Williamsburg officials thrilled with school decision

By OWEN BOSS
Staff Writer

WILLIAMSBURG — The seven-year-long effort to renovate and expand the Anne T. Dunphy School took a giant step forward Thursday, when the state’s School Building Authority authorized the town to conduct a feasibility study.

The board’s decision means that the town, with financial support from the MSBA, can now hire a licensed design consultant to review a slew of problems with the building including a lack of available space, outdated electrical and heating systems and structural damage to the building itself, according to State Rep. Stephen Kukik, D-Worthington.

After years of submitting design plans to the MSBA without any results, School Committee Chairwoman Charlene Nardi moved in June to allocate $60,000 from free cash at this year’s Town Meeting; a warrant item that residents supported unanimously. That money will now be used along with the state money to conduct a more ambitious feasiblity study.

Kulik said the state’s sudden change of heart followed a recent tour of the school by building authority’s Executive Director Katherine Kraven.

“I invited Katherine Kraven to the school so she could see the deplorable conditions of the heating system there as well as problems with leaks and ventilation,” Kulik said. “The town and school system have done a great job of working with what they’ve had available at that school, but its not up to current standards for a school building.”

Kulik said the town’s commitment to conducting the project economically was the driving force behind the state’s decision to move forward with the renovation study.

“The MSBA was very pleased with the way the town has done its best to maintain the building and think this could be a model for an efficient and cost-effective renovation and expansion,” Kulik said. “They have shown a good small town Yankee way of doing things by using donated and volunteered equipment and spending money very efficiently. That seemed attractive the state and helped them to pony up to the table with money for this project.”

The board’s approval also opens the door for the town to look into adding a 9,000-square-foot addition to the building which would allow for the consolidation of the local school system by sending students from the nearby Helen E. James School to the newly renovated building on Main Street.

“A newly renovated and expanded school will allow for all of Williamsburg’s elementary children to be educated under one roof,” Nardi said in a prepared statement. “The expansion of the Dunphy School...will provide a significant cost savings to the town.”

Although the building authority’s involvement in the process will mean the Commonwealth will pick up the tab for a portion of the project, translating to big savings for the town, Town Administrator Steven Herzberg said state requirements may mean the feasibility study could cost more than previously anticipated.

“Now that the state got involved they have their own requirements about the design process,” Herzberg said. “Which means the ($60,000) may end up being kind of a down payment on the feasibility study because it may or may not be enough to cover the whole thing.”

Kulik also noted that when the renovation moves forward, efforts made to install more modern, energy-efficient heating, lighting and ventilation systems in the school will save the town a significant amount of money in the future.

Owen Boss can be reached at oboss@gazettenet.com

Local brewers offer ideas for Obama 'beer summit'

By Owen Boss

Staff Writer

NORTHAMPTON - When he heard President Barack Obama's plan for a "beer summit" to smooth over a recent dispute between a white Cambridge police officer and a black Harvard professor, U.S. Rep. Richard Neal decided to write the president a letter requesting that the cold ones come from a Massachusetts brewery.

The Springfield Democrat said he sent Obama a letter Wednesday suggesting that Boston Beer Co.'s Samuel Adams be served at his meeting tonight with Harvard professor Henry Louis Gates Jr. and Cambridge police Sgt. James Crowley.

"The incident happened in Massachusetts so we need to defer on that basis to serving up a Massachusetts beer," Neal said.

On July 16, Crowley arrested Gates at his home for disorderly conduct while investigating a report of a burglary. Gates, one of the nation's pre-eminent African-American scholars, accused Crowley of racial profiling. Although all charges against Gates have since been dropped, Obama decided to have the two men meet over a beer at the White House in an attempt to quell a charged nationwide response.

As word of the meeting spread, the big question became what kind of beer would be on the menu. According to published reports, Obama plans to have Bud Light, Gates will have Red Stripe and Crowley has requested Blue Moon.

In his letter to Obama, Neal said he suggested a number of in-state breweries, including Boston's Harpoon Brewery, the Northampton Brewery, Pioneer Brewing in Sturbridge and South Deerfield's Berkshire Brewing Co., where production manager Chip DeForest said he thinks beer drunk while settling a local debate should definitely come from an in-state brewery.

"I would recommend they drink our Steel Rail E.P.A., which is our flagship beer," DeForest said. "It is an American extra-pale ale and it is a classic American ale that everyone can drink."

Whether or not he could have a cold case at the White House in time for tonight's meeting, DeForest said, would depend on how quickly FedEx could get it there.

Randy Wood, general manager of the Northampton Brewery on Brewster Court, said he would be in his car heading to Washington the second he got word that the president needed beer.

"If you had two of our beers there, I would start with our Nonotuck I.P.A., which is a bitter beer, because it sounds like there was some bitterness between them," Wood said. "And then what comes to mind for smoothing things out would be our Imperial Stout, which is really strong and has a really nice smooth flavor."

Although the Amherst Brewing Co. on North Pleasant Street wasn't among the suggested micro-breweries in Neal's letter, manager Clayton Leonard said he would offer the men a Cascade I.P.A. to drink while hashing out their problems.

Another local brewer, Dennis Bates of Southampton's Opa Opa Brewing Co., said if he was given a choice, he would recommend Obama try the company's award-winning Red Rock Amber blend.

The meeting, scheduled for 6 p.m., is expected to take place at a picnic table outside of the White House.

"The letter arrived at the White House today, so the president should have plenty of time to get some of our beer there," Neal said.

Owen Boss can be reached at oboss@gazettenet.com.

Hilltown looks for top cop

@Text body copy :JOHN COTTON">

By OWEN BOSS

Staff Writer

WILLIAMSBURG - Officials are looking for new Police Department leadership after the controversial departure of Police Chief John Cotton, who stepped down mere days before his contract with the town was due to expire.

Select Board Chairman Jeffrey Ciuffreda said Cotton, 57, sent board members a letter notifying them that he would be retiring June 27, three days before his contract expired.

Cotton said he was surprised that after four years as part-time chief, his retirement would come without being recognized somehow by the Select Board, which voted a year ago to not renew his contract and to switch the post to full-time, despite a Town Meeting vote requesting it remain part-time.

The board decided to make the position full time last June, and Cotton did not want to work beyond part time.

Although it garnered enough support to make its way onto the Town Meeting warrant and passed a June 1 vote, a ballot item requesting that Cotton remain the part-time police chief was nonbinding, as the board has the sole authority to appoint the chiefs of the local fire and police departments, according to officials. Now that Cotton has officially retired, Ciuffreda said Sgt. Denise Wickland has been appointed as acting chief while board members look for candidates for the position.

"The Select Board has before it a draft of a job description that we will fine-tune to more accurately suit Williamsburg," Ciuffreda said. Cuiffreda said he felt the board's decision to wait until after Cotton's contract expired to begin the search for a replacement was made to ensure the transition was as smooth as possible.

Cotton worked the majority of his 35-year career in law enforcement as a member of the Northampton Police Department, reaching the rank of senior lieutenant before becoming Williamsburg's interim chief in July 2005.

Cotton said he was notified of the board's plan more than a year ago when it voted 2 to 1 not to reappoint him when his contract expired this year.

Members Ciuffreda and David E. Mathers approved the decision, while Denise L. Banister voted against approving the decision.

Shortly after the vote, Cotton said the board asked him to sign a memorandum of understanding that included a nondisclosure statement and that he give them a definite date for his retirement.

"I didn't agree with any of it, so I didn't sign it," Cotton said.

When he joined the Williamsburg police in 2005, Cotton said he inherited a department that was disorganized and without the equipment necessary to properly serve the community.

"When I started in July 2005, there was no Police Department. The keys to the front door were lying on the inside of the building, and the doors were locked on the outside," Cotton said. "I hired officers, purchased equipment and got the community involved."

Cotton took over as chief after the previous police chief, Patrick Archbald, and several officers resigned amidst controversy after the Select Board decided to eliminate their positions in the spring of 2005.

In July 2008, Cotton was reportedly working nine hours a week and made about $18,000 annually from his part-time salary. When responding to emergency calls off duty, he was paid about $42 an hour. In total, he reportedly earned about $31,000 in fiscal 2008. He said he'll look back fondly on his time as chief.

"I loved serving in Williamsburg; it is a great community with wonderful people," he said.

Owen Boss can be reached at oboss@gazettenet.com

Thawed but hurting

Seven months later, ice-storm cleanup not done, as communities press for U.S. aid

By OWEN BOSS
Staff Writer

Seven months after a devastating ice storm left 22,000 western Massachusetts residents without electricity and caused millions of dollars of damage to local forests, roads and bridges, debris is still being cleaned up.

And affected communities are still putting in requests for federal aid.

Plainfield Town Secretary Paula King said crews are still cleaning up debris from the town’s woods after it saw an estimated $211,000 in reported removal costs in the first week of the storm, between Dec. 11 and 18. The second round of aid requests, she said, is still being finalized. Included in their submission for the first week were costs associated with running a shelter at the Plainfield Safety Building for a week.

Since the storm, 12 cities and towns in Hampshire County have filed and been reimbursed for the money spent between Dec. 11 and 18, most of which was for debris removal and paying emergency crews who worked overtime to keep roads clear. Total damages for the towns during that period, according to figures submitted by the Federal Emergency Management Agency, exceeded $1.25 million.

Another town still cleaning up from the storm, Cummington, one of the hardest hit in Hampshire County, will wait until it finishes off-street debris removal before sending out its final cost reports.

“I’d say we’ve gotten rid of about 80 percent of the debris. The remaining cleanup is basically now located entirely off of the main roads” Selectman James Drawe said. “The numbers FEMA has, those are just what they’ve estimated for our total. They will eventually pay us on the bills we send them.”

According to Annie Donovan, a FEMA external affairs specialist, the $1.32 million that has been put aside to reimburse the now estimated $1.76 million spent so far by municipalities across Hampshire County represents a cost estimate based on a series of factors, such as how many cubic yards of fallen debris had to be cleared and how much it cost for local emergency responders who worked to repair damaged roads and bridges and keep lanes clear while removing fallen trees.

Donovan said officials in most local communities, including those hit hardest by the ice storm, are still working to finalize their last submission for federal relief, which will represent all of the money spent since Dec. 18. When those final requests are submitted, the money can be sent out, she said.

In Chesterfield, which has reported more storm damage than any other municipality in Hampshire County, Selectman Roger Fuller said 99 percent of the storm debris has been removed. Town officials already filed their second round of paperwork for a little under $200,000.

“There may still be some remote roads that need brush clipping but our town is pretty much clean at this point,” Fuller said. “We have submitted our costs for the second round, so we are ahead of the curve in that respect, which is good.”

Ed Dahill, the town’s superintendent of streets, said the town expects about $130,000 in reimbursements after the second round.

“Most of the second round is strictly for debris removal,” Dahill said. “This second request we are putting in is for about $190,000 and we should get all 75 percent of that back.”

In the wake of the storm, FEMA offered presidential emergency declarations for Massachusetts, Vermont, New Hampshire and Maine, which meant that municipalities in those states would be reimbursed for up to 75 percent of the money spent cleaning up the mess, including debris removal and emergency services related to repairing damaged public facilities. The remaining 25 percent spent must be covered by the town applying for aid.

In Williamsburg, which reported a little more than $75,000 in costs for the first week after the storm, Town Administrator Steven Herzberg said storm cleanup is complete and now it’s just a matter of invoicing actual costs against FEMA’s estimates.

“Our damage claim was pretty much only for debris removal and all of that work is done,” Herzberg said. “There is more for us to report in terms of expenses incurred by the police, fire and highway departments during the storm and I’m just now waiting for some information from people to submit the final paperwork.”

Meanwhile, in Pelham, which suffered less damage from the ice storm than other towns in the region, Highway Superintendent Richard Adamceck said paperwork has yet to be completed and time spent cutting through red tape for funding has pushed the completion of the cleanup effort into next fall.

“We got kind of screwed because the money we needed for the cleanup didn’t arrive until after the leaves came out, so we won’t know for sure how much more is left until the leaves are off the trees,” Adamceck said. “We ended up with hangers in the top of these trees that are all leafed out, and now I’m going to have to go back in the fall, probably sometime after November, to see what else has to be done.”

All funding related to the storm must be approved by both the state emergency management agency and FEMA. The submissions process has been facilitated through meetings held between towns and FEMA project specialists.

Owen Boss can be reached at oboss@gazettenet.com

Northampton landfill options viewed

By Owen Boss

Staff Writer

NORTHAMPTON - The Board of Public Works began its review Wednesday night of a thick final draft laying out alternatives to expanding the city's landfill, before a small crowd of landfill neighbors who urged them to consider other options.

The existing landfill, which board members said receives about 50,000 tons of waste a year, is scheduled to close in June 2011.

The finalized 142-page report discussed at the meeting, which took the city's longtime landfill consulting firm, Stantec, nearly two years to complete and cost about $110,000, was somewhat different from the draft board members have been working with so far.

"Today we are looking at an updated version of this, which is about a half inch thicker and has a hundred small changes," chairman Terry Culhane said. "What I would like to do is generate a good discussion about the issues and some of this content."

The report outlines costs associated with five possible scenarios for the landfill's future: expanding the landfill and continuing operations as they exist now; maintaining the transfer station on Locust Street, closing the landfill and closing the transfer station on Glendale Road; expanding the landfill, but having the city or a contracted company collect trash and recycling curbside around the city; closing the landfill and implementing a citywide collection program that would transport city waste elsewhere; or closing the landfill and having the city provide no services, leaving residents to contract waste removal as needed.

The analysis also offers examples of new and emerging technologies used to control waste in other American cities and internationally, although board member Michael Parsons said the chances of the city being able to afford one is highly unlikely.

"Those technologies are all in different stages of development and they are not cost-competitive with our other options," Parsons said. "I don't think they play a role in part of the city's program. I don't see the city implementing one of these technologies."

To which Culhane added, "It would also cost a lot more to build the facility, and that would translate to a huge loss."

Although the meeting was not meant to generate public input, Culhane allowed a brief period at the end for residents to voice their opinions.

About 10 residents were present, including Ward 6 City Councilor Marianne LaBarge, in whose ward the landfill is situated.

Sheila Townsend, a Glendale Road resident, told board members that their decision shouldn't be based solely on finances.

"All this talk about money, money, money and looking at the bottom line, you all have to remember that there are people living near the landfill that live with these issues every day," Townsend said. "They may not be the wealthiest people in town, but there are human beings out there and they have to be considered."

Other speakers warned members about costs associated with potential lawsuits if there are problems with the landfill's expansion and that the board's decision should be taken extremely seriously because it is one that will likely impact the lives of several future generations.

Because of recent changes to the report, and the depth of its content, after two hours of mulling over the costs associated with the different scenarios, board members continued their discussion to their next meeting. They also began planning a public information session to be held in the JFK Elementary School's Community Room sometime after Labor Day.

There was also some discussion of starting an interactive blog on the department's Web site that would allow residents to post comments about the report which would then be considered at a future public information session, Culhane said.

The City Council has scheduled a special meeting July 30 to consider a proposal to place a nonbinding referendum question on the November ballot that seeks voters' opinions about the landfill expansion.

The final draft of the report is available to the public on the department's Web site, http://www.northamptonma.gov/dpw.

Owen Boss can be reached at oboss@gazettenet.com.

Two more arraigned in South Hadley robbery

BELCHERTOWN — Two Chicopee men were arraigned Tuesday in connection with the armed robbery of a woman outside a New Ludlow Road strip club in South Hadley early Monday.

Asiah Peltier, 24, and Marcus McPhail, 19, each pleaded innocent in Eastern Hampshire District Court to charges of armed robbery, possession of a large-capacity firearm, possession of a firearm with a defaced serial number, possession of a large-capacity firearm while in the commission of a felony, possession of a firearm without a license, possession of a firearm without a firearms ID card and receiving stolen property valued above $250.

A third co-defendant, Anthony J. Martinez, 20, of 17 Asinof Ave., Chicopee, pleaded innocent to identical charges Monday.

According to court documents, at about 1:50 a.m. Monday, a woman was walking to her car when the three men allegedly pulled up in a white Jeep Cherokee, showed her a 9 mm handgun and demanded money.

The woman handed the men her purse, which contained $300 and other personal items. Later she described for police the make and model of the car along with some of the numbers on the license plate.

Using that information, police were led to Martinez's apartment Monday morning, where he was located along with the vehicle and the weapon, which was loaded with a large-capacity magazine holding 12 rounds of ammunition.

Once in custody, Martinez reportedly told police that McPhail was the driver of the getaway vehicle and that he and one of the other co-defendants had stolen two similar handguns from a house in Springfield. The second handgun, he said, might still be in the possession of one of the other two men, according to court documents. That investigation is ongoing, police said.

All three men are being held on $25,000 cash bail and are scheduled to reappear in court Aug. 4.

Owen Boss can be reached at oboss@gazettenet.com.

Crash chokes Bridge Street traffic in Northampton

NORTHAMPTON - Route 9 traffic had to be rerouted for more than two hours Tuesday night after a pickup truck severed a utility pole on the corner of Bridge Street and Elizabeth Street.

According to Sgt. Jody Kasper, at about 7:30 p.m., police and firefighters responded to the scene of the accident to find the damaged utility pole standing upright, but completely disconnected from its base.

The driver, whom police did not identify, allegedly lost control of his tan Ford pickup and crashed into the pole. An officer at the scene said the man was uninjured and walked away from the accident.

As a Western Mass Electric Co. crew worked to repair the damaged pole, police blocked off Bridge Street and rerouted traffic down Lincoln Avenue and Orchard Street.

The road was still closed at 10 p.m. last night, Kasper said. The cause of the accident was under investigation.

- OWEN BOSS

Nuciforo to run for Congress - in 2012

By The Associated Press

BOSTON - Former state Sen. Andrea Nuciforo has decided to run for Congress - in 2012.

The Pittsfield Democrat has filed papers with the Federal Election Commission declaring his candidacy in the state's westernmost 1st House District three years from now. The seat is held by Rep. John Olver of Amherst, a fellow Democrat who has given no indication of retiring.

Nuciforo had been among those considered to possibly challenge Olver in 2010.

"We think a campaign like this requires some lead time," Nuciforo told The Associated Press. "And we will be prepared both financially and organizationally in 2012."

Nuciforo says he supports Olver for re-election next year, although he sidestepped a question about whether he would square off against the incumbent should he seek re-election in 2012.

"I support John Olver; I have supported him for years. To my knowledge, he is running for re-election in 2010, and he will have my enthusiastic support," Nuciforo said.

Asked if that fidelity extended to 2012, he said: "What I'm doing is supporting the congressman's bid for re-election."

Some political observers wondered if Nuciforo's declaration might say something about Olver's long-range plans. Amherst resident Ralph Whitehead, a professor of press and politics at the University of Massachusetts who has worked as a political columnist and consultant to political campaigns and government agencies, sees Nuciforo's decision to run in 2012 as a "very interesting" political strategy that he thinks may suggest Olver plans to retire.

"After winning his first full-term as congressman in 1992, (Olver) pretty much turned this seat into a safe seat," Whitehead said. "My hunch is that Mr. Nuciforo must be guessing or at least gambling that Olver will not seek re-election in 2012."

Because Nuciforo has chosen to support Olver's re-election in 2010, Whitehead said he suspects his plan to run in 2012 is an attempt to be first in what would be a long line of politicians vying for the seat.

"I think he wants to be the first in line chronologically," Whitehead said.

Also finding Nuciforo's announcement an interesting political move was Northampton resident Bill Rosen, a former staff member for Olver, who wasn't as quick to presume retirement in Olver's future.

"I don't know what his intentions are about this, I just think that it is a very interesting move and I would think it is a little presumptuous," Rosen said. "John doesn't make decisions that far in advance. He is not going to make a decision about 2012 because you can't presume such a thing when running for election in 2010."

One possibility, Rosen said, is Nuciforo's recognizing there is a chance that in 2012 the district map in Massachusetts could change from 10 congressional districts to nine.

"That could be a piece of this too," Rosen said. "That redistricting may be coming."

Attempts to reach Nuciforo and Olver at home were unsuccessful Tuesday night.

Nuciforo, 45, represented the Berkshires in the Legislature from 1997 to 2007. He has since returned from Boston and serves as the register of deeds in the Berkshire Middle District.

In a pair of filings made last week, Nuciforo not only declared his congressional candidacy but created a committee to raise and spend money on behalf of his candidacy.

Olver, 72, served three terms in the Massachusetts House of Representatives before serving nine terms in the state Senate. In 1991, he won a special election to replace Rep. Silvio Conte, who died in office. Olver faced his most serious re-election battle in 1996 from then-state Sen. Jane Swift, who went on to become the state's lieutenant governor and acting governor.

The congressman holds a seat on the powerful House Appropriations Committee and has accused the federal government of passivity amid evidence of genocide in Darfur. He was arrested in 2006 after protesting outside the Sudanese embassy in Washington.

While Massachusetts currently has 10 members in its House delegation, the state could lose a seat following the 2010 U.S. Census because of expected population loss. That has prompted speculation about redistricting, as well as questions about whether an incumbent or retiring member might lose his or her territory as congressional lines are redrawn.

Staff writer Owen Boss contributed to this report.

McDonald’s worker said to steal from deposits

EASTHAMPTON — A Montague man who allegedly stole $17,000 from a local McDonald’s restaurant pleaded innocent in Northampton District Court Monday.

Stephen L. Kochan, 41, a former employee of the fast-food restaurant, was arrested and charged with larceny over $250 by a single scheme after he reportedly stole about $1,500 a night in deposits from the 121 Northampton St. McDonald’s in Easthampton, according to court documents.

According to police, after his arrest, Kochan admitted to stealing the money and said he did so to buy scratch tickets.

Judge Richard J. Carey released Kochan on his own recognizance. He is scheduled to reappear in court Aug. 19.

— OWEN BOSS

Drugs taken from driver

By OWEN BOSS
Staff Writer

NORTHAMPTON — Three people were arrested early Sunday morning following a traffic stop on Bridge Road in Northampton that revealed a stash of crack cocaine.

Police arrested the driver of the vehicle, Jeffrey Allen Pulito, 39, of Southington, Conn., on charges of operating a motor vehicle while under the influence of drugs and possessing a class B drug. Passenger Dawn Marie Lewis, 38, of Southington, was arrested on a charge of possession of a class B drug with intent to distribute. Another passenger, Heather May Pearce, 35, of Winchendon, was arrested on a charge of possession of a class B drug and three East Brookfield District Court warrants.

According to court documents, at 12:13 a.m. Officer Sean Casella was driving west on Bridge Road when he noticed a vehicle fluctuating in speed and weaving from one side of the road to the other. Casella reported that after turning on his lights and siren, the car continued down the road before going over the curb at St. Mary’s Cemetery and traveling another 200 feet before slowing to a stop.

When Casella approached the vehicle, Lewis was reportedly wearing only a bra and no underwear and all three people appeared to be under the influence of drugs. When he asked what they were doing, Lewis reportedly told Casella the two women were “making out.” Pulito reportedly told police that Lewis was his wife and Pearce was his girlfriend.

Plainly visible inside the car, police said, were a scrub brush and glass vial containing a small imitation rose. Both items are commonly used to smoke crack, according to police. A search of the car turned up 13 bags, or 1.6 grams, of crack cocaine hidden inside a cigarette pack, police said.

Judge Richard J. Carey ordered Pearce and Lewis held on $1,000 personal surety and Pulito held on $500 cash or $5,000 surety. None of the three posted bail Monday and all are scheduled to reappear in court on July 31.

Owen Boss can be reached at oboss@gazettenet.com

Police arrest Holyoke man threatening to rob bank

NORTHAMPTON - A Holyoke man started a panic at a King Street bank Thursday morning when he told a teller he would rob them if he didn't get the money out of his account, police said.

According to Lt. Michael Patenaude, at 11 a.m., at least five police cruisers were dispatched to 297 King St. for a report that a customer inside Easthampton Savings Bank was threatening to rob the place.

Patenaude said Romando Johnson, 28, was arrested on charges of threatening to commit a crime and disorderly conduct after a confrontation with one of the bank's tellers.

"I guess he went into the bank to close out an account and it had a negative balance," Patenaude said. "He told one of the tellers to give him the money he had put into the bank or he would rob them."

- OWEN BOSS

Conn. man, woman arrested on drug charges after I-91 stop

NORTHAMPTON - State police arrested two Connecticut residents Thursday night during a routine traffic stop on Interstate 91 after a trooper discovered a large amount of prepackaged heroin in their car, police said.

Shelly L. Smalley, 40, and Joshua M. Williams, 27, both of South Windsor, Conn., were arrested on charges of possessing a class A substance (heroin) with intent to distribute, state police said.

According to Trooper Robert Wyckoff, desk officer at the Northampton state police barracks, at 6:25 p.m., Smalley and Williams were stopped just north of Exit 19 on I-91 North for having only one license plate attached to the 1999 Mercury Mystique they were traveling in.

Wyckoff said that during the stop, Smalley, the driver, and Williams, the passenger, were asked to step out of the car. In searching the car, the trooper found 86 bags of heroin, Wyckoff said.

Smalley and Williams were being held at the Northampton barracks Thursday night, Wyckoff said. Smalley was being held on $1,000 bail and Williams on $5,000 bail. Both are expected to be arraigned in Northampton District Court today.

- OWEN BOSS

Church opening: St. Mary's safe for worshipper's return Saturday

St. Mary's Church in Northampton Wednesday afternoon.">

By Owen Boss

Staff Writer

NORTHAMPTON - St. Mary's Church will reopen Saturday, exactly one month
after loose slate shingles on the church's spires forced church
officials to close the building temporarily and send parishioners to
churches around the region.

Services at the Elm Street church, which have been canceled since early June, are set to resume Saturday at 3 p.m. and will follow their regular daily schedule after that, including daily Masses, said Mark E. Dupont, a spokesman for the Diocese of Springfield.

"The front doors will be opened, and through our conversations with the building commissioner we learned that the scaffoldings we have put up will suffice for any safety concerns," Dupont said. "Given the age of the church, we wanted take a good look to make sure that the problem wasn't something more serious."

The good news, building commissioner Anthony Patillo said, is that a thorough inspection by O'Reilly Talbot & Okun Associates and Engineering Design Associates, both of Springfield, showed that the damage to the nearly 150-year-old church is far less extensive than "the worst-case scenario" they initially feared.

"We sent a structural engineer into the spires, and I went in, too, and what we found is that they are very sound," Patillo said.

"We were all amazed at the structural integrity of the timber framing inside the spires," he said. "At one time, we thought we were going to have to take the spires down, and now we know that is clearly not the case."

According to Patillo, repairing the spires will require some slate replacement and some brick point work, a project Dupont expects will take several months to complete.

Rainy weather throughout June contributed to the lengthy closure, Dupont said, as workers tried to erect scaffolds along the front of the church so that services could be held.

"It was delayed by the weather, but the workers have now finally accomplished that part of the project," he said.

The Rev. William Hamilton, pastor of the church, expressed his gratitude to church parishioners and to other churches that opened their doors during the closure.

"I am grateful to my parish community, which has been patient and understanding throughout this ordeal, as well as to our neighboring Catholic parishes who have been so welcoming," he said in a statement.

Owen Boss can be reached at oboss@gazettenet.com.

Driver, 85, hits 4 cars in parking lot accident

Officers gather at the scene of a parking lot accident involving five vehicles Wednesday at the Florence Medical Center on Nonotuck Street.">

By Owen Boss

Staff Writer

NORTHAMPTON - An elderly woman who accidentally backed into several parked cars in a medical center lot off Nonotuck Street Wednesday afternoon was taken to the hospital for her injuries, police said.

According to Sgt. David A. Callahan, at 3 p.m., police responded to 190 Nonotuck St., for a report that Margaret Brida, 85, had lost control of her 1994 Plymouth Acclaim and accidentally caused several thousand dollars worth of damage to four unoccupied cars parked in the lot of Florence medical offices.

"She was backing out of her parking space and accelerated too quickly while she was backing up, which caused her car to swing around and hit all of the parked cars," Callahan said.

Brida was transported by ambulance to Baystate Medical Center in Springfield with minor injuries, where a hospital spokeswoman said she had been treated and released Wednesday night.

No citations were issued as a result of the accident, Callahan said.

Owen Boss can be reached at oboss@gazettenet.com

Huntington man accused of statutory rape

By Owen Boss

Staff Writer

NORTHAMPTON - A Huntington man accused of providing alcohol to a young girl and committing statutory rape has been ordered held on $5,000 bail, or $50,000 surety, after his arraignment in District Court Tuesday.

According to court documents, Charles Fox Jr., 34, of 15 Stanton Ave. in Huntington, pleaded innocent Tuesday to two counts of indecent assault and battery on a child under 14, two counts of selling or delivering alcohol to a minor and two counts of statutory rape of a child.

Fox, who is reportedly married and employed by the U.S. Army, was arrested after a Northampton woman filed a complaint alleging that the offenses occurred on or before Sept. 15, 2008, court documents said.

Because the victim is a minor, the probable cause statement in the case is sealed. Fox is scheduled to reappear in court for a pretrial hearing July 30.

Owen Boss can be reached at oboss@gazettenet.com

Highway vigilance: Police to step up enforcement in I-91 construction zone

Jersey barriers heading south on Interstate 91 above East Street in Easthampton. The work area has been the site of numerous auto accidents this year, including a fatal crash.">

By Owen Boss

Staff Writer

EASTHAMPTON - State police have vowed to ramp up efforts to enforce speed restrictions in response to a recent increase in accidents at an Interstate 91 construction zone over the East Street Bridge, as highway workers move closer to eliminating split lanes.

In the first six months of 2009, emergency crews responded to 17 accidents at the site, the last of which resulted in a fatality - a statistic that is dramatically higher than the three accidents recorded in all of 2008, according to Lt. John G. Murphy, station commander at Northampton's state police barracks.

The 100-yard work zone between Exits 17 and 18 is marked by a half-mile of signs warning motorists of a 45-mph speed limit. The zone requires motorists on both sides of the highway to navigate through two narrow lanes of concrete Jersey barriers.

To lessen the chance of future accidents, Trooper William Loiselle said, state police will closely monitor motorists approaching the construction site and will remain visible as often as possible to deter speeders.

"We have been ordered by our supervisors to have our patrols on I-91 increase enforcement," Loiselle said. "They have reiterated the importance of conducting traffic enforcement in the construction zone and remaining visible to slow down traffic."

Work on the construction zone began in April 2007, when the state highway department began an $11.3 million project to replace the bridge over East Street with a three-span, steel girder bridge.

Although there has been an uptick in accidents so far this year, Adam Hurtubise, spokesman for MassHighway, said area motorists can expect an easier ride over the bridge in the near future when the third phase of construction begins.

"In terms of the construction itself, we expect work to move faster now because the contractor will be pouring the decks over the next couple of weeks and should be moving to Phase III soon after," Hurtubise said. "The traffic management plan for Phase III does not split the traffic."

Rather than funneling traffic into two narrow corridors around a closed center lane, Hurtubise said, workers will soon shift the two right lanes over and the left lane will be closed. The change, he said, will occur on both sides of the highway and will make traveling through the area much easier.

"Phase III does not involve as much work and we expect it to be completed more quickly. Barring unforeseen circumstances, the contractor hopes to have the major work completed by the end of the year," Hurtubise said.

Owen Boss can be reached at oboss@gazettenet.com.

Weather pattern squelches summer

By OWEN BOSS
Staff Writer

For area residents who gritted their teeth to get through a long winter with one of the worst ice storms in local history, followed by an abnormally cold and cloudy spring, enduring a cool, wet June has been depressing, to say the least.

It seems everywhere you go, from the Post Office to the supermarket, people are talking about the rainy start to summer 2009 and encouraging one another to remain optimistic that eventually, there will be a sunny break in the weather.

The sustained rainfall, which has meant a drop in business for farmers and contractors and postponed a host of outdoor activities, has certainly put a damper on the start to the summer — and the National Weather Service’s Web site indicates that it will slip into July, predicting rain today, rolling thunderstorms this weekend and scattered rainstorms into the middle of next week.

The increase in rainfall and predictions of flash thunderstorms have also prompted the service to institute a flash flood watch for Hampshire, Hampden and Franklin counties through Thursday night.

According to News 22 Storm Team meteorologist Brian Lapis, this June saw 6.53 inches of rain, the most since 2003, when climatologists recorded about 6.7 inches. The June record, set in 1982, was 10.41 inches, he said.

The reason for all the rain, Lapis said, is that for the last couple of weeks a jet stream to our south and low pressure systems to our east and west have generated a number of cool, almost winterlike storms that have kept much of the Pioneer Valley under cloud cover.

“There has been a lot of cloudiness, and the weather pattern we’ve had lately lends itself more to a wintertime pattern as opposed to a summer pattern,” Lapis said. “If people are feeling like we haven’t had summer yet, they aren’t out to lunch — this has definitely been an unusually cool and cloudy spring and summer so far.”

Although he expects today’s storm will bring the last significant rainfall of the week and is predicting a break in the weather in time for the Fourth of July fireworks, residents looking for several days of warm weather will likely have to wait until the middle of next week.

“I like our chances for being mostly dry on Friday with just a few scattered showers Saturday evening and a couple more on Monday and Tuesday and hopefully a high pressure system comes our way in the middle of next week,” Lapis said. “Typically things move from the west to east, and if you look west you see a lot of warm weather and eventually that will get here. It’s just a matter of time.”

Farmers strategize

June’s rainy weather has local farmers looking for a dry spell, and Dan Pratt, owner of Astarte Farm on West Street in Hadley, considering putting miniature life preservers on his eggplants to keep their heads above water.

“In our operation, which is a highly diversified market operation, the weather has been very hard on the tomatoes because many tomato diseases require a wet leaf ,and we have had a very long period of wet leaves,” Pratt said. “I’ve had some problems with my midspring broccoli because the water is literally resting on the mature broccoli’s head and that can start to rot it, but our garlic, leeks and onions are all prospering — I think they could grow in a swamp.”

Although there is little farmers can do but hope for a warmer middle and end to the summer season, Pratt said many keep vegetables in reserve to avoid the risks associated with planting all their produce at once.

“The kind of thing we do here, which most farmers are doing, is succession planting,” Pratt said. “Where you don’t put all of your plants out all at once, you stagger the planting so you can stagger the harvest and maybe get a break if you get bad weather.”

Contractors trudge on

All this wet weather has meant less work for local painting crews and landscapers and fewer customers for their suppliers, including Phil Dowling, owner of the Northampton Paint Center on North King Street, who said business is down 10 to 15 percent from what he would expect this time of year.

“It has been trying, to say the least,” Dowling said.

Wednesday’s storm, he said, was a classic example of what he has been dealing with so far this summer, with a rainy morning that saw patches of sunshine before turning into an afternoon downpour. Rainy weather, however, is something he said people who work outside have to be prepared for — and something his 30-year-old business has survived in the past.

“We have dealt with seasons like this; it’s not abnormal to have a lot of rain,” Dowling said. “But if we have two more months like this, that is our make-or-break season, and if the weather doesn’t change we are going to be in tough shape.”

Greg Omasta, owner and president of Omasta Landscaping, 265 Bay Road in Hadley, said this June has been one of the wettest he’s experienced in 31 years, and it has had a negative effect on every aspect of his business, from scheduling work to finishing it.

“It makes it much harder to get things done because we work with soils and plants, and if we put a lawn in for someone and it rains too much, it might take two days to dry out, and then our next job gets delayed by two days and the next person in line gets delayed by two days and so on,” he said.

Omasta has also noticed that the frequent rain showers and cloudiness have had a noticeable impact on his workers, who have to trudge on outdoors, regardless of the weather.

“When you’re working in it every day it can leave you feeling a little bit down and out,” Omasta said. “And then the sun comes out and you get a false sense of security, and before you know it starts raining again.”

Owen Boss can be reached at oboss@gazettenet.com.