board of Selectmen’s recent meeting to present infor-mation on behalf of the Mas-sachusetts Residents Against Crumbling Concrete, a group dedicated to raising awareness and gaining support for solutions to the crumbling foundation cri-

sis arising throughout homes in the Commonwealth.

Area homes that were built between 1983 and 2015 with concrete poured by the now-de-funct concrete company JJ Mottes are at risk, Loglisci said. The concrete that is seeing prob-lems contained the mineral pyr-rhotite, which degraded foun-dations. Without repairs costing $150,000 to $250,000, impacted homes eventually would be “un-inhabitable,” the group shared in a statement.

The aggregate came from a quarry in Willington, CT, Loglis-ci said, and although the com-pany has gone out of business, many of the foundations poured over the years are just now be-ginning to crumble.

“It takes 15 to 20 years for

this to begin to show up,” Loglis-ci said during the meeting, add-ing that the only scientific way to find out if a home is impacted is with core testing.

She added that, especially in today’s housing market, this can lead to unexpected surprises and consequences for home buyers, many of whom are waiving in-spections because they are “anx-ious to buy a home.”

“The only way to find out is a core test,” she added.

Like many homeowners whose foundations were im-pacted, Loglisci said she and her family were left with “no recourse, no insurance cover-age, and costs” that range from $150,000 to $300,000 to replace

Warrant items pass at Special Town Meeting

(Staff photos by Dalton Zbierski)The town of Hampden wishes everyone a Happy Halloween. At the Special Town meeting on Oct. 18, town officials left happy, as every warrant article passed.

From Connecticut to Massachusetts, hundreds of homeowners are suffering from cracking foundations. Wilbraham residents are familiar with the scenario. (Photo Courtesy of massracf.com)

Wilbraham BOS hearscrumbling concrete presentation


HAMPDEN – Students en-rolled in the Transition Program at Thornton W. Burgess School are joining the fight against food insecurity in Hampden County. A food drive is ongoing at the school on Wilbraham Road from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. through Nov. 5.

Items can be dropped off out-doors in front of the school in a clearly-marked location. All col-lections will benefit Lorraine’s Soup Kitchen and Pantry in Chi-copee.

Suggested donations include peanut butter, canned soups with pop-tops, water bottles, rice, pas-ta, canned pasta sauce, canned vegetables, canned fruits, hot and cold oatmeal or cereal, gra-nola bars and bagged snacks.

“We did this last year as well.

It was very successful so I told the guys, ‘Let’s do it again.’ At this time of year, the people are in need; people are in need at all times, but we decided to do it again, and they’re very excited about it,” said Anthony Zaremba,

a Transition Teacher at TWB. Last year, Zaremba, a former

Chicopee resident, reached out to his contacts at Minnechaug Regional High School, inquiring

TWB Transition Program donates to those facing hunger with food drive

The TWB Food Drive will be ongoing through Nov. 5. Donations can be dropped off in front of the school. (Photo submitted by Anthony Zaremba)

Please see CRUMBLING, page 4

Please see FOOD, page 4 Please see HAMPDEN, page 9

The Wilbraham-Hampden TIMES October 28, 2021

NEWS ABOUT TOWN

PAID POLITICAL ADVERTISEMENT


HAMPDEN – During the Oct. 18 Special Town Meeting at Thorn-ton W. Burgess School, Hampden residents voted in favor of passing Article 9, a Community Preservation Committee item.

By a majority vote, residents ap-proved a request from the Hampden Historical Commission for $9,300 to hire a consultant to prepare and apply for a Historic Register listing on the National Register of Historic Places or take any other action rela-tive thereto.

The action will not affect Hamp-den’s tax rate and will place no re-strictions on residents.

“We have 110 properties in the proposed district. We did a mailing over the summer to all 110 [house-holds],” said Christina Rivest, a member of the Historical Commis-sion. “We provided them with details on what we want to do, a map of the proposed district and a brochure on what a Historic Register district fully involves.”

Being on the National Register of Historic Places and living in a lo-cally-designated Historic District are not the same. Individuals who live on a property that exists on the national register are still permitted to modify their homes.

A locally-designated Historic District serves to preserve a group

of buildings, properties or sites that are historically significant as they are. Those living in a local Historic District are largely unable to modify their homes or properties.

“It’s very different than a [local] Historic District, which gives all of those restrictions on what an individ-ual can do for their home or property. This is not that,” said Rivest.

Earlier this year, 22 residents attended a public forum to discuss the proposed action. That evening, a consultant was introduced to attend-ees; she answered a variety of ques-tions.

On Oct. 18, several residents were outspoken against Article 9. One individual questioned why all Hampden residents did not receive a letter and characterized the proposed vote as being “offensive.”

Another resident, who lives on one of the properties that will be placed on the National Historic Reg-ister, noted that it is not a big deal. She emphasized that the action will not place limitations on homeown-ers.

Connie Witt, Chair of the His-torical Commission, has staunchly advocated for the action. She shared statistics identifying the support that the item has received from those who live within the district.

“We sent out the mailing with self-addressed postcards asking if people were in favor, opposed or un-decided, and 76% of the respondents

said they were in favor,” said Witt. “There was only basically one

objection, and that was that someone was told by their insurance compa-ny that they would have to pay more insurance, but the agent did not un-derstand that this was not a local His-toric District. It’s a National Register Historic District. It has absolutely no authority to tell you anything that you can do with your home,” Witt continued.

A new motion was made to re-move the phrase “and submit” from the article. If the motion had passed, the consultant could still be hired, but the application for the National Register listing would not have been immediately cleared.

The motion failed, and residents approved Article 9 as it stood. For Witt, who has watched numerous Historical Commission-sponsored articles fall short at previous Town Meetings, the victory was well-de-served.

“Sometimes, we’d like a little pat on the back. It’s recognition for something we have been able to keep for well over 150 years. Some of our homes are even 200 years old. This is recognition for that,” said Witt. “There are over 900 National Regis-ter Historic Districts in the state of Massachusetts alone, and we don’t have one. Does that mean we’re not important? Does that mean we don’t have history or buildings that are worth preserving? I don’t think so.”

110 Hampden properties to join National Register of Historic Places

Wilbraham Friends of the Libraryannual book salereturns Nov. 3

WILBRAHAM – Wilbraham Friends of the Li-brary are delighted to announce their annual book sale is back! The WFOL Annual Book Sale is a major fundraiser providing funds for programs for children, teens and adults as well as museum passes, furnishings and other library equipment. We know many folks in our community have been accumulating books during the long pandemic period and we are happy to once again offer the opportunity to recycle these books, stock up on new ones and fund library programs. The WFOL 2021 Book Sale will be held Wednesday, Nov. 3 through Saturday, Nov. 6 in the Brooks Room of the Wilbraham Public Library and will include gently-used books, CDs, and DVDs for all ages and genres. Please save your good used books and materi-als for our sale. Children’s and adult books, fiction or non-fiction, hobby books etc. are all welcomed. Due to space restrictions, we cannot accept encyclopedias, magazines or Readers Digest condensed novels. As a thank you for their support, donors will receive a cou-pon good for 2 free books of their choice from the sale when donations are dropped off. Donations of books and materials will be accepted at the library from Fri-day, Oct. 29 through Sunday, Oct. 31 during regular library hours. For more information or questions about the sale contact [email protected]. For more information on the Wilbraham Friends of the Li-brary visit them on the web at http://wilbrahamlibrary.org/friends.asp, on Facebook or via email at [email protected].

Established in 1973, the Wilbraham Friends of the Library funds programs for children, teens, and adults, as well as the library’s popular Museum Pass program, furnishings, and other library equipment.

The Wilbraham-Hampden TIMESOctober 28, 2021

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By Kimberly PalmucciCorrespondent

WILBRAHAM (Oct. 25, 2021) – The four Wilbraham voting precincts may be shifting—slightly.

The Wilbraham Board of Select-men approved a 2020 reprecincting plan that saw the lines for all four voting precincts in town shifting. The new plan was described as “not a drastic change” done by the state for balance due to the town’s growth in the last 10 years, said Town Clerk Carole Tardif.

When the plans are finalized, Tardif said that every voter impacted will received a postcard and will be notified of the changes.

During the meeting, the board also took an opportunity to hear im-pressions and comments regarding the recent Town Meeting held last Monday. Town Moderator Jim Jur-gens said that there was a tremen-dous turnout at the meeting, with more than 600 people voting on Ar-ticle 5, but trying to accommodate everyone saw its challenges.

Jurgens described a “mad rush” of people coming in just before 7 p.m., and combined with sporting events that were also taking place, parking became an issue. Meeting discussion revealed that several res-idents had reported not being able to find a parking spot to the point where they ended up going home instead. Further discussion stated that resi-dents can arrive at any time during the meeting, no matter how late, and

would not be turned away if this hap-pens in the future.

One other challenge noted was the overflow use of the cafeteria and no way for attendees to ask questions from that room, Jurgens said. Ap-parently, during the Article 4 vote, Jurgens said that he was unaware of constituents in the cafeteria who may have had questions.

“If you have questions, you have to come to the auditorium,” Jurgens said, adding that the “logistics” don’t exist in the cafeteria to have people ask questions from there. It will be announced at the beginning of the next meeting that, if both rooms are used again, questions will need to be asked in the auditorium.

In other news, two reserve fund transfers were approved by the board for the Spec Pond irrigation system, including $8,625 to pay for the re-placement of a pump that broke and just over $6,200 for the cost of town water that was used while the pump was down. Parks and Recreation Di-rector Bryan Litz said that town wa-ter was utilized to keep the grass on fields alive after the pump went down over the summer; an unexpected wa-ter bill arose after the well company could not get the parts, including the motor and piping, due to delays.

The reserve fund transfers will now go to the Finance Committee for review.

Wilbraham BOS approves reprecincting plans, reserve fund transfers

(Staff photo by Dalton Zbierski)

Pumpkin Carving at Federated Church

HAMPDEN – Join Us for a Free Pumpkin Carv-ing Event at Federated Community Church, 590 Main St., Hampden on Saturday, Oct. 30 from 3 p.m. - 6 p.m. We will carve pumpkins, have apple ci-der donuts and there will be prizes for the best cos-tumes! All are welcome.

Metal Artfor ILTA

HAMPDEN – On Nov. 4 at 7 p.m. in the Commu-nity Room of the Hampden Senior Center at 104 Allen St., the Scantic River Arti-sans will offer a free Inter-active Learning Through Art program hosted by ar-tisan Brian McQuillan.

Brian’s passion is Met-al Sculpture, and he will share some of his means and methods for creating art from junk metal. This fascinating program will introduce interactive in-struction on how to trans-form metal into art.

Rummage Sale to return to St. CeciliaParish Center

WILBRAHAM – The annual RUMMAGE SALE sponsored by the St. Ce-cilia Catholic Women’s Club will be held in the St. Cecilia Parish Center, Fri-day, Nov. 5 from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. and Saturday, Nov. 6 from 8:30 a.m. to noon. Gently used clothing, jew-elry, household & kitchen items, toys, games, puzzles and linens are sold at very reasonable prices. Satur-day is bag day.

Strings and Friendsreturns to Hampden, Wilbraham

Strings and Friends is back, as 175 stu-dents from Grades Three to Eight in the Hampden-Wilbraham Regional School District have joined the string classes. Denise Gen-dron and Elaine Hold-sworth wish to thank the students and their parents who have chosen to pursue early music ed-ucation in this program.


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the foundation.A current state Senate Bill—

S548—would put in place certain recommendations relative to crum-bling concrete foundations, includ-ing enabling a captive insurance company to operate in Massachu-setts, introducing quarry testing standards, seller disclosure require-

ments, and more.“Private Insurance companies

have denied homeowners’ claims to cover the cost of foundation re-pairs,” the RACF group released. “In 2019, the Connecticut State Supreme Court ruled that homeowners’ insur-ance policies can exclude crumbling foundations under the existing defi-nition of ‘collapse.’”

The bill is currently in commit-

tee, waiting for a hearing by the Joint Committee on Environment, Natural Resources, and Agriculture. Loglisci encouraged the Wilbraham board to write a letter on behalf of homeown-ers to the members of the committee asking them to “please hold the hear-ing and get this thing rolling.”

Wilbraham Board Chair Robert Boilard described the situation as “horrible” and said that the board would support the effort.

More information can be found online at massracf.com.

what agencies are available to receive donations. His peers at the high school recommended Lorraine’s, and he was instantly onboard.

The transition program at TWB educates students aged 18 to 22 with unique individual needs. Upon entering the building, they are taught life and work skills, including how to cook, how to create a resume and how to prepare for a job.

Every year, students in the program organize a food drive, a clothing drive and a car wash.

“It’s to get our guys interested in the community, reaching out, making posters and flyers,” said Zarem-ba. “They love it. To collect the food and to organize it and sort it, and the coolest part is delivering it. We fill up the van, pile it up and they help deliver it. It’s very gratifying to give back.”

The annual January clothing drive benefits St. Ju-de’s Clothing Center in Holyoke, which is affiliated with Providence Ministries for the Needy, Inc. The car wash occurs each summer, and proceeds help support Hampden Public Safety Night Out.

“We definitely try to get in with the community and give back,” said Zaremba.

Students involved in the food drive are able to learn more about the community agencies that exist locally. For instance, in the process of organizing the food drive, they research information pertaining to Lorraine’s and how the donated food will be used.

“It gives them a chance to see where it’s going, who benefits from it, in case down the road they or someone in their family needs help one day. They’ll know where to go to,” said Zaremba. “A big part of it is getting to know the services in the area if you need them one day yourself. That’s really what it’s all about.”

Students at TWB who are involved with the food drive are looking forward to dropping off the donations in Chicopee. This year, they went above and beyond in creating flyers and using social media to promote the drive.

Zaremba hopes that the initiative will increase pub-lic awareness regarding what happens every weekday at TWB, a school that is far from vacant. The students are willing to help in the community however they can.

“I want people to know that our program is here,” said Zaremba. “I would love to get my guys out to volunteer opportunities in the community, if someone needs help or volunteers. I reach out to local libraries, the senior center. I have eight students, but on a typical day I have a crew of three or four guys. If someone in the community needs help volunteering, we’re here to help. I want people to know we’re here to help, however that might be.”

On Oct. 25, the Wilbraham Board of Selectmen discussed the crumbling foundations that are negatively impacting homeowners in Wilbraham and beyond. (Photos Courtesy of massracf.com.)

CRUMBLING from page 1

FOOD from page 1

State Rep. Puppolo named Legislator of the Year

BOSTON – State Rep., Angelo J. Puppolo, Jr. [D – Springfield] has been chosen the Legislator of the Year by the Massachusetts Police Association. Puppo-lo accepted the award at the annual meeting on Oct. 21 in Plymouth. Puppolo is honored to have received this distinguished award for his work on behalf of the 351 local police departments and the State Police in Massachusetts.

“I’m humbled and honored to receive the Legis-lator of the Year Award from the Massachusetts Po-lice Association as this recognized my continued hard work and support of backing our men and women in blue,” said Puppolo.

Correction: The picture in last week’s edition that featured

Sue Agnew, Darlene Willey and Dan Lynch was captioned incorrectly. They were not at Oktober-fest. The correct information is: Sue Agnew, Dar-lene Willey Sliwa and Storyman Dan Lynch of the Springfield Storytellers were at the St. Cecilia Women’s Club Oct. 12 club meeting, where Dan told stories.

HWRSD invites community input on strategic planning

As the Strategic Planning process gets underway, the Regional School District is seeking the input of interested stakeholders from the towns of Hampden and Wilbraham. Consultants from the Massachusetts Association of Regional Schools will serve as facilita-tors in upcoming community meetings during which participants will share their perspectives on the dis-trict’s current strengths, challenges, and areas for fu-ture improvement.

Sessions will take place from 6 to 7:30 p.m. on Monday, Nov. 1 at Thornton Burgess Middle School in Hampden, and on Monday, Nov. 8 at Minnechaug Regional High School in Wilbraham.

For meeting details please see the District website at www.hwrsd.org or contact Dr. Gina Kahn, [email protected] for additional information.

Root Cause Lecture Series to visit Wilbraham

WILBRAHAM – Hosted at the Wilbraham Public Library in Western Massachusetts, The Root Cause Lec-ture Series is an independent collection of eco-socialist thought. RCLS consists of voluntary presentations by, and Q&A discussions with, radical scholars and climate activists. Lectures are free and open to the public on Sundays at 3:30 p.m. Eastern Standard Time. The over-arching goal of the series is to make the case that the climate crisis is caused by the system of capitalism. For this to be impactful, we invite alternative viewpoints.

On Nov. 14 at 3:30 p.m., economist Robert Pollin will lead a lecture “Climate Crisis and the Global Green New Deal.”

On Nov. 21 at 3:30 p.m., journalist Karl Meyer will present “Living Rivers Flow Downstream.”

On Nov. 28 at 3:30 p.m., water protector Joye Braun will lead the presentation “From Buffolo Skulls to Pipe-lines.”

On Dec. 5 at 3:30 p.m., economist David Kotz will present “Capitalism and Climate Change: What Will it Take to Save the Planet?”

On Dec. 12 at 4 p.m., economist Richard Wolff will present “Why Environmentalism Must be Anti-Capital-ist.”

On Dec. 19 at 3:30 p.m., Susan Theberge will lead a presentation called “Peoples’ Movements in a Time of Climate Emergency”

Those interested can participate in person at the li-brary or virtually at bit.ly/RCLSlivestream. Contact [email protected] for more informa-tion.

Volunteers needed for Softball Committee

Greetings Hampden and Wilbraham residents! This is addressed for those who have been, are currently, or want to be involved in the Hampden and Wilbraham softball program.

To raise the bar when it comes to our towns’ softball program, we have created the Wilbraham-Hampden Soft-ball Committee. This is in its infancy! We are looking for volunteers from either Hampden or Wilbraham who would commit to helping our softball program grow in size and quality. Numerous positions need to be filled. We are seeking volunteers from the softball community willing to serve a two-year term to ensure the best youth softball experience for all Wilbraham/Hampden Softball Players.

The WHSC will hold its first introductory meeting on Oct. 28, at 6:30 p.m. at the Wilbraham Police Station lo-cated at 2780 Boston Road. Please park in the rear of the Police Department and walk up to the front entrance to attend the meeting. Whether you would like to volunteer for a position or are simply interested in learning more about the WHSC, we’d love to see you there!


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By Michael Harrison

PALMER — While a more than trillion-dollar national infrastructure plan remains in flux pending a vote in the House of Representatives, officials in Western Mass. who want a portion of it to fund a new east-west passen-ger rail that would include a station in Palmer, are fighting back against a MassDOT study they say vastly un-derestimates potential ridership and its economic impact.

Recently, state Sen. Eric Lesser, whose district will expand to include Palmer in the 2022 election cycle, held a virtual press conference with Hart-ford Mayor Luke Bronin, Kimberly H. Robinson, executive director of the Pioneer Valley Planning Commission, and Lyle Wray, executive director emeritus of the Capitol Region Coun-cil of Governments to announce new ridership findings from a study PVPC participated in that show MassDOT may have shorted its project by more than 50%. Lesser, Robinson, and Wray again discussed the new study during Lesser’s weekly Lunchtime Lives-tream on Facebook Oct. 22.

The East-West Rail Sketch Level Ridership Forecast Update showed that with the inclusion of direct service to the Hartford Line in the East-West Rail forecast, ridership estimates increase by 54% with about 300,000 more rid-ers than MassDOT forecast. Lesser, Sen. Anne Gobi, state Rep. Todd Smo-la, and members of the Palmer Rail Steering Committee have complained about the absence of that data in the MassDOT study since it was released

nearly a year ago. In addition to the new estimates, major takeaways from last Friday’s 30-minute discussion were calculations that building the proposed rail line will yield a 10-to-1 return on investment and help create around 40,000 new jobs over 30 years.

“If I could get that in a stock today, I think we’d all sign up,” Robinson said.

Lesser made the point that ex-panded rail helped drive a population increase and economic growth in the Worcester area and that it’s a model that should be repeated.

“This broadens the argument for rail,” he said.

Robinson said while many people might have a dim view of govern-ment in general, “infrastructure is one area where government really shines. When government invests in infra-structure,” private investment tends to follow with new businesses, homes, education institutions, and everything else a thriving population needs.

Wray said the cost-to-benefit anal-ysis in the MassDOT report is skewed by overestimating the cost at around $2.4 billion – money that could be in-cluded in the Commonwealth’s portion of an eventual federal infrastructure package if Gov. Baker and MassDOT request it.

“The costs in the rail study are very high,” Wray said.

“We need to sharpen our pencils to make sure our numbers are not in-flated. There’s a lot of ways to do value engineering and cut costs.”

Lesser said the proposed east-west rail, which would take passengers from

Springfield to Boston in a shade under two hours, is bigger than just the re-gion he represents.

“East-west rail is going to do more than link two regions, it’s going to link all of Western New England with all of Eastern New England,” he said.

“MassDOT needs to take this re-search into account and update their feasibility study to include the eco-nomic impact analysis prepared by PVPC and CRCOG as well as this forecast update from AECOM. Now is the time for East-West Rail and with partners like Mayor Bronin, PVPC, CRCOG, and our federal delegation, I believe that we can get this done to cre-ate jobs, address skyrocketing housing costs, and increase economic opportu-nity for all of our communities.”

Bronin agreed.“This analysis proves what we al-

ready know: East-West Rail between Springfield and Boston will make a huge difference for communities in our region,” Bronin said.

“Increasing rail connectivity be-tween cities in the Northeast isn’t just about convenience, it’s about job cre-ation, housing opportunity, and eco-nomic growth. I want to thank Sena-tor Lesser for his partnership and his leadership on behalf of Southern Mas-sachusetts, as well as the PVPC and everyone at CRCOG, and of course Congressman Neal, who has been a tireless advocate for East-West Rail. East-West rail is long, long overdue, and we need to work together to make it a reality now.”

New study suggests MassDOT vastlyunderestimates potential ridership

Wilbraham seeksapplications forcultural grants

WILBRAHAM – The Town of Wilbraham Cultur-al Council is seeking applications online for funding by local groups for cultural projects and programs re-lated to the arts, science and humanities. The grants are open to organizations, schools and individuals based in town.

The Cultural Council gives highest priority to pro-grams which occur within the town that are submitted by Wilbraham residents or organizations with dates and venues already secured. Due to the unpredictabili-ty of COVID-19 the council will consider the difficul-ties in securing a venue.

For applications and additional information go to: mass-cultural.org. The Wilbraham Cultural Council is part of a network of 329 local cultural councils in the state, considered the largest grassroots cultural fund-ing network in the nation.

For more information send an email to the Select-men’s Office at [email protected].

Take-out dinner scheduled for Oct. 30 in Indian Orchard

SPRINGFIELD – Immaculate Conception Church, 25 Parker St., Indian Orchard, will have a

Polish Dinner (2) - Sznycels (cutlets), Mashed Po-tatoes with gravy and soup

TAKE-OUT ONLY Oct. 30. 4 p.m. – 6:30 p.m. COST $18 per plate.

Tickets are available at the Church Rectory (413-543-3627) or by calling Maria Kowalski

at 413-222-6229 or Maria Bukowski at 413-427-9464.


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Letters to the Editor

VIEWPOINTS

Community effortled to approval ofnew Wilbrahamsenior center To the Editor:

On behalf of the Friends of Wilbraham Seniors Inc., I want to sincerely thank our hundreds and hundreds of members, sup-porters, and volunteers who persevered in this long, arduous journey to have our own Wilbraham Senior Center. This new, larger home will now be able to meet the needs of our growing senior population today and to-morrow. Your dedication and tenacity helped make the difference to keep this dream alive.

Our victories at both the Special Town Meeting (we won 92% of the vote) and at the Ballot Box (we won 76% of the vote) was clear and decisive. Our resolve was indisput-able. And we thank the 1,000-plus residents who recognized the importance of providing vital services such as socialization, nutrition, and exercise to help keep our 4,600 seniors in good health during their golden years.

And we want to acknowledge and thank both current and past Town officials, depart-ments, employees, and various committees, especially the Needs, Feasibility and Build-ing Committees, for their strong support and guidance. This was truly a team effort by so many people at so many levels!

It’s been said over the years that you can tell the character of a community by how it treats its seniors. Well let there be no doubt that Wilbraham has stepped up front and cen-ter. Big time. Thank you Wilbraham.

Our new Senior Center is one more pil-lar in Wilbraham’s foundation that we, and future residents, can be proud of... one that will certainly support and enrich the lives of Seniors today and in the years to come!

Stay Tuned.Sincerely,

Matthew VillamainoPresident, Friends of

Wilbraham Seniors Inc.

U.S. CapitalPolice are heroes To the Editor,

A former professor from Mt Holyoke Col-lege received a sentence of 10 to 12 years for the physical beating of a colleague. The victim was left with permanent injuries and emotional trauma. The rioters of January 6th did the same to the capitol police. Three capitol police are dead. A number of others cannot return to work because of permanent brain injury and severe PTSD. They were physically beaten with flag-poles, a fire extinguisher and clubs. They were sprayed with mace and bear spray in the face and repeatedly tased. One officer nearly had his eyes gouged out. These rioters are getting sen-tences of a few months up to a year.

Why the huge disparity? These insurgents have no defense other than “stupid.” There is no cure for stupid but it is no defense either. They should be getting harsher sentences or they are likely to regroup and stage another coup based on stupid again.

The capitol police were heroes. Not a single congressperson was killed or injured including the ones who helped to organize the attack. The nation owes it to the memory of the dead police officers and to those with permanent injuries to meet out some stiffer sentences.

Malita Brown, Wilbraham

Great Horse Dinner, an amazing experienceTo the Editor,

Anyone who did not take advantage of this wonderful and amazing evening on Oct. 20 at the Great Horse Dinner and Wines Tast-ing event missed an opportunity to enjoy the outstanding food, wines and friendship ... You certainly missed an outstanding open event. This is one of the premier facilities in our area, and they have opened their facil-ity to outside guests for special events. We totally enjoyed the ambiance of the evening, the sunset from the deck and the care giv-en to provide outstanding foods and wines, with personal attention. This is an amazing facility and should be enjoyed by all, when the opportunity is open to the public. The staff and coordinators are professionals and share their love of the facility with all. Chris and Paige made us feel so welcome, and the Wine Sommelier gave us the personal touch at each table. And don’t forget the fantastic Chef and his staff, who put the menu togeth-er. It was an amazing evening, if I may repeat myself.

We looking forward to attending more open events in the coming months and hope that others in the area will also join us in our love of fine foods, friends and great events. The Great Horse has a number of events planned and advertised for the com-ing months and it is my wish that more of the locals will take advantage to enjoy their wonderful facility. I know I will be looking forward to attending more open events there, with my friends and family.

We started out as two, then grew to three and ended with six of us enjoying an wonder-ful evening, of fine food, wines and friend-ship. We hope others will also, in the coming months.

I am a local who appreciates the finer things in life, professional care along with fine food and wines. I cannot forget to men-tion the amazing sunset at a beautiful facility. How can you beat that!

Sandra Thorne, Wilbraham

Eliminate Late FeesTo the Editor,

I recently read that libraries across the Unit-ed States and even in Canada have eliminated late fees. I was wondering if the Wilbraham Public Library would consider doing some-thing like this as well?

Thomas Laware Jr., Wilbraham

By Barb Turcotte

I am so excited to have the op-portunity to share some really positive things happening right

within your community by people you may know, or even you!

Let me introduce myself. I’m Barb Turcotte and with so many negative things going on around us besides dealing with Covid, I just felt it was time to have a place where you’d only read about good things happening.

I’m sure you’re familiar with the “pay if forward” concept that many of you have probably either been a recipient or contributor of. Well I’m hoping this column will be that concept but on steroids and some-thing you’ll look forward to reading about, the positivity that is being spread by so many!

In 2000, I was asked to create and facilitate a social coed group for singles (without it being romanced focused) and because it didn’t mat-ter why you were single, I named it ‘Just ‘Cause’. Through the 10 years with as many as 125 members at some points, one of the things we did was establish a “Random Act of Kindness Day” which we conscious-ly did on the 13th of each month. It

was wonderful as we shared our sto-ries of the experiences.

I’d like to share a couple things my sister-in-law did, who in my opinion was the queen of Random Acts. She bought inexpensive umbrellas and on a rainy day if

she saw you walking without one, she’d stop, give you one and be on her way. She always had gift cards for the grocery store she frequent-ed, if she thought you were having a rough day or could use a helping hand, you were a recipient of her

random act of kindness. The one story that will always stay with me is, she saw an older woman walking out of the pharmacy and handed her an envelope with some money and

Random Acts of Kindness – An introduction

Please see KINDNESS, page 7


the flyer explaining she was a recipient that day. The elderly woman’s eyes welled up as she told her she’d only been able to get 2 of her prescriptions because she didn’t have enough money for the 3rd and now because of my sister-in-law she could go back and get it. Warms my heart!

What about turning those famous Buy-1 Get-1 sales into a Keep-1 Give-1 whether it’s an extra bag of potatoes or a bouquet of fresh flowers. The possibilities are endless of how to give a Random Act of Kindness.

I just want to make a notation too; it doesn’t have to be about spending money! What about the individual struggling to put their bundles in their car, give them a helping hand? How about just giving a com-pliment to someone, how simple to make a positive feeling for them and you’ll feel that

positive energy too! That young person who shows nice manners, compliment them and if they are with the parent, praise the parent for doing such a good job! The more posi-tive things we do for each other the better we will all feel. It starts with us as individu-als, so let’s be part of the positive change in turning our world back into a world we all want to share and live in.

If you would like to tell me a story about a Random Act of Kindness please contact me at [email protected] or 413-788-7514. If you’d like to have a predesigned flyer to include with your gesture, let me know. Though you don’t need one, it may last long after your act has been consumed or used making a beautiful memory of your kind-ness. You might see your story in this col-umn, ‘Just ‘Cause’ you witnessed, did or received something nice being done, so let me hear from you. See you in a month!

KINDNESS from page 6

By Michael Harrison

REGION — For the first time in nearly a decade, many residents will soon have a new senator in the state legislature and it has nothing to do with how they cast their bal-lots in last year’s election.

Every 10 years, following the U.S. Census, is a period of district realignment to reflect any changes in the population of towns. New maps headed for approval by the legislature mean some new faces showing up in your mailbox and new names on next year’s ballots.

One change is that Sen. Anne Gobi (D-Spenser) will no lon-ger represent local towns as more than a dozen communities were removed from her district and add-ed to the district now represented by Sen. Ryan Fattman (R-Sutton). One exception, however, is Palmer, which will be added to Sen. Eric Lesser’s (D-Longmeadow) district.

Lesser also picked up Warren and South Hadley. Ware will re-

main part of Gobi’s dis-trict.

Fattman’s district will expand to include Monson, Brimfield, Hol-land, Wales, Sturbridge, and Charlton.

All three have been serving in the Mass. Senate since 2015 and were re-elected last year. Both Gobi and Fattman served on the Special Joint Committee on Redistricting that created the boundaries. Gobi was the committee’s vice chair. Some new majority-minority districts were created in the some of the Commonwealth’s eastern towns whose populations increased since the last census, while it was inevi-table Western Mass. would experi-ence a contraction.

“Redistricting is always diffi-cult, especially losing towns I have enjoyed working with and for,” Gobi said.

“It was important for me and

my Western Mass Senate col-leagues to make sure that Western Mass. did not lose a senate seat. I am very glad we prevented that loss. As a result, my current senate district is being changed dramati-cally. I lose thirteen of my current twenty-eight communities. I will continue along with my entire staff to work for all communities in my current district during this transi-tion phase.”

Lesser also said he was con-cerned the region was in danger of losing representation.

“From the start of this process, my most important goals were protecting Western Mass’ overall repre-sentation by ensur-ing we maintained at least six senators for our four-coun-ty region, and that Springfield’s legisla-tive power was main-

tained by keeping two state senators,” Lesser said.

“Both of those objectives have been met, despite challenging over-all census numbers, especially as population continued to shift east. I’m very excited to continue to rep-resent Chicopee and Springfield, and to also add new communities of South Hadley, Palmer, and War-ren. I am looking forward to getting to know and work in partnership with those communities on behalf of their residents and families.”

Fattman said he’s already get-ting aquatinted with some of his

new consistent.“I am excited to be gaining

seven new towns in my district through Upton, Charlton, Stur-bridge, Holland, Brimfield, Wales, and Monson,” he said.

“I am also picking up precincts two and four of Northbridge, which I previously didn’t represent. I have already started to visit the new towns of my district, and I have had introductory meetings with many people who care deeply about these towns and are well-versed on the issues that are of utmost impor-tance to their residents. I am ea-ger to continue my visits to these new towns, and I look forward to the privilege of representing my new constituents as their senator in General Court.”

After final approval, the new district maps will be in effect for the 2022 election cycle. To learn more about the process, go to malegislature.gov/redistricting.

Sen. Fattman Sen. Lesser Sen. Gobi

GOVERNMENTMany local towns will have a new state senator next year

By Tad BrownSave Hampden Committee

Below are comments I made to the Hampden Planning Board in opposi-tion at an Oct. 14 meeting. Two sepa-rate proposals would put eight acres of Self Storage Units in the backyards of a residential area in the crossroads of the town.

I wanted to bring some perspective to everyone regarding the size of this proj-ect. It’s something we haven’t talked much about.

I thought of a Football field. Every-body can relate to that.

A football field is 1.3 acres. This first project is 5.8 acres. Do the math and you can fit four football fields in this footprint.

Throw in the 3.3 acres of the second project across from Monson Savings and you have a total of seven football fields of asphalt and metal building.

Think about that. This scares me. I worry about our

home values. I worry about the runoff, the snow, fire, accidents, but mostly I worry about the drinking water.

Did I say there is a protected Aqua-phor under these sites?

The applicants tell us that they have runoff and contamination covered. That there won’t be anything Hazardous in these units. That they have done weather and runoff modeling. That they have done this all before.

I would say this to that. In my expe-rience, in real life, Nature always wins. Ask the people of New Orleans. They’ve been trying to beat back Mother Nature for decades.

And we know Accidents happen. Unintended consequences take over.

Murphy’s Law.In the real world, with these projects

backing right up to neighborhood back-yards, we cannot afford one miscalcula-tion. Not one Accident.

These 2 projects will total over 8 acres. A lot of rain is a lot of run off. Hundreds of thousands of gallons. They’ve modeled it. I get it. But remember, Nature always wins. Accidents happen.

Backyards get flooded. What if there is a Chemical Spill in one of those Stor-age Units and a shallow well gets flooded. Or what if the spill gets to the Aquaphor?

Unintended consequences. And did I mention it is right on top of our drinking water?

I’m nervous that we don’t know what we don’t know. But here is what we do know:

We know that these projects will sit on top of a protected watershed/Aquaphor.

We know that the water is pretty close to the surface because we have some 16 foot deep wells. People are drinking that water.

We know that the fence for this will literally come right up to the abutter’s back yards.

We know these projects will negative-ly impact our property values. Will the effect of that snowball through the town over time?

That decrease in value could ultimate-ly decrease Tax Revenue.

To me, the whole thing is a big risk.In addition, as part of this process the

applicants are supposed to supply docu-mentation to the board listing the Hazard-ous Material that will be on these sites.

Well, the applicants can’t comply with this requirement because both have ad-mitted that they cannot be certain what ends up in those storage sheds.

I get that in a storage customer’s con-tract there is a no Hazardous Chemical clause. And I also get that there are signs and possibly some random inspections. But all it takes is one dummy with a big volume of Cleaning Solution, Oil, Gas, Trichloroethane, Caustic Materials like Paint Cleaners or Pesticides?

What if there is a catastrophic spill? What do we do then? Does it get to the drinking water?

If it does, can it be fixed? Who is go-ing fix it?

I will say again, the Risk here is too great.

One of the main responsibilities of the Planning Board is to protect the water and property values.

It’s in the Bylaws. This is an easy NO Vote.

But if you are still on the fence, think about this.

In 30 or 40 years, when the Self-Storage Craze is long over and nobody needs or wants those Stor-age sheds……they will still be there!

Eight acres of them. And the asphalt. Seven football fields.

What are going to do with them?

If it’s a regular building

with a Dry Cleaner or Pizza joint, Liquor Store and the business fails, some other business comes in. It gets repurposed.

In this case, what do you do with hun-dreds of metal buildings? You can’t repur-pose them.

In fact, I suggest that in 30 or 40 years, there will be Self Storage Graveyards all over the country.

Let’s not build a future Graveyard here. Let’s not leave that for our kids and our grandkids.

It’s too big a risk and the Legacy is to ugly.

On behalf of myself and an over-whelming number of Hampden resi-dents……I ask the Planning Board to Vote NO on these projects.

Residents, please help us with our legal expenses at GoFundMe.com/f/Save-Hampden.

Proceeds To Benefit the Palmer Public Library

The Library LoftSchoolhouse Commons Historical Center • 1085 Park Street, Palmer

Book donations will be accepted at the Palmer PublicLibrary or the Library Loft during open hours.

Please, no magazines or Reader's Digest Condensed Books.We accept books only in good, clean condition.

For more information call 283-3330 ext. 100

We are celebrating our 20th year at the Schoolhouse Commons.

Thanks to our wonderful “friends,” volunteers and patrons.Hours:

Tues. 10am - 4pm • Wed. 10am - 4pmThurs. 10am - 4pm • Fri. 10am-4pm • Sat. 10am-2pm

Hope to see you there

Seven football fields of asphalt and metal buildings

SPECIALIZING INSlate • Copper • Architectural Shingles • Gutters

Historical Restoration • Flat RoofingSnow Removal

Snow/Ice Damage Repair

Tel. 413-283-4395Cell 413-237-9434

www.RobertsRoofsInc.com

ROBERTS ROOFS

Trusted Name Since 1982


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SENIORS

Thank you citizens of Wilbra-ham!! Your overwhelming support of the new Senior

Center has energized the workings of our Committee. We remain com-

mitted to building the most structurally sound, energy efficient and beautiful build-

ing that will serve our increasing senior population, their families and all citizens of Wilbraham for years to come! As a Committee, we promise to complete this task efficiently and in the most cost effective way. We are hopeful that the debt exclusion that was so gener-ously approved will not be necessary to invoke. We would also like to publicly thank the Friends of the Wilbraham Seniors, for their tremendous support and enthusiasm. You held this issue at the forefront of the minds of the voters and we look forward to continued collaboration with you.

So what comes next?? As mentioned previously in this column, we will go out to bid for an architect, a builder and a project manager/clerk of the works. This process is in place to give equal opportunity to those wishing to bid on the work to be performed. The past Senior Center Feasibility Committee has worked with the architect, John Catlin, to envision the size and lo-cation and cost of the building. We now start fresh to determine who will be the best firm to make this build-ing a reality. These steps are mandated by the State when using taxpayer’s monies for projects.

Like all municipal projects, there are government oversites in place, which can sometimes slow down the pace of work. We are hopeful that a reasonable timeline for breaking ground will be the summer of 2022, with a completion of the work in Spring of 2024.

We promise to keep you updated of the progress in this space. We continue to welcome questions and comments through our email: [email protected] and voicemail at (413)595-2800 ext. 315.

Wilbraham, thank you again for your support!

HAMPDEN – The Hampden Council on Aging has an exciting slate of programming scheduled to occur in the coming months at the senior center at 104 Allen St. The schedule includes but is not limited to:

Trivia - Wednesdays, 10 a.m. - Come play light hearted no rules Trivia. Always looking for new fresh minds!

Bingo - Thursdays, 12:30-2 p.m., $.50 cents a card

Country Line Dancing with Mikki - Fridays, 1 p.m.. $3/per class.

Puzzle Packs - Take on the challenge and one lucky person will win a price! They will be available starting Oct. 8 at our “Grab N’ Go Lunch” or for pick up inside the Se-nior Center. Your completed Puzzle Pac needs to be returned to us by Oct. 29. Drawing will be Nov. 4, and the winner will be notified!

Pitch - Wednesdays, Sign up at 12:15 p.m., and play begins 12:30 p.m. starting Oct. 20. No snacks or beverages will be served.

SCANTIC River Artisans Ex-hibit – Saturday, Nov. 6 from 10-4 p.m., Sunday, Nov. 7 from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Hampden Senior Cen-ter. Come experience, explore and purchase the diverse art on display!

Trips with Bobbi Grant - Thurs-day, Dec. 2 - The Newport Play-house - “A Christmas for Carol” - Call Bobbi directly at 566-8271 or email her at [email protected] for more information. Free Technology Help Sessions hosted by Wilbraham & Monson Academy - Do you need assistance on how to use your Phone, iPad/Tablet, or Laptop Computer? Please call 566-5588 for more information. Grab ‘n Go Lunch Program – Sponsored by Greater Springfield Senior Services - Tues-Fri for peo-ple over the age of 60, as this is a Title IIIB, Older Americans Act funded program. Reservations must be made by calling 566-5588 ANY-TIME. Please leave a message with your name, telephone number and the day(s) you would like to pick up lunch. It’s that easy...if we need additional information, we will call you back. A suggested voluntary do-nation of $2.00/meal will be accept-ed at the time of pick up.

Caregiver Support Group via ZOOM or by Phone - Are you car-ing for a loved one with dementia or other related memory impairments? This support group is a great way to help. Call us or email [email protected] to sign up.

For more information, one can call the Hampden COA at 413-566-5588

Hampden Senior Centerupcoming programming

Wilbraham COA to host a variety ofexciting programs

WILBRAHAM – The Wilbraham Council on Aging has announced several upcoming activities.

New ProgramsFunctional Fitness Class:

Mondays at 9 a.m. Exercise that helps prepare your muscles for daily tasks of work, home and sport. Flexibility, bal-ance, muscular strength and core stabili-ty. You may bring your own weights.

Yoga:In-person Yoga with Sue. $5 Wednes-

days at 12: 30 p.m. All-level class with intentions that vary from class to class. Always a focus on alignment and breathe to create you individual expression.

Zumba Gold: In-person Zumba with Denise. $5.

Tuesdays at 10:40 a.m. Line Dancing:

Mondays at 3 p.m. $5. Beginner lev-el. Learn 1-2 line dances per week. Re-viewing past dances each week. Come dance with Rose.

Wilbraham MonsonAcademy Tech Help

Wednesdays in October, Wilbra-ham-Monson Academy students will be here to help you! From 1:45 – 2:45 p.m., Starting Oct. 6, bring in your phone, iP-ads, laptops, etc. And get personal assis-tance for your device. Make sure your device is charged and you have any pass-words you may need. Please call 596-8379 to sign up. FREE.


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seeing the MLP. If residents vote in favor of the instal-lation at a future town meeting, fiber optic lines will bring internet into the homes of residents at speeds up to one gigabit per second.

Selectman Craig Rivest brought the item to the ta-ble and offered a thorough explanation.

“We’re trying to create an alternative to Charter Spectrum for our internet services and reduce the bills for our residents in town. This is the first step in es-tablishing the grant funding, Community Compact Grants, whatever we can do to pay for it with state money,” said Rivest.

Over the coming months, the Selectmen will re-view studies and feasibility reports, as they decipher if fiber optic internet can work in Hampden.

By passing Article 4, residents approved the trans-fer of $30,000 from unappropriated available funds to match $34,000 of state funding to repair the culvert and bridge on East Main Street in proximity to the Audubon Society.

Articles 5 and 6 pertained to Ameresco Project, which endeavors to install solar panels at the town’s landfill. An endangered species of turtles found at the site must be relocated. On Oct. 18, residents voted to transfer 18.78 acres of town-owned property to the Conservation Commission to accommodate the tur-tles, allowing the solar project to continue.

“We’ve been exploring solar at the town landfill for the past few years. We’re coming down to the finish line,” said Flynn. “There is an off-site requirement because of an endangered species. This land will be set aside and guaranteed not to be disturbed for the species.”

Article 7 involved the transfer of $2,364 from un-appropriated available funds to increase the salary of the town’s Principal Assessor. Article 8 involved a similar transfer to upgrade an administrative person in the Building Department.

Article 10 approved a salary increase for the town’s Youth Services/Children’s Librarian. The item was held out of the 2021 Annual Town Meeting, said Fitzgerald, as it was proposed too close to the begin-ning of the meeting.

“We asked them to wait. It was a timing issue and would have changed all of our numbers at Annual Town Meeting,” said Fitzgerald.

Article 11 passed, permitting the Highway Depart-ment to purchase a Ford F-250 for $43,000. The vehi-cle will be used for odd jobs, including snow removal and plowing.

Article 12 passed, approving an $86,143 reduction in the Hampden-Wilbraham Regional School Dis-trict’s Assessment for Fiscal Year 2022.

By passing Article 13, residents approved a Short Term Debt transfer of $375,443 from unappropriated funds, reducing the town’s outstanding debt.

The passing of Article 14 ensured that $223,877 of unappropriated funds will be transferred to the Gener-al Stabilization Account, while Article 15 reduced the tax rate, transferring $378,840 from unappropriated available funds to the General Stabilization account.

HAMPDEN from page 1

On Oct. 18, residents approved the purchase of a $43,000 Ford F-250 for the Highway Department. (Staff photos by Dalton Zbierski)

By Tommy Smyth,MHA Recovery Coach

I didn’t know Jimmy Hayes, the Boston College hockey star who went on to play for the Boston Bruins among other teams during his sev-en-year NHL career, but I knew his story. I am someone who has been in long-term recovery so Jimmy Hayes’ death had both professional and per-sonal relevance.

Jimmy Hayes, the 31-year-old father of two, was found dead in his Milton home Aug. 23, and the family disclosed Oct. 18 that the state med-ical examiner’s report attributed his cause of death to a lethal combina-tion of fentanyl and cocaine. Fentan-yl is a relatively cheap synthetic opi-oid compared to cocaine and heroin, but is 50 times more powerful than heroin.

Addiction can be a controlling disease not easily bridled, even by a professional athlete. Also, buying drugs these days is particularly risky as the more expensive drugs are often cut with cheaper drugs and sold to unsuspecting buyers. Cocaine laced with fentanyl, a relatively cheap syn-thetic opioid compared to cocaine and heroin, but 50 to 100 times more powerful than heroin.

Jimmy Hayes’ father told the me-dia that he did not want his son to be “stigmatized” as in being labeled a “junkie.” No one should be stigma-tized or judged for having an addic-tion to a substance. No one should be made to feel shame, rejection or failure in seeking treatment to start and sustain recovery.

I work as a Certified Peer Recov-ery Coach at the Mental Health As-sociation, Inc. This means, first and foremost, meeting the person where they are in recovery. They may be in the early stage we call pre-contem-plation, where they are not thinking they have a problem, but they are aware of their use and that there could be. Contemplation is the next stage where they know they have a problem, but have not stopped. Typi-cally, this is the stage where we meet people the most and try to get them on the path of recovery.

Recovery Coaches are what you might call a bridge to recovery or, as I like to say, we are their concierge, taking good care to provide them with whatever they might need. We are not, in supporting and motivating them, their clinician or case worker or medical practitioner, but can help them with referrals. We collaborate on a wellness plan, prioritizing goals and building on individual strengths to empower their recovery. It is their recovery. I can use my recovery as an example and in understanding what they are dealing with or feeling, but recovery is about giving power back to the individual to take charge of their healing and eventually their lives.

The peer-to-peer counseling that Recovery Coaches provide is a very vital part of the process in terms of offering the comfort level of a shared experience. We are among the first supports someone beginning recov-ery encounters and often where they begin to trust the process. I contin-ue to meet with them in addition to

whoever and whatever else becomes part of their recovery.

It can be tough for families with an adult member who has an addic-tion. Their loved one has to get to the point where professional help is there and be willing to accept it. Sometimes the individual will give permission for a family member to communicate with a Recovery Coach and this allows us to build as broad a support team as possi-ble around them. We can also assist family members feeling helpless by telling them about support programs for them.

Recovery Coaches can and do make a difference. The more we can educate the public about addiction and the role Recovery Coaches can play, the better.

Getting control of your life from an addiction is tough. There is, as Jimmy Hayes’ father said, no one formula, but the message to all is that if you want to get help, there are people out there, including Recovery Coaches who have been where you are, willing to walk and fight with you. You don’t have to keep going through what you are going through alone – you can take control and you will get your life back.

Tommy Smyth is a Recovery Coach in MHA’s BestLife Center for Emotional Health and Wellness. He works individually as well as with groups, is trained to serve as a Recovery Coach in the Emergency Room and is also part of the Drug Addition Recovery Team (DART) in Westfield. To learn more or to receive services call 844-MHA-WELL.

Recovery coaches can and do make a difference

LUDLOW – The Friends of St. Elizabeth, members of Ludlow’s St. Elizabeth/John The Baptist Parish, will be holding a Spaghetti Din-ner every second Tuesday of every month.

The next occasion will be Nov. 9

at the parish on Hubbard Street. Vet-erans are encouraged to come and receive a free meal.

After being shut down indefinite-ly due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the initiative was recently permitted to return.

Each meal will come complete with a spaghetti dinner and sauce, fresh salad, garlic bread and rolls, great desserts, all you can eat, and coffee, tea, ice tea and lemon.

Friends of St. Elizabeth bring back Spaghetti Dinners


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Wilbraham residents arrived at Minnechaug Regional High School last Saturday to vote through the new senior center.

Residents put the finishing touches on approving a new Wilbraham Senior Center during a ballot vote on Oct. 23.

The food was ample at St. Cecilia’s Parish on Oct. 21, as attendees celebrated their church.

This pumpkin is sure to have a Happy Halloween after

Wilbraham residents voted in favor of a

new senior center on Oct. 23.

Readers are encouraged to send in medium to high resolution

photos for this page by e-mail to [email protected] or mail to

TIMES, 24 Water Street, Palmer, MA 01069. Please note that if you send us a photo of the Times in different parts of the world, please include a recognizable landmark in the

background. Examples:Eiffel Tower; castle in Spain.

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The mood was festive at St. Cecilia’s Parish in Wilbraham on Oct. 21, as parishioners celebrated the 25th anniversary of the new church


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The mood was festive at St. Cecilia’s Parish in Wilbraham on Oct. 21, as parishioners celebrated the 25th anniversary of the new church

St. Cecilia’s Parish built its new church a quarter-century ago.

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Application Deadline:Jan. 1, 2022

SPRINGFIELD – The Western New England University Small Business Legal Clinic is accepting applications from entrepreneurs and small business owners seeking legal assistance for the spring semester 2022. Under faculty supervision, law students assist clients with legal issues including choice of entity, employment policies, contract drafting, regulatory compliance, and intellectual property issues relating to trademark applications and copyright. This is a free service available to local businesses that might not have the re-sources to obtain such services.

The Small Business Clinic has as-sisted more than 500 small businesses since it opened. “The Clinic is a great resource for entrepreneurs who lack the finances to retain an attorney,” ex-plained Associate Clinical Professor of Law Robert Statchen. “By using the Clinic’s services, businesses can avoid problems by getting legal issues ad-dressed early and correctly. It also pro-vides students with a great opportunity to get real world experience.”

The Clinic requests small business owners to submit their applications by January 1, 2022. Applications received after that date will be considered if ad-ditional resources are available. Stu-dents will begin providing services in late January. For more information,

call the Legal Clinic at 413-782-1469 or email Marie Fletcher, Clinical Pro-grams Administrator at [email protected].

The School of Law Small Business Legal Clinic was established to afford law students with an opportunity to provide practical consultation to en-trepreneurs starting new and building existing small businesses in the com-munity. This initiative strengthens alli-ances within the community by using the resources of the University to foster new business development. For more information or to complete an online application, visit https://www1.wne.edu/law/centers/small-business-le-gal-clinic.cfm.

Free Small Business Legal Clinic at Western New England University now accepting applications

Lasell men’s soccerhonors seniors before game against Johnson & Wales

NEWTON – The Lasell University Lasers men’s soccer team honored senior members of the team during a pre-game ceremony.

Senior Zack Laware (Wilbraham), senior Jake Ouellette (East Granby, Conn.), junior Youssef Dan-guir (Revere), senior Nathan Smith (Grand Isle, Vt.), senior Dylan Thambirasa (Oslo, Norway), senior Kev-in Pitt (Bayshore, N.Y.), senior Edson DaSilva (Hing-ham) and senior Alexander Tavitian (Woburn) were all honored before the game.

NOTICEERRORS: Each advertiser is requested to check their advertisement the first time it appears. This paper will not be responsible for more than one corrected insertion, nor will be liable for any error in an advertisement to a greater extent than the cost of the space occupied by the item in the advertisement.


Protect yourself from this contagious respiratory illness

SPRINGFIELD – It’s time to get your flu shot. And with good reason.

Health experts are predicting a more virulent flu season for 2021-2022 com-pared to one which was nearly nonexis-tent last year.

Last year’s flu season was one of the mildest on record, which many attributed to the safety measures, especially mask wearing, taken to prevent the spread of COVID-19. But, this year’s upcoming re-spiratory season may be different.

“Due to last year’s low activity from flu and other respiratory viruses, such as coronaviruses, parainfluenza, and RSV, there is low population immunity that in-creases the risk of these respiratory infec-tions co-circulating with COVID-19. In addition, relaxing some of the infection control measures, such as masking and social distancing, and more time indoors due to the cold weather, may contribute to the risk being greater this year,” said Dr. Armando Paez, chief, Infectious Disease Division at Baystate Health.

“Increased flu vaccination for both adults and children could help reduce the risk of a more severe flu season which would result in what health professionals are calling a possible twindemic of flu and COVID-19,” he added.

A contagious respiratory illness that strikes the U.S. beginning in October and lasting through May, the flu usually peaks from December through February. Each year about 9-45,000 people in the U.S. get infected, resulting in 140,000 to 810,000 hospitalizations and 12,000 to 61,000 deaths, most of them in adults 65 and old-er, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Ideally, the CDC recommends that ev-eryone should be vaccinated by the end of October since the flu can begin in ear-nest at any time and it can take up to two

weeks for the vaccine to build up antibod-ies to protect you from the flu.

“But it is never too late to get the flu shot to protect yourself throughout the long flu season,” said Dr. Paez.

The CDC notes that flu shots are ap-propriate for most people, with rare excep-tions for children younger than 6 months of age and those with severe, life-threat-ening allergies to any ingredient in the flu or who have had a previous severe allergic reaction to a dose of flu vaccine.

There are standard-dose inactivated influenza vaccines that are approved for people as young as six months of age. Some vaccines are only approved for adults. For example, the recombinant in-fluenza vaccine is approved for people age 18 years and older, and the adjuvant and high-dose inactivated vaccines are approved for people 65 years and older. The nasal spray vaccine is approved for people two years through 49 years of age. Many people in this age group can receive the nasal spray vaccine, including people with egg allergies.

Dr. Paez noted that pregnant women and adults with chronic health conditions, such as asthma, heart disease and stroke, chronic kidney disease, and diabetes, as well as adults 65 years and older who are at higher risk of developing serious com-plications from the flu should get the vac-cine as soon as possible.

Yet another concern, according to Dr. Paez, “If you have a weakened immune system after contracting COVID-19, it can leave you at risk for getting a more severe case of the flu, or

vice versa.”“Although breaking news stories are

focusing on COVID-19 vaccines for our kids, pediatricians and parents should not forget how important it is to get your chil-dren the flu vaccine,” said

Dr. John O’Reilly, chief of the Divi-sion of General Pediatrics at Baystate Children’s Hospital.

“Influenza has always been a signifi-

cant illness in children. Kids under five,

kids with asthma, children with serious underlying pulmonary, cardiac, neuro-logic, or immune system illnesses are at particular risk for a serious influenza in-fection. During the 2019-2020 Influenza season, 199 children died of the flu, so we need to protect our kids from this deadly disease,” he added.

The lack of a significant flu season last year means that many of our kids under two were not exposed to the flu and did not develop any natural antibodies.

“That means children under two are at particular risk for serious influenza this year. We need to protect our most vulner-able children by getting them vaccinated against the flu as soon as possible,” said Dr. O’Reilly.

Children between six months and eight years of age who have never re-ceived at least two doses of flu vaccine at any point in time during their lives (not necessarily during the same flu season) need two doses of flu vaccine – given at least four weeks apart – to be fully pro-tected from flu.

“That means you should call your pe-diatrician’s office today because you want to build up their immune system protec-tion before influenza starts hitting our community hard,” said Dr. O’Reilly.

Although most COVID 19 infections in children are mild, Dr. O’Reilly is con-cerned about kids who might get COVID and influenza infections back to back.

“Both of these infections can cause inflammation and damage in the lungs. If a child has a COVID infection followed quickly by catching influenza, the likeli-hood of a more severe and damaging in-fection is greater,” he said.

To prevent the possibility of a severe infection, Dr. O’Reilly recommends

that parents get their children vaccinated against COVID as soon as they are eli-gible, and to get their flu shot as soon as possible.

“The latest recommendation is that you no longer need to wait between get-ting these two vaccines and the sooner we get our kids protected against these two serious illnesses, the sooner they can get safely back to doing what they have been missing during the last year and a half – enjoying time with friends and family,” he said.

Dr. Paez said he is always asked by those skeptical about getting vaccinated: “Can the flu shot can give you the flu?” The answer is “No,” he said.

This year he is being asked two addi-tional questions: “Can the flu shot protect you from COVID-19? “ Unfortunately, the answer is also “No,” he said. And, “Can you get the flu and COVID-19 shots at the same time? “Yes,” he said.

While talking about the flu vaccine and its importance, it is equally import-ant to be vaccinated for COVID-19 and receive the booster shot, if one is eligible.

Co-infection with other respiratory viruses can occur. It will be prudent to protect yourself with vaccination against preventable respiratory infections like the flu and COVID-19. Even if treatments are available for these conditions, vaccination remains the safest way to avoid compli-cations or even dying from the infection. This will not only protect you, but also those around you. Masking, social dis-tancing and frequent handwashing may offer additional protection and help pre-vent the spread of the infection,” said Dr. Paez.

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October begins the 2021-2022 Flu Season

SPRINGFIELD – Today, Congressman Richard E. Neal joined President and CEO of Springfield Museums Kay Simpson and the Small Business Administration’s (SBA) Massachusetts District Director Robert Nelson for the announcement of a $1,202,953 Shuttered Venue Operator Grant (SVOG).

As part of the American Rescue Plan, the SVOG program provided over $16 bil-lion in grants to shuttered venues and was administered by SBA’s Office of Disaster Assistance.

“The Springfield Museums is a staple in the cultural scene of downtown Spring-field,” said Congressman Neal. “The five world-class museums and Dr. Seuss Na-tional Memorial Sculpture Garden are institutions of learning for children and adults of all ages. These funds from the SBA will allow for the Springfield Muse-ums to bounce back, sustain opera-tions, and continue to provide access to the arts in a safe environment.”

Due to the coronavirus pandem-ic, the Springfield Museums was forced to close for four months – the first time this has happened in its 164-year history.

“As a beloved community anchor and an important informal-learning hub, we were overjoyed to re-open in July 2020,” Simpson said. “Our visitors make our Museums alive with energy and potential and we are so glad to have them back in our buildings. We are deeply grateful for the funds provided by the Shut-tered Venue Operator Grant, which will help us make up for the lost

time during that four month period.”In July 2021, Congressman Neal an-

nounced $20,010,864 in SVOG grants to Massachusetts’ First Congressional Dis-trict. As of September 27, 2021, CD-1 has received 6 more SVOGs – including this one to the Springfield Museums – bringing that total up to 39 grants totaling $27,374,136. The new SVOG awards in-clude:

• Shakespeare & Company, Inc., Lenox – $566,181.60

• Phoenix Theatres Berkshire, LLC, Pittsfield – $617,053.86

• ROZ100, Inc., Pittsfield – $4,705,721.10

• Step Up World, Shelburne Falls – $52,000

• Roomful of Teeth Vocal Arts Project, Williamstown - $219,362.45

Neal joins Springfield museums tocelebrate $1.2 million in SBA funding

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HEALTH & WELLNESS

Prevention andTreatment of Hand, Foot and Mouth Disease Community event

organized by Extreme Science Kid.com to feature live music, games and more

SPRINGFIELD – Spring-field Technical Community College on Oct. 30 will host Springfield Vaccination Day, a festive community event orga-nized by Extreme Science Kid.com.

The event will be an oppor-tunity for anyone to get a free COVID-19 vaccine or booster shot and enjoy free live music as well as participate in fun family-friendly events on Hal-loween eve. Vaccinations will be given between 11 a.m. and 4 p.m. at STCC. Other events will run throughout the day, includ-ing morning and evening.

Anyone will be eligible to receive free first or second vac-cinations and booster shots. Attendees also will have access to a flu shot clinic and mental health services. Participants can walk up to receive a vaccine or register in advance at extreme-sciencekid.com.

Extreme Science Kid.com

founder Renee Stewart Bates and her seven-year-old son Carmello Stewart wanted to create Springfield Vaccination Day as a way to bring the com-munity together and to help end the COVID-19 pandemic. They both tested positive for COVID-19 in 2020 and said they want to do their part to educate about the importance of getting vaccinated to reduce community infections.

“As a community collabo-rator, it is our responsibility to protect the health of our com-munity,” Stewart Bates said. “The Springfield Vaccination Committee, which is made up of volunteers and community collaborators organizing the event, is committed to educat-ing our community through awareness, prevention and vac-cination.”

Dr. John B. Cook, STCC President, said he hopes to see a big turnout for the event.

“I want to thank Renee and Carmello for organizing and bringing in so many communi-ty partners,” Cook said. “We’re excited to host this event at STCC. People will have a chance to enjoy the activities on our beautiful campus.”

Some of the highlights of

the event include (all free):Candy and dress-up for chil-

drenKids basketball clinic (9

a.m.-noon)Men’s health basketball

tournament (1 p.m.-9 p.m., with registration starting at 11 a.m.)

The event also will honor frontline community volunteers and workers, families who have experienced loss, and commu-nity organizations. State Rep. Carlos Gonzalez, D-Spring-field, will present plaques and citations to those being recog-nized.

Extreme Science Kid.com is organizing the event with sponsors including STCC (host of the event), Trinity Health New England, Baystate Health Network, WTCC 90.7 FM, Caring Health, Extreme Kid, Inc., Springfield Youth Ath-letics, Stop & Shop, Spring-field Health Department, the STCC Foundation, the Office of Springfield Mayor Domenic Sarno, state Rep. Patricia Duffy, D-Holyoke, state Rep. Carlos Gonzalez, DomDee Photogra-phy, Springfield Central High School basketball coaching staff and several community volunteers.

PALMER – Area healthcare providers have been seeing an in-creased number of cases of hand, foot and mouth disease in recent weeks.

The disease, not the same as foot and mouth disease affect-ing cloven-hoofed animals, is a mild, contagious viral infec-tion common in young children and is characterized by sores in the mouth and a rash on the hands and feet.

“The virus most commonly caused by a coxsackievirus, can occur at any time of year but is most common in the summer and fall and often the disease breaks out within a community,” said Dr. Evan Altman, medical direc-tor for the Baystate Urgent Care and Baystate Convenient Care located at Baystate Wing Hospi-tal in Palmer.

Hand foot and Mouth disease is not transmitted to or from pets or other animals. According to the Centers for Disease Control, the disease is spread from per-son to person by direct contact with the virus through nose and throat secretions such as saliva, sputum, or nasal mucus, fluid in blisters, and stool of infect-ed persons. The viruses may be spread when infected persons touch objects and surfaces that are then touched by others or by breathing in respiratory droplets from an infected person who coughs or sneezes.

Infected persons are most contagious during the first week of the illness and illness can last 7-10 days. The disease-caus-ing viruses can remain in the body for weeks after a person’s symptoms have gone away. This means that infected people can still pass the infection to others even though they may appear well. Some people who are in-fected and shedding the virus, including most adults, may have no symptoms.

“Once exposed to the virus, it usually takes three to six days for a person to get symptoms,” said Dr. Altman. “Hand, foot, and mouth disease usually starts with a fever, poor appetite, a vague feeling of being unwell and a sore throat. A day or two after the fever starts; painful sores usually develop in the mouth.”

“They begin as small red spots that blister and that often become ulcers,” said Dr. Altman. “A skin rash may also develop

over one to two days. The rash has flat or raised red spots, some-times with blisters. The rash is usually on the palms of the hands and soles of the feet; it may also appear on the knees, elbows, but-tocks or genital area. The sores and blisters usually go away in a week or so.”

“It’s a virus that just needs to run its course,” said Dr. Al-tman. “If your child has a rela-tively mild case of this illness, symptoms can be treated at home. While is no specific med-ical treatment for hand foot and mouth disease, you can take steps to relieve symptoms and prevent dehydration while you or your child is sick.”

When to see a healthcare pro-vider:

Your child is not drinking enough to stay hydrated

Symptoms do not improve after 10 days

Your child has a weakened immune system

Fever lasting beyond 72 hours

Symptoms are severeYour child is very young, es-

pecially younger than 6 monthsYou can reduce your risk of

infection from hand-foot-and-mouth disease by washing your hands often and thoroughly, washing and disinfecting toys and other objects that might have germs on them, and trying to avoid infected children.

“Hand, foot and mouth dis-ease is common in children un-der age 5 but can also occur in adults. Health complications are not common, if you’re not sure that you are dealing with hand foot and mouth disease, your pe-diatrician or healthcare provider can confirm a diagnosis by tak-ing a look,” said Dr. Altman.

Dr. Evan Altman medical director of Baystate Convenient Care and the care team offer ur-gent same-day, walk-in care for common medical conditions including sports injuries and sprains, seasonal allergies, skin rashes and urinary tract infec-tions. Convenient Care is locat-ed on the first floor of Baystate Wing Hospital within the Bay-state Health & Wellness Center – Palmer, next to Baystate Primary Care. Convenient Care is open Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. and Saturday and Sun-day 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. For more information call 413-370-7000.

Springfield Vaccination Day coming to STCC on Oct. 30

By Anne Llewellyn

Today, patients are encour-aged to use patient portals to keep up to date with lab work, appointments, payments, and doctor visits. In theory, this is a great idea, but complex patients can have multiple patient por-tals, making the system more fragmented, disconnected, and time-consuming.

To illustrate the point, I want-ed to share an article that Mor-gan Gleason, a 21-year college student with a chronic medical condition, wrote in my profes-sional organization’s publica-tion, CMSA Today. The article was titled: “Why Patients Need Full Access to THEIR Medical Record,” Morgan shared her ex-perience of being a patient with a complex medical condition. She said: “My medical records are stored in silos at different doctors’ offices, hospitals, labs, and surgery centers. I have 23 different patient portals that all have different versions of my information, which are often outdated or incomplete. Only one of them lets me see the office visits from my doctor’s appointments. Not only do I not have access to my information, but my doctors are often miss-ing critical information they need to treat me. The burden falls on me, the patient, to try to keep up with all this informa-tion and share it with them. It makes me wonder why this is happening, when in reality I am the only member of my team, out of all my doctors and nurs-es, who is not being paid to help keep track of everything! You can imagine that, as a 21-year-

old, I would much prefer having an app on my phone that updat-ed as my doctor’s electronic re-cords system was updated after my visit. Having access to my information would allow me to know what was going on and share the information with oth-er providers who might not be on the same system.”

Recently, a new Federal Rule was announced, doing just what Morgan is asking to happen. As a result of the 21st Century Cures Act, Patients are more in charge of their health records, allowing them to be better informed so they can make informed decisions re-garding their care. In addition, having access to information al-lows them to help to coordinate their care with their health care team to meet their needs.

It is recognized today that people need more power, con-trol and say in their health care, and access to information is key to making that happen. Open Notes, a research organization, has studied that when patients have access to their Medical Re-cords, they are more informed and make better healthcare de-cisions that helps improve the quality of care they receive and control escalating healthcare costs.

Unfortunately, we are not there yet, but we are getting closer. All patients need to use their voices as Morgan did to make sure the government man-date is implemented in across the care continuum.

In 2021, when we can make airline reservations on our phones, why can we not access our healthcare information the

same way? The technology is in place, yet the ‘systems’ are just not willing to give up their control.

Here are some steps that you can take so you are an empow-ered patient:

Set up your patient portal with the doctors you see the most.

Check your portal often so you can become familiar with how it works.

If you have questions, there are people in place to help you navigate your patient portal. Ask your doctor’s office who to call if you have questions.

Only share your patient por-tal with people you trust.

If you need help interpreting the information in your portal, your doctor should help you. If your doctor can’t or won’t help you, find a case manager or a patient/health advocate to help you. That is what they do! Help you understand your care and medical information.

Stay informed and up to date as changes occur in healthcare.

Use your voice if your doc-tor or hospital does not have a patient portal. Send a letter as to what you would like to see to make the system work bet-ter for you to your doctor, your insurance company, and your members of the House of Rep-resentatives and the US Senate.

Anne Llewellyn is a profes-sional Nurse leader who pro-vides coaching and mentoring to case managers and Nurse Advocates. She presents na-tionally and leads group discus-sions to professional healthcare teams.

How Many Patient Portals Do YOU Have?

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WORCESTER – Junior for-ward Karalyn Jones (Wilbraham, Mass.) had a goal and an assist and scored the game winner with just three minutes remaining as Worcester State field hockey de-feated Eastern Connecticut State University 2-1 in Little East Conference (LEC) action Satur-day afternoon at Coughlin Field.

Jones’s seventh goal of the season is her third game-win-ner, tying her for the team lead. It helped the Lancers improve to 12-5 on the year, 8-3 in the con-ference, and 6-0 at home.

Madison Ferrara (Somerset, Mass.) made ten saves to earn the victory, improving to 4-2 in net for Worcester State.

The game-winning marker came off a Carly Duff (Warren,

Mass.) penalty corner, a stat cat-egory that Eastern led 8-4. Emi-ly Saucier (Auburn, Mass.) took a shot off of the corner, which Jones tipped in past ECSU goal-ie Sarah Gallagher (South Wind-sor, Conn.), giving Saucier her fourth assist of the year.

Gallagher made six saves in net for the Warriors, who outshot Worcester 18-16.

Worcester took the lead just twenty-nine seconds into the game when Emily Floury (War-ren, Mass.) scored her sixth goal of the season. Jones brought the ball down the right side of the field and sent a cross to Floury, who was standing on the left side of the net. The junior for-ward tapped the ball into the net to give Worcester an early lead

and hand Jones her fourth assist of the year.

Eastern tied the game in the third quarter on an unassisted goal by Isabel Sanchez (Weston, Conn.). A Warrior penalty corner created a scrum in front of Ferr-ara, who made an initial save on Corey Callahan (South Windsor, Conn.). The ball continued to bounce through the crease, and was eventually put home by San-chez.

The Lancers continue Little East Conference (LEC) play on October 26th. They will head to Bridgewater State for a 7:00 PM game.

Eastern (9-5, 7-3 LEC) will play at Framingham State at the same time in a non-conference game.

College: Jones gets two points in WSU win

Chaug grabs big conference win

WILBRAHAM – Last Friday night, it was just a touchdown that made the difference for the Falcons in a 28-21 win over Longmeadow. Minnechaug did most of its scoring in the second quarter with three touchdowns to take a 21-7 lead. The Fal-cons lone score in the third was enough to hold off the lancers. Jeremy Diehl went 14-for-18 for 161 yards and two touchdown passes in the win. He also ran 13 times for 89 yards. Isaiah Kozub caught one touchdown pass and had 65 yards receiving. Ryan McConnell had one touchdown reception.

Jeremy Diehl fires a pass away.

Isaiah Kozub possesses the ball in between the Longmeadow defenders.

Carl Socha catches the ball and looks for an opening to run.

Photos by David Henry www.sweetdogphotos.comSean Murphy and Nicholas Boudreau both go low for the tackle.

Noah Dunn reaches back for the ball.

Photos by David Henry www.sweetdogphotos.com

WILBRAHAM – Last Tues-day, rival programs Ludlow and Minnechaug boys collided with both teams headed in opposite directions. Ludlow continued its momentum toward tourna-ment play with a 3-1 win over

the Falcons. Enzo Botta, Gabri-el Simard, and Cole Bamford all scored for the Lions while Zach Ranck had Minnechaug’s only goal of the contest in the second half. Ludlow is 8-2-6 while Minnechaug is now 2-14.

Falcons fall to Lions

Zachary Ranck emerges with possession of the ball.

Goalie Anthony Amato reaches up for a save.

Aiden Lang heads the ball away.


SEEKONK – Chase Dowling start-ed at the front and never relinquished the top spot in a victorious afternoon at Seekonk Speedway on Saturday, October 23. Dowling bested the field in the Tri Track Open Modified Series Haunted Hundred -- outlasting 26 of the top Modified drivers in New En-gland to score a $6,000 check in the season-finale.

While Dowling held the checkered flag, Matt Hirschman’s fourth-place finish was enough for him to hoist his sixth Tri Track championship. Hirschman entered the day needing to finish 17th or better to win the crown, but the Pennsylvania veteran did much better than that -- charging through the field in the late laps to get to the top-five, where he settled to win the crown. It’s the sixth time in eight years that Hirschman is the series champion.

“We had a great year, won the two biggest races and the championship, which is the cherry on top,” Hirschman said. “To get the championship at the end of the year, it’s a nice accomplish-ment for the team. We were good at all three tracks and that’s what you need to be able to do this.”

Dowling was originally slated to start fourth in the feature, but a spin of a wheel determined there would be a four-car invert, placing Dowling on the pole, and in control, for the 100-lap feature. He was also honored on Satur-day for being the winner of the inaugu-ral Call 811 Before You Dig Modified Challenge, worth $8,111, prior to the race.

Dowling was one of few front-run-ning cars that didn’t pit for a fresh tire during the race, while Ron Silk, who charged to finish second, pitted and raced through the field. Jake Johnson, in his debut in a Tour Modified, fought to third, while Hirschman and Ronnie Williams finished the top-five.

Tommy Catalano charged from the back of the field to a sixth-place finish, securing the Green Construction Man-agement LLC Hard Charger award,

worth $500. Max Zachem finished seventh, followed by Richard Savary, Matt Swanson and Dylan Izzo.

Earlier in the day, Doug Coby, Dana DiMatteo, Silk and Dowling won $300 each in heat races as winners of the Pepsi Challenge. Anthony Sese-ly and Catalano joined them as Pepsi Challenge winners, after scoring the top spot in consi races. Hirschman won $300 in the Jerico Performance Prod-ucts fast time award -- posting the fast-est lap in the scuff/qualifying session.

Outside of the headliner, the Amer-ican-Canadian Tour and Pro All Star Series also joined the Seekonk show to wrap the year in front of a packed house. Ben Rowe defeated DJ Shaw in a final lap dash to seal the win, and the championship, in the ACT 100. In the third Pro All Star Series race of the season at the third-mile, Johnny Clark made it two wins at Seekonk in 2021, storming by Angelo Belsito in the final laps to get the win.

The Tri Track Open Modified Se-ries will release schedule dates for the 2022 season when available. Stay tuned to tritrackmodifieds.com and the

series social media channels for the latest updates.

RESULTS: Tri Track Open Modi-fied Series at Seekonk Speedway; Oc-tober 23, 2021:

Chase DowlingRon SilkJake JohnsonMatt HirschmanRonnie WilliamsTommy CatalanoMax ZachemRichard SavaryMatt Swanson Dylan IzzoMatt GalkoChris PasteryakKyle BonsignoreJustin BonsignoreDana DiMatteoAngelo BelsitoBuddy CharetteBrian RobieSam RameauAnthony SeselyDoug CobyAnthony NocellaLes HinckleyTommy Barrett

Carl Medeiros Jr.Joey Cipriano Woody Pitkat

T-Birds continueearly season success

PROVIDENCE, R.I. – The Springfield Thunder-birds (4-0-1-0) won the battle of special teams and received a phenomenal goaltending performance in a 4-1 win over the Providence Bruins (1-2-1-1) on Sunday afternoon inside the Dunkin’ Donuts Center. The Bruins, fresh off a 4-0 loss on home ice on Satur-day, came out with an edge to their game in the first pe-riod, generating 10 shots before the game even reached the midpoint of the opening frame. Springfield got into penalty trouble as two successive minors put Providence onto a 5-on-3 in the closing minutes. That proved lethal to the T-Birds’ penalty killers as Jack Ahcan cranked a one-time feed from Jakub Lauko over the glove of Joel Hofer at 15:36 of the first period.

Young Bruins goalie Kyle Keyser had a lighter work-load in the opening period but passed each of the seven shots that tested him to hold Providence’s lead into the dressing room.

While Hofer was the busier masked man in the open-ing period, Keyser had a much bigger workload in the second, with 17 shots on his net. Springfield took ad-vantage of their own two-man advantage to deadlock the game at 14:41 of the second. From the top of the right-wing circle, Matthew Peca simplified the game and wrist-ed a beautifully-placed shot off the back bar to tie the score, 1-1. That call was upheld after play was abruptly halted by referees deeming the shot a goal.

Hofer still had plenty of work in the middle period, but he had every answer for the Bruins’ 13 second period offerings. The Thunderbirds’ penalty kill also stiffened to stonewall the Bruins on parts of three separate Provi-dence power plays.

For the third time this season, the T-Birds entered the third period in a tie game, and for a third time, Springfield rose to the occasion, beginning with a power play goal by Nikita Alexandrov at the 10:29 mark, as he backhanded a diagonal pass from Scott Perunovich over Keyser to give the T-Birds their first lead, 2-1.

Less than six minutes later, and just seconds after a power play expired, Peca added a second goal by throw-ing a wrist shot off a Bruins defender and off the under-side of the crossbar to push the lead to 3-1 at 16:20.

The T-Birds won the battle of special teams in this penalty-ridden contest, going 2-for-8 on the man ad-vantage while killing seven of Providence’s eight power plays on the afternoon. The T-Birds’ 4-0-1-0 start is the best to begin a season since they began the 2018-19 sea-son 7-0-0-2.

While the offense shined, Hofer remained steady as ever in the goal crease, finishing his night with a sea-son-high 39 stops to improve to 3-0 on his season. Hofer has allowed just three goals in his first three starts as a T-Bird.

Submitted photoChase Dowling was the big winner in the Tri Track Series Haunted Hundred event.

Dowling wins tri-track race

LUDLOW – The Western United Pi-oneers FC are offering supplemental try-outs for its various youth teams. For play-ers born from 2014 to 2017, please call (413) 330-9775 for sign-ups and more information. Other tryout dates for old-

er players will be in the coming weeks. Tryouts will go from Nov. 8 through 16. Go to www.westernunitedpioneers.org/tryouts for specific dates and times of try-outs.

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Pioneers holding more tryouts


This week in recreationConnor Duquette –

Program Coordinator

“Never let the fear of striking out keep you from playing the game” – Babe Ruth

This quote is something that transcends baseball, and right now in the current cli-mate of the world I believe it means more than ever! Strik-ing out or not getting the hang of something on the first try is never anything to be scared of, this is true in both sports and in life. Letting fear control you or more specifically, the fear of failing hinders people daily to achieve their dreams and write their own future. This is why I believe this quote is so important. The world right now is a crazy place, treat ev-ery day like the next at bat, the next pitch, and never let your fear of striking out keep you from achieving some-thing great!

Switching gears now heading into the back half of our fall sports seasons and what a time to be outside and moving around! The weather has been gorgeous and the fall sports have been in full swing for some time now. Soccer, field hockey, and football are all hard at work, develop-ing the next wave of athletes to come through our doors!

Night games, full parking lots, and so many people be-ing able to participate in one form or another with our programs has been amazing! Even during harder times, the people of Wilbraham have shown that through hard work and careful planning we can help provide a fun and safe environment for youth to get out and make friends and connections that will last for years to come.

As we near the end of fall sports, we start looking onto the next opportuni-ties that come with the up-coming winter season. Basket-

ball, skiing, wrestling, dance classes, art classes, Esports, and more are coming back to Wilbraham for another go around! Be sure to visit wil-brahamrec.com for all of our offerings and to grab your spot in some of our awesome programs!

NOTES:“Friday Ski Sundown”

(Wilbraham Middle School Grades 6-8 ONLY) - registra-tion ends November 3

Youth Wrestling (Grades K-8) - registration runs through October 31

Mad Science/Eureka! In-ventions (Grades 1-5) - regis-tration runs through October 31

Babysitting Course (Ages 11-15) - registration runs through November 7

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By Michael Harrison

REGION — Some local home-owners with disabilities or who have disabled children or other relatives living with them may be facing the difficult choice of transi-tioning to an assisted living facility. But if one of the reasons is a lack of money to make the home more accessible, a little known program can make all the difference.

The Home Modification Loan Program can profile up to $50,000 with no interest and no repayment required while the homeowner continues to reside there. This is available both to traditional home-owners and those who live in mo-bile homes but rent the property underneath.

Beverly Barry, who chairs the Town of Ludlow’s disability com-mission, said she and other offi-cials are working to get the word out because most people probably are unaware of the program or how it works. Similar to a reverse mort-gage, accepting the loan does put a lien on the property that is satisfied when the home is sold or the title changes hands. Until then, there are no obligations.

“The whole thing is very easy,” Barry said.

She knows from first-hand experience. Her disabled mother obtained one of the loans through the Pioneer Valley Planning Com-mission to pay for a chairlift that allows her to access her basement. With an estimated 4,000 disabled people in Ludlow alone, there are likely thousands more across the region and for those who want to stay in their homes but need fi-nancial assistance, this could be a

game-changer.“It’s just a great resource,” Bar-

ry said.Ludlow Selectman James Gen-

nette, the board’s representative on the town’s disability commission, is part of the effort to spread aware-ness.

“I have reached out to the se-nior center and we are interested in pursuing a relationship with the PVPC to better assist our residents to connect with the Home Modifi-cation Loan Program,” he said.

“From my understanding, this program would also assist new-ly disabled persons with funds to adapt their existing homes with necessary improvements such as ramps, proper lighting, and oth-er home ADA compliance ad-justments. We also see a need for young adults who were born with a disability who are interested in pursuing an independent life. We are keenly aware that the Home Modification Loan Program could be just the support they need to be able to achieve that independence.”

Barry gave other examples of home modifications that would mean the difference between inde-pendent living at home or an assist-ed living facility.

“Say someone needed their laundry facilities relocated to a first floor because they can no longer do stairs, or widening doorways and ripping up carpet so people don’t trip on it or to make it easier getting around in a wheelchair. Whatever helps,” she said.

“And a disability can take dif-ferent forms. It can be sensory, or a mental disability. I think word jut hasn’t gotten out there about this for some reason or maybe people

are afraid of the paperwork, but it really does provide a bridge for so many families,” Barry said.

For people who want to see how others with disabilities mod-ified their homes, Barry suggests going to the Community Economic Development Assistance website at cedac.org.

Gennette said he has a call scheduled for this week with a representative of the PVPC “to see what our next steps should be.” Members of the committee also are reaching out to the Ludlow Community Center/Randall Boys & Girls Club to help spread aware-ness.

Landlords are encouraged to apply as well to make their rental homes ADA compliant or to ac-commodate tenants as needed.

Anyone who wants attend the committee’s next meeting at 6 p.m. Nov. 16 at in hearing room 1 at Ludlow Town Hall is welcome.

Want to know more?Residents in Agawam, Amherst,

Chicopee, Holyoke, Northampton, South Hadley, Springfield,

W. Springfield and Westfield can apply for the home modifi-cation loan through the Spring-field-based agency Way Finders by contacting Amneris Moreno by email at [email protected] or by calling 413-233-1615 (TTY/TDD: 413-233-1699). For more, go to wayfinders.org.

All other residents in Berkshire, Franklin, Hampden, and Hamp-shire counties can contact Shirley Stephens at the Pioneer Valley Planning Commission at 413-781-6045 (TTY/TDD: 413-781-7168) or visit pvpc.org.

Program makes independent living possible


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ABC MASONRY & BASEMENT WATERPROOFING

All brick, block, stone, concrete. Hatch-way doors, basement windows, chim-neys rebuilt & repaired, foundations repaired, basement waterproofing sys-tems, sump pumps. BBB+ rating. Free estimates. Lic #14790. Call (413)569-1611, (413)374-5377

PLUMBINGGREG LAFOUNTAIN PLUMBING & HEATING Lic #19196 Repairs & Replacement of fixtures, water heater installations, steam/HW boiler replace-ment. Kitchen & Bath remodeling. 30 years experience. Fully insured. $10 Gift Card With Work Performed. Call Greg (413)592-1505

FOR SALE SERVICESWANTED SERVICES SERVICES

MAIL TO: Classifieds, 24 Water St., Palmer, MA 01069or call: 413-283-8393

Name: ____________________________________________________ Phone: ______________________

Address: _______________________________________________________________________________

Town: _____________________________________________________ State:_______ Zip:_____________

Number of Weeks: _________________________________________ X per week rate = $______________

Credit Card: ❏ MasterCard ❏ VISA ❏ Discover ❏ Cash ❏ Check# ___________

Card #: ______________________________________________ Exp. Date ___________ CVV __________

Amount of charge: ___________________________________________________Date: _______________

QuabbinVillage Hills

Circulation:50,500

Buy the Quabbin Village Hills or the Suburban Residential ZONE for $26.00 for 20 words plus 50¢ for each additional word. Add $10 for a second Zone or add $15 to run in ALL THREE ZONES.

First ZONE base price ___________

Add a second ZONE ___________

Add a third ZONE ___________

Subtotal ___________

x Number of Weeks ___________

TOTAL Enclosed ___________

$10.00$5.00

Quabbin❏

Suburban❏

Hilltowns❏

Run my ad in thefollowing ZONE(s):

Includesadditional words

Suburban ResidentialCirculation: 59,000

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5 6 7 8

9 10 11 12

13 14 15 16

17 18 19 20

21 22 23 24

25 26 27 28

29 30 31 32

33 34 35 36

37 38 39 40

Base Price$26.00

Base Price$26.50

Base Price$27.00

Base Price$27.50

Base Price$28.00

Base Price$28.50

Base Price$29.00

Base Price$29.50

Base Price$30.00

Base Price$30.50

Base Price$31.00

Base Price$31.50

Base Price$32.00

Base Price$32.50

Base Price$33.00

Base Price$33.50

Base Price$34.00

Base Price$34.50

Base Price$35.00

Base Price$35.50

Base Price$36.00

FILL OUT AND MAIL THIS MONEY MAKER

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DEADLINES: QUABBIN & SUBURBAN – FRIDAY AT NOON HILLTOWNS – MONDAY AT NOON

OUR CLASSIFIEDS REACH 50 COMMUNITIES EVERY WEEK!

HilltownsCirculation: 9,800

EARLYDEADLINES

In observance of Veterans Day, the Classifieds have an EARLY AD DEADLINE.

To advertise, place your ad no later than NOON

Friday, Nov. 5Thank you!Thank you!Thank you!Thank you!Thank you!Thank you!Thank you!Thank you!Thank you!Thank you!Thank you!Thank you!Thank you!Thank you!Thank you!Thank you!Thank you!Thank you!Thank you!


ClassifiedsA TURLEY PUBLICATION ❙ www.turley.com COMMUNITY MARKETPLACE Call us at 413.283.8393

12 WEEKLY NEWSPAPERS ❙ SERVING 50 LO CAL C OMMUNITIES

LINC’S PLUMBING LIC. #J27222“New Season”“New Projects”

Call LINC’SFor Your Connection(413)668-5299

RUBBISH REMOVAL

BOB ROBILLARD’S RUBBISH REMOVAL attics, cellars, garages cleaned. Light moving. HOT TUBS REMOVED. Family owned/ operated since 1950 (413)537-5090

SNOWPLOWINGRESIDENTIAL AND COMMER-CIAL Snowplowing/Snowblowing Service. Monson, Palmer, Wilbraham, Hampden. Call or Text now. Limited space available. 413-519-5439

TREE WORKDL & G TREE SERVICE- Every-thing from tree pruning, tree removal, stump grinding, storm damage and brush chipping. Honest and Depend-able. Fully insured. Now offering a Senior Citizen and Veteran discount. Call today for free estimate (413)478-4212.

TUNE-UPS

STUMP GRINDING

DL & G STUMP GRINDING Grind-ing stumps of all sizes, insured & certi-fied. Senior discounts. Call Dave 413-478-4212

RETIRED RACINGGREYHOUNDS AVAILABLE

FOR ADOPTIONSPAYED/NEUTERED, WORMED, SHOTS, HEARTWORM TESTED,

TEETH CLEANED

MAKE A FAST FRIEND!

GREYHOUND OPTIONS INC.CALL MARY AT 413-566-3129OR CLAIRE AT 413-967-9088

OR GO TOWWW.GREYHOUND

OPTIONS.ORG

HORSES

HORSEBACK RIDING LESSONS offered year round at our state of the

art facility. Beginner to advanced. Ages 4 years to adult. Boarding,

Sales and Leasing also available. Convenient location at Orion Farm in South Hadley (413)532-9753

www.orionfarm.net

PER DIEM FRONT DESK/HOUSEKEEPING Great place to work. Our front desk staff is averaging 10 years and counting! This is a per-di-em position covering all three shifts & weekends. Retirees encouraged to apply. Send a resume to: The Gardens of Wilbraham, 2 Lodge Lane, Wilbra-ham, MA 01095.E-mail: [email protected] Fax: 413-596-5320. Managed by Athena Com-munities, EOE.

ASSISTANT TOWN ADMINIS-TRATOR FOR BUDGET AND FI-NANCE/TREASURER/COLLEC-TOR The Town of Wilbraham (Pop 15,000) is looking to fill one vacancy for Assistant Town Administrator for Bud-get and Finance/Treasurer/Collector.The examples of duties for this position include, but are not limited to, perform-ing all functions of the Treasurer and Collector per the Massachusetts Gen-eral Laws; coordinates activities of all Finance Departments (Accounting, Assessing, Collections, Treasury) with oversight of departmental managers supervised by the Town Administrator; develops and recommends policies regarding Town-wide financial admin-istration; participates as a member of management collective bargaining team; collects, deposits, and accounts for all monies received; disburses all funds as directed from approved trea-sury warrants; invests and manages all funds; ensures that cash reserves are sufficient to cover required expen-ditures; maintains tax title accounts, conducts sales of land when neces-sary; administers employee retirement programs; supervises a staff of three full time employeesThe educational qualifications for this position are a Bachelor’s Degree, Master’s Degree in Finance or Ac-counting highly preferred. The ideal candidate will offer 5 years of full time professional employment in a respon-sible management role overseeing the fiduciary responsibility, budgeting, investing, cost control and financial analysis of a municipality, school dis-trict or non-profit organization, with municipal experience highly preferred, or an equivalent combination of ed-ucation and experience. Certification by the Massachusetts Collectors and Treasurers Association required within 3 years of appointment. Must be able to be bonded. The Town offers a comprehensive ben-efit package and professional work en-vironment. Salary up to $101,376 DOQ. Interested candidates are encouraged to submit a letter of interest, completed town employment application, detailed resume, and three professional refer-ences to the Board of Selectmen, Town of Wilbraham, 240 Spring-field Street, Wilbraham, MA 01095. Applications available online at www.wilbraham-ma.gov. The position is open until filled, review of applications begins November 5, 2021. EOE, all qualified applicants encour-aged to apply.

PER-DIEM MAINTENANCE /HANDYMAN Maintenance/handy-man per-diem 20-30 hours a week. Must possess excellent people skills and be able to pass a background check. Interested candidates should send a resume to: The Maintenance Manager, The Gardens of Wilbraham, 2 Lodge Lane, Wilbraham, Ma. 01095.E-mail; [email protected] Fax: 413-596-5320 EOE Managed by Athena Health Care Systems The Gardens of Wilbraham, an active adult condo community.

RATHBONE PRECISION MET-ALS, INC., a manufacturer of metal shapes, is accepting applications for reliable Machine Operators. Candi-dates must have basic reading, writing, and math skills, excellent communi-cation skills and be able to pay close attention to detail. Visit www.rathboneprofiles.com for employment applications. Submit online or mail to 1241 Park Street, Palmer, MA 01069. Rathbone is proud to be an equal opportunity workplace and is an affirmative action employer.

WELL ESTABLISHED WESTERN MA/NORTHERN CT GENERAL CONTRACTOR seeking highly mo-tivated Supervisor to oversee field personnel and subcontractors on var-ious commercial projects. Construction Supervisor’s License, OSHA 30 & Hy-draulics License preferred. Salary is commensurate with experience. Email resume to [email protected].

FOR RENT

ALL REAL ESTATE advertised herein is subject to the Federal Fair Housing Act, which makes it illegal to advertise “any preference, limitation, or discrimination because of race, color, religion, sex, handicap, familial status, or national origin, or intention to make any such preference, limitation, or dis-crimination.” We will not knowingly ac-cept any advertising for real estate which is in violation of the law. All per-sons are hereby informed that all dwellings advertised are available on an equal opportunity basis.

AUTOSERVICES HELP WANTEDHELP WANTED

A&M TUNE-UPSPush Lawnmowers, Riding Mowers and

Small Engine Repair. Work done at your home.

FREE PICKUP OF UNWANTED LAWN EQUIPMENTCall Mike (413) 348-7967

LAWNMOWER TUNE UP & REPAIR

CASH FOR JUNK

AND REPAIRABLE

CARSCALL OR TEXT413-219-6839

FREE TOWINGFAST SERVICE

CASH PAID AS IS

HELP WANTED

All real estate advertising in this newspaper is subject to the Federal Fair Housing Act of 1968, which makes it illegal to advertise any preference, limitation or discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex, handicap, familial status (number of children and or pregnancy), national origin, ancestry, age, marital status, or any intention to make any such preference, limitation or discrimination.This newspaper will not knowingly accept any advertising for real estate that is in violation of the law. Our readers are hereby informed that all dwellings advertising in this newspaper are available on an equal opportunity basis. To complain about discrimination call The Department of Housing and Urban Development “ HUD” toll-free at 1-800-669-9777. For the N.E. area, call HUD at 617-565-5308. The toll free number for the hearing impaired is 1-800-927-9275.

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WILBRAHAM PLANNING BOARDPUBLIC HEARINGThe Wilbraham Planning

Board will hold a Public Hearing on Wednesday, November 10, 2021, at 5:45 PM in the Town Office Building, 240 Springfield Street, on the application of Jos Chapdelaine & Sons, Inc., for a Special Permit as required under 3.9.2.2 and 4.4.8 of the Wilbraham Zoning By-Law to allow construction of a detached accessory building (barn/garage) with a building foot-print in excess of 480 square feet and a building height in excess of 16 feet and result-ing in combined garage park-ing space area in the attached and detached garage in excess of 1,100 square feet and in excess of three (3) total garage doors on proper-t y owned by John & Maryann Peterson located at 4 Chatham Trace as indicated on plans and further specified on information on file in the Planning Office and posted

for public viewing on the Planning Board page of the Town of Wilbraham website a t www.wi lbraham-ma.gov/123/Planning-Board. Both in person and virtual participation are available to the public. To view and par-ticipate in this public hearing virtually on your computer, at the above date and time, go to https://global.gotomeet-ing.com/join/242305061; Meeting ID No.: 242-305-061. To call into the hearing via telephone, dial: (877) 309-2073 and use the Access Code: 242-305-061.

Tracey PlantierActing Chair

10/21, 10/28/2021

WILBRAHAM PLANNING BOARDPUBLIC HEARINGThe Wilbraham Planning

Board will hold a Public Hearing on Wednesday, November 10, 2021, at 6:00 PM in the Town Office Building, 240 Springfield Street, on the application of

Western MA EEN, LLC, for a Special Permit as required under 13.6.9 and 12.7.3.4 of the Wi lbraham Zoning By-Law to allow modifica-tion of a previously approved Special Permit (SP17-02) to allow for the redevelopment of the existing car wash and vacuum facility and an addi-tional free-standing sign on property owned by Western MA EEN, LLC located at 2788 and 2810 Boston Road as indicated on plans and fur-ther specified on information on file in the Planning Office

and posted for public view-ing on the Planning Board page o f t he Town o f Wilbraham website at www.wi lbraham-ma.gov/123/Planning-Board. Both in per-son and virtual participation are available to the public. To view and participate in this public hearing virtually on your computer, at the above date and time, go to https://global.gotomeeting.com/join/242305061; Meeting ID No.: 242-305-061. To call into the hearing via tele-phone, dial: (877) 309-2073

and use the Access Code: 242-305-061.

Tracey PlantierActing Chair

10/21, 10/28/2021

LEGAL NOTICEThis ad is pursuant to MA

Gen. Law Ch.255, Sec. 39A as of October 29, 2021 the following motor vehicles will be for sale to satisfy a garage keepers lien:

2002 Pontiac SunfireVIN: 1G2JB124527382741

COLOR: Yellow LKO: Kierstin Gallo98 S. Chesterfield Rd.Williamsburg, MA

2007 Ford FocusVIN: 1FAHP34NX7W304732COLOR: Gray LKO: Kierra Knight45 Tavistock StSpringfield MA

R & S Assoc. Inc.Wilbraham MA 01095

413-596-437410/14, 10/21, 10/28/2021

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BOSTON – On Oct. 21, Sen. Eric P. Lesser [D – Longmead-ow] joined colleagues in the Massachusetts State Senate in passing An Act relative to mili-tary spouse-licensure portabili-ty, education, and enrollment of dependents (S.2558), or SPEED Act, to support military families who relocate to the Common-wealth by providing career sta-bility for the spouses of service members and quality education for their children.

“Yesterday, we took action to pass legislation to benefit mili-tary families in Western Mass and across Massachusetts,” said Lesser on Oct. 22. “Included in the legislation was my amend-ment to let service members know what certifications they need for certain careers and for some skills learned in the service to transfer to civilian certifica-tion. Our service members de-serve a level playing field with options to maximize their skill set as they re-enter the work-force. It’s the least we can do in return for their commitment to serve our country. Thank you to my colleague Senator John Velis for his leadership on this piece of legislation and continued ad-vocacy for military families right here in Western Mass.”

The legislation would speed up the professional licensure process for military spouses to ensure they can continue their careers, allow for advanced and

virtual enrollment for military children to resolve disruptions in education, provide in-state tu-ition continuity for military-con-nected college students, and establish a Purple Star Campus designation to identify public schools that show a major com-mitment to military families.

The SPEED Act would also help Massachusetts meet criteria used by the Department of De-fense and military officials when considering basing assignments and federal investments for mili-tary installations.

On average, military mem-bers receive new orders to relo-cate every 24-36 months. This uprooting not only affects the service member but also affects their entire family as well. Mil-itary spouses and children move an average of six to nine times over the course of their service member’s career. About 185,000 military children move between schools annually and miss im-portant registration and appli-cation periods. As a result, they may have to shift their planned course of study, take courses during summer school, or even be forced to graduate later. In addition, military-connected stu-dents also face social and emo-tional challenges that include leaving supportive friends and activities to start over at a new school.

Frequent moving pushes many military spouses to seek

out portable professions, which often require a state-issued li-cense. The current lengthy pro-cess of reapplying for licensing can lead military families to lose a second source of income and push many service members to consider leaving the military. The components of the SPEED Act are detailed below.

Military Spouse-Licensure Portability

Under this legislation, the Department of Occupational Licensure and Massachusetts Boards of Registration must ac-cept a spouse’s application for licensure or notify them of what criteria they did not meet within 30 days of applying, a timeframe recommended by the Depart-ment of Defense.

The SPEED Act would codi-fy this requirement into law.

Expedited Military Spouse Teacher Licenses

Teachers are the most prev-alent profession among military spouses.

The SPEED Act will require the Commissioner of Education to issue military spouses teach-ing certificates if the spouse meets certain requirements, such as holding a valid teaching li-cense from another state.

Advanced and Virtual Enroll-ment for Military Children

The SPEED Act would waive proof of residency requirements and allow military families to register and enroll when their

service member first receives re-location orders.

Military children who are transferring mid-semester would be allowed to enroll in and attend one of the Commonwealth’s vir-tual schools to ensure there is no disruption in their education.

Purple Star Campus Desig-nation

The Purple Star Campus Pro-gram, administered by the De-partment of Education, would identify public schools that show a major commitment to students and families connected to our nation’s military.

To receive the designation, schools would have to meet a number of different criteria, in-cluding designating school staff as a point of contact for military students and families, designat-ing a page on its website with re-sources for military families, and maintaining a transition program for military students.

The Purple Star School Program not only encourages schools and districts to increase their supports for military fami-lies but also helps families iden-tify schools that are best pre-pared to meet their needs.

In-State Tuition Continuity for Military-Connected College Students

Currently, a child or spouse of an active-duty service mem-ber in Massachusetts can lose in-state tuition eligibility if the military sponsor is assigned to move out of the state.

The SPEED Act, through the passage of an amendment during debate, would also ensure that a military-connected student receiving a letter of acceptance shall be deemed an in-state resi-dent for purposes of determining tuition and fees

The bill now goes to the Mas-sachusetts House of Representa-tives for consideration.

Sen. Lesser helps pass legislationto support military families relocating to MA

Polanie Club to holdbingo party Nov. 8

LUDLOW – The Polanie Club will hold a Bingo Card Par-ty on Monday, Nov. 8, 2021

at 6:30 p.m. at the Polish American Citizen’s Club at 355 East St. in Ludlow.

Public Invited All are Welcome

wilbrahamhampdentimes.turley.com

Wilbraham BOS hears crumbling concrete presentation

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