Easthampton board OKs April 2013 move-in for EHS

By Owen Boss

Staff Writer

EASTHAMPTON - After months of discussion, school officials unanimously approved moving students into the city's new high school in the spring of 2013 after deciding the switch won't interfere with their schoolwork and will allow workers ample time to demolish the current building.

At a meeting at White Brook Middle School Tuesday night, School Committee members met with project manager Mel Overmeyer and Michael W. Buehrle Sr., chairman of the city's High School Building Committee, to discuss the pros and cons of making the move during a one-week spring break vacation.

"We talked about this move a lot and we found that it won't disrupt the learning and if we pushed it back longer it would end up costing us more money," Buehrle said. "We had to go and get permission from the School Committee to do this because they are responsible for the kids' education."

The committee's primary concern, Superintendent Nancy Follansbee said, was that moving students into the 110,000-square-foot building in the middle of the school year would be too disruptive.

"The other proposal that was put out there by School Committee members and some members of the High School Building Committee was to wait and move students in September so it would be less disruptive to their school schedules," Follansbee said. "But after our meeting, we felt comfortable with the project manager's view that we could easily make the move during that one week in April."

The earlier move, Overmeyer said, could end up saving the city as much as $200,000 compared with the cost of waiting for the start of the following school year.

"The primary problem with waiting is that it elongates the construction period and pushes the finishing of all the site work into the fall of 2013, which would end up making it much more expensive," Overmeyer said. "That $200,000 isn't a figure that has been calculated, but one of the school committee members asked me to give a wild guess and that was it."

Follansbee said she has heard from some current high school students who want their class to be the first to receive their diplomas in the new building.

"We had also gotten a lot of feedback from the community about the desire among our high school students to graduate from the new high school," Follansbee said.

In May, city residents approved an $18.1 million debt exclusion override by a nearly 3-1 margin. The vote means that the city will raise property taxes over a 20-year period to build, equip and furnish the new high school on the same 8-acre parcel where the current 49-year-old high school currently sits.

Tuesday's decision means the current plan is as follows: The design development phase of the project, which began in July of this year, will last until February 2011, when the project will go to bid through the end of April.

After preparing the site over the summer, construction of the new building will begin in fall, 2011, and, according to Overmeyer, is expected to last until February 2013. Professional movers will move classroom equipment over spring break, which will allow for the demolition of the existing structure and completion of all site work by August 2013. In total, the project is expected to cost $43.7 million.

Owen Boss can be reached at oboss@gazettenet.com

For the kids, Easthampton family goes all out

By Owen Boss

Staff Writer

EASTHAMPTON - Some families go all out on their Christmas decorations, others do it up big on cookouts and patriotic displays on the Fourth of July - but for the Ringer family, Halloween is the best night of the year. This time around, they've spend a solid month preparing, each week adding a little more to their elaborate display.

Trick-or-treaters in Easthampton Sunday will be invited to take a stroll through a foggy graveyard and visit a morgue run by a mad scientist at the family's 46 Mount Tom Ave. home.

Continuing what has become a spooky Ringer family tradition, Robert Ringer Sr., 59, Robert Ringer Jr., 35, and Joseph Ringer, 31, have worked together over the past month to install creative displays and carve more than 50 pumpkins for their display.

"Our letter carrier has been coming in every day to look and see what we've added and then he goes back to the post office and tells everyone what's new," said Robert Ringer Sr.

Robert Ringer Jr. noted that visitors come from as far away as Springfield to trick or treat in their quiet Easthampton neighborhood, drawn by their display.

"Last year we had people coming from Westhampton, Holyoke and as far away as Springfield to come and see the house," he said. "It just keeps getting bigger every year."

It's all part of the fun for him.

"For me doing this is all about the kids," he said as he set up earlier this month. "There's nothing better than seeing kids having fun on Halloween, whether they get scared or just love walking around and wondering what our different things are."

In a dimly lit morgue next to the pale white three-story house, Joseph Ringer will assume the role of a mad scientist, hungry for the fake eyeballs, fingers, legs and arms of a decapitated corpse within.

Above the house, among cobwebs and bats, hangs an assortment of spooky masks and characters, meant to delight, and delightfully scare, trick-or-treaters.

As word of the setup has spread, Robert Ringer Sr. said the family's yearly display has become increasingly elaborate, this year including fog machines and a hand-crafted hearse driven by a skeleton.

"We get bigger and bigger because we figure we can expect to see more people showing up this Halloween than last year," he said.

In years past, family members have hidden in a pile of leaves dressed as a pumpkin or scarecrow, waiting to jump out at trick-or-treaters distracted by the cobwebs, floating skeletons and scary masks adorning the house.

The family has enlisted help from extended family and friends at a pumpkin-carving party Saturday.

"We get about 50 good-sized pumpkins and we have people come over for a cook-out to help carve them and get them ready for Halloween night," Robert Ringer Jr. said.

When all the pumpkins are ready, they are lined up in rows and illuminated with candles to be displayed along the roadway.

"We've had trick or treaters go running back to their Mom or Dad after stopping by," he said with a laugh. "And for us that's what its all about - seeing the kids get into the spirit of Halloween."

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

Cars don spooky costumes for kids' Halloween event in Easthampton

By Owen Boss

Staff Writer

EASTHAMPTON - Graves, candles, a headless butler and fog machines will transform a city parking lot into a scene right out of a horror movie Thursday, thanks to a handful of area residents who "spook up" their vehicles during the Northeast Center for Youth and Families' annual Trunk-or-Treat celebration.

The event's Halloween-themed cars, trucks and minivans also dished out goose bumps and candy to trick-or-treaters last year, said organizer Brenda Fondakowski, a staffer at the center.

"We all had a great time with this, not only while the Trunk-or-Treat event was taking place, but also through the preparation for it," Fondakowski said. "It was a lot of fun preparing and coming up with ideas to spook up the truck with things we thought the kids would enjoy."

Based in Easthampton, the Northeast Center for Youth and Families provides foster care, residential programs, in-home therapy, expressive arts therapy and after-school programming to more than 600 special needs children and teens every year.

Although last year's Trunk or Treat drew far more residents than she expected, Fondakowski said she expects even more this year because it is the first time the celebration will be open to the public.

"The agency is providing a safe way to bring the community together and it is really all about the kids having fun," Fondakowski said. "I hope this year's turnout is as good as last year's."

Residents interested in participating are invited to park in the center's East Street parking lot from 4 to 5:30 p.m. Admission is a bag of candy per child.

Kelly Beaulieu, who tricked out her sedan for last year's event, said the Trunk-or-Treat experience was just as fun her as it was for the trick-or-treaters.

"I hid behind my back seat last year and jumped out and screamed at them when they came for the candy," Beaulieu said.

"There was one woman who opened up her back seat so the kids could crawl through it, and most of us played spooky music in our cars. We just wanted to find a way to make Halloween fun for local kids and do something for the community that's a little fun and different."

Another NCYF employee who is spreading the word of last year's success is Kathleen Mahoney, who awarded trick-or-treaters with candy if they were brave enough to crawl through the back seat of her Buick.

"One of our managers decorated her trunk to look like a giant monster with its jaws hanging open, the maintenance guys built a miniature graveyard in the back of their pickup truck and our IT guys rigged together some electronics to have a ghoulish, moving, smoke-filled display," Mahoney said.

Part of the reason last year's celebration was so successful, Mahoney said, is that parents compete to outdo each other.

"Many of the kids in our residential program won't be able to go trick-or-treating on Halloween, so this is a chance for them to dress in costume and put on their most sincere faces while we dole out candy by the bagful," Mahoney said.

"It is really wonderful to see how engaging it is for the kids, to see how excited they are about the effort people put into their vehicles, and to see all of us grown-ups dressed up as silly as they are."

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

Learning to defuse bullying must start young, at home, writer says

By Owen Boss

Staff Writer

SOUTH HADLEY - Conflict is inevitable, violence is not. Children have to be taught to hate, they aren't born bullies. Most bullies develop as a direct result of how they see conflicts handled at home.

These were among the talking points Tuesday evening at an educational lecture by anti-bullying expert and best-selling author Barbara Coloroso, who broke down what bullying is and isn't, and how it can be prevented, for an audience of more than 150 at Town Hall.

This wasn't Coloroso's first trip to South Hadley. In 2009 she was hired by school officials to educate staff members on bullying, just four months before Phoebe Prince, a 15-year-old South Hadley High School student, hanged herself after allegedly being relentlessly bullied by a handful of her schoolmates.

Coloroso's return was arranged by Stand Up for a Change, a local anti-bullying group created by parents Darby O'Brien, Luke Gelinas and Eileen Moore, Phoebe Prince's aunt.

Before Coloroso addressed the crowd, Abigail Williams, who also helped organize the meeting and has represented a number of bullying-related cases through her Worcester law firm, Abigail Williams & Associates, said Tuesday's meeting was not about pointing fingers.

"I'm not here to say that this is anyone's fault, I'm here because this is a community-wide issue," Williams said. "As parents and as a community we need to stop saying bullying is OK, because it isn't, and the consequences have to start at home because the last place bullying should be addressed is at the police station and in the courtroom."

In a lively and often humorous hour-and-a-half presentation, Coloroso challenged those in attendance to put themselves back in middle school and touched on a variety of lessons outlined in her book "The Bully, the Bullied and the Bystander: Breaking the Cycle of Violence."

Using her own children's struggles with bullying as examples and citing suicides similar to Prince's that have occurred in every corner of the United States, Coloroso explained that bullying isn't unique to South Hadley, and the best way to prevent it is to give children the tools they need to stand up for each other at a young age.

"Most targeted kids are ashamed, afraid and don't think anyone can do anything to help them," Coloroso said. "If a school implements the policy that 'if teachers don't see it they can't punish anyone' they are only empowering the bully, because the majority of bullying occurs under the radar and when their back is turned."

At a television interview Tuesday afternoon, Coloroso said she bumped into Gov. Deval Patrick and had a bone to pick with him about the way bullying was defined in a recently passed anti-bullying bill that made Massachusetts the first state in the country to enact bullying-related legislation.

"The way it is written now, bullying is defined as an attack that must be continuous and repeated. Bullying is oftentimes repeated, but we have to insist that the first time it happens it must be treated as a bullying situation," Coloroso said.

A better definition of bullying, Coloroso said, is "a conscious, willful, deliberate activity intended to harm where the perpetrator(s) get pleasure from the targeted child's pain or misery." Bullying, she said, can fall into three categories, verbal, physical and relational.

"If we can stop it at verbal bullying, it rarely progresses to the other two," Coloroso said. "We have to be willing to stand up early and often and say this just can't happen."

Another myth Coloroso was out to dismiss was the notion that targeted students should avoid the bullies that torment them, one that she said is regularly recommended to children by their parents and teachers.

"Why is it the target's responsibility to avoid the bully or pick a new route home from school? That is just sending them the completely wrong message," Coloroso said.

Coloroso also set out to explain the difference between anger and contempt. The latter, she said, is much more powerful emotion and enables bullies to dehumanize their targets.

"You have to understand that bullies aren't mad at their targets. For one reason or another they have utter contempt for them," Coloroso said. "Once you have contempt for someone, you can go ahead and do anything to them without feeling compassion or shame."

The solution to bullying, Coloroso said, starts at home with parents closely monitoring what their children are exposed to on the Internet, on television and in social networking sites. Coloroso encouraged parents to join social networking sites, learn to text message and do whatever they can to "be one step ahead of them instead of two steps behind."

"We need to stop looking for a good reason for bullying, because there isn't one. The only thing that all targets have in common is that someone is targeting them," Coloroso said.

In the end, the best way to prevent tragedies like Prince's from reoccurring, Coloroso said, is for parents to instill in young children the courage necessary to stand up for kids who are the target of bullying.

"By educating your kids at a young age, you're giving them the tools to stand up and speak out, which are lifelong skills. You have to let them make choices and mistakes and let them learn from the consequences that come from their actions."

For more information about Coloroso's books or learning materials from her lectures, residents are encouraged to visit her website: http://www.kidsareworthit.com.

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

Look Park gets $1 million bequest from Smith professor

By Owen Boss

Staff Writer

NORTHAMPTON - Before her death in 1973, Kathleen Doland and her husband, DJ, cherished their long strolls together in Look Memorial Park. In the years that followed, until his death in September 2009 at the age of 88, friends said, DJ Doland often visited the park and enjoyed walking the grounds.

At a memorial service Saturday held in honor of the longtime Northampton resident, park officials announced that the former Smith College professor had helped ensure the park he loved would remain beautiful for generations by boosting its endowment fund with a $1 million gift.

Doland's gift, officials said, was the largest contribution since Fannie Burr Look's initial gift in 1928, which created the park as a memorial to her husband, Frank Newhall Look.

"DJ was a longtime friend of the park. We are grateful for this very generous bequest, which will impact the lives of Look Park users for generations to come," said Edward Etheredge, chairman of the park's board of trustees.

Officials said they plan to use the interest generated by the legacy every year to support capital improvements at the park. The initial income will be used to resurface the park's water spray facility, which cools off thousands of children and families every summer.

"We are currently in the process of replacing all of the valves that control the water and what we have out there right now is blacktop, which can get pretty slippery when it gets wet," said the park's executive director, Ray Ellerbrook. "So this money will be used to research and put in a new surface that is less slippery and more forgiving."

Although he didn't say whether park officials had any other immediate plans for how to use the money to better the park, Ellerbrook said there is "always something on the drawing board."

"There always seems to be something new we want to do that we can't get to, and this money will certainly make taking care of those kinds of things much easier on us," Ellerbrook said.

Doland retired as chairman of the psychology department at Smith College after 30 years spent teaching. During World War II, Doland was a chief pharmacist's mate in the U.S. Navy. He enjoyed world travel, reading, walking, music, theater and doing research on family history, according to his obituary.

Residents are invited to a public hearing today at 6 p.m. at the Garden House in the park on proposals to create two new athletic fields and to dredge Willow Lake at the park.

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

Northampton Ford dealership changes hands, name

By Owen Boss

Staff Writer

NORTHAMPTON - After 24 years of being locally owned and operated, Northampton Ford was sold Monday to the Sarat family, owners of a similar car dealership in Agawam for more than 80 years.

Jack Sarat Jr. purchased both the dealership and all existing inventory from Roger Jourdain, and announced that the transaction wouldn't result in any layoffs. He also said Jourdain would continue to work at the Damon Road dealer.

"Roger is a great guy and he has a lot of customers who will continue coming here to do business with him," Sarat said. "I think he is going to make a great addition to our team."

Sarat, who also owns Family Ford in Enfield, Conn., said he and Jourdain had agreed to a deal in May, but it took several months to work out all the paperwork that went along with the purchase. The dealership, he said, will be changing its name from Northampton Ford to Ford of Northampton.

Sarat said owning two other dealerships would allow him and his three sons, Jeff, Chris and Scott, to offer a much larger selection to local car buyers than was previously available.

"There will be a much better selection than what they've had here over the last couple of years," Sarat said. "Owning two other Ford dealerships will allow us to increase our inventory by about 500 vehicles."

Unlike his Agawam dealership, Sarat said, there are no plans to add a body shop to the dealership, but he does hope to increase sales by offering rentals.

"We are planning on having a car rental department out there for short-term rentals, meaning passenger vehicles, pickup trucks, 15-passenger people movers and cargo vans," Sarat said.

He said the main thing that attracted him to Northampton was the location.

"Northampton has a fantastic market and it is a great community," Sarat said. "I think the consumer today knows that Ford is a top-value product and I think being right in a college town will be a real opportunity for us."

Jourdain, who also declined to reveal the sale price of the dealership, said he was glad to know the Sarats would keep all his current employees.

"All of our staff is staying with us," Jourdain said. "Several of the people here have been here since the beginning. We'll be adding people because we had some folks choose to retire, but no one lost their position."

Owen Boss can be reached at oboss@gazettenet.com

After-school enrichment at Bridge Street reaches all students

By Owen Boss

Staff Writer

NORTHAMPTON - Twice a week, after the dismissal bell rings at Bridge Street School, the hallways are filled with the sound of bongo drums and the aroma of treats made in after-school cooking classes, thanks to a new after-school program introduced this year.

The program was first organized by a determined group of parents who applied for grant funding from the Northampton Education Foundation and a donation from Florence Savings Bank so a host of after-school activities could be offered to all Bridge Street students, regardless of household income.

"We got a grant from NEF, and part of it was used to make sure that we had scholarships so this kind of program was available to everyone in the school," said Michaela O'Brien, a parent who helped write the grant application. "We have a 30 percent low- and reduced-income population at this school, and we realized that those are the kids who might not have easy access to arts and activities like these."

Every Tuesday and Thursday, from 3:15 to 4:30 p.m., four groups of about 15 students, two made up of students kindergarten through second grade and the others consisting of third- to fifth-graders, take part in a variety of classes.

On Tuesday, the older groups have the option of being introduced to shelter animals housed at Leverett's Dakin Animal Shelter or cooking up some creative and healthy recipes.

"We're looking to educate them about animal safety, the responsibility that goes along with caring for animals and each animal's needs," said Dakin adoption counselor Lisa Austin Kuerzel, who brought kittens in to the school's library earlier this week. "Today we are reading a story about a little boy adopting Scruffy the cat, and afterwards the kids will be making story books."

Meanwhile, downstairs, another group of students carefully constructs "mummy pizzas" on English muffins, complete with olives for eyes and fangs made out of carrot slices. Earlier this year, the class milled homemade applesauce from fresh, locally grown apples.

Other options include classes in fiber arts, drumming, martial arts class, multicultural arts and crafts, Spanish, and sports.

In total, the program serves 70 students; 15 of the students are in the program thanks to the scholarship money provided by the NEF grant and funding from Florence Savings Bank.

"We know that some kids don't always excel at academia of school, so we tried to offer a well-rounded set of activities and interests that might expose kids to new experiences that build confidence," O'Brien said in an email. "Above all, we made sure this program was available to all kids in the school, not just those whose families can afford the class fees."

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

State money clears way for new $85M UMass classroom building

By OWEN BOSS

Staff Writer

AMHERST - With the promise of $65 million from the state, the University of Massachusetts will move ahead with a long-planned project - a new $85 million academic classroom building that will provide the campus with 1,800 state-of-the-art classroom seats and space for academic programs including communications, journalism and linguistics.

At a campus visit Friday afternoon, Jay Gonzalez, secretary of the commonwealth's Executive Office for Administration and Finance, announced that the state will kick in $65 million for the project through a higher education bond bill.

"This new building has discussed for a number of years and has been among our top priorities," said college spokesman Edward Blaguszewski. "We want to grow the campus, and this building has allowed us to do that and will provide some superb academic space that will serve all of our students."

Gonzalez said the new five-story building, which is expected to be completed by January 2014, will feature classrooms fully equipped with everything from basic chalkboards and audiovisual devices to the most modern educational technologies that did not even exist two years ago. In addition to 45,000 square feet for the communication, journalism, and linguistics programs, other spaces being planned are TV broadcasting and production studios, editing rooms, film screening rooms, computer classrooms, and speech perception and auditory phonetics labs.

The 150,000-square-foot structure will be designed by the Boston architecture firm Burt, Hill. The designers and campus facility planners hope to achieve a LEED Gold rating for the NACB by using advanced energy systems and controls to make this one of the lowest energy-consuming buildings of its type on campus, according to a release.

Buildings that now house the university's journalism, linguistics and communications departments are outdated, and their lack of available learning space played a role in their being selected over other UMass programs, Blaguszewski said,

"The buildings that those people are in now are old and really lacking the infrastructure that these departments need," Blaguszewski said.

The building will be at the north end of the campus pond near the Lincoln Campus Center and Student Union and is expected to create a convenient central hub for student activities. Entrances will welcome passengers from the Pioneer Valley Transportation's bus stop and pedestrians on the main walkway along the pond to the north and heavily traveled walkways on the west near the Campus Center and Student Union.

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

Bullying expert to speak in South Hadley

By Owen Boss

Staff Writer

SOUTH HADLEY — Anti-bullying expert Barbara Coloroso will speak and then lead a discussion Tuesday open to all town residents at Town Hall.

Organizers say they hope the format will allow for a more free-flowing discussion than in past meetings held in the wake of the suicide of 15-year-old Phoebe Prince last year.

The session is being organized by Stand Up for a Change, a local anti-bullying group created by parents Darby O'Brien, Luke Gelinas and Eileen Moore, Phoebe Prince's aunt. Prince's suicide in January 2010 prompted a national discussion on the topic of bullying.

Coloroso, author of "The Bully, the Bullied and the Bystander: Breaking the Cycle of Violence" was called in as a consultant in South Hadley before Prince took her own life after enduring months of bullying, according to officials.

The purpose of Tuesday's meeting, O'Brien said, is to offer residents an opportunity to voice their opinions without the same rules that frustrated some parents at a series of public forums organized by the School Committee.

"Unfortunately, all of the School Committee meetings were run in such a way that people couldn't ask a question, they had to make a statement, and then most of the time the committee didn't have an answer for them," O'Brien said. "So what we wanted to do was create community sessions where we would do just the opposite."

O'Brien said he would guarantee that all residents would have the chance to speak their mind without interruption.

The meeting is set to begin at 7:30 p.m..

Coloroso has worked with schools nationwide and made appearances on national news programs. She is frequently cited as an expert on bullying by leading print news outlets including The New York Times, Time Magazine, Newsweek and U.S. News & World Report, according to release.

O'Brien said that at Tuesday's event Coloroso will help residents better understand what bullying is, what steps can be taken to prevent bullying and how the town can take the lead on ending school bullying and protecting children.

"Over the last nine months we have found that the ability to stand up and speak out is a core American value that should be protected," O'Brien said.

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

Accident breaks shop window, but leaves people unharmed

By Owen Boss

Staff Writer

EASTHAMPTON - The day after an SUV came crashing through the storefront window of Off the Map Tattoo on Cottage Street, it was back to business as usual for employees, who said they were thankful no one was injured in the accident.

The broken window, shattered Tuesday evening, was boarded up Wednesday, with the words "We're open" spray painted on it.

The store's manager, Mary Bowen, who was inside the store when a Land Rover jumped the curb and came crashing through the front window, said it was fortunate that no customers were injured.

"We were really lucky, because the window she came through is in front of the bench space where customers come in and look through our catalogs," Bowen said.

"Had someone been sitting there, they would have been just covered in glass."

According to Police Chief Bruce McMahon, at 7:45 p.m., while attempting to parallel park, Caroline A. Quigley, 60, of Wilmington, Del., lost control of her 2005 Land Rover and drove up a small tree and into the front of the tattoo parlor.

"We lost our little tree that we were going to decorate for Christmas," Bowen said. "It used the tree just like a ramp and went right up into our window."

Before hitting the building, McMahon said Quigley's vehicle struck the rear bumper of a 2004 Toyota Corolla owned by Winifred M. Tannetta of Bardwell Street in South Hadley. Damage to the Corolla was limited to the back bumper, according to the report.

According to an accident report, Quigley said she lost control of her vehicle when she tried to hit to the brakes.

When asked if she could have hit the gas pedal along with the brakes, Quigley told police "she didn't know," according to the report.

The accident prompted a structural review of the building by Joseph Fydenkevez Jr., the city's building inspector, who determined that damage to the structure itself was minor.

"They basically just took the pane of glass out from the front window.

There was a structural crack in the second floor of the building, but both the tenant and the building owner said the crack was there before the accident," Fydenkevez said.

"It was a miracle that they didn't hit anything structural."

It remains unclear whether Quigley will be cited for the accident, McMahon said.

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

Florence man faces third drunk driving charge

By Owen Boss

Staff Writer

EASTHAMPTON - A Florence man denied drunken-driving charges Wednesday after he allegedly rammed another vehicle on Liberty Street Tuesday and kept going.

Michael J. McCoy, 44, of 186 Glendale Road, Florence, pleaded innocent Wednesday in Northampton District Court to charges of operating a motor vehicle while under the influence of alcohol, third offense, and leaving the scene of a motor vehicle accident with property damage.

At 2:08 p.m. Tuesday, Easthampton police responded to a report that a motorist had been struck from behind by a pickup truck on Liberty Street, according to court documents.

As officers Gary Shepard and William Mielke arrived at the scene, they were waved down by Allan Doe, 61, of Nonotuck Street in Florence, who told them that his 2001 Saab sedan had been struck by a gray truck with a row of yellow lights on the roof.

Soon after, Mielke reportedly located a 1988 GMC pickup that matched Doe's description turning off Main Street and onto Glendale Street.

When Mielke approached the truck, he noted McCoy's speech was slurred and that McCoy had "a long string of drool coming out of the left side of his mouth," according to court documents.

After getting out of the truck, McCoy reportedly told police that he had only had one beer earlier in the day. Police arrested him after he refused to undergo a series of field sobriety tests.

Judge Richard J. Carey ordered McCoy released on his own recognizance on the condition that he avoid alcohol and submit to random screenings and scheduled him to appear for a pretrial hearing on Nov. 5.

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

Safe Halloween: It's a hallowed tradition in Westhampton

By Owen Boss

Staff Writer

As it has for many years, the Westhampton Women's Club seeks to ensure that all local children enjoy a fun and safe Halloween by arranging for trick-or-treaters in Grade 8 or under to celebrate the holiday together.

This year's Safe Halloween, which organizers say will take place rain or moonshine, will begin at 6:15 p.m. on Sunday, Oct. 31, in the parking lot of Hampshire Regional High School.

At 6:30 p.m., participants, who are encouraged to bring a flashlight and a bag for collecting treats, will parade to the Town Common and begin trick-or-treating at nearby homes.

From 6:30 to 8 p.m. Sunday, portions of South, Stage and North roads will be closed to traffic and the Town Hall will be open as a warming center where volunteers will serve seasonal refreshments. At 8 p.m., the church bell will ring and will signal the end of trick-or-treating.

In support of the event, town residents are encouraged to donate approximately 30 pieces of candy or alternative treats for each child in their household who will be trick-or-treating.

Donations can be dropped off at Outlook Farm on Main Road or at the Memorial Library in the center of town until Oct. 24.

Oscar Wilde production

This November, The Hampshire Regional Drama Company will present Oscar Wilde's classic drama, "Lady Windermere's Fan."

The production, directed by Michael Braidman, the company's advisor, will feature junior Sarah Labrie as Lady Windermere and junior Matt Boucher as Lord Windermere. "Lady Windermere's Fan" is described as a comical production with a dramatic twist.

The play is produced by junior Lucas Fitzpatrick and sophomores Alyssa Labrie and Cam Cote and the 30-person cast, stage crew and tech crew are made up of middle and high school students at the Stage Road school.

Hampshire Regional serves students in Grades 7 through 12 from Westhampton, Southampton, Williamsburg, Goshen and Chesterfield.

Performances for "Lady Windermere's Fan" will be held Nov. 4, 5, and 6, all at 7 p.m.

Tickets will be sold at the high school and are $5 for general admission and $3 for senior citizens, HRHS students and children age 10 and under.

For information about the play and drama company, residents are encouraged to contact Fitzpatrick at 695-9293 or by email at lucaszfitzpatrick@gmail.com.

Free flu clinic for seniors

The Board of Health and Council on Aging are offering their annual free flu clinic to all Westhampton seniors next week in the Community Room of Westhampton Woods on Main Road.

Board of Health member Mary Montague said the vaccines will be made available on Friday from 1 to 3 p.m. to all town residents over the age of 65.

When receiving the vaccine, Montague said recipients should wear short sleeves and be prepared to stay an additional 15 minutes after the vaccine is administered.

"We just want to be able to make sure everything is all right and everyone is feeling OK," Montague said.

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

UMass camera captures face of man who allegedly assaulted two UMass women

AMHERST - University of Massachusetts surveillance cameras have captured the face of a man they believe assaulted one woman on campus and attempted to accost another.

By Owen Boss

Staff Writer

According to an alert sent out by UMass Police Chief Johnny Whitehead, around 5 p.m. Friday, the UMass Police Department received two separate reports: an attempted assault on one woman and an assault and battery on a second. In response, police have boosted patrols in and around the academic area of the campus.

Read UMass safety tips here: Tips for staying safe on campus

The lone male suspect - described as a white male, 6 feet tall, with light facial hair and a red sweatshirt - approached his first victim at the Isenberg School of Management, police said.

"You need to come with me," he said to the woman while attempting to grab her arm, police said in a statement. The victim resisted, and the suspect fled the area.

The second incident, an assault and battery, happened in the first-floor women's bathroom at Morrill Science Building 3.

The suspect followed the woman into the bathroom, later blocking her path when she attempted to leave, police said.

The unknown male then pushed the victim against a wall, attempting to force her to the floor. She resisted and yelled for help, which caused the suspect to flee again.

The UMPD is continuing its probe into the assaults. Anyone with information should call the UMPD at 545-2121, or go online to www.umass.edu/umpd/anonymouswitness.

According to the college's spokesman, Edward Blaguszewski, the entire campus was alerted via email and text message.

"If we feel there is a situation that could pose a safety concern for our students, we send out a notification by both email and text message as part of our notification system," Blaguszewski said.

Owen Boss can be reached at oboss@gazettenet.com

Nationally known sculptor and retired Smith professor Elliot Offner dies at 79

By Larry Parnass and Owen Boss

Staff Writers

NORTHAMPTON - Elliot Offner, a longtime Smith College professor whose sculptures are prized for their lyricism and beauty, died of cancer on Friday at the age of 79.

The artist and educator who lived on Washington Avenue in Northampton retired from Smith in 2004 after 41 years on the faculty. At the time of his retirement, the college mounted four separate exhibitions of his work.

Offner said then he looked forward to retirement. "I just need the time to carry on with my work," he said in 2004.

When Offner was selected as one year's "master wildlife artist" by the Leigh Yawkey Woodson Art Museum, in Wausau, Wis., its director cited his "poignant lyricism" and called him "a sculptor of enormous talent who is recognized widely for his graceful and elegant birds and animals."

A sculpture of a horse by Offner stands outside the college's equestrian center on Route 66.

John Davis, associate provost and a professor of art at Smith, called Offner's passing "an immeasurable loss" not only for the college but for "the larger world of arts and letters."

"Elliot's talents and passions spanned more media than are commonly found in an entire faculty of art. As a sculptor, his direct carving in wood and his mastery of the bronze casting process unlocked the formal potential of these media," Davis said in a statement issued Friday. "Elliot captured the abstract beauty of movement in the natural world, always with a warmth and richness of surface that reminded you of the transformative power of the artist's hand."

Davis noted that Offner's sculpture of a great blue heron "has become a virtual symbol of the college, with its exhilarating unfolding of wings and elastic curve of neck - lithe and filled with potential."

Fellow professor Justina Gregory, who teaches in the college's classical languages and literatures department, first met Offner when she joined the faculty in 1975 and said she will always remember him for his selflessness when it came to helping a local cause.

"He was always ready to donate either his time or his work to benefit a local charity or fundraiser," Gregory said. "It was a beautiful thing to see. He was always open to doing what he could to help out and saw his art as something he could use to help other people."

Gregory said she will also remember Offner's love for being in the classroom and the joy he got out of changing the way his students looked at art.

"When he retired he said teaching was what he really missed," Gregory said. "He said what he enjoyed the most was not teaching future professionals but liberal arts students at Smith who may end up going into completely different careers but will always carry within them what he taught them about art."

Peter Rose said he and Offner came to Smith at the same time and established a friendship that lasted more than 50 years.

"I remember he lent his pieces and prints to charitable events and became active during the civil liberties movement and the anti-war movement. Whenever there was an issue he was always there to help and lead," said Rose of Northampton, an emeritus professor who five years ago retired from the sociology and anthropology department at Smith,

"He was a great artist and an excellent sculptor but he was also a wonderful man who will be sorely missed by all of us," Rose added.

Jay Czelusniak, director of Czelusniak Funeral Home in Northampton, which is handling arrangements for Offner, said he will be cremated and there will not be a funeral. A memorial service organized by the family likely will be held in the next few weeks, Czelusniak said.

Offner was the Andrew W. Mellon Professor in the Humanities Emeritus at Smith.

He was the recipient of the National Sculpture Society's Medal of Honor, as well as many other awards, grants and recognition for his art. He had served as president of the National Sculpture Society from 2000 to 2003.

The Brookgreen Gardens in Pawleys Island, S.C., the first public sculpture garden in the United States, dedicated a building on its 9,000-acre property as the Elliot and Rosemary Offner Sculpture Learning and Research Center.

After earning bachelor's and master's degrees from Yale University, Offner joined the Smith faculty in 1960 and was named to the Mellon professorship in 1974.

Offner had served as a visiting artist at Brandeis, Yale, the Royal College of Art in London, and various colleges at Cambridge University.

Works by Offner are included in the collections of the Brooklyn Museum and Sculpture Garden and the Huntington Sculpture Garden.

Offner is survived by his wife of 53 years, Rosemary (O'Connell) Offner; his daughters, Helen Ong, of Norwalk, Conn., and Emily Hollidge, of Eagan, Minn.; his son, Daniel Offner, of Santa Monica, Calif.; his brother, Arnold Offner, of Newton; and nine grandchildren.

An obituary for Offner will be published in Monday's edition of the Daily Hampshire Gazette.

Owen Boss can be reached at oboss@gazettenet.com

In the schools, Andean music, art and basketball

By Owen Boss

Staff Writer

Students a Williston Northampton School will expand their musical horizons later this month when they hear a performance from a popular Amherst band that performs Latin, Caribbean and South American music.

At an 8:30 a.m. assembly Oct. 26, the Andean music group MarKamusic will perform at an upper-school assembly at the Chapel and then spend the remainder of the school day visiting music and Spanish classes.

"We try to have performances at our assemblies that highlight some of the exciting things that are going on at our campus," said Andrew Shelffo, the school's director of communications. "They will continue to perform in classrooms throughout the day."

The seven-person band performs traditional, folkloric and pop music from South and Latin American origin fused with Latin jazz and western instruments.

Meanwhile, the public can enjoy "Inside and Out," a collection of paintings by Rachel Folsom and Natania Hume on display at a free exhibit this month at the Grubbs Gallery in the Reed Campus Center at The Williston Northampton School.

Hume, a local ceramicist and painter who has taught art at the Easthampton school for six years, will display paintings of some of her pottery.

"Between the worlds of two and three dimensions, I am able to explore a wide variety of artistic sensibilities and stay perpetually engaged in the painting process," Hume said.

Also on display will be Folsom's still life paintings and portraits. Folsom, who grew up in Roosevelt, N.J., studied painting in Florence, Italy, and went on to teach studio art at Wheelock College in Boston.

In connection with the exhibit, Hume's drawing class will visit The Cunningham Center for Study of Prints, Drawings and Photographs at Smith College as they begin a unit on portrait and figure drawing.

On the tour, students will view a variety of portraits to gain a historical perspective on the works and to find inspiration.

Easthampton youth basketball

All students interested in participating in Easthampton's Youth Basketball League must register before the end of the month. Although three registration events were held earlier this month at White Brook Middle School, those who were unable to attend can download registration forms on the league's website and should be mailed to: Easthampton Basketball Association, P.O. Box 1322, Easthampton, MA.

The registration fee for kindergartners and first-graders is $55. For students in grades 2 through 12, registration is $80 for the first player, $55 for the second player. A family with three or more players pays $175. Non-Easthampton residents will be charged an additional $15 per player - unless the child attends an Easthampton school.

The league is also accepting applications for scorekeepers, timekeepers, coaches and referees.

For questions or to download a registration form, residents are encouraged to visit the league's website: www.easthamptonbasketball.com or call the city's Parks and Recreation Department at 529-1440.

Owen Boss can be reached at oboss@gazettenet.com

Parade in Northampton honors Polish Brigadier General Casimir Pulaski

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By Owen Boss

Staff Writer

NORTHAMPTON - The sound of polka music echoed off buildings downtown Monday morning as hundreds of area residents lined the streets to view the city's 24th annual Pulaski Day Parade.

Following a memorial Mass at St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Church, marchers, some dressed in traditional Polish garb and others in Revolutionary War-era uniforms, walked a new route this year from King Street to Main Street and on to Pulaski Park.

"It is just a wonderful way to enjoy the beautiful weather on Columbus Day," said Chris Tofflin, of Hadley, who brought his son, Alex, 7, who cheered on a team of horses and gathered candy thrown from the Polish Heritage Committee's float.

The day's festivities honor Brigadier General Casimir Pulaski, a Polish nobleman who, after being introduced to Benjamin Franklin in 1776, fought for the United States during the Revolutionary War. Pulaski, who had a storied military history during Poland's fight for freedom from Russia, died from wounds sustained in the Battle of Savannah 231 years ago Monday.

Hadley's Hopkins Academy Marching Band kept the beat as members of the Polish Heritage Committee, Hampshire County Sheriff's Department, Miss Polonia and others stepped their way toward a memorial ceremony at Pulaski Park on Main Street.

At the ceremony, state Sen. Stanley C. Rosenberg, D-Amherst, who has participated in the parade every year since it began, congratulated the committed group of community volunteers who made this year's parade possible despite last year's closing of St. John Cantius Church on Hawley Street, from which the past 23 parades began.

"Last year I saw a lot of worried faces and some of you thought that because of the closing of St. Cantius Church that we might not convene again this year," Rosenberg said.

"Happily, because there is always a way when there is a will, the people of Northampton made sure that this important tradition continued on," he said. "This truly is an important event, both for the Polish community and the community as a whole."

Along with state Rep. John W. Scibak, Rosenberg read an address prepared by Gov. Deval Patrick, proclaiming that Oct. 11, 2010, be officially named Brigadier General Casimir Pulaski Day.

Reminding all those in attendance to maintain their national heritage, state Rep. Peter V. Kocot, D-Northampton, pointed out that Sunday night brought the year's first widespread frost, which means his locally grown cabbage will soon be ready for the dinner table.

"The first frost means something very special to my family. It means that John Szawlowski, whose family has farmed in this Valley for over 100 years, will begin harvesting his cabbages this week," Kocot said. "And he will use a wooden mallet, brought here from Poland by his grandfather to smash that cabbage to make homemade sauerkraut for my family to make kapusta and pierogis."

Also speaking at the ceremony was Mayor Clare Higgins, who said she hoped she was on the invitation list for Kocot's pierogi party because "one thing that the Irish and the Polish share is their love for potatoes and cabbage."

"There has been a lot of panic among members of the community who have wondered if this park will stay a park if we build something in the back or if this or that changes. You should all know that this will never change, this is Pulaski Park and will always be Pulaski Park," Higgins said, drawing a loud round of applause from the crowd.

"As I think of our Valley and its rich history of immigrants, I think of the Polish, Irish and English folks who initially came here. They've all made this a richer and more wonderful place to live," Higgins said.

After laying a wreath at the base of the Pulaski Monument, Parade Marshal Walter Grygorcewicz was presented with a plaque and shared stories of his life in Poland.

In 1941, when Grygorcewicz was 17, he was removed from his village in Poland, placed in a cattle car and shipped to Germany to begin forced labor for the Nazi regime. At the end of the war, in 1945, Grygorcewicz was recruited into the U.S. Army and became a guard for the U.S. forces and commanding officers, stationed in an airport in Germany.

In 1950, he came to the United States and settled in Northampton becoming an American citizen.

Touching on the sacrifices that Grygorcewicz made during his lifetime in order to preserve the freedom that American citizens enjoy today, keynote speaker Kenneth Lemanski, Westfield State University's vice president of advancement and college relations, challenged people to take advantage of the liberties available to them.

"We may not have a war to fight in the United States right now, but we do have a responsibility as citizens to exercise the liberties and self-determination that was won for us by all of those veterans who served our country," Lemanski said.

Owen Boss can be reached at oboss@gazettenet.com

Issue Tracker: Holyoke computing center breaks ground

By Owen Boss

Staff Writer

THE ISSUE: Area legislators came together last week to celebrate the ceremonial ground-breaking of The Massachusetts Green High Performance Computing Center - a $168 million project aimed at improving education and creating jobs through the construction of a state-of-the-art, energy-efficient, high-performance computing center in Holyoke's downtown canal district.

STORY SO FAR: Originally announced by Gov. Deval Patrick in June of 2009, the computing center is a collaborative investment, with partners that include The Massachusetts Institute of Technology, The University of Massachusetts, Northeastern University, Harvard University, Boston University, Cisco Systems and EMC Corp.

After the Patrick administration allocated $25 million from the state budget for the project, each of the five state colleges invested in the center donated $10 million each, boosting the budget to $75 million. Then, at the ground-breaking ceremony last week, officials from Cisco Systems and EMC Corp. pledged to donate an additional $5 million to the project, bringing the total budget to $80 million.

The center, which designers are predicting will be approximately 75,000 square feet when completed, is expected to employ about 20 people. The center, which hopes to attract more technology companies and jobs to the area, will provide computer clusters and networks used to solve complex problems. Applications could include answering questions about biofuels, the life sciences and clean energy, among a number of other fields.

The center would serve as a resource for academic, research and corporate projects.

WHAT'S HAPPENING: In August, after spending five months studying prospective sites, it was decided that the computing center would be built at the former Mastex Industries Inc., a facility located between Cabot and Appleton Streets in downtown Holyoke. Since the announcement in August, half of the former Mastex building has been acquired by the Holyoke Gas and Electric Department.

Kofi Jones, Director of Communications and External Affairs for the state's Housing and Economic Development, said officials expect Holyoke Gas and Electric will purchase the rest of the building by the end of the month, at which point Green High Performance Computing Center Inc., a nonprofit organized by the five-college consortium, will buy the entire building from the utility company.

VERBATIM: "This center will serve as an anchor of a highly competitive and vibrant innovation district in the Pioneer Valley. The potential for job growth and advances in technology and research is unprecedented, and both the center and this collaboration will serve to create long-term prosperity for Holyoke and regional economies throughout western Massachusetts."

- Gov. Deval Patrick

WHAT'S AHEAD: Following the purchase of the building, Jones said, developers will spend six months preparing the site, which includes environmental assessment, environmental remediation and demolition. Then, when the former building has been torn down and cleaned up, Jones said construction on the computing center will begin. She said the work is expected to take 18 to 24 months to complete.

RESOURCES: For more information about the computing center, or frequent updates regarding the progression of construction on the new building, residents are encouraged to visit a website devoted to the project: www.innovateholyoke.com

Owen Boss can be reached at oboss@gazettenet.com

Fedor dealership's future hazy, likely closing

By Owen Boss

Staff Writer

EASTHAMPTON - The Fedor Pontiac Dealership on Northampton Street is preparing to close for good, according to Charlie Fedor, a lifelong East Street resident who has owned and operated the business since 1948.

Although Fedor was happy to report that business has been booming in the dealership's service department, he said General Motor's decision to discontinue the Oldsmobile line in 2004 and then Pontiac in 2009 spells the end of a business that dates back more than 60 years.

"It's hard to give you a completely honest answer as to when we are going to close our dealership side, because it is awful to say, but right now we are going on a day-to-day, week-to-week basis," Fedor, 84, said.

Despite an increase in the number of cars rolling into the dealership's service stations, Fedor said the decision to close the sales department was unavoidable.

"Business on our service side is fantastic, and it has been unbelievable to see how many people come in and spend money to keep their older model cars on the road." Fedor said. "But you just can't support a large facility like ours without a franchise, and switching to a foreign car franchise just wasn't something we were looking into."

As for the future of the building itself and the prospect of luring a new business to the location, Fedor said no decision has yet been made.

Mayor Michael Tautznik expressed disappointment about Fedor's impending closure.

"It just goes to show how hard hit the auto industry was by this recession, and although some officials have said that the recession is over, folks out there still aren't comfortable and are reluctant to spend," Tautznik said.

He noted that the business is situated in a location that could be desirable to another type of business, if not a car dealership. He said car dealerships located near other dealers have become more desirable.

"The industry seems to be trending toward having dealers in close proximity with each other like you see in the way dealerships have been built on Riverdale Road in West Springfield and King Street in Northampton," Tautznik said. "It seems that manufacturers want to get their dealerships situated so that a buyer will be exposed to everybody at once, and so I don't know if this location would be targeted for another automobile dealership."

Meanwhile, Fedor, who works at the dealership full-time, said for the time being he will continue doing the job he has loved all his life. "I still work every day, and I am going to continue working and pleasing all of those people who have been loyal to me for all these years," Fedor said.

Owen Boss can be reached at oboss@gazettenet.com

Many hands, many years: New Westhampton library set for grand opening

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By Owen Boss
Staff Writer

Sometimes a community comes together for the long haul.

That certainly was the case with the construction of the new Westhampton Public Library.

At the Westhampton Fall Festival later this month, the culmination of the community's effort - which involved hundreds of volunteers and spanned more than a decade - will be celebrated with the library's grand opening.

Although the library on North Road quietly opened its doors in August, Euthecia Hancewicz, president of the Friends of the Westhampton Library, said the response from the community has already exceeded expectations.

"People have walked around inside and they've been saying 'Wow' about a lot of things," Hancewicz said. "The day the library quietly opened we had people coming in and children dragging their parents through the front door saying 'Come on, we have to see the new library.' "

The Fall Festival, a fundraising event for the library, will be held Sunday, Oct. 17. Tours of the library will be given at that time.

But it's taken awhile to get there.

Proponents of a new town library thumped that drum for more than a decade, bringing the plan before Town Meeting several times and failing to garner the two-thirds majority needed to raise about $2 million in taxes for construction of a larger library.

Despite failing, the third time was the charm, in a way. The Friends of the Westhampton Library and others supporting a new library changed their approach and decided to raise construction money through fundraisers instead of taxes. A slew of kooky events followed: Lounging for Literacy (which featured people in lawn chairs reading on the library grounds), a 24-hour Read-A-Thon, a Great Pumpkin Roll (a race to see whose pumpkin would roll the farthest down Stage Road), and Flock to the Library (a pink yard flamingo sale). Those events and other efforts yielded $660,000 for the library.

The library project got a boost in August 2008 when the Massachusetts Board of Library Commissioners awarded the town a construction grant totaling $1.1 million as part of the state's Public Library Construction Program.

The state grant and the Friends of the Library donations meant that the town had enough cash for construction of a larger library to finally proceed.

"Without the support of volunteers and help from people who were willing to provide their time and services at lower-than-usual prices, this project would have never been possible," said Library Building Committee member Tom Martin.

In order to relocate the former library's youth section, children from Westhampton formed a human chain - passing each book, one by one, to their new home across the street.The rest of the books, Hancewicz said, were transferred in a truck provided, free of charge, by a town resident.

"The outpouring of support has been so great from the beginning," Martin said. "We've relied on a mixture of community volunteers and people who are willing to work for lower rates than they normally would."

In the rear of the building, newly constructed terraces were constructed using stones removed on site. The terraces will serve as seating and staging areas for public events and educational programs.

The nearly 200-year-old building's new addition, Martin said, and the cupola that sits atop it, were built using what he called "vernacular architecture": a style which incorporates details from the original building into the new edifice.

Similar examples of the building style, he said, can be seen in homes and buildings dotting the town center.

The first floor of the original parsonage building and the new addition are divided into six rooms. They include the Sylvester Judd Reading Room; the young adult's room; the children's wing; the adult room; the circulation area; and a 60-seat community room.

The large desk in the main circulation area, Hancewicz said, was made by students at Easthampton's New England School of Architectural Woodworking in Easthampton.

"We came up with a design and then the students there modified and tweaked the designs to fit their educational needs," Hancewicz said. "We bought the wood and then they did all the work."

The top for the wooden desk, Martin said, is a piece of stone from the Ashfield stone quarry and will most likely be acquired by the town at a lower-than usual price.

"A lot of people have said we'll give you services or time at cost or with a minimal mark-up," Martin said.

Volunteers also crafted the 6-by-6-foot cupola, which was built in the Northwest Road workshop of woodworker and construction artist Douglas Thayer.

"That was an enormous piece of work, putting that cupola together and painting the molds," Martin said, pointing out that the owl that tops it was designed locally and was made out of leftover scraps of steel.

The library's new community room, Hancewicz said, will have a separate entrance allowing for access when the library is closed and will likely be used for art displays and town meetings that require more seating than a typical town board meeting. It's also going to be used for public events like talks and movies, including a talk by a Merriam-Webster editor on Nov. 4.

Owen Boss can be reached at oboss@gazettenet.com

PVTA lands $6.2 million for green fleet

Marta Del Pozo, 25, of Amherst at bus stop on South Pleasant Street in April 2006. The PVTA is adding green vehicles to its fleet, thanks to federal and state dollars.">
By Owen Boss
Staff Writer

The region's public transportation fleet took a big step toward becoming "greener" Monday when state legislators announced that the Pioneer Valley Transit Authority was awarded $6.2 million toward the purchase of 10 diesel-electric hybrid buses.

The new diesel-electric hybrids, which are expected to significantly reduce emissions and double-fuel efficiency, will replace 10 older buses that are no longer functional and will operate on routes through Amherst, Northampton, Hadley and South Hadley.

"We've needed replacement vehicles for a while, and we have also wanted to get hybrid vehicles. But as you can imagine, with the state of the economy the last couple of years, there hasn't been a lot of public funding available for the purchase of vehicles like these," said PVTA Administrator Mary MacInnes.

Federal dollars awarded to regional transit authorities require the state to provide a 20 percent match. Realizing that the state had little money in the budget to come up with the 20 percent match, MacInnes said state Sen. Stanley Rosenberg, D-Amherst, fought to have the remainder paid for by a Massachusetts Turnpike toll credit. So, rather than that state providing $1.24 million in cash, the state is providing $1.24 million in toll credits to the PVTA.

"Normally, the state would have had to put up 20 percent as a local match, and the chances of that happening were pretty slim," MacInnes said. "If it wasn't for the toll credits, we likely wouldn't have been able to secure this award."

Also working to secure the funding was U.S. Rep. John Olver, D-Amherst, who said in a statement, "The purchase of new buses will allow transit authorities in the region to continue to offer quality service while simultaneously lowering costs for riders, themselves and the environment."

Diesel-electric hybrid buses use an electric motor and assisting battery to allow a diesel internal combustion engine to operate at peak efficiency speeds.

The PVTA is the largest regional transit authority in Massachusetts, with 174 buses, 144 vans and 24 participating member communities. The PVTA has three garages from which the operate, Springfield, Northampton and UMass Amherst.

For more information about the federal funding or the PVTA, residents are encouraged to visit the authority's website: www.pvta.com.

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

NHS assemblies to focus on Matthew Shepard tragedy

By Owen Boss

Staff Writer

NORTHAMPTON — In assemblies this month at Northampton High School, former city poet laureate and local author Leslea Newman will challenge students to embrace their differences by promoting respect and acceptance in the hallways of NHS and beyond.

Newman will spark discussion and reflection based on the reading of poetry she wrote to remember Matthew Shepard, the young college student who died from injuries suffered in homophobic attacks in 1998. School officials hope a discussion about the crime and its aftermath will help foster respect and acceptance at a time when the issues of bullying and harassment are very much in the forefront at area schools.

Newman will read excerpts from her latest project called "October Mourning: A Song For Matthew Shepard," a collection of poems about Shepard's highly publicized murder in 1998 and the effect it had on the state of Wyoming and the nation as a whole.

Shepard was a 21-year-old student at the University of Wyoming who was tortured and murdered near Laramie, Wyo., by two men later found guilty of targeting him because he was gay. Shepard was attacked on the night of Oct. 6, and died on Oct. 12 from severe head injuries sustained in what was later ruled to be a hate crime.

Newman said she will follow the poems with a presentation with images of Matthew Shepard, his parents and the landscape that she said "really sets the mood of what happened there visually for the students."

After that, she will lead the assembled students in a guided visualization to "imagine the world as a safe place and I can challenge them to think of something that they can do to make it a safer place for everyone."

Because all of the high school's students can't fit in the auditorium at once, NHS teacher Jon Sass, who organized the presentation, said it will be broken into two parts - the first from 9:30 to 10:30 a.m. and the second held from 1 to 2 p.m.

"I think the point of this assembly isn't to tell the students to stop being bad, it is more about asking them to think of what they can be doing to make a difference and how they should relate to each other," said Sass.

The assemblies are not open to the public.

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Fresh food in school

Locally grown fruits, vegetables, dairy products and meat will be on the lunch menu at all six of the city's public schools this month as part of Fresh Wednesdays, a new program aimed at promoting a healthy and balanced diet.

Starting Oct. 20, students will be served freshly prepared, locally grown food once a month in the hopes of introducing students to new healthy foods, improving academic performance, and, ultimately, reducing obesity.

"A major national health goal has been set by the president to dramatically reduce childhood obesity.

"It is our hope that this small step is the first of many to help reach this goal," said Karen Jarvis Vance, the school's director of health services.

Jarvis Vance said the Fresh Wednesdays program is based on the principle that fresh food can be affordable and taste good. The program includes purchasing farm-to-school produce and serving foods that are minimally processed and prepared with whole food ingredients such as fruit, vegetables, whole grains, legumes, nuts and seeds, low-fat dairy products, eggs, poultry and lean meats.

According to a report published by the Massachusetts Department of Public Health last month, 29 percent of Northampton students had a body mass index that was either overweight or obese.

The parents and guardians of Northampton elementary school students are encouraged to join their children for lunch Oct. 20 and their students will bring home an invitation for family members to RSVP to the event.

The Fresh Wednesdays lunch will be offered at the regular price for students and $4 for parents and staff members.

Fresh Wednesdays was coordinated by the Healthy Foods in Northampton Schools Coalition in collaboration with Green Acting in Northampton Schools, the Northampton Food Services Department, Board of Health, School Health Services and School Committee.

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Athletic boosters

Area residents are invited to a series of-filled events this month to benefit the Northampton Athletic Booster Club.

The boosters' fundraising efforts kick off Saturday at the club's annual golf tournament, held at Pine Grove Golf Course on Old Wilson Road in Florence.

Perry Messer, who coaches Northampton High School's girls' basketball team and helped organize the event, said there are still a handful of spots left.

"So far there has been a very good response from the community," Messer said. "We can take as many as 28 foursomes and right now we have 20 groups committed."

In addition to cash prizes for the top three teams, participants will win a car if they win the tournament's hole-in-one challenge and can participate in a longest drive competition and a raffle.

"We've been lucky enough to have a lot of businesses looking to donate to our raffle and we will have gift certificates and businesses offering their services as prizes," Messer said.

The tournament starts at 9 a.m. on Saturday.

Then, starting at 3 p.m. on Friday Oct. 15, the group will host the Booster Week Carnival in the playing fields behind the high school.

The carnival runs until 6 p.m., wrapping up in time for a Blue Devils football game at the high school later that night.

By the way, attending that game is also a way to support the team.

Owen Boss can be reached at oboss@gazettenet.com