Isabelle Gardens
A snapshot of Isabelle Gardens
Playground Plan Presented
WESTFIELD – City officials are hoping that a state self-help grant will finance a major portion of a renovation of the Chapman Playground on St. Paul Street, to expand its use and provide more parking area.
Last night, the Park and Recreation Department presented a plan in a public hearing to revamp the 82-year old, three-acre facility toe expand the resources for what officials aid was a growing need. The plan calls for renovating the restrooms, doubling the number of softball fields, improving the playscape area and revamping parking on the site to cut down on the on-street parking.
A Community Services Director Ann Marie Heiser said last night that the Chapman Playground is becoming more and more important to the city’s recreational system.
“We now use it for spring and fall programs, including T-ball, flag football in the fall, field hockey in the summer and our preschool sports programs,” she said. “The last time we made improvements to the playground was 1980.”
The area has become as center of Russian and Ukrainian recreation, which many more children living close by the field. That, Heiser said, means the playground will be getting much more usage.
Neighbors were shown a plan to eliminate a tennis court that see little play and has fallen into disrepair, and to install two “skinned” or dirt-infield softball fields and a regulation-size multi-purpose field.
A “wish list” plan was presented last night that landscape architect Robert Levesque said incorporated all the elements the Park and Recreation Department would like to see, if money were no object.
But, money is an object, Heiser said. She estimated the cost four refurbishing the playground would be less than $500,000. The department is applying for a self-help grant from the state Executive Office of Environmental Affairs, and the Division of Conservation Services. Heiser said the grant would pay up to 70 percent of the cost of the project.
Council Closes ‘Upscale’ Adult Condo Hearing
WESTFIELD – The City Council shut down public comment on a proposed “active adult community” planned for a 21-acre site on Granville Road, despite some councilors’ request for more time to bring neighbors to view the project.
At-large Councilor Barbara Swords said last night that she did not believe that neighbors in the Highland area neighborhood had been properly notified.
“I don’t believe that a majority of the neighbors are here tonight,” said said.
Developers had sponsored a “neighborhood meeting” Tuesday evening, but Swords said the invitation were not necessarily all encompassing.
“I feel certain that some people were invited,” she said. “But I know some people were not. I was one of those. I live near there and I don’t get an invitation.”
Swords moved to hold open the public hearing on a special permit until other neighbors had an opportunity to view the plans.
But, in the end, only on other councilor, Brian Sullivan, joined Swords in voting for the extension. Ten other councilors voted to close the hearing and refer the matter to the License Committee.
Rob Levesque, of R. Levesque Associates, a land use consultant, told the council during the special permit hearing, that a large portion of the Rusolillo family property behind Granville Road homes and very near Highland School, would become the setting for “an up-scale community for active adults,” he said. Access to the property from Granville Road would be through a piece of frontage property acquired by the developers at 78 Granville Road.
At least two neighbors were aware of the project. Deb Tully, who lives nearby on Western Avenue, said she feared that the scale and price of the development might affect surrounding properties.
“The units themselves are larger than existing houses in the area,” she said, “and much more expensive than surrounding home. How can they (the developers) reconcile the market price with the surrounding residences?”
Tully suggested that the city preserve the woodland area as a park.
But at the same time, Jack Shea, a nearby neighbor, said he was afraid the development would change the character of the neighborhood, and rather than enhancing the surrounding property values, would devalue the existing homes.
“This will drastically change the neighborhood,” he said. “This is not a high density neighborhood, but the project would make it. I hope the city is thinking about preserving the character of its neighborhoods. And, what about property values. There are not a lot of multi-family units in the area. Would that negatively impact our property values?”
The development would include 43-units of condominium housing, with price tags in the mid-to upper $300,000 range. Each of the two-story units would offer 2,220 square feet of living space and a two-car garage.
Neighbor Joseph Flahive said he was satisfied with the project.
“This is the least significant development possible for that site,” he said. “Any development will have an impact, but I see this as minimal. They have been very thoughtful in designing this.”
Levesque said not all of the Rusolillo property would be used for the construction. At least four acres, directly behind the Rusolillo home, would remain with the family.
The age-restricted development would allow only residents 55 years old or older under homeowner association rules. If the City Council Special Permit is granted, it, too, will enforce the age limitations on the project.
The council’s License Committee will take up the measure within the next two weeks, and send a positive or negative recommendation to the full council at its next meeting.
Permit Requested for Condo Project
WESTFIELD – A 42-unit “active adult community- plan for a Granville Road location, not far from Highland School, is beginning its permitting process.
Rob Levesque, of R. Levesque Associates, requested a special permit from the City Council for the 21-acre project Thursday evening. A public hearing will be scheduled.
Earlier, Levesque presented the plan to the city’s Water Commission, seeking a water hookup.
He said the developers of the property, Jason Falcone and Ziter Saloomey, operting as Granville Road LLC, purchased most of the property formerly owned by the late Isabelle Rusolillo and her son Dr. Gary Ruslillo at 78 Granville Road.
Levesque said the developers plan to retain the existing home at that address and build 41 unites of upscale over-55 housing on the acreage behind.
Levesque presented a plan showing nine duplex units and 23 single residences in a high density configuration.
However, Levesque pointed out that while the Rusolillo property abuts the playground at Highland School, the family will retain a four-acre portion of the property, the potion which abuts the school grounds, providing a buffer between the students areas and the residential development.
The house at 78 Granville Road will remain and be incorporated into the condo development, Levesque said.
Tuesday evening Levesque presented the plans to the city’s Conservation Commission as a courtesy. He said the development violates no wetland areas, nor encroaches into any sensitive buffer areas.
The City Clerks Office will schedule a public hearing on the special permit request at a future City Council meeting.
Taco Bell to open Monday
WESTFIELD – Workmen are putting the finishing touches one a new fast food restaurant on East Main Street, and a Taco Bell International official said the doors to the Mexican-styled restaurant will open to the public January 28.
Richard Rust, a restaurant general manager for Taco Bell International, the owner and operator of the restaurant, said construction work on the new building has been completed, and now the company is seeking certificates of completion from city departments in preparation for the grand opening.
While Rust has been on-site preparing the restaurant for opening, he said the manager of the local Taco Bell will be Mathew Cummings, a Westfield resident.
Cummings hired a working crew for the restaurant in October of last year, Rust said, and those workers have been traveling to various other restaurant locations as part of their training regime.
The last step for the crew before the actual opening will be a “Family Day,” Rust said, as friends and family of the workers are invited to act as customers in a “dress rehearsal.”
“That will be the first time all the crew is together in one place,” Rust said.
The restaurant takes the place of the former Woody’s Brick Oven Pizza shop, which closed after a fire in October of 2004.
Taco Bell International was bale to eventually find a design that satisfied flood plain concerns of the Conservation Commission and construction in the new building began during the summer of 2007.
A grand opening and ribbon cutting, with Mayor Michael Boulanger, is scheduled for January 28.
Memorial to Honor Veterans
WESTFIELD – “Paying it forward” is on the minds and in the hearts of a committed group of veterans who have joined forces to see that our nation’s veterans are not forgotten.
Robert J. Vogel, of West Springfield, a World War II Navy veteran and state director for Sampson Navy Veterans, and Robert C. McKean, of Southampton, an Air Force veteran and managing director of Stanley Park, are spearheading an effort to create a veterans memorial at Stanley Park.
“I approached the board of trustees of the park in February,” said McKean, “and they gave their approval. Mr. Beveridge (founder of Stanley Park) always had a place in his heart for the military. If they worked for StanHome, when they came back from military service, they always had their jobs waiting. He made sure of that.”
With a $5,000 donation from the Beveridge Family Foundation, design work was provided courtesy of Robert M. Levesque, president of Levesque Associates of Westfield and a member of the park’s board of directors, and with a commitment from Chester Granite Co. in Blandford to provide the memorial itself, the committee of 10 volunteers is well on its way to building the memorial.
McKean explained that other than the initial seed money and the park’s donated location for the memorial, all other expenses will be borne by the veterans’ committee through donations, whether monetary or in kind. They have set a goal of raising between $35,000 and $40,000.
“Hopefully, we’ll get a lot of donations in kind,” said McKean, “contractors or someone to come and dig for us, because here at the park, we don’t have the heavy equipment we’re going to need.
“It’s a nice spot, (it will be) all handicapped accessible and near where there’s a lot of handicapped parking already,” McKean said of the sloping verdant area that has been selected for the memorial.
The memorial will salute the five branches of service-the Army, Navy, Marines, Coast Guard, and Air Force- and will also include the Merchant Marine.
“We want to make it for our past, present and future veterans,” said McKean. “We’re going to be including the Merchant Mariners, not officially a branch of service, but in World War II, they had per capita more losses than any other branches. They were the ones taking all the ships into harm’s way.”
“We don’t see any memorials with their insignia on it,” said McKean, and it wasn’t until 1988 that veterans benefits were authorized for Merchant Marines.
“The committee voted unanimously to include them.”
The memorial, in its simplicity, is intended as a reminder to park visitor that “freedom isn’t free,” said Vogel.
“We were very appreciative of the opportunity (of locating the memorial in the park) because of all the people that come here,” said Vogel, “an opportunity for kids, teenagers and veterans in the future to be able to go there and see this.
“So many people have given their lives so that we can enjoy what we have today. I’ve been asked ‘How many monuments do you need?’ My answer is that there are not enough. I’d like to see one on every corner.”
The monument itself will bear the six service insignia and a simple text. A flagpole will be either solar can fly 24/7, McKean said. The memorial site will be approximately 30 feet in diameter with a sitting wall, so that “people can just sit and remember,” he said.
“I’ve always been one to want to make it a living memorial wherever it was, even at the cemetery,” said McKean, who was responsible for the oversight of the construction and operation of two Veterans Memorial Cemeteries in the commonwealth-in Agawam and in Winchendon. “You can honor your vet no matter where you are, but sometimes it’s a monument that brings us all together.”
In doing so, ceremonies at the Veterans Memorial at Stanley Park will not conflict with Memorial Day, Veterans Day or other ceremonies in the city, he said.
“We’re not going to make this a military institution. It’s still a family park,” said McKean, “it always will be. It’s just a little piece of the family park that will be dedicated to the men and women who have served it, made us able to have a park.
“I’ve done a lot of dedications of monuments, and one thing I think is that we can never do enough.
“We can’t go back and pay it back to the one’s we’ve lost. This is a way for us of paying it forward to the generations that will come after us,” he said.
Veterans’ Memorial at Park Advances
WESTFIELD – July 22, 2009
Stanley Park will soon become home to a new effort to recognize veterans, including Merchant Marines past, present and future.
An effort to create a Veterans’ Memorial at Stanley Park is gaining momentum with donations of seed money, a site, design, granite and flag pole already secured. Now, a 10-member committee it trying to raise the $50,000 to $60,000 needed for amenities for the memorial.
The effort is being led by World War II Navy veteran Robert J. Vogel, of West Springfield, Stanley Park director Robert C. McKean and eight other members of a volunteer committee created earlier this year.
“When I think of those veterans, I think of those who made the ultimate sacrifice or suffered injuries that affect their quality of life,” said the 81-year-old Vogel. “We cannot do enough to recognize these individuals.”
McKean, an Air Force veteran and former director of the state Veterans Memorial Cemetery in Agawam, agrees with Vogel’s determination to recognize veterans. “Nothing is too much in this area,” he said.
The group has already raised some $9,000 toward the endeavor, which includes $5,000 courtesy of the Beveridge Family Foundation, which operates Stanley Park, McKean said.
In addition to the financial support, Stanley Park has donated a site for the memorial, which sits in a manicured bowl-shaped parcel just off Western Avenue.å
Vogel said Allen William, of Chester Granite Co. in Blandford, will provide the granite and other stone work needed for the memorial.
“The largest expense is the monument itself and property location,” said Vogel.
The design work was provided courtesy of Robert M. Levesque, president of R. Levesque Associates, of Westfield, and a member of the board of directors at Stanley Park.
“This project could not be undertaken without the support of Stanley Park and others who have already volunteered efforts and funding,” McKean said. “Despite the site location at Stanley Park and donation from the Beveridge Foundation, this memorial must be constructed by donations. Park funding cannot be used for construction.”
“We have also drawn on volunteers from the Veteran’s Cemetery and others to assist on the project committee,” Vogel said.
“This is a tremendous opportunity to honor all veterans, but it cannot be accomplished without assistance from volunteers,” McKean said.
“The location for the memorial is perfect and will include a reflection area and adequate parking.” Vogel said.