Town administrator resigns unexpectedly
Town administrator resigns unexpectedly
By Kristin Will
Staff Writer, kwill@turley.com
SOUTH HADLEY – Paul Beecher, South Hadley’s Town Administrator, resigned last Friday, Jan. 20.
At a Monday evening tri-board meeting of the Selectboard, School Committee and Appropriations Committee, Beecher’s resignation was announced but not discussed in depth.
“I’d rather not get into it,” said Selectboard Chair Robert Judge when questioned by committee members, one who specifically asked if qualified candidates were available. “I don’t want it to be talked about tonight,” said Judge.
He directed those interested in a discussion about the resignation to Tuesday’s Selectboard meeting, as it was put on the board’s agenda.
Beecher’s resignation comes at the beginning of budget season.
Ira Brezinsky, of the Appropriations Committee, told the Selectboard “to look really seriously in terms of whatever your interim situation is going to be.” Rather than filling the position in-house in the meantime, someone “with a fresh set of eyes” might be best, he said.
Regarding a future town administrator search, Selectboard Member John Hine said, “We’re going to have to do it differently than we did in the past. “ In the immediate future, he said the Selectboard “is going to have to get more involved in the budget.”
Beecher’s resignation comes almost exactly two years after his official starting date on Jan. 19, 2010. At that time, Beecher had more than 35 years of experience in city and town government, he said in a Feb. 5, 2010 edition of the Town Reminder.
Prior to holding the South Hadley Town Administrator position, Beecher served as a consultant in Chicago, a city manager in Kingman, Ariz until 2007 and the city manager of Dover, N.H from 1992-2005.
In the Feb. 5, 2010 article, Beecher said he would like to begin an “economic development plan” and would make sure South Hadley was spending tax dollars “to the best effect.”
Before Beecher maintained the town administrator position, it was held by Jennifer Wolowicz, personnel officer, in that interim. Patricia Vinchesi held the position before that.
Beecher won the position over two other finalists, including Wolowicz.
In a statement released jointly by the Selectboard and Beecher Tuesday, Jan. 24, it was revealed Beecher and his wife “plan to relocate to the Seattle area where their daughters and grandchildren live.”
Further comment was declined by the Selectboard out of respect for Beecher’s privacy.
The Selctboard will meet Tuesday, Jan. 24 at 7 p.m. in the Selectboard meeting room in town hall.
South Hadley goes solar
South Hadley goes solar
Town’s landfill first in state to install solar panels
By Kristin Will
Staff Writer, kwill@turley.com
SOUTH HADLEY – South Hadley’s landfill will be the first in the state to affix solar panels to its sides.
Approved last Monday by the Planning Board, a total of 372 solar panels with be installed on the south-facing side of Cell 2D. Their total length extends 200 feet and the panels, comprised of rigid crystalline, will be stacked nine high.
Cell 2D wraps around the southern perimeter of the landfill. It can contain 230,000 cubic yards of waste. The cell does not surpass 405 in elevation.
Each solar panel generates 230 kilowatts per year. In total, the collection of panels will generate 100,00 kilowatts per year. The panels are a fixed orientation, anchored to four inch-thick steel stabilizers embedded within Mechanically Stabilized Earthen [MSE] Berm. They are expected to last at least 25 years.
“It’s the first we’re aware of anywhere in the country,” said Bryan Wheler of the ARM Group Inc., designers of the landfill. “It’s certainly a unique design. We’re excited about it.”
Planning Board Member Mark Cavanaugh asked of any noise associated with the solar panels. It was explained the panels have an inverter with a fan creating noise a little louder than a residential refrigerator.
Energy produced by the panels will cover 50 percent of the landfill’s current on-site demand. When asked by a Planning Board member why Interstate Waste Services [IWS], mangers of the landfill, were not aiming for 100 percent, Wheler said, “Cost, mainly,” adding the panels are expensive to fabricate and install, as they’re much more intricate than typical rooftop solar panels. After the landfill is capped, however, its energy expenditure would obviously decrease, allowing the town to harness some of that previously used power.
Absorbing much energy at the moment is the treatment of contaminated groundwater running beneath the site. The landfill sits atop old waste placed in the ground ages ago and an ancient system treats the contaminated groundwater, directing it to a sewage plant. IWS oversees the treatment of this water, despite it having existed prior to their ownership. “Once it’s removed, it’s removed,” said Tom Fields, director of landfill operations, of the contamination. He projects over time, the contamination will cease, thanks to the treatment, and the town – which will resume care of the treatment and ownership of the solar panels when the landfill is capped within the next five to eight years – will no longer need to expend power in that area.
Installation of the panels will take between three to four weeks on-site. IWS and ARM hope to do the necessary groundwork before the next frost. Further installation will resume in the spring. “We try to avoid doing this work in the heart of winter,” said Wheler. A March installation is scheduled.
It was expected the solar panel installation would be completed this fall, however due to project delays, IWS and ARM requested from the Department of Environmental Protection an extension. One was granted until April 15.
South Hadley Electric Light [SHELD] will coordinate with IWS and ARM for the installation of a transformer to transfer energy from the panels.
“It’s a no-brainer,” said Planning Board Associate Member Jeremy King. “Let’s do it.”
Unanimously, the Planning Board voted to approve a special permit to alter/expand a pre-existing nonconforming use (the landfill) for installation of solar panels.
Looking to be limbless
Looking to be limbless
DPW assures residents of debris removal
By Kristin Will
Staff Writer, kwill@turley.com
SOUTH HADLEY – There’s no need for residents to go out on a limb in order to clear away debris left from October’s nor’easter. Slow but sure, the Department of Public Works [DPW] will take care of what’s left in its wake.
Worried about what to do with large limbs, trunks and piles of debris from both private and town trees, residents have inundated the DPW with anxious calls. Twice, the department has made phone calls to residents informing them of removal plans.
Since the storm on Oct. 29 through Nov. 1, the DPW, with help from the water and fire districts, pushed brush having fallen in the roadways to the side and trimmed hazardous branches. Beginning Nov. 2, crews have gone around town chipping and removing piled debris.
Thus far, Reidy estimates the town has spent $150,000 in regard to clean-up services including snow and debris removal. He is aiming to have the total cost come in under $300,000. FEMA will reimburse the town 75 percent of its clean-up cost, leaving South Hadley to pay roughly $75,000. “That to me is unbelievable,” said Reidy, who earlier stated during Tuesday’s Selectboard meeting surrounding towns have been spending in the millions for removal. “I think we’ve got the right response to this,” he said.
In addition to the already-contracted Northern Tree Service, three other landscaping companies have been scouring about town. Two chippers were rented, and SHELD, along with Northern, have lent the use of their bucket trucks for trimming branches. Northern is providing use of their log truck with a grapple arm attachment when it can. In addition to the town’s Bobcat and backhoe, a second Bobcat with a grapple arm was rented. The DPW purchased a grapple attachment for their own Bobcat machine, which makes quick work of picking up large bundles of branches, rather than tossing them into a chipping machine.
The town’s compost area has been open every day from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. since Nov. 2. Greencycle will stop by the area in the near future to grind the monstrous debris piles in order to make room for the seemingly endless supply.
Residents can choose from three steps to take with removal of their branches and debris. Firstly, Reidy emphasizes the DPW will indeed stop by each and every home to remove the yard waste should residents have no ability to bring their piles to the compost area. Any branches for removal in this manner should be carefully piled on the edge of residential property. But because the entire town was affected, DPW arrival will not be immediate. Although, the DPW cannot guarantee it will makes all rounds before the snow falls once more. Should this happen, the remaining brush would be picked up in the spring.
Secondly, residents are able to bring their debris to the compost area every day from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. until Nov. 23. This option is highly encouraged by Reidy.
Lastly, the curbside yard waste collection by Allied Waste will begin its autumn collection Nov. 14 through Dec. 9 following the next two trash collection schedules. Brush and leaves must be in either paper leaf bags or open containers. Bundles of branches must be no more than four feet long and two feet wide. Branches larger than two inches in diameter will not be collected.
Regardless if the debris fell from private or town trees, Reidy said, “We’re going to pick it all up.”
FEMA has extended the town’s clean-up time for which it will reimburse efforts to a six-month period. Reidy said the department is aiming to have everything cleaned up by Dec. 16, weather permitting.
Regular joe saves resident’s life
Regular joe saves resident’s life
Diane Chlosta, coffee credited with rescuing neighbor
By Kristin Will
Staff Writer, kwill@turley.com
SOUTH HADLEY – Diane Chlosta makes a great cup of coffee – her neighbor Julie can attest to that after Chlosta saved her life while she was having a stroke.
It all began the Saturday afternoon of Oct. 29 , when Chlosta had friends over to her Brittany Road home to help split wood. She purchased a Dunkin’ Donuts Box ‘O Joe to share with those who helped. That evening, a Nor’easter sauntered through South Hadley, leaving the entire town without power for multiple days.
The close-knit neighborhood in which Chlosta resides often watches out for one another – Chlosta especially for her neighbor and dear friend Julie. She checked in on the 84-year-old woman, who lives alone, the next morning following the massive storm. Julie was fine, despite not having heat in her home. When asked by Chlosta if there was anything she wanted, Julie said she’d love a cup of coffee. Chlosta complied and learned another neighbor would give Julie a hot meal at the end of the day.
Having lived parallel from one another for the past 13.5 years has made the duo quite close. Each one has access to the other’s home. They know one another’s family members and more importantly, their routines. Julie is an early riser, normally up and at ‘em at 7 a.m. “I always wait for one shade to open,” said Chlosta of Julie’s morning habits.
However, come Monday morning- now 36 hours without power or heat to either of their homes – Julie’s shade did not rise. Chlosta had woken up early, cooking breakfast on the grill she had just purchased for her husband for their recent fifteenth wedding anniversary. Warming on the grill was leftover coffee for Julie.
For some reason, Chlosta said, she was overcome with an urge to call her friend right away, bothered that she had noticed Julie’s shade remained drawn past the normal hour. “I called and it was a very garbled message,” said Chlosta of what she heard on the other end of the line. “You couldn’t understand a word. I said, ‘Julie, if this is you, I will be right there.’” Confused, Chlosta hung up and decided to re-dial the number she had pressed into her phone, just in case she had called the wrong number. She hadn’t.
Chlosta, still in her pajamas and bathrobe, rushed over to Julie’s home with a key in one hand and the coffee in the other. “I walked in and there she was on the floor,” said Chlosta. Julie was having a stroke.
As a former home health aid for 20 years who had to leave her beloved profession due to Multiple Sclerosis, Chlosta knew not to move or jostle the woman on the floor. Looking around the freezing cold home for something with which to warm the elderly woman, Chlosta grabbed a blanket and threw it over Julie and dialed 9-1-1. She then removed her own bathrobe and nightgown, warm from her own body’s temperature, and covered Julie with them to keep her warm. “I laid over her and we prayed together,” said Chlosta. “Then the paramedics came and whisked her away.”
Due to Chlosta’s quick reaction, Julie was admitted to a local hospital within one hour of having a stroke and given tissue plasminogen activator, more commonly referred to as TPA, within the “golden” three-hour window. TPA breaks up any formed blood clots causing a stroke. Its effectiveness increases when administered as quickly as possible, but only within three hours. “We got her in the golden hour,” said Chlosta. “That’s what saved her life.”
But Julie sees that a little differently, with more emphasis on Chlosta saving her life.
“I remember everything I did that morning,” said Julie, who recalled heading into the bathroom that Monday morning to wash her face and not being able to fold the towel. “I tried it and I fell over,” she said. “I tried to get up and I fell over again. Then, I crawled out of the bathroom into the hallway because the telephone was hanging on a wall. I tried getting up on a chair and I kept falling.”
Julie’s phone is a heavy, old rotary dial phone that miraculously remained connected during the power outage when not just her neighborhood lacked power at that time, but more than 80 percent of South Hadley. “Finally, the phone rang,” said Julie. Diane was on the other line. Miraculous again, Julie was able to maneuver the ancient receiver off the telephone, but she could not speak. Julie hung up the phone and fell once more. The phone rang a second time. “I couldn’t grab it and I heard Diane, saying, ‘Julie, I’m coming,’ and she came and she covered me with a blanket and I remember everything,” said Julie as she broke down in tears while clutching Diane’s hand, recounting the ordeal with her. “She saved my life. I know she did. I know she saved my life.”
Julie is making a fantastic recovery. She has moved straight from the intensive care unit to a rehabilitation center where each day she is regaining functions. Already, she can squeeze her hand and speak clearly. She is slated to return home soon.
For now, though, she is relaxing at the rehabilitation center, cracking jokes on a daily basis and converting her roommate into an X-Factor and Dancing With The Stars fan. She is in constant contact with Diane and her best friend and neighbor, Vivian Moriarty. “We check on each other every day,” said Moriarty. “That’s how close we are.” Moriarty and Julie share a birth date, although Julie calls Moriarty the “old lady” of the two, as Moriarty is four years older. “She’s a miracle worker,” said Moriarty of Chlosta.
The humble Chlosta is saving the actual box in which the Dunkin’ Donuts coffee came, that life-saving cup of coffee which kept Julie in the forefront of her mind during the Nor’easter aftermath. “The box is going to be bronzed, I think,” laughed Chlosta. A public relations manager for Dunkin’ Donuts, McCall Gosselin, said, “We are happy to hear that everyone is OK and doing well.”
As she sat next to Julie this past Tuesday in the local rehabilitation center, reliving last Monday’s moments of miracles, Chlosta expressed how difficult it was to put into words how she felt that morning. She revealed it wasn’t normal for her to be up that early and she can’t explain why she had the urge to call Julie. “I honest to God don’t know how to explain it,” she said. “Something just sent me there. I wasn’t nervous. I wasn’t cold. There was a peace – a feeling I’ve never felt before in my life. It feels good.”
It’s the feeling of saving a life.
President declares an emergency for Massachusetts
President declares an emergency for Massachusetts
WASHINGTON -The U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s Federal Emergency Management Agency announced that federal disaster aid has been made available to the Commonwealth of Massachusetts and ordered federal aid to supplement commonwealth and local recovery efforts due to the emergency conditions resulting from a severe storm during the period of October 29-30, 2011.
The President’s action authorizes FEMA to coordinate all disaster relief efforts which have the purpose of alleviating the hardship and suffering caused by the emergency on the local population, and to provide appropriate assistance for required emergency measures, authorized under Title V of the Stafford Act, to save lives and to protect property and public health and safety, and to lessen or avert the threat of a catastrophe in the counties of Berkshire, Essex, Franklin, Hampden, Hampshire, Middlesex, Norfolk, and Worcester.
Specifically, FEMA is authorized to identify, mobilize, and provide at its discretion, equipment and resources necessary to alleviate the impacts of the emergency. Emergency protective measures, limited to direct federal assistance, will be provided at 75 percent federal funding.
On the edge of glory
On the edge of glory
Music students competing to bring tools up to par with talent
By Kristin Will
Staff Writer, kwill@turley.com
SOUTH HADLEY – Merely looking at the South Hadley High School [SHHS] Music Department’s equipment, instruments and band uniforms, one wouldn’t know the concert and jazz bands, marching band and Adrenaline show choir have a bevy of accolades and awards under their belts.
The once-crisp band uniforms are now dingy, becoming threadbare after years of use. Marching band percussion instruments are dinged and well-used after literally taking beatings year after year. And the show choir needs risers on which to stand during performances. The last time any significant purchases were made for any of the groups were in the 90s, nearly 20 years ago. Unfortunately, the groups’ outward appearances doesn’t mirror the high level at which they perform – all groups are consistently award-winning.
But with the hit FOX television show, “Glee,” taking over the airwaves, the spotlight, ironically, is shining more on those who are used to being in it. Recently presented to Music Director BethAyn Curtis was an opportunity from the Glee Give-A-Note Foundation, offering the SHHS Music Department the opportunity to win up to $50,000 to benefit its programs. To enter the contest, a two-minute video was required to be made, detailing the department’s situation and what the department and its groups are all about. Immediately after reading the information about the contest, Curtis contacted video extraordinaire, student Brittany Vardakis, and gathered interested students who were eager to create.
The two-minute video features performances from both Adrenaline and the Tiger Pride Marching Band, behind the scenes practice footage and compelling interviews from select students expressing their desire to be helped by the foundation in a school, they say, dominated by sports programs.
“We’re such a passionate group of kids when it comes to music,” said senior Kyle Whelihan. “We’re such a rare case – we’re taken seriously enough and have enough talent so we compete like a top notch group, but we’re funded like a mediocre one.”
The Music Department is supported by approximately $10,00 from the school budget, which covers busses to competitions, entry fees to competitions and festivals, sheet music and if finagled in just the right way, can be stretched to cover some instrument repairs. “It doesn’t go as far as we’d like, but thank God it’s there,” said Curtis. “It’s like putting a Band-Aid on an injury that needs surgery.”
Fortunately, the Music Parents Association assists in a great way with a yearly contribution. But really, the rest is up to the students’ footwork – literally. Their yearly Penny Drive, during which they go door-to-door asking for spare change, is one of their biggest fundraisers. Additionally, they host family movie nights, a Rock-a-Thon, a poker run and other drives to supplement their meager budget. With their hard work, but mostly their dedication to their crafts, the students alone are able to come up with essentially half of their approximate $60,000 budget on which they need to operate in a single year, which truly is remarkable. And while it can be looked at as a major feat, it’s something they need to do to survive, or at least keep treading above water. Of course, they’re up for the challenge.
In order to win the Glee Give-A-Note competition, the SHHS Music Department must make it into the top 14 category. Once there, judges will rate the videos on criteria including relevance, originality and demonstration of a financial need, accounting for 90 percent of the deciding factor. The remaining 10 percent comes from public vote. But first, the SHHS Music Department is asking residents to vote them into the top 14.
Currently, there are 14 schools from the region in which SHHS is grouped, competing against one another. Rather than group by school size, the contest is grouped by region, so Massachusetts is lumped in with schools from New England, New York, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Delaware and Maryland. Nationwide, there are 367 schools competing.
“We’re a small town competing with big schools like Andover,” said Betty Czitom, a senior. “We’re doing our best.”
To help vote the SHHS Music Department into the top 14, residents can visit this direct link, http://www.gleegiveanote.com/vote_details.php?id=393, or go to www.gleegiveanote.com, click “vote now,” type “South Hadley High School” into the search bar and click “vote.” Residents can vote once a day, but on a daily basis, until Nov. 7.
Three schools will be chosen to win a $50,000 prize. Ten will be chosen to win $25,000 and 60 will be chosen to win $10,000.
Although both Whelihan and Czitom are graduating this year, they’re still working hard to keep the Music Department’s programs alive. Looking back on their experiences with the department, Whelihan said, “It’s sort of taught us how to be able to shine when you’re completely in the dark. When financially and socially speaking, the odds were against us.”
The popularity of the show, “Glee,” has actually helped the Music Department. “We’re finally giving the Music Department the attention it needs,” said Whelihan.
Czitom said, “The show is changing the music industry” in addition to the typical stigma given to band and chorus groups.
“Whether or not they were neglected [before the show],” said Curtis, “they felt that way.”
In addition to changing stereotypes, “Glee” was the impetus behind the inspiration for entering the competition. It also has clearly helped students identify with T.V. personalities who are very much like them. Whelihan said he feels “Glee’s” New Directions show choir is very similar, if not identical, to SHHS’ Adrenaline show choir. On the show, New Directions is portrayed as the underdog, and similarly, Whelihan said, the SHHS Music Department is “on the cusp of greatness.”
Ferry Street hearing finally closed
Ferry Street hearing finally closed
Planning Board decision coming in 90 days
By Kristin Will
Staff Writer, kwill@turley.com
SOUTH HADLEY – The 90-day time limit clock began ticking for the Planning Board regarding their decision whether or not to allow Rivercrest Condominiums’ development of condominiums after the board’s longest public hearing was brought to a close Oct. 3.
Rivercrest Condominiums, LLC, owned by Edward J. Ryan and operating under Craig Authier, is proposing to develop half of a 10.8-acre parcel of land with condominium units on Ferry Street, near Brockway Lane. A small section of the property is zoned agricultural and consists of a mix of upland and wetland. The majority of the property is zoned Residence A-1. This zoning does not allow multi-family dwellings, such as condominiums, to be built, however, a special permit may be obtained by the developer and approved of by the Planning Board to do so. The original number of 31 units has continually been reduced throughout the multiple public hearings, coming to rest at a final number of 27. Additional changes to the design include the development now being constructed 200 feet away from the roadway.
The closing of the public hearing brought to an end lengthy, heated discussions and remarks repeated under the breath from those on both camps – with some individuals even walking out of the hearing. The Friends of Ferry Street and Rivercrest Condominiums seem to have exhausted all avenues and efforts to make their points known and clear. Rivercrest Condominiums will take no less than a 27-unit complex, alleging anything fewer is not economical. Friends of Ferry Street want nothing more than two to six single-family homes. The Planning Board has to grapple with a decision amidst zoning bylaw reviews and the 2010 acceptance of the Master (Comprehensive) Plan.
“I also care very deeply about the future of our town,” said Bob Szklarz, a resident of Amherst Road. “If this project is not approved, we’ll get a bigger development. I think that a Master Plan is just that – a plan. We use that as a guideline to plan our future.”
Ferry Street resident and Friends of Ferry Street member Robert Lak said, “It’s mainly about the density. If you start taking about barriers and buffers, well, a barrier is to separate two separate entities. They’re not the same character, same type. “
Following the official closing, the Planning Board set to work reviewing their data. Planning Board Member Jeremy King asked the board to considerer a number of condominium units between the maximum number allowed through Flexible Development and the Rivercrest Condominium minimum number of 27. The board debated for a while, crunching Flexible Development numbers, but the consulting attorney currently being used – as Rivercrest owner Ryan is South Hadley’s Town Counsel – recommended the Planning Board not follow Flexible Development so closely. His reason was Rivercrest Condominiums did not apply for Flexible Development in the first place, and should the Planning Board ever be challenged in court regarding the decision if they followed Flexible Development, the issue would be overturned.
The Planning Board then set out to define among themselves terms such as “adjacent,” “neighborhood,” “buffer,” and “scale” in great detail. These terms will assist the board in determining if the proposed development should be allowed or denied.
The meeting lasted nearly four hours with Planning Board members hashing out the nitty-gritty details. The meeting was continued until the Planning Board’s next meeting on Oct. 17.
MassDPH Issues advisory regarding sewage discharge into the Deerfield, CT rivers
MassDPH Issues advisory regarding sewage discharge into the Deerfield, CT rivers
REGION — The Massachusetts Department of Public Health (MDPH) has issued a Health Advisory due to the shutdown of the Greenfield municipal wastewater treatment facility due to flooding associated with Tropical Storm Irene. On Sunday, flooding on the Green River and the Deerfield River inundated the plant with water, causing a shutdown of the treatment facility and a continuing discharge of untreated wastewater into the Deerfield River. As a result, bacterial contamination of these waters is expected.
The Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection (MassDEP), the Town of Greenfield and the Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency are conducting a coordinated response effort to assess the damage and determine what measures can be taken to remedy the discharge.
MDPH is recommending that individuals refrain from swimming, wading, kayaking/canoeing, fishing and other recreational water activities/uses of the Deerfield River and the Connecticut River downstream of the Montague City confluence of the Deerfield and Connecticut Rivers until the situation is resolved. Exposure to bacterial contamination can result in gastrointestinal effects (e.g. vomiting, diarrheal illness) as well as respiratory and other irritant effects to eyes and skin. The Greenfield wastewater treatment plant remains submerged but engineers are reviewing plant design to determine what treatment facilities might be resumed once access is regained and an assessment of stability of the facilities is completed. MassDEP is working with MDPH and local health officials to reach out to the public and other officials of municipalities located along the Deerfield River and Connecticut River, to be sure they are aware of the situation.
MassDEP also will commence water quality monitoring of the river(s) for bacteria beginning today and will review the results with MDPH to determine the need for any additional health advisories. Results will be posted on MassDEP and MassDPH’s website.
Truck rollover finds milk fortifying field
Truck rollover finds milk fortifying field
Alvord Street shut down Monday, Tuesday for cleanup
By Kristin Will
Staff Writer, kwill@turley.com
SOUTH HADLEY – Although it didn’t have them crying, a tractor trailer truck which rolled over Monday morning spilling milk in the roadway left officials with quite the mess to clean.
An 18-wheel Harris Milk tractor trailer truck flipped on its side on Alvord Street just past Brunelle’s Marina before McCray’s Farm after the driver, traveling south bound, failed to negotiate the turn. The Belchertown company’s truck skidded to the side of the road at 10:56 a.m. on that rainy Monday morning. It landed on its right side, crushing a fence surrounding a field and spilling its contents.
South Hadley Police Officer Jeff Goulet, Sgt. Bob Whelihan and Detective McClair Mailhott responded to the accident. Both South Hadley fire districts 1 and 2 were on scene to assist.
Although it was not completely full of dairy, some milk did leak out of the tractor trailer truck, in addition to a large amount of engine oil, said South Hadley Police Lt. Steven Parentela. Fortunately, the fuel tanks did not rupture, which was a concern, said South Hadley Fire District 1 Chief Robert Authier.
“When we arrived, we had engine fluid leaking down toward the river, not helped by the rain,” he said.
Crews were able to contain the spilled milk and prevent it from flowing into the Connecticut River, which would have caused a problem for the marine life in the river. Unfortunately, some the same could not be said for the engine oil, especially “with the rain diluting it,” said Authier.
Emergency crews received help from Luke Brunelle, of Brunelle’s Marina, in setting up a hard buoy to protect the river water from any additional runoff.
The Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection (MassDEP) was called to the scene to inspect. The Massachusetts State Police Truck Team arrived on scene to investigate the accident. The South Hadley Conservation Commission was notified, as was the State Health Department, which also responded to the scene. The Granby Fire Department assisted the South Hadley departments with absorbent materials. Tools such as absorbent paper and “pigs” – absorbent devices used to contain liquid in one place – were laid down, as well as sand from the South Hadley Department of Public Works. Private companies were hired to remove and dispose of the absorbent instruments.
Alvord Street remained closed for the rest of Monday and again Tuesday while the cleanup effort continued.
The driver of the Harris Milk tractor trailer truck, a 42-year-old Belchertown man, was cited for speeding. He was transported to Holyoke Medical Center for minor, non life-threatening injuries.
Father and son rescued from river
Turley Publications Staff Photo by Kristin Will
Emergency personnel transport a father and son to safety after rescuing them from the Connecticut River during Tuesday’s storm.
Father and son rescued from CT River
Stranded on rocks during Tuesday’s storm
By Kristin Will
Staff Writer, kwill@turley.com
SOUTH HADLEY – A father and son were rescued from the Connecticut River underneath the Veteran’s Bridge after being stranded on rocks during Tuesday’s tornado-like storm.
At 4:46 p.m., South Hadley Police first received a report of a capsized boat and parties in the water holding onto pylons just before the South Hadley Falls Dam. South Hadley Fire District 1 responded with assistance from South Hadley Fire District 2, the Holyoke Fire Department and representatives from the Massachusetts Sate Police Fire Marshal’s Office.
The two individuals had been fishing on the Connecticut River when they learned about the coming storm, said South Hadley Police Chief David LaBrie. They were able to get themselves ashore on an island in the middle of the river as the storm hit and subsequently attempted to protect and shield themselves from the intense weather by seeking refuge under the boat. Heavy winds blew the boat off of the father and son, who were then left stranded on rocks in the river.
Rescue personnel from South Hadley Fire District 1 deployed their boat from the Chicopee Boat Ramp and were successfully able to navigate their way to the individuals. Other rescue personnel were stationed on shore underneath the bridge.
“When these winds came, they came very quickly,” said Fire District 1 Chief Robert Authier, who was on scene.
The two individuals were transported to safety where they were evaluated.
