Chicopee plans to remove 2 dams in Szot Park, eliminating ponds
Today 5:55 AM
Facebook Share
CHICOPEE – The city is starting a three-year project that will change the look of Szot Park, eliminate a potential safety hazard to the community’s electrical system and improve water quality for the Chicopee River and Abbey Brook.
State and local officials recently unveiled a plan that will remove two dams that create the two ponds in Szot Park and replace the seriously-undersized culvert that runs under Front Street and leads to the Chicopee Electric Light property.
“It is returning the waterway back to its natural state,” said Ronald S. Amidon, commissioner for the state Department of Fish and Game.
Fifth candidate joins Holyoke mayor’s race
Holyoke’s Joshua Garcia, currently the town administrator of Blandford, announced his candidacy for mayor of Holyoke on Thursday, April 22, 2021. SUBMITTED PHOTO
HOLYOKE A fifth candidate for city mayor has officially announced his campaign.
Holyoke’s Joshua Garcia, a graduate of the city’s public schools and the current town administrator in Blandford, announced Thursday that he will add his name to the list of candidates seeking to occupy room 1 in City Hall.
Garcia, 35, has a master’s degree in public administration from Westfield State University and has served as Blandford’s town administrator since 2018. Prior to that, he worked as a municipal services manager with the Pioneer Valley Planning Commission and as a property manager with the Holyoke Housing Authority. He previously served as a member of the Holyoke School Committee.
Blandford town administrator Joshua Garcia becomes 5th candidate for Holyoke mayor
Updated 1:31 PM;
Today 1:26 PM
Blandford town administrator Joshua Garcia, pictured in 2019, announced Thursday he will run for mayor in Holyoke. (Don Treeger / The Republican file photo)
Facebook Share
HOLYOKE Joshua A. Garcia will launch a mayoral bid, expanding the field to five declared candidates.
Garcia, Blandford’s town administrator and a former Holyoke School Committee member, released a statement Thursday announcing his mayoral run.
“My vision for Holyoke is one shared by residents from every corner of the city, and that is to cultivate an environment within our local government and our neighborhoods that are sustainable, practical and inclusive,” Garcia stated.
Hatfield to update Community Preservation Act master plan
Hatfield Town Hall STAFF FILE PHOTO/KEVIN GUTTING
Published: 4/20/2021 3:49:31 PM
HATFIELD A master plan that guides how Community Preservation Act money is spent in Hatfield is getting significant updates for the first time in more than 10 years.
Before changes are incorporated into the plan, many focused on affordable housing, the Community Preservation Committee will hold a virtual public hearing using Microsoft Teams to receive feedback on the 11-page document April 28 at 6 p.m.
Such hearings are required annually, but CPA Chairman Bob Wagner said they have typically been used to describe projects that will be considered at annual Town Meeting.
Regional Notebook: April 20, 2021
Published: 4/19/2021 3:21:24 PM
New helpline for domestic violence launches
Ten to Ten, a free, confidential helpline for people who abuse or may abuse their intimate partner, launched last week serving Western Massachusetts residents. The helpline (877-898-3411) will operate from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m., 365 days a year.
Family, friends and professionals worried that someone may harm their partner can also call the helpline. The project is part of a national movement that seeks to increase non-criminal responses to intimate partner violence.
The helpline is a collaboration between the Pioneer Valley Planning Commission, Behavioral Health Network and Growing a New Heart. According to a press release from the commission, an advisory board of regional partners as well as two rural domestic violence task forces from the Ware River Valley and the southern hilltowns will oversee the project.