page 4 page 8 agawamadvertiser news agawam letter family gives thanks for supporters page 4...

413.786.7747 • Fax: 413.786.8457 • Facebook: @AgawamAdvertiserNews • Email: [email protected]

A TURLEY PUBLICATION ❙ www.turley.com

April 30, 2020 ❙ Vol. 42, No. 9 ❙ $1.00 www.agawamadvertisernews.turley.com

ADVERTISER NEWSAGAWAM

LETTERFamily givesthanks forsupportersPAGE 4

COMMUNITYCraftermakesmasks PAGE 12

YOUTH‘KyloRen’ is reading PAGE 8

CORONAVIRUS

Businessaid grantsOK’d, butmodifiedUsing federal money, town must follow federal rules

By Michael [email protected]

Agawam’s smallest businesses are finally lining up for local assis-tance grants, which could provide them up to $10,000 to stay open, pay the rent and keep employees on the payroll.

There were about 15 appli-cants at the start of this week, said Mayor William Sapelli, but he said he knows there are many more Agawam businesses hurting during the coronavirus state of emergency, and locked out of this program because of strict size and income-level limitations.

“They gear these things toward areas other than Agawam, when you talk about income levels,” Sapelli said this week. But “I was searching high and low to find monies we could utilize to assist these people. These people are dy-ing out there.”

A month ago, the mayor and the council had agreed on a no-in-terest loan program, to be funded by $250,000 from the town’s stabi-lization fund. State officials, how-ever, said spending money from the town’s savings account on business loans would be illegal. Town officials had to regroup and find money where they could. The only fund potentially available for business aid was the federal Com-munity Development Block Grant program. Sapelli credited Town Solicitor Stephen Buoniconti, City Council President Christo-pher Johnson and Development Director Marc Strange with work-ing hard to come up with a pro-gram that would conform to fed-eral and state regulations for the use of these funds.

“The restriction on CDBG money is that it must be used for low- or moderate-income pur-poses,” Buoniconti told the City Council on April 21.

Because Agawam is not an “entitlement” community — a city with a large enough low-in-come population that it receives annual direct grants from the fed-

Senior moment

Following last week’s news that school buildings will remain closed through the end of the school year — confirming that members of the Class of 2020 won’t have a chance to say goodbye to the halls of Agawam High School, and raising questions about how graduates will be honored — a group of parents made this public display at the high school’s athletic complex over the weekend. PHOTOS BY MICHAEL BALLWAY

Right: The message along Mill Street was made up of dozens of plastic cups wedged in the chain-link fence outside the football stadium.

AGAWAM MEDIA

Planning continues for senior TV channel

By Shelby Macri [email protected]

Seniors are stuck at home with their televisions, and Mike Squindo has a mostly empty Se-nior Center on Main Street, as the coronavirus pandemic has shut down all “non-essential” govern-ment functions.

Surely there’s a way to connect these two, reasoned Squindo, the director of the Senior Center. He is teaming up with Les Tingley, manager of Agawam Media, to run Senior Center activities on the town’s cable access television channels as a way of providing elderly residents with some enter-tainment and social connection

MEDIA ❙ page 6


Mayor William Sapelli, who has made increased infrastruc-ture investment a hallmark of his administration, is dialing back some of his proposed spending.

In a memo to the City Council, which will begin considering his latest five-year capital plan next week, Sapelli said the coronavirus outbreak prompted “significant changes” in this year’s capital plan, “in an effort to remain fis-cally responsible.”

Every year, the mayor submits a five-year capital plan for the council’s approval. Agreeing on a plan does not commit the town to any particular spending item, and in recent plans the later years often included “wish list” items that hadn’t yet garnered political support. The mayor will still have to come back to the council to ask for approval of each individual item that is funded.

One place where Sapelli pro-

poses that the town save money is roadwork and sidewalks. After spending hundreds of thousands of dollars on paving since taking office in 2018, Sapelli is now bud-geting just $250,000 for roads and $250,000 for sidewalks in the cap-ital plan for fiscal 2021, the year that begins this July. This is so that

town funds can be “conserved for other needed spending.” He envi-sions ramping these annual ap-propriations up to $500,000 each by fiscal 2024.

One big-ticket item from last year, the perennially delayed re-

Paving the parking lot at Shea Field is one of the improvements envisioned in Mayor William Sapelli’s five-year capital plan. PHOTO BY MICHAEL BALLWAY

CAPITAL SPENDING

Mayor scales back construction plan

CAPITAL ❙ page 11GRANTS ❙ page 5

❙ AGAWAM ADVERTISER NEWS ❙ April 30, 2020

Classifieds ....... 10

Crossword.......... 5

Opinion .............. 4

Public Safety ..... 6

Sports ................ 7

Youth .................. 8

12 PAGES

IN THIS ISSUETURLEY PUBLICATIONS

Find TURLEY (the turtle) our new mascotwithin the paper. Have fun and count how

many times you find Turley.Email your results along with your name,

town and turtle count fromwhat paper to [email protected].

We will post your name and count in the following weeks paper.

Correct answers will be submitted for a monthly drawing and a chance to win a prize.

We would love to give you or your kids a fun little project each week.

Turley the turtle is sponsored by

Follow Turley on @TurleytheTurtle

CALL TODAY!IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO SPONSOR

TURLEY IN YOURLOCAL PAPER

800-824-6548

DON’T INCLUDE ME

We thought we would give you a quick update. First, we are happy to re-introduce weekly sales. We are cautiously optimistic that the market will slowly return back to its pre-Corona days. Until then our frozen items are proving to be the best value. We encourage you to give these items a try!

Second, we have posted throughout the store, on our website and on Facebook our health and safety rules. We kindly ask that you adhere to these in order to protect our customers and hard working staff. If you don’t have access to or forgot your gloves no worries here! We are providing a pair of free gloves to each shopper as they enter the store. We are all in this together! Be well and stay safe! Your Family at 90 Meat Outlet

90 Meat Outlet

BUY DIRECT FOR SAVINGS • SELECTION • SERVICE

SALE DATES: 4/30/20 - 5/6/20

LAMB LEGlb

$599lb

$360lb

USDA INSP. FRESH

PORK SHOULDER PICNIC ..USDA INSP. FROZEN BONELESS & SKINLESS

CHICKEN WHOLE LEG MEAT ........

USDA INSP. IQF FROZEN

RAW PEELEDSHRIMP ...........................

90meat.com NEW EXTENDED HOURS: Mon. - Wed. 8-4

Thurs. 8-6 • Fri. 8-6 • Sat. 8-3 90 AVOCADO STREET, SPRINGFIELD 413-737-1288

89¢ 79¢

We reserve the right to limit quantities.

BUY DIRECT AND SAVE

lbBEEF TENDERLOIN

USDA INSP. FRESH BONELESS

$346lbUSDA INSP. FRESH

PORK END CHOPS ..........USDA INSP. FRESH

PORK SIRLOIN CUTLETS ..

$119lb

lb

USDA INSP. FROZEN

WHOLE TURKEY ...................

69¢lb

lb

41/50 CT 2 LB BAG

$189CUTFREE

BAG

USDA INSP. FROZEN

WHOLE CHICKEN ..............

$899

79¢lb

5 LBBAG

eaSLICED IN OUR DELIUSDA INSP

ROAST BEEF ..................USDA INSP

SWISS CHEESE ...............USDA INSP • VERNON MANOR

SLICED PEPPERONI 2 OZ BAG ..

USDA INSP. • BUTCHER WAGON

BONELESS HAM STEAKS $199

lb

$599

$399

$598lb

USDA INSP. GROUND FRESH DAILY

80% LEANGROUND BEEF

USDA INSP. FRESH AMERICAN

Quality Products at Affordable Prices300 Main St., Agawam, MA 789-2074

OPEN: Tues., Wed., Sat. 9am-5pmThurs., Fri. 9am-8pm; CLOSED SUN. & MON.

budgetcabinetsales.com

Quality Products at Affordable Prices300 Main St., Agawam, MA 789-2074

OPEN: Tues., Wed., Sat. 9am-5pmThurs., Fri. 9am-8pm; CLOSED SUN. & MON.

budgetcabinetsales.com

The Agawam Adver-tiser News wants to know how you’re coping with the coronavirus closures and how they’ve changed all of our lives — no school, no work, social distancing and staying at home.

We can’t meet our neighbors in the school-yards, playing fields or workplaces of Agawam, but we can all share a few snapshots of what life’s like with the kids in the house and the home office working overtime. Take a minute to send in an update on how you’re do-ing, what fun enrichment activities the kids have been up to, or anything else that’s made the past two weeks a special time in your home. Include full names of the writer or

photographer, and any-one visible in each photo. We’ll print the best entries in next week’s newspaper, and in subsequent weeks as the state of emergency continues. The best way to contact us is at [email protected].

We would also be glad to publish Agawam chil-dren’s artwork, essays or photos created during the school closure. Include the creator’s full name, age, and school attended.

For all submissions, also include a telephone number and email ad-dress. We won’t publish this information, but may use it to verify identities or ask follow-up questions.

Stay safe out there — and let us know how you’re doing!

Share your stories, photos of working, creating at home

Town willextend all licenses,permits

License and permits is-sued by the town, including dog licenses and business licenses, will not expire during the coronavirus state of emergency, Mayor William Sapelli announced this week.

A recent state law spec-ifies that any municipal permit or license that was current as of March 10 will stay in effect, without the need to process a renewal, as long as Massachusetts remains in a state of emer-gency.

Agawam’s town offices are closed to the public, and many staff members are working from home as a precaution against Covid-19. Town boards and commissions have been asked to hold meetings only when necessary.

Sapelli said his office will issue further instruc-tions on license renewals when the state of emergen-cy concludes.

Public library borrowers will be able to return their books and other circulating items starting next Monday.

Though the library building at 750 Coo-per St., Agawam, will remain closed, the book drop bins near the entrance will be opened at 9 a.m. Monday, May 4. Checked-out items such as books, videos and CDs can be returned during business hours on weekdays.

The book drop will be emptied every couple of days, said Library Director Nan-cy Siegel. If the book drop is full, patrons should come back another day. Library items should not be left outside the book drop. Because the book drop is not being emptied every day, it may take a few days for returns to be processed on the library’s computer system.

Siegel said the courier service between Western Massachusetts libraries has not yet reopened, so librarians are asking that only items from the Agawam Public Li-brary’s own collection be returned in the Agawam book drop.

There are also some items available for checkout at the Agawam library, such as children’s activity bags, which are labeled for return at the circulation desk only. These items should not be placed in the book drop.

Borrowers should hold on to materials from other towns’ libraries, or materials that cannot be returned in the book drop.

Overdue fines are not accruing during the coronavirus state of emergency, and due dates at all the C/WMARS network librar-ies have been extended to July 1.

While the building is closed, the li-brary’s telephone system is unstaffed. Any-one with questions about library services should contact the staff by email at [email protected], or check for updates on social media.

The book drop bins in front of the Agawam Public Library has been closed since mid-March. PHOTOS BY MICHAEL BALLWAY

Book drop will reopen next Monday

The Agawam Family and Community Program has had to cancel its usu-al monthly slate of events, but through teleconferenc-ing technology, two parent events will be held in the coming week.

The program, an out-reach of the Agawam School Department to children from birth to age 5, and to

their parents and caregiv-ers, will host a virtual cof-fee and conversation this Friday, and a virtual Parent Café focusing on “postpar-tum life” next Friday.

Coffee and Conversa-tion: Friday, May 1, at noon. This meeting on Zoom is open to all parents, grand-parents, and caregivers. Participants can bring a

topic they would like to dis-cuss, share their parenting experiences, or simply en-joy adult conversation.

Parent Café: Lauren Harris will discuss “post-partum life” and maternal mental care at noon Friday, May 7. Harris is a licensed mental health counselor and owner of the Center for Perinatal Wellness in

Easthampton. This talk is open to all new or expect-ing parents, or anyone in-terested in learning more about strengthening fam-ilies. Harris will answer questions.

Registration is required for both events. To attend, email [email protected] or sign up at facebook.com/agawamcfce.

Monthly parent conversations will return online

April 30, 2020 ❙ AGAWAM ADVERTISER NEWS ❙

Breakfast • Lunch • Dinner • Full Bar • Catering413-437-7440 • crepesteahouse.com

157 Feeding Hills Road, Southwick, MAOPEN 7AM-11PM

$5OFF$15or more

exp. 6/30/20

Over 100 Teasto Choose from!NOTICEERRORS: Each advertiser is requested to check their ad-vertisement the first time it appears. This paper will not be responsible for more than one corrected insertion, nor will be liable for any error in an advertisement to a greater extent than the cost of the space occupied by the item in the advertisement.

Did you find Turley the Turtle in last week’s edition of the Agawam Adver-tiser News? Turley appeared 14 times, counting the two examples on page 2.

Tyler Gamache of Agawam found 13 turtles.

Tanner Loubier of Feeding Hills found 13 turtles.

Catherine Thies of Agawam found

10 turtles.Be sure to look closely on every page

of this week’s paper! We’d like to recog-nize our most eagle-eyed readers — if you think you’ve found them all, email the number you counted, along with your name and town of residence, by noon on Monday to [email protected].

Totaling the turtles

Curbside yard waste collections will resume next month, the Agawam Depart-ment of Public Works announced this week.

Yard waste collections were suspended during April because of the coronavirus state of emergency, but Republic Services will be able to resume collections for the first two weeks of May.

Agawam residents on the “A” week re-cycling schedule will have their yard waste collected on their recycling collection day next week, May 4-8. Households on the “B” schedule will have their yard waste col-lected on recycling day the next week, May 11-15.

Residents may also continue to drop off their yard waste at the Bondi’s Island landfill off Route 5 near the Agawam-West Springfield line. This does not apply to commercial vehicles. For more informa-tion, see www.agawam.ma.us/292/Leaf-Yard-Waste.

Bulk waste collections scheduled for May are canceled. Collections will resume on schedule in July. Those wishing to dis-

pose of their bulk items (appliances, fur-niture, plumbing fixtures, etc.) earlier may use the K&W Transfer Station in West Springfield; call 413-363-0090 for more in-formation. For a list of items that are ac-cepted for bulk disposal, see www.agawam.ma.us/290/Bulk-Collection.

Residents are also asked to help speed the collection of household waste and recy-cling by making sure that Republic Services trucks have clear access to trash and recy-cling carts. Carts should be placed at least 3 feet away from all other objects, includ-ing parked cars. Overflow bags must be on top of or next to the trash container. Carts should be placed on the curb by 7 a.m. on collection day.

All recycling should be contained in the town-provided cart; Republic Services is not collecting cardboard outside the cart at this time.

Personal protective equipment, includ-ing masks and disposable gloves, is not re-cyclable; it should be thrown in the trash. For a complete list of what is recyclable, visit www.recyclesmart.org.

Yard waste collections startMonday, but no bulk pickup

After being forced to cancel the last three events in the 2019-20 Applause Se-ries, the Agawam Cultural Council has arranged a televised finale to end the free performance series in early June.

Sheryl Faye will portray Eleanor Roos-evelt in her previously taped performance “The First Lady of the World,” airing at 7 and 8 p.m. Friday, June 5, on cable Chan-nel 15, the Agawam public access channel. Those residing outside of Agawam can view the performance on their computer, smartphone, smart TV or tablet by send-ing an email to [email protected] with their name and email address re-questing a link and password for the per-formance.

Since 2003, Faye has masterfully brought to life important historical women in performances across the United States. Her one-woman shows immerse the audi-ence in a multimedia learning experience that captivates viewers and sparks their in-terest to explore more.

Eleanor Roosevelt suffered through an unhappy childhood, losing both parents and a brother. After figuring out where she fit in and could make a difference, she grew up to become the longest-serving first lady of the United States, as the wife of President Franklin Roosevelt. She was the first presi-dential spouse to hold press conferences, write a syndicated newspaper column, and speak at a national convention. She advo-cated for expanded roles for women in the workplace, the civil rights of African Amer-icans and Asian Americans, and the rights of World War II refugees. She was one of the first delegates to the United Nations, and is considered one of the top 10 most admired people of the 20th century.

The performances that were canceled were the jazz group Too Human, scheduled

for April 3; the American Pop Music Time Machine, featuring Rick Spencer and Dawn Indermuehle, on May 1; and vocalist Lau-rie Festa performing jazz, country, rock, Broadway and classical songs, June 5. For more information on the Applause Series, visit www.agawamcc.org.

The Agawam Cultural Council is an all-volunteer local partner of the Massa-chusetts Cultural Council, a state agen-cy that provides part of its funding. The council is charged with bringing engaging, entertaining and educational events and opportunities in the arts, humanities and sciences to children and adults from Aga-wam and the surrounding communities.

A video recording of Sheryl Faye’s portrayal of first lady Eleanor Roosevelt will cap off the Agawam Cultural Council’s Applause Series season in June.

SUBMITTED PHOTO

Applause Series finale bringsportrayal of first lady to TV

As weather warms and people head outside for fresh air and exercise while re-maining physically distant, the Connecti-cut River Conservancy urges people to use caution when swimming, boating, or fish-ing in rivers.

In addition to rivers being swollen from spring rain and snowmelt, there’s an added concern about E. coli bacteria and coro-navirus exposure from untreated sewage in rivers. Luckily, there’s one easy thing to keep in mind that is an indicator of river cleanliness — the weather. Specifically, if it has rained recently.

Typical wastewater treatments involv-ing chlorine or ultraviolet light are effective in killing E. coli bacteria and are expected to be highly effective in killing Covid-19. Therefore, Greenfield-based CRC is primar-ily concerned about untreated sewage dis-charges into local rivers, which has always been a concern, even before the current state of emergency. Rain flushes all sorts of pollutants into Massachusetts rivers and can overwhelm towns’ aging stormwater infrastructure, causing sewage and pollut-ed stormwater runoff to flow directly into the river.

“Many years of Connecticut River E. coli bacteria testing data tell us that it’s a good idea to stay out of rivers for 24 to 48 hours after a heavy rain, because bacteria levels could be high,” said Andrew Fisk, CRC’s ex-ecutive director. The presence of bacteria is an indication that other germs that could make someone sick — like coronavirus — may also be present.

“While COVID-19 is a new threat, our recommendation to avoid rivers after heavy rain remains the same,” says Fisk.

Research is still underway to determine if Covid-19 remains infectious in freshwa-ter or after passing through wastewater treatment facilities. Information available from the federal Centers for Disease Con-trol, the Environmental Protection Agen-cy, and the Water Research Foundation indicates that the likelihood of catching Covid-19 from treated or untreated sew-age is thought to be low. However, the CDC has noted that the SARS virus, also a type of coronavirus, was detected in untreated sewage for 14 days.

River users are encouraged to visit the “Is It Clean?” website at www.ctriver.org/isitclean to find bacteria test results,

an indicator of overall river cleanliness, for nearly 200 river access and recreation sites in Vermont, New Hampshire, Massa-chusetts, and Connecticut. The site is also available in Spanish at www.ctriver.org/estalimpio. Water samples are collected from late May through early October. Cur-rent plans are for testing to resume as usu-al this year.

Each summer, CRC and more than 20 partner organizations deploy volunteers to collect water samples from popular boat launches and swimming holes. Samples are typically collected at each site weekly or bi-weekly, tested for E. coli, and test results are posted online 24 hours later. Water sample results are color-coded and added to a map, so users can easily see where the river is clean. Results are a snapshot of river conditions at the moment the sample was taken, but give river users information they can use to make informed decisions.

The website provides bacteria data for the Connecticut River and more than 20 tributaries, including the Chicopee River and Westfield River. Bacteria test results for 2019 showed nearly all sites sampled by CRC had dry-weather average bacteria levels below the limits considered safe for swimming and boating.

“Thanks to decades of investments and public opinion committed to investing in clean water, our rivers are certainly much cleaner than they used to be,” said Fisk. “But it’s smart for river users to think about recent weather and check online resources like the ‘Is It Clean? / ¿Está limpio?’ web-site so they know when our rivers are clean enough for swimming or boating.”

Many cities and towns along our rivers are making significant investments to sep-arate the outdated combined sewer over-flows into separate sewer and stormwa-ter systems that can better handle all the water. Pollution from parking lots, farms, dog parks and more also contribute to the problem. Federal stormwater regulations require densely developed towns and cities to take measures to reduce pollution from street and parking lot runoff. These invest-ments have made a tremendous difference in improving the health of our rivers and protecting river users.

To learn more about CRC, or to join the effort and help protect local rivers, visit www.ctriver.org.

Be wary of river germs after rainfall

Judy Handler and Mark Levesque’s pre-sentation of Romanza, a well-attended concert of Spanish and Latin American music for guitar, mandolin and cuatro, is now available for online viewing.

The concert, part of the Agawam Cul-tural Council’s popular Applause Series, was recorded live by Agawam Media at the Agawam Senior Center on Feb. 7. The recording can be found on the Agawam Cultural Council website, www.agawamcc.org (scroll down to the “Applause Series Sixteen” banner).

Handler and Levesque take the audi-ence on a tour of the Spanish- and Por-tuguese-speaking world with a rhythmic Brazilian bossa nova, a sizzling tango from Argentina, Puerto Rican popular music played on the national instrument, beau-tiful Peruvian, Mexican and American love songs, as well as exciting flamenco music and plaintive Sephardic music from Spain.

The Connecticut-based husband-and-wife duo have been performing together for 25 years in the United States and Europe.

The production sponsor for this concert was TD Bank. The Agawam Cultural Coun-cil also thanks the Agawam Special Police, Elaine Carlson, OMG Inc., TD Bank, and Way Finders Inc. for their support as Ap-plause Series season sponsors.

The Agawam Cultural Council is an all-volunteer local partner of the Massa-

chusetts Cultural Council, a state agen-cy that provides some of its funding. The council is charged with bringing engaging, entertaining, and educational events and opportunities in the arts, humanities, and sciences, to children and adults from Aga-wam and the surrounding communities.

Agawam Media operates the town’s tele-vision studio, as well as cable access chan-nels 12 and 15. Agawam Media is funded entirely from franchise fees set in the city’s contract with Comcast-Xfinity.

The Agawam Cultural Council has made a live re-cording of Judy Handler and Mark Levesque’s per-formance of Spanish and Latin American music in February. It can be seen at www.agawamcc.org.

SUBMITTED PHOTO

Romantic music concert can be relived

Find us online: www.agawamadvertisernews.turley.com


OUR VIEW

The Agawam Advertiser News (USPS 001-170) is published every Thursday by Turley Publications, Inc., 24 Water St., Palmer, Mass. 01069. Telephone (413) 283-8393, Fax (413) 289-1977. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Turley Publications, Inc., 24 Water St., Palmer, Mass. 01069.

PATRICK H. TURLEY CEO

KEITH TURLEYPresident

EDITORMichael J. Ballway

[email protected]

STAFF WRITERPeter Spotts

[email protected]

ADVERTISING SALESJohn Baskin

[email protected]

SPORTS EDITORGreg Scibelli

[email protected]

SOCIAL MEDIA

@AgawamAdvertiserNews

WEBwww.agawamadvertisernews.

turley.com

www.turley.comTurley Publications, Inc. cannot assume liability for the loss of photographs or other materials submitted for publication. Materials will not be returned except upon specific request when submitted.

ADVERT ISER NEWSAGAWAM

Opinion

LETTERS TO THE ED-ITOR must include a name, address, and day-time telephone number for author verification purposes. We do not pub-lish anonymous letters. All letters are subject to editing for content and length. The deadline is Monday at noon. Please send letters to Agawam Advertiser News, care of Turley Publications Inc., 24 Water St., Palmer, MA 01069, or e-mail [email protected].

PHONE

413.283.8393Fax: 413.283.7107

Subscriptions: 800.824.6548

EMAIL

Advertising SalesJohn Baskin

[email protected]

Managing EditorMichael J. Ballway

[email protected]

[email protected]

$35 per year pre-paid($40 out of state)Newsstand $1.00

WEBwww.agawamadvertiser

news.turley.com

@ Agawam Advertiser News

The Agawam Advertiser Newsis published by

Turley Publications, Inc. • www.turley.comLetters to the Editor

Hi, everyone in the town of Agawam, this heartfelt thank-you letter is being written by us with love, gratitude, friendship and appreciation. It is dedicated to our family and friends, neigh-bors, coworkers, store owners, and the town of Agawam Police Association.

As many of you know by now, our lives were turned upside down just before Christmas. After many tests and scans, we received the devastating news that Kevin had stage 4 pancre-atic cancer, and the road ahead would be an agonizing one, both medically and emotionally. This news brought us to our knees and the fear of the unknown and the uncertainty was terrifying, to say the least. We immediately looked to our family for strength and emotional support. Jeff, Shannon, Ashley, Patrick, Kian, Adam, Evan and Meghan, you are our foundation, our shoul-ders to lean on and the light in our lives. Your love is unwavering and we are grateful for each one of you. Thank you for loving us and being there.

With this being said, the out-pouring of love, kindness and support from this community has also energized us, especial-ly Kevin. It has been nothing short of incredible! The prepared meals, uplifting cards and letters of hope have left us speechless and in awe of this place we call home. Our hearts are full and we are forever humbled. We are

forever indebted to the kindness of friends and even strangers during this difficult time, and we shall never forget the way you surrounded us with positiv-ity and strength. Apparently, you are all proof that strength comes in numbers.

We would like to recognize Betsy O’Keefe for organizing the GoFundMe which has eased our financial burden. It has truly al-leviated added stress in the can-cer fight as Kevin still has many rounds of chemo to endure. To Kerry and Boo Smith, thank you designing the infamous “O’Keefe Strong” bracelets. Seeing ev-eryone wearing them around town warms our hearts. Kate at Coopers, thank you for support-ing the bracelets, holding the St. Paddy’s Raffle and bringing awareness to Kevin’s fight and

pancreatic cancer. You are tru-ly extraordinary. Our heartfelt thank you to Eddy and Shelley Borgatti and E.B.’s for an Irish night of music, fun and laughter. We had so much fun and it was so nice to laugh with our family and friends. The Agawam Police donated and wrote a letter that truly energized Kevin. It’s nice to know our community po-lice recognize residents of solid character and are committed to each and every one of us. And finally, to all of you, the incredi-ble, hard-working, loving people of the place we call home, thank you for surrounding us in a time of emotional need. You hit it out of the park by reaching out and truly caring about Kevin’s well-ness in every aspect of his fight.

Last, it is with love and gra-ciousness that we shout out to Jeff O’Keefe and Shannon O’Keefe Fitzgerald for being the best siblings in the world. It’s a good feeling knowing each of you has our backs. And to Ashley, Patrick and Kian O’Keefe, you guys are the reason I continue to fight like a warrior! We are truly blessed. We love you!

With warm regards to all of you, thank you for embracing us in support. Be safe and may the world and beyond open when the time is right, and hop-ing Covid-19 becomes a distant memory sooner rather than later.

Kevin & Kim O’KeefeAgawam

Family thanks friends, neighbors for support

From yesteryear’s editions of the Agawam Advertiser News, compiled by Michael Ballway.

A year ago: School Committee members defended the decision to add four administrative positions, and two special services teachers, to the fiscal 2020 budget at a hearing in April 2019.” A former school board member, Linda Galarneau, had criticized the addition of two lead teachers, a social and emotional learning director and an English language learning director, when some of those services could have been filled by contractors. School Committee member Anthony Bonavita defended the pro-posed budget, saying these additional student support positions are needed as society has changed.

Five years ago: The Department of Public Works was getting ready for “Agawam Clean Day” on May 2, 2015. The town was asking residents to call in and “adopt” a public or blighted space — a park, a neglected property, stretch of road — and clean it up on that day. The DPW said it hoped this would become an annual event.Ten years ago: State Sen. Stephen Buoniconti gave Fraser fir seedlings to fifth graders during a visit to Aga-wam Middle School to celebrate Earth Day on April 30, 2010. Buoniconti, who was running for district attorney at the time and now serves as Agawam’s town solicitor, recalled how his own interest in the environment grew from receiving an Arbor Day seedling himself when he was a fifth-grader.

Our Back Pages

Safety first in electronic age

May is always Electrical Safe-ty Month, but with everyone spending a more time at home

than usual thanks to Covid-19, it’s espe-cially important this year for homeown-ers to be aware of safety guidelines for electronic devices, plugs and outlets.

The state Department of Fire Services reported that the second leading cause of home fire deaths is electrical fires. From 2014 to 2019, 2,794 fires cause by electrical problems were reported by Massachusetts fire departments. This led to 39 civilian deaths, 92 civilian inju-ries, 335 fire service personnel injuries, and estimated damages of $198.3 mil-lion.

“Electrical fires are the second lead-ing cause of home fire deaths in Massa-chusetts,” said state Fire Marshal Peter Ostroskey. “The best ways to prevent electrical fires are to have a licensed electrician do all work, and have your electrical system reviewed every 10 years so you or your tenants won’t be tempted to overload outlets. We need to keep our electrical systems up to date with our ever-increasing electrical needs in this technological age.”

People are getting a lot of use out of their smartphones, iPads, tablets, laptops and other devices while they depend on home entertainment to fill the gap caused by “social distancing.” These crucial mobile Internet access platforms that allow us to stay plugged in wherever we are in the house, yard, or on the go can also be potential fire hazards if charged incorrectly. Many fires at home are caused by cell phones or laptops being left charging on a bed or under a pillow. Though the user may be asleep, the device’s processors are still running while it charges, and that generates heat. Blocking or covering the device can prevent air from cooling the batteries, and lead to a fire. Failures of the lithium ion batteries typically used in these devices are more likely to occur during recharging. Charge these devices on a hard surface, with room for heat to dissipate.

With more devices in use, and more devices charging, be mindful of how many plugs are connected to that elec-trical wall socket. Plugging too many things into a single outlet or circuit can cause an overload, starting a fire.

Heavy furniture can easily pinch an electrical cord, and over time, that can lead to a fire. Do not run cords under-neath rugs; it is both a tripping and a fire hazard. Unplug appliances by grasping the plug; do not pull by the cord.

Keep an eye out for the warning signs of an electrical issue. Any arcs, sparks, or short-circuits should prompt a call to the Fire Department. Other indica-tors are sizzling or buzzing sounds or a burning odor. Symptoms of an actual failure — blown fuses, flickering lights, hot outlets, electrical shocks — should prompt a call to a professional electri-cian as soon as possible.

Avoid using extension cords Though they can be a convenient temporary aid, these cords are not designed to be a long-term substitute for a proper wall outlet. Plug all heat-producing applianc-es like space heaters, irons and toasters directly into the wall outlet; otherwise, the safety mechanism of circuit breakers and fuses is bypassed. Do not link exten-sion cords together. Each connection is another possible failure point.

Everyone’s staying indoors and com-municating electronically to keep each other safe from the coronavirus. Every-one should take a moment to look at how those electronic devices are pow-ered, however — and make sure we’re keeping safe from fire.

What do you think? Send your letters to the editor to [email protected].

Kevin and Kim O’Keefe. SUBMITTED PHOTO


CLUES ACROSS 1. Curved symmetrical

structure 5. One’s partner in

marriage11. Male admirer12. Spend in a period of

dormancy16. Popular Easter meal17. Doc18. Bearing a heavy load19. Gratitude24. The Mount Rushmore

State25. Driving26. Girl27. British thermal unit28. Makes a mistake29. A defined length of time30. Lions do it31. Large quantities33. Become less intense34. Famed peninsula38. Emerges39. Rare Hawaiian geese

40. Dance style43. Drove44. Measures speed of an

engine (abbr.)45. Yankee hero Bucky49. Midway between west

and northwest50. Monetary unit of

Samoa51. Makes clothing53. Spielberg’s alien54. Agreeable to the taste56. Injury treatment

protocol58. Cools your house59. Imaginary line60. New convert63. Some do it to their

windows64. Wore away65. Work units

CLUES DOWN 1. Remove body tissue 2. Harvester

3. Roadside living quarters 4. Excessive self-

confidence 5. Lapp 6. Bicycled 7. Entrance to a passage 8. Western U.S. state 9. Grain towers10. “Westworld” actress __

Rachel Wood13. Commercial14. One who left a will15. Makes it through20. Within (prefix)21. Sea patrol (abbr.)22. Cigarettes (slang)23. A doctrine27. Constrictor snakes29. Atomic #7330. Baseball stat31. Female sibling32. A soft gray metal (abbr.)33. Southern constellation34. Belgian city35. Go in again

36. In a different, more positive way

37. A place for sleeping38. Blood type40. Syrian news agency

(abbr.)41. A salt or ester of acetic

acid42. Millihenry44. Populous Israeli city

__ Aviv45. Widen46. Magical potion47. Acknowledging48. Private romantic

rendezvous50. Cavalry sword51. Terabyte52. Artificial intelligence54. Bullfighting maneuver55. Breezed through57. Santa says it three

times61. __ and behold62. 36 inches (abbr.)

CROSSWORD SOLUTION ON PAGE 6

By Dalton [email protected]

As if the spread of Covid-19 weren’t bad enough on its own, scammers around the world are taking advantage of the wide-spread paranoia that surrounds ongoing health crisis. Online fraud has not only in-creased during the pandemic, it’s taken on new forms.

Nancy Cahalen, president and CEO of the Better Business Bureau of Central New England, reported that online scams “popped up almost immediately” in March, as states across the country implement-ed unprecedented restrictions to fight the contagious infection.

Both international and domestic scam-mers are preying on the fears of the masses. Cahalen elaborated on the evolution of on-line fraud that she’s personally witnessed over the past two months.

“They’re becoming more sophisticat-ed, and there’s more scams now that are targeted at businesses, as well. Scammers read the headlines just like we do, and like to freshen up their old scams to make them more credible and have a better chance at succeeding,” said Cahalen.

The BBB Scam Tracker monitors in-stances of online fraud throughout the country. Cahalen and her peers use the technology to identify local scams that at-tack residents and businesses in Central and Western Massachusetts, and north-eastern Connecticut.

When concerns over the coronavirus first surfaced earlier this year, the BBB identified scams that sold victims items that were in short supply, including latex gloves, sanitizer or masks, without deliver-ing the goods.

“The end game there was to get consum-ers to provide their personal information

or payment to use somewhere else,” said Cahalen.

Other scams attempt to sell consumers cures and vaccines for Covid-19. When ap-proached, consumers should immediately dismiss this method of online fraud, noted Cahalen.

“There is no cure and no vaccine cur-rently, so anything that someone is trying to sell you that says it is a cure is just not true,” she said.

Trickier forms of online fraud have also become prevalent. Many scammers are playing off the economic impact and stim-ulus payments that millions of Americans have or are about to receive to reel in un-suspecting victims. By mailing fake checks or sending texts and emails requesting personal identification and payment, scammers can learn a victim’s personal identification and bank account informa-tion.

“[Scammers] could be looking for this

information such as, ‘Where do we deposit our checks?’ You’re not going to get a text and email from the U.S. government to find out where to deposit the stimulus check. Hang up if they’re calling, delete if it’s a text or an email, and you’ll stay safe from that particular scam,” said Cahalen.

Various forms of online fraud attempt to mimic the U.S. government or well-known businesses. These scams may offer fake em-ployment opportunities or require down payments on the spot.

Using photo editing software, scammers are easily able to make emails and logos look “pretty authentic,” said Cahalen. She reiterated that the government will never email or text you and urged victims to re-search a business’ contact information sep-arately from the emails that they receive.

“If you’re not sure, give us a call,” said Ca-halen. “This environment has made it even better for those scanners, because there are so many people who are looking for work from home. What can they do to earn some money? There are a lot of phony opportuni-ties out there.”

Cahalen reminded residents that any-one can start a GoFundMe page to collect donations under false pretenses. The web-site give.org allows individuals to look up charities to “make sure they’re on the up-and-up.”

Relying on trusted sources is a major key in the fight against online fraud. Now more than ever, financial matters are often too important to risk making a mistake.

“The most important thing is if it doesn’t sound right to you, you should really check it out,” said Cahalen, before circling back to a significant point.

“People want to believe the best; that there is something they can take that will cure them or protect them from catch-ing the virus. What we do know is that there are no known cures, and there are no vaccines that are currently available,” she said.

The BBB and its Scam Tracker can be accessed online at bbb.org. The local office of the BBB is available by phone Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. by di-aling 508-755-3340.

Nancy Cahalen, president and CEO of the Better Business Bureau of Central New England, offers advice to stay up to date on the latest forms of on-line fraud. SUBMITTED PHOTO / BETTER BUSINESS BUREAU

Sophisticated scammers are preying on pandemic paranoia

The Agawam Public Library recently launched Quarantine Stories, a digital ar-chive to collect the stories of day-to-day life in Agawam during the Covid-19 shutdown.

The library invites all ages to submit their stories digitally. Stories can include what it’s like to work or homeschool during this time. What are you doing to cope with the isolation? How is your family keeping active? This is unprecedented time in the town’s history, and the library would like to preserve the stories for future generations. The submissions will likely become part of a future exhibit and be added to the li-brary’s local history collection.

People up to age 17 are encouraged to work with their parents to answer the ques-tions found at www.agawamlibrary.org/chil-dren/digital-archive-for-kids-up-to-age-17.

People ages 18 and over are encouraged to answer the questions found at www.aga-wamlibrary.org/events-activities/quaran-tine-stories.

Submissions may also be taken by email to [email protected]. Patrons may also email the library with any questions about this collection or any library ser-vices. The library building remains closed to the public, and the telephone system is unstaffed.

Library wants your stay-home stories

GRANTS ❚ from page 1

eral government — it only receives federal grants for specific purposes. In order to fund $165,000 of business grants, the City Council agreed last week to delay the fed-erally funded infrastructure study for North Agawam.

The funding source isn’t the only thing that’s changed since the original aid pro-gram was approved on April 2. It’s been converted into a grant, with no require-ment that the business pay it back. The decision to offer grants was because pro-cessing loan applications would be harder — and thus take longer — under federal regulations. Sapelli said it was also because he felt that businesses would worry about taking on debt and not apply for funds that they need.

Several councilors, though they agreed to approve the grant program last week, expressed dismay that the requirements would exclude some of the businesses that have been hardest hit by social distanc-ing regulations. Councilor Mario Tedes-chi worried that the program could aid a semi-retired painter or cosmetics salesper-son while excluding the brick-and-mortar shops and restaurants that have a larger effect on the local economy.

“It’s unfortunate that we can’t help some of the larger employers in the first round,” said Councilor Gina Letellier, but “think of all the salons in town who have, maybe, one owner, or rent a chair. You’re going to keep those folks open. Or a pet groomer.”

The mayor noted that each application will be reviewed separately, and the size of the grants awarded will depend upon each business’ actual need.

“We’ll handle each one on an individual basis,” said Sapelli. “Our priority will be full-time businesses that are really hurting, are established businesses. … If there’s enough money to go around for other unique situ-ations, we’ll take those on a case-by-case basis.”

Sapelli acknowledged that one class of business hard hit by the social distancing regulations — restaurants — will be almost

entirely excluded, since most eateries have more than five employees.

There is a section of the federal block grant regulations that would allow Aga-wam to help larger businesses, but it would have taken longer to get the program run-ning, Sapelli said. He said the federal gov-ernment has promised $20.4 million in additional block grant funds to be spread among Massachusetts’ non-entitlement communities, and Agawam could use its share for another grant program, focused on larger employers.

The deadline for applications is Friday, May 1. Application forms can be found at bit.ly/agawam509.

Sapelli said he set the deadline at May 1 to get applications processed and fund-ed as quickly as possible. Not all applicants will qualify for grants, and most will not qualify for the full $10,000 benefit. He said he expects that there will be enough money left over for a “round 2” of applications in the coming weeks. Businesses who haven’t yet applied should monitor the news feed on www.agawam.ma.us for information about the next round of grants.

Other requirements of the grant pro-gram include:

• The recipient must be a business with a physical location in Agawam or Feeding Hills, and must have been operating for a minimum of 12 months as of March 10, 2020; businesses with less than 12 months may apply but will be considered on a case-by-case basis.

• The business must be in good stand-ing with state and local authorities, and have no outstanding tax liens or legal judg-ments.

Completed applications can be emailed to [email protected] or dropped in the lockbox at the front door of Town Hall, 36 Main St., Agawam.

Before voting to approve the loan pro-gram on April 2, four councilors who own businesses in town — Cecilia Calabrese, Dino Mercadante, Letellier and Tedeschi — stated that they had filed conflict-of-in-terest forms with the state Ethics Commis-sion, and would not be applying for assis-tance under this program.

PLEASE RECYCLE THIS NEWSPAPER


18 Different All Organic Double Ground Premium MulchesPine • Spruce • Hemlock • Cedar • Red, Black & Brown

Playground • Forest Blend • Topsoil • Seasoned Firewood

Rolling along

Widening and paving work has begun on the Feeding Hills Center intersection, seen here from Springfield Street near the Granger School driveway. The busy crossing of North Westfield, South Westfield, Southwick and Springfield streets is being widened to accommodate new turning lanes and bike lanes. Traffic engi-neers say the result will be a safer and faster traffic flow. PHOTOS BY MICHAEL BALLWAY

Cars negotiate left turns around orange barrels in a narrowed Feeding Hills Center intersection.

New granite curbstones are lined up along South Westfield Street in the Feeding Hills Center construction zone on Tuesday.

The Agawam Police De-partment responded to 274 calls for service April 20-26. There were no arrests re-corded in the public log.

POLICE LOG

CITY COUNCIL AGENDA7 p.m. Monday, May 4

The meeting will be held by teleconferencing technology. It is not open to members of the pub-lic. This remote meeting will be audiotaped and will be available on the town’s website (www.aga-wam.ma.us) in the future.

Any member of the public desiring to submit input or com-ments under the “Citizen’s Speak Time” portion of this meeting may submit comments in advance of the meeting to the council ad-ministrative assistant, Barbara Bard, at [email protected]. Commenters should include their name and address. Comments re-ceived will be read into the record of the meeting.

A. Roll callB. Moment of silence and

Pledge of AllegianceC. Citizen’s Speak Time: Only

electronically submitted com-ments from members of the public that are received prior to

the meeting will be read into the record of the meeting.

D. Approval of minutesE. Declaration of council pres-

identF. Presentation of resolutions1. TR-2020-34 - A resolution

to appropriate funds for the Aga-wam Police Supervisors Associa-tion and Agawam Nurses Associa-tion agreements with the Town of Agawam (Mayor Sapelli)

2. TR-20101-36 - A resolution confirming the reappointment of Violet Baldwin, 1245 Main Street, Agawam, MA to the Community Preservation Act Committee to a term expiring April 30, 2023 (City Council)

3. TR-2020-37 - A resolution confirming the reappointment of Vincenzo Ronghi, 55 Avalon Place, Feeding Hills, MA to the Commu-nity Preservation Act Committee to a term expiring April 30, 2022 (City Council)

G. Elections1. TE-2020-3 - Election of an

at-large member of the Commu-

nity Preservation Act Committee to a term expiring April 30, 2023 (City Council)

2. TE-2020-4 - Election of an at-large member of the Commu-nity Preservation Act Committee to a term expiring April 30, 2022 (City Council)

H. Public hearings1. TR-2020-35 - A resolution

adopting the Fiscal Year 2021-2025 Capital Improvement Pro-gram (Mayor Sapelli) – Public Hearing date to be determined

I. Old business1. TOR-2020-2 - An ordinance

to amend Chapter 78 of the Code of the Town of Agawam regarding Blighted Properties (Sponsored by Mayor Sapelli) (First of Two Readings) (Referred to Legislative Committee)

2. TO-2020-10 - Budgetary transfer of 102,294.48 from Sal-ary Reserve (#16605-57350) to Police Regular Salary ($96,530.57 to #12101-51010), Police Holiday ($4,463.91 to #12101-51050) and Police Longevity ($1,300.00 to #12101-51400) (Mayor Sapelli)

3. TO-2020-11 - Budgetary transfer of $30,843.00 (#16605-57350) to Health Regular Per-manent ($27,147.00 to #15101-51010) and Health Regular Temporary ($3,696.00 to #15101-51020) (Mayor Sapelli)

J. New business: Unavailable at press time.

K. Any other matter that may legally come before the City Coun-cil

L. Adjournment

during the stay-at-home advisory. “We miss our seniors very much, and

we’re hoping they’re all staying well during this time,” Squindo said. “The seniors are very important during this crisis, and I’m hoping that this television interaction can help seniors at home.”

Squindo is working with Les Tingley, manager of Agawam Media, to create a show for seniors. Currently the idea is to run a bingo game on the television, and those who win will receive prizes like gift cards to local businesses. This is a way to support local business, engage seniors in the community, and connect to people through virtual means.

There’s isn’t a specific channel for se-niors, and currently Squindo is just trying to build interest to see if people would want this. It’s not just a temporary measure during the coronavirus pandemic, Tingley noted.

“Mike Squindo has had a vision of cre-ating a virtual senior center to serve our home-bound residents.” Tingley said. “What he needed was a platform to build it on, and somebody with the ability to put all the pieces together. Mike and I work very well together, and I often take his ideas and explain how to make it a reality from a technical standpoint.”

Tingley said he envisions the outreach

as both a television channel and a website where seniors can see the broadcast sched-ule and access video on demand, as well as live streaming of events from the Senior Center. He said he thinks holding events at the Senior Center and televising them will be the first step toward reopening the cen-ter as the threat of Covid-19 subsides.

“I am moving forward with plans for a Senior Living channel, but this is our Com-cast contract renewal year and it’s too early to know what our recourse will look like for 2021.” Tingley said. “I believe the time is right for this project to go live, and I antic-ipate that Mike will be ready to move for-ward in the next week or two.”

Currently Squindo is posting to the Se-nior Center’s page at facebook.com/Aga-wamSeniors, where he provides general information along with updates about bin-go and the possible television channel. He’s trying to figure out what content engages seniors, along with what times of the day seniors are available and most engaged.

Squindo hopes this effort also benefits the community as a whole, though his fo-cus is on seniors. A large proportion of Aga-wam’s residents is aged 65 and older, and just 60 percent of them are on the Internet.

Tingley is eager to start work on Senior Center projects, as many of the events that Agawam Media would have filmed this spring — including school events — have been canceled.

MEDIA ❚ from page 1

$12.50EachDigital Photos

TURLEY PUBLICATIONS, INC.

Purchase a photo that recently ran in one of our publications.

Go to newspapers.turley.com/photo-request

On April 24, Mass2-1-1 and its Call2Talk emotional support and suicide prevention hotline reached over 50,000 calls regarding Covid-19. Mass2-1-1 is a program created and staffed by the United Ways of Massa-chusetts, and designated by the Massachu-setts Emergency Management Agency as the official hotline for Covid-19.

“All of us at United Way and Mass2-1-1 are proud of our Mass2-1-1 and Call2Talk call takers for doing such an outstanding job over these last 50,000 Covid-19-relat-ed calls from the citizens of the common-

wealth. As time goes on, calls are becoming much more stressful and emotional, so stay strong, team!” said Paul Mina, executive di-rector of Mass2-1-1.

Any resident of Massachusetts with questions about Covid-19 or needs such as unemployment or food aid caused by the pandemic can call 2-1-1 at any time, from any phone in Massachusetts, in over 150 languages.

For more information about the United Way of Pioneer Valley, visit uwpv.org.

Counseling hotline reaches milestone

MIAA

PVSSL

GOLF

WOMEN’S SOCCER

SPORTSacebook.com/turleysports@turleysports www.turleysports.com

Following the governor’s closure of schools for the remainder of the year, spring sports will not happen

By Gregory A. [email protected]

After weeks of speculation back and forth, the high school sports world got the sad news it had been dreading.

Last Friday, the Massachusetts Interscholastic Athletic Associ-ation’s Board of Directors was

forced unanimously to cancel the spring sports season and associ-ated tournaments.

It was a mere formality as Gov. Charlie Baker announced last Tuesday that schools in Massa-chusetts would remained closed for the remainder of the 2019-2020 academic school year, which would have ended in mid to late June.

Baker held off for a few weeks on making the decision, hoping new coronavirus case numbers would decrease to the point where the state could begin opening up.

But as the “surge” in both new cases and deaths progressed, it became clear to Baker’s admin-istration that putting students in schools would not be a good situation. Additionally, the Mas-sachusetts Teachers Association pushed for the closure of schools for the remainder of the year.

The closure of school means it is not possible for athletes to play sports, putting an end to the pro-posed shortened, 12-game season the MIAA was hoping to play be-ginning on May 4. The school clo-sure was set to expire on that day

before Baker made his announce-ment.

The announcement gives a definitive answer the question about whether or not seniors will have their final moments in many of their respective spring sports. The decision cancels baseball, softball, boys lacrosse, girls la-crosse, boys tennis, girls tennis, boys track, girls track, boys vol-leyball.

There are no proposals for any school sponsored sports to play during the summer, and ath-letic directors will now have to

turn their attention to hopefully playing sports this fall, provided school resumes in September.

In the MIAA announcement, they have made no mention or answered any questions about the status of fall sports. However, ath-letic directors in Western Massa-chusetts have begun developing fall schedules, expecting teams will be playing in early September.

The coronavirus first struck the end of winter sports on March 12, when the MIAA was forced to

Fields as empty as schools, all spring long

SPRING ❙ page 9

By Gregory A. [email protected]

LUDLOW – In the advent of the high school sports spring sea-son being cancelled and the lack of team sports being played all over the country, sights in West-ern Massachusetts have now be-gun looking at whether summer sports will be played.

Summer sports have bal-looned over the years as a way to keep all athletes active during the summer months. In the past, there was only summer baseball and soccer. But basketball, field hockey, lacrosse, and even flag football have been added over time.

The Pioneer Valley Summer Soccer League, however, nearly outlasts them all and is consid-ered a crucial battleground for players that are vying for that competitive edge heading into the fall season.

The PVSSL has been in exis-tence for more than 40 years, and there is some question as wheth-er or not the season will begin on time following the cancellations that have already occurred.

Lusitano Stadium in Ludlow, which hosts the PVSSL finals in early August, is the home of the semi-pro Western Mass. Pioneers. However, their season has been cancelled.

UWS still hopeful for 2020 season

LUDLOW – United Women’s Soccer (UWS) has reaffirmed its intent to play the 2020 season for both UWS and UWS League Two. The start of the season will be de-layed in order to align with CDC guidance and we will work with all of our clubs to adjust the reg-ular season schedule. The safety of our players, fans and staff re-main our top priority and we will continue to monitor events and receive guidance from local, state, and national authorities.

“First and foremost, the safety of all the players, staff and supporters will guide any final decision on the 2020 season,” said League Commis-sioner Joseph Ferrara Jr. “We have been working diligently on differ-ent scenarios based on potential timelines. UWS intends to provide a National Championship structure for our member teams as it is the most important service provided by the league. Our investment into this event has made it a tremen-dous showcase for women’s soccer.

The New England Mutiny par-ticipate in the UWS and has re-cently featured several star play-ers from Western Massachusetts.

The USL-Two, a men’s semi-professional team, recently announced the Northeast Divi-sion cancelled its regular season.

NORTON – Mass Golf has made the decision to cancel the 111th Massachusetts Open, set to take place June 15-17 at Taconic Golf Club in Williamstown, due to the ongoing spread of COVID-19 throughout Massachusetts and the entire country.

All six Mass Open qualifying events have also been canceled, but any exemptions from this year will carry over and be honored for the 2021 Mass Open.

Participants who have regis-tered have received an email de-tailing how refunds will be pro-cessed for the Mass Open and its

qualifying events. The Mass Open is the only

Mass Golf event that allows am-ateur and professionals from any state or country to enter and compete against one anoth-er. With a professional purse of $75,000, the Mass Open offers one of the largest purses in the New England area.

The Four-Ball Championship was also canceled earlier this month, making the Mass Open the second of Mass Golf ’s Cham-pionships to be canceled this year. This also marks the first time since 1945 that there will be no

Mass Open played, as the event was not held from 1943-45 due to World War II.

“We care deeply about this historic and signature champion-ship and have made this decision with a heavy heart,” said Jesse Menachem, Mass Golf ’s Execu-tive Director/CEO. “This is an un-fortunate situation we’re dealing with in the COVID-19 era, but our absolute priority is to protect the health and safety of the Players, Officials, Volunteers, and Spec-tators as well as the Host Club Staff and Mass Golf Staff involved in the Mass Open and its qual-

ifying events. Taconic has been extremely supportive through-out this decision-making process and we are so appreciative of our long-standing partnership as well as their understanding and flexi-bility in what is truly an unprece-dented time.”

The Qualifying schedule was as follows: Pine Brook CC (May 7); CC of Pittsfield (May 13); Kern-wood CC (May 18); Ocean Edge R&CC (May 20); Pleasant Valley CC (May 26); and The Bay Club at Mattapoisett (May 28).

Oak Hill CC in Fitchburg will be the host site of the Mass Open

in 2021. The club will be celebrat-ing its centennial next year as well.

“We greatly appreciate the continued support of all our Mass Golf Member Clubs who were scheduled to host qualifying, as well as Taconic GC for their will-ingness to host the Champion-ship,” said Kevin Eldridge, Mass Golf ’s Director of Rules & Com-petitions. “We look forward to continuing this signature event in 2021.”

Taconic was getting set to host

Players from all over the region have participated in the Pioneer Valley Summer Soccer League for more than 40 years. The league said last week it is closely monitoring the coronavirus situation, but is still hopeful the league will begin play on time in mid-June. FILE PHOTOS

Summer soccer league officials optimistic for season

SOCCER ❙ page 12

Mass. Open tournament, qualifiers canceled for 1st time since ‘45

GOLF ❙ page 9


Don’t Miss Another WeekSubscribe To Your Hometown Newspaper

NAME

MAILING ADDRESS

CITY STATE ZIP

EMAIL ADDRESS

PHONE

CREDIT CARD NO.

EXPIRATION DATE CVV CODE

PLEASE SEND THE GIFT SUBSCRIPTION TO:

NAME

MAILING ADDRESS

CITY STATE ZIP

Yes! I want to subscribe to the Agawam AdvertiserI am a new subscriber I want to extend my subscription

I am sending a gift subscription

TWO Year Pre-paid $35 Newsstand Price $1.00 ($52/year)

Thank you!Check EnclosedMade Payable to Agawam Advertiser News

Please mail this form toTURLEY PUBLICATIONS, 24 WATER STREET, PALMER, MA 01069

AA4.20_C19

Agawam Advertiser News yourhometown news source. We’re working hard to provide you with more local news, community photos, and weekly features. Our website also makes it easier to submit press releases, and browse archives.

Use the convenient form to

SubscribeToday!or call800.824.6548

413.786.7747 • Fax: 413.786.8457 • Facebook: @AgawamAdvertiserNews • Email: [email protected]

A TURLEY PUBLICATION ❙ www.turley.com

April 9, 2020 ❙ Vol. 42, No. 6 ❙ $1.00 www.agawamadvertisernews.turley.com


SENIORSServiceschangingnext weekPAGE3

SPORTSTourneysmay be injeopardy PAGE 7

PHOTOSAll thecute youcan bear PAGE 6

PROPANE: 413-998-0080StateLinePropaneOil.com

OIL • AC: 413-998-0090

Propane • Oil • Fireplaces • Heating • Hot Water • HVACPool Heaters • Generators • Service Plans • 24-Hour Emergency Service

500•514 Salmon Brook St., Granby, CT Lic. S1: 303179 • P1: 204150 • HOD: 737 • 478

It’s time to schedule an A/C tune-up!

Bunny follows bears as moms organize town-wide hunts


ust a week after Agawam families piled into their cars to hunt for bears, this Saturday they’ll be

searching for a bunny.A group of Agawam moms

led by Sherry Balzano is or-ganizing the Bunny Hop, a social distancing-friendly scavenger hunt, on April 11. Homes around town have been decorating their front doors and windows to attract the bunny — organizers ar-en’t calling it the “Easter bun-ny,” because the activity isn’t just for children of any spe-cific faith — and will take to the streets, in their own sep-arate cars, to look for clues on Saturday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. The first 200 families to find the bunny will receive an Easter egg with a special

prize inside.Just like the similar teddy

bear hunt that took place last Thursday, the Bunny Hop al-lows parents and children to get out of the house and con-nect with their community

GETTING OUT

Hop to it!

Sherry Balzano works on an Eas-ter decoration on the front door of her home, which will be one of the “clue” sites in the Bunny Hop scav-enger hunt on Saturday.

PHOTOS BY MICHAEL BALLWAY

JBUNNY ❙ page 8

Sherry Balzano stands with her children Billy, 17, and Maddie, 11, at their home on Roosevelt Avenue in Feeding Hills, as they get ready for this weekend’s Bunny Hop.

CORONAVIRUS

Businessrelief loanprogramhits snag


City councilors last week ap-proved a $250,000 business loan fund for coronavirus relief, and the town is taking applications, but the state says it’s illegal and that will cause a delay.

Mayor William Sapelli said on Wednesday morning that he’s been able to find an alternative funding source, but it will take time, and it may not be the full $250,000.

“We are going to have some monies, but it’s not going to be the money we were hoping for, and it’s not going to be ready to-morrow,” Sapelli said.

The loan program voted April 2 would allow Agawam business-es to apply for no-interest loans of up to $10,000 in order to stay afloat, and continue paying their

LOAN ❙ page 3


It seems like newspapers, tele-vision and social media have been full of talk about Covid-19 forev-er — but how many people really know the coronavirus at a cellular level, and how it’s both like and unlike other infections and dis-eases?

At least one man in Agawam does, and if Rich Joseph has his way, a lot more will learn.

Joseph, a science teacher at Agawam High School from 1970 to 2002, recently shared an hour-long lesson online discussing the biology of diseases and vi-

SCIENCE OF DISEASE

Biology teacher shares inside look at virus

Former Agawam High School teacher Rich Joseph, right, with his daughter Ashlie Gionfriddo, who encouraged him to share an online lesson on the biology of diseases like the coronavirus. SUBMITTED PHOTOSCIENCE ❙ page 12

By Shelby Macri [email protected]

Still not sure what to do with the kids at home all day? Ask the experts.

Scavenger hunts, family reading time and establishing a household routine are just some of the suggestions from Agawam teachers on how to keep young children learning and occupied while the schools are closed and the family is cooped up staying safe from the coronavirus.

“While thinking about fun ac-tivities to do, I found myself going back to the fun but easy games I

used to play when I was young-er,” said Sarah Domina, a grade 1 teacher at Phelps School. “I find that these days, I forget about the fun and easy games.”

Easy games might include creating a word search with or for a family member, playing “I spy” with descriptive words for the person guessing, playing cha-rades, playing cards or a board game, or bingo.

Teachers at Phelps and at Rob-inson Park School suggested that parents take their kids on a simple scavenger hunt — such as a car

TEACHER TIPS

Simple games, tasks advisedto keep children busy learning

TEACHER ❙ page 12

SPECIAL

Buy One Y

ear G

et

One FREE

Subscribe online www.agawamadvertisernews.turley.com


Schools & Youth

Both libraries and cinemas are closed because of the coronavirus, but Agawam youth are invited to celebrate Star Wars Day — that’s “May the Fourth” — with a special storytime on Monday.

Kylo Ren from “Star Wars” will be the guest reader in this Facebook Live event at noon on May 4. This event is sponsored by the Agawam Family and Communi-ty Program, which runs events for pre-

school-aged children and their parents. All are invited to join at facebook.com/agawamcfce.

Ren, the Sith enforcer of the First Order in the “Star Wars” sequel movies released in recent years, appears through the efforts of an Agawam resident who belongs to the 501st Legion, a worldwide organization of fans who portray characters from the sci-ence fiction film franchise.

Kylo Ren, of “Star Wars” fame, during a previous visit to the Agawam Public Library. SUBMITTED PHOTO

Read-venge of the Sith at ‘Star Wars’ story time Mon.

Just in time for Cinco de Mayo, there’s a new holiday scavenger hunt for Agawam families.

The Agawam Family and Community Program is leading a taco scavenger hunt throughout town May 4-8. As with the ted-dy bear hunt earlier in April, children are encouraged to participate by putting out taco-themed decorations. The program usually serves preschool-aged children, but older kids have also enjoyed previous scav-enger hunts during the coronavirus state of emergency.

“All our programs are geared toward birth to age 5, but we’re a community pro-gram and anybody’s welcome to partic-ipate,” said Valerie Smart, the program’s

outreach coordinator.Families can find a printable taco image

at bit.ly/agawam709 (they will need to set up a free account to download and print), or can email [email protected] to ask for one to be sent by email. Children are encouraged to color in the image, or create whatever taco art project they’d like, for a display visible from the street.

Participating homes are then asked to inform Smart by email or send a message to facebook.com/agawamcfce to add their house to the scavenger hunt list.

Between May 4 and 8, families can drive around Agawam looking for as many taco displays as they can. One lucky family will win a spring fun prize pack.

Families can hunt for tacos

Students in Massachusetts won’t have to take MCAS this year, after the governor and state Legislature passed a law elimi-nating the standardized testing require-ment for 2019-20. The law, passed April 9 and signed by the governor the next day, also empowers the state Board of Elemen-tary and Secondary Education to waive the MCAS graduation requirement for the high school Class of 2020.

Schools have been closed since mid-March to slow the spread of the corona-virus pandemic, and Gov. Charlie Baker announced last week that they will remain closed through the end of the school year. In the meantime, students and teachers are working from home and connecting via re-mote learning technology.

State Rep. Nicholas Boldyga, R-South-wick, said he supported the bill.

“Passing this legislation and ensuring our teachers and students can focus on learning and staying healthy was import-

ant,” said Boldyga, whose district includes Agawam, Granville and Southwick. “Our school districts are facing immense chal-lenges due to the pandemic, and after hear-ing concerns from parents and teachers this was the right step to take. Making sure our students are getting the best public ed-ucation possible has always been one of my top priorities.”

The law also delays the reporting date for schools to submit their first three-year plan to close student achievement gaps, as mandated by the Student Opportunity Act passed last year. The bill sets the new re-porting deadline for May 15, but allows the state education commissioner to extend the date even further, if needed.

Another provision in the law allows re-gional school districts more flexibility in setting their budgets for next school year.

Boldyga can be reached at 413-569-3137, ext. 103, or [email protected].

MCAS waived for shuttered schools

PLEASE RECYCLE THIS NEWSPAPER


SPRING ❚ from page 7

cancel the state finals in both hockey and basketball. Monson High School girls bas-ketball played in the final state semifinal game, losing to Maynard in a Division 4 semifinal at Worcester State University with fans barred from the building. May-nard and other semifinal winners were deemed “co-state champions” by the MIAA.

The spring season was set to begin on March 16, and was first postponed to March 30 as many schools closed down on

their own for two weeks. Gov. Baker then shut schools down for three weeks until April 7. In a subsequent decision on March 23, athletics were postponed through April 27. Baker countered with a school clo-sure extension through May 4. The MIAA followed suit with a May 4 starting date for spring sports, agreeing to a shortened season and only holding sectional playoffs that would have concluded before the end of June.

Unlike colleges, which granted athletes an additional year of eligibility for spring sports, seniors in high school will not have that option.

the Mass Open for the second time, first hosting it in 1992 when Boston native Andy Morse took home the title. Taconic has also hosted three USGA Championships and four NCAA Championships in its sto-ried history. Jack Nicklaus was 16 when he made the semifinals of the 1956 U.S. Junior Amateur, hosted by Taconic.

Taconic also hosted the Mass Amateur back in 2016, won by Brendan Hunter, of Red Tail GC.

Josh Hillman, the head golf pro at

Taconic, said he’s disappointed that COVID-19 has led to this cancelation of the Mass Open and other events, and he just wants to see Taconic get another shot at some point.

“Taconic will always be here for Mass Golf, and we hope to get another Champi-onship on the schedule soon,” said Hillman, who was named the 2019 Northeastern New York PGA Golf Professional of the Year.

New Hampshire’s Michael Martel won the Mass Open last year by edging out Ryan Gendron (Tampa, Florida) by 1 stroke. In the process, he ended Jason Thresher’s three-year winning streak in the Mass Open.

GOLF ❚ from page 7

Feeling bored . . .

ANSWERS WILL BE IN NEXT WEEKS PAPERS

horoscopesARIES – Mar 21/Apr 20Aries, others want to lure you into their shenanigans, but you don’t need to worry about falling prey. You stick to your own ways of doing things.TAURUS – Apr 21/May 21Taurus, you may need to take a differ-ent and unusual approach to get things accomplished this week. Do not be afraid to take the bull by the horns if it is nec-essary. GEMINI – May 22/Jun 21Thinking outside of the box is something that you do with frequency, Gemini. Although others may not be sure of your unconventional methods, you always get things done.CANCER – Jun 22/Jul 22Cancer, anxiety about starting a new path or chapter in your life is completely nor-mal. Look forward to all of the positive things that may be in store soon enough. LEO – Jul 23/Aug 23Lend a helping hand to someone who may need a vote of confidence or some words of support this week, Leo. Your efforts will be appreciated very much.VIRGO – Aug 24/Sept 22Make the most of luck that comes to you this week, Virgo. Do not speculate why such good fortune comes your way, but embrace it with an open heart.LIBRA – Sept 23/Oct 23Do not rush to judgment on any situation or person for the time being. All of the facts have not come to light or sharpened. But the truth will soon reveal itself, Libra. SCORPIO – Oct 24/Nov 22Scorpio, someone close to you needs space this week, so give them some room to breathe. Find a way to keep busy as this person works through what he or she needs.SAGITTARIUS – Nov 23/Dec 21Sagittarius, a competitive coworker is pushing hard to be on top. Use this as motivation as you to strive to become the best version of yourself you can be.CAPRICORN – Dec 22/Jan 20Capricorn, you feel confident moving forward with a relationship after a heart-to-heart talk. Now this week you can cultivate this relationship even further. AQUARIUS – Jan 21/Feb 18Share your thoughts and feelings with someone who is unbiased if you want an accurate assessment of what you need to do to improve, Aquarius. A willing listen-er is quite helpful to you. PISCES – Feb 19/Mar 20Pisces, you will need patience in spades this week. Others may not be able to maintain your pace, so give them the ben-efit of the doubt.

answers for the week of 4/20


quest for a new Town Hall and public safety complex, remains a part of Sapelli’s cap-ital plan, but has been pushed back. Last year, he envisioned asking for $30 million in fiscal 2022. Now, he’s asking for a $60,000 feasibility study in fiscal 2023, and con-struction funding to follow in fiscal 2025. The capital plan describes the requested facility simply as a public safety complex—noting that the existing police station and fire headquarters are too small for current need—but it also includes “meeting space for boards and commissions.”

The largest reduction from last year’s

plan has nothing to do with coronavirus, however. Last year’s plan still included funds for a new Early Childhood Center to replace the current pre-kindergarten facil-ity on Perry Lane. The School Department agreed to abandon that $17 million project later last year, after determining that elect-ed officials would not agree on that level of spending, and that sufficient space existed at the town’s four elementary schools to absorb the pre-kindergarten classrooms without needing new construction.

Another item missing from the capital plan is an expansion of the sewer system in southwestern Feeding Hills, a multi-mil-lion-dollar investment that Agawam resi-dents and elected officials have been debat-

ing for decades. Last year, city councilors Robert Magovern, Robert Rossi and Rose-mary Sandlin criticized Sapelli’s capital plan for omitting Feeding Hills sewers, though all three ended up voting in favor of the plan.

Several improvements to the existing sewer and water systems are envisioned in Sapelli’s plan. Proposals include an odor control facility at the School Street wastewater pump station and a rerouting of a sewer interceptor line away from the eroding Westfield River embankment. He is also proposing several phases of inflow and infiltration work — finding and plug-ging holes in the sewer pipes that currently result in the town paying for unnecessary treatment of rainwater that seeps in to the

sewer lines. The plan also calls for replac-ing water mains on Elm and Silver streets, Main Street (Suffield Street to Route 57), Meadow Street, River Road and South Street, over the next five years.

Other items to be funded under the mayor’s plan include paving the parking lot at Shea Field, which also serves the Skate Park and Dog Park, in fiscal 2022 and 2023; new science labs and renovated windows, boilers, heating, ventilation, information technology and electrical systems at Aga-wam High School, to be partially reim-bursed by the state, to begin in fiscal 2021; and repairs to the Agawam Public Library roof and siding, which have suffered water leaks in recent years; among other items.

CAPITAL ❚ from page 1

Public NoticesWE’VE EXPANDED OUR WEB SITE

ARE NOW ONLINE

visitwww.publicnotices.turley.com

Email all notices [email protected] archives anddigital tear sheets by newspaper title.2Find a quick link to the state of Massachusetts’ public notice web site to search all notices in Massachusetts newspapers.3 Public notice deadlines are Mondays at noon, Fridays noon for Monday holidays.


Your money is 100% safe. 100% insured. Not all banks can say this.

Can yours?

Member FDIC/Member DIFbankatpeoples.com · 413.538.9500

The FDIC insures all deposits up to $250,000 per depositor. All deposit amounts above the FDIC limits are insured in full by the Depositors Insurance Fund (DIF).

Turley Publications offers two types of

obituaries.

One is a free, brief Death Notice listing

the name of deceased, date of death and

funeral date and place.

The other is a Paid Obituary, costing $100, which allows families to publish

extended death notice information of their own choice and may include a photograph.

Death Notices & Paid Obituaries

should besubmitted through a

funeral home to:[email protected].

Exceptions will be made only when the family

provides a death certificate and must be pre-paid.

Obituary Policy

Agawam Advertiser News


If you see a colorful cloth face mask at Mercy Medical Center in Springfield, there’s a chance it came from Agawam.

While many workplaces are shut down, Darcie Calise has been spend-ing up to nine hours a day at her home sewing machine, making masks to do-nate to help stop the coronavirus out-break. She said she can make 10-15 masks a day, and has donated nearly 300 masks to Mercy.

Though an experienced crafter,

Calise had not made face masks be-fore the coronavirus outbreak. She said her daughter sent her a link about how masks can be made at home, which inspired her to donate her skills to help as many people as possible and give back to Mercy, which cared for her son.

“I said, I can do something with my time. I have a lot of material here,” Calise said.

She’s also accepting donations of cotton fabric, white thread, or ¼-inch elastic, to be used on future masks. Anyone interested in donating, or who would like to request a mask, can

contact her at [email protected] or 413-335-9470.

This week, she was working on themed masks for the Agawam Police Department, the Agawam Fire Depart-ment and local paramedics, as well as masks for the firing detail at the Massa-chusetts Veterans Cemetery in Agawam. Calise, a veteran herself, is a member of that group, which honors deceased vet-erans with a graveside salute.

In addition to supplying masks for Mercy, Calise said she’s also sent masks to people in Connecticut, New York and Nebraska, and is glad to help anyone who requests one.

Crafter lends full-time focus to making masks

Darcie Calise of Agawam has been sewing face masks and distribut-ing them free of charge during the coronavirus pandemic.

SUBMITTED PHOTOS

Agawam’s Darcie Calise has used a variety of patterned fabrics to create face masks to fight the transmission of Covid-19.

SOCCER ❚ from page 7

The American Legion baseball program will not have a national tournament or a World Series. How-ever, Legion officials do hope players will have a regular season, especially with the spring baseball season can-celled.

Chris Kolodziey, who along with his wife Dianna, took over the PVSSL in place of his late father, league founder and legendary soccer con-tributor William Kolodziey, says they are monitoring the situation closely.

Unlike some other leagues, Dian-na Kolodziey said last week there is some flexibility in holding the PVSSL season.

“We are not opposed to revising the start and end dates for the leagues, we are will continue to explore our options to get our players back on the field,” said Dianna Kolodziey.

The league typically begins play in mid-June and concludes during the final week of July with a playoff week following that.

PVSSL plays a 10 or 11-game reg-ular season. The league is divided into four divisions, Division A boys, Division B boys, Division A girls, and Division B girls. Larger schools high-ly competitive or advanced smaller schools usually participate in Division A. Division B usually includes smaller schools or situations where a larger school has two teams.

Last week, Dianna Kolodziey placed a statement on the PVSSL website expressing the optimism of having a normal summer season.

“At this time we are keeping our hopes up and being optimistic that we will be able to move forward with the PVSSL this summer,” she stated. “Our plan is to have the a league for the summer. Chris and I along with our executive board is continuing to

monitor the situation with the Coro-na virus (COVID-19) throughout our nation and around the world. While this is an evolving situation, we are taking the current situation seriously and are following developments very closely.

“We will continue to monitor the situation in real time and will provide a further updates in the near future. We apologize any inconvenience this may have caused however, the safety of our PVSSL family is our highest pri-ority.”

Dianna Kolodziey did not specifi-cally say what steps would be taken if the season were to start, including modified rules for social distancing, and eliminating handshake lines af-ter games like a number of sports plan to.

The Kolodzieys state they hope to hold registrations in early May. For more information, Kolodziey can be contacted at [email protected].

Gov. Charlie Baker on April 27 signed legislation that authorizes notaries public to perform notary actions using videoconfer-encing during the Covid-19 public health emergency.

The legislation applies requirements for autho-rized notaries to use elec-tronic video conferencing for documents requiring notarization, including those related to a mortgage or other conveyance of title to real estate, will, nomina-tion of guardian or conser-vator, caregiver authoriza-

tion affidavit, trust, durable power of attorney or health care proxy.

The legislation, which will remain in place until three business days after the March 10 state of emer-gency declaration is lifted, requires that the notary public and each principal be physically located with-in Massachusetts and com-municating by live video. It mandates that notaries to record and retain a copy of the videoconference and related documentation for a period of 10 years.

Notaries can act online during pandemic

page 4 page 8 agawamadvertiser news agawam letter family gives thanks for supporters page 4...

Documents