Pellegrino, represented by his brother, attorney Raipher Pellegrino, was released on his own recognizance.

File photo by Don Treeger / The RepublicanJulian Pellegrino, of Springfield, who was arraigned in Hampen Superior Court Wednesday on a charge of causing serious injury to Mark Costa of Chicopee when he was operating a car under the influence of drugs last year, is seen in Chicopee District Court in 2007 in an unrelated case.

SPRINGFIELD – Julian Pellegrino pleaded innocent in Hampden Superior Court on Wednesday to indictments charging him in connection with a Chicopee vehicle crash in which police said he was under the influence of drugs when he crossed the center line and hit another driver head-on.

Pellegrino, represented by his brother, attorney Raipher Pellegrino, was released on his own recognizance by Judge C. Jeffrey Kinder. A pretrial conference is set for Feb. 22.

Pellegrino, 41, of 29 Savoy Ave., pleaded innocent to the charge of operating under the influence of drugs causing serious injury. He had previously been charged in Chicopee District Court.

Court files identify the victim is Mark A. Costa. Costa, 26, of Chicopee, was injured in the head-on crash on Granby Road. Both his legs were broken.

The head-on crash occurred on Dec. 30 at 2:20 p.m. when Pellegrino was driving a 2004 Ford truck eastbound, crossed the line into the westbound lane hitting the 1998 Honda driven by Costa, police said.

Both drivers were taken to Baystate Medical Center with serious injuries.

Julian Pellegrino, who briefly considered a run for state representative in the 9th Hampden District in 1999, is the son of retired Springfield Juvenile Court Judge Joseph A. Pellegrino and Kathleen B. Pellegrino, a former city police commissioner. Raipher Pellegrino is a past Springfield city councilor and prominent city lawyer.

Students together collected 4,650 pounds of food and $1,725 in money.

Republican file photoLorraine Houle, the director of Lorraine's Soup Kitchen and Pantry, stands outside the newly-built kitchen off Meadow Street

CHICOPEE – When Lorraine’s Soup Kitchen and Pantry ran so low on food it had to close, the city’s young residents came to their help.

Students at Chicopee and Comprehensive High schools together collected 3,900 pounds food and raised $1,600 in an emergency food drive.

The same week Lambert-Lavoie elementary school students and teachers turned in 750 pounds of food and $125 after a three-week effort.

“It helped us through another week, it kept us afloat,” said Albert E. Rosati, assistant director of the pantry.

Through the pantry, Chicopee families in need are eligible to receive a supply of emergency groceries once every two months, he said.

The pantry receives a weekly delivery from the Western Massachusetts Food Bank and help from organizations such as the U.S. Department of Agriculture. But an increase in people needing help left the shelves bare Sept. 23. With no food, it had to close early.

“In general we have food coming in. This time it didn’t last,” he said.

Many factors left the pantry desperate. The number of families who need food has increased by 20 percent to nearly 40 daily. People also donated less during an annual drive collected by the Post Office in May, Rosati said.

The proposal for the emergency drive came from Chicopee High sophomore Delmarina Lopez, who was volunteering at the kitchen the day they ran out of food.

She talked to one of her teachers the next day and asked if she could organize an emergency food drive. Working though vice principals and pantry employees, approval was granted, said Ann M. Hennessey, supervisor of the social studies department who helped Lopez.

Hennessey then called a vice principal at Comprehensive High School.

“I said let’s do a fun competition,” she said.

Meanwhile Lopez organized some of her classmates and they spread the word about the drive through Facebook and had an announcement made that Friday.

Earlier Lambert-Lavoie heard the kitchen needed help and decided to do a collection as well. That food was delivered Oct. 1, a few days after the high schools’ drive ended, said Donna K. Conroy, a special education teacher who assisted Principal Ginger Coleman with the drive.

“The principal wanted to do a community service project and she got wind the food pantry was very low,” she said. “The kids were all behind it.”

In two days, Comprehensive High collected 2,500 pounds of food and Chicopee High donated $1,600 and 1,400 pounds.

“I don’t really know who won. I think Lorraine’s won,” Hennessey said.

Donald Partyka, of South Haldey, was knocked to the ground, held down while his face was covered with a pillow, bound with electrical cords and cut on the face with a knife, a prosecutor said.

NORTHAMPTON - Jamie R. Asselin plead innocent Thursday in Hampshire Superior Court to home invasion, robbery and assault charges involving a 75-year-old man.

Asselin, 34, of Chicopee is charged with entering the South Hadley home of Donald W. Partyka on Aug. 6 in the company of another man, assaulting him and stealing credit cards and cash. The charges against him include assault and battery on a person over 60 and larceny of $250 from a person over 60, both of which carry enhanced penalties.

According to prosecutor Jayme A. Parent, Partyka was knocked to the ground in his home and held down while his face was covered with a pillow. He was bound with electrical cords, cut on the face with a knife and had to receive medical treatment for a puncture wound. Parent said the co-defendant has not yet been arrested.

Citing Asselin’s criminal history, which she said includes eight pages of larcenies, violated restraining orders and probation violations, Parent asked Judge Bertha D. Josephson to maintain the $250,000 cash bail set when Asselin was arraigned in Northampton District Court.

Defense lawyer Jonah S. Goldsmith asked Josephson to lower the amount to $5,000, saying that $250,000 bail is “tantamount to a sentence.” According to Goldsmith, his client was merely the middleman in a conflict between Partyka and the co-defendant and was not an assailant. In fact, Goldsmith said, Partyka stepped outside the house for a while during the incident at a time when witnesses heard Partyka and the other man yelling at each other.

“Someone did get hurt, but Mr. Asselin had nothing to do with it,” Goldsmith said.

Josephson set bail at $100,000 cash and scheduled a pretrial conference for Dec. 14.

Chicopee residents have to separate glass, metal and paper when they put it on the curb for collection.

CHICOPEE - The City Council is questioning the plan to spend $600,000 to make the recycling program easier for residents, saying they are not sure it is worth the money.

The city has a mandatory recycling program, but unlike most area communities including Springfield and Holyoke, Chicopee residents have to separate glass, metal and paper when they put it on the curb for collection.

“The advantage is all the recycling goes into one truck and operating costs are less. We will also get a lot less confusion,” said Stanley W. Kulig, superintendent of the Public Works Department.

The money would buy 96-gallon covered barrels on wheels for each household. Residents put all their recycling into the containers, which can be picked up and dumped by a truck with an automated arm, he said.

The $600,000 is needed to implement the first phase. Kulig said he estimates the city will have to spend about $900,000 to purchase the containers for the about 19,000 households in the city that will need them to participate.

Studies in surrounding communities show the combination of giving residents the recycling containers and allowing them to mix plastics, metal and paper increases participation. Currently, about 65 percent of households recycle and the city collects about 3,000 pounds of items that could be recycled. Kulig said he hopes to increase that to at least 5,000 pounds annually.

It is especially important because the city is able to bring its trash to a landfill in Chicopee, but that landfill is expected to be closed by 2015. At that time, the city will have to pay more to dump refuse, Mayor Michael D. Bissonnette said.

By encouraging recycling, Bissonnette said he would like to be able to extend the life of the landfill as well.

City Councilor Charles M. Swider said Chicopee already has recycling and questioned if it is worth the nearly $1 million to modify the system.

The City Council voted 11-0 to study the issue more in its finance committee.

“I have some reservations. It is going to be a tough sell in this town,” Councilor James K. Tillotson said. “We will have to do a lot of education on it.”

Others disagreed saying they could see how much easier it will be to have one barrel, which can be left outside rather than multiple bins.

“Does the barrel have a cover? I like it already,” said Councilor Dino A. Brunetti.

Felicia Moseley pleaded guilty to 30 counts of unemployment fraud and larceny over $250.

BOSTON - A Chicopee woman has pleaded guilty in Suffolk Superior Court in connection with collecting more than $15,000 in unemployment benefits while continuing to work, Attorney General Martha Coakley said.

Felicia Moseley, 33, of Chicopee, pleaded guilty to 30 counts of unemployment fraud and larceny over $250.

Moseley was sentenced to two years probation and ordered to pay $15,570 in restitution.

“By collecting benefits while continuing to work, Ms. Moseley exploited the unemployment system for her own personal gain,” Coakley said. She added, “The manipulation of this system, particularly with so many people in need, will not be tolerated, and our office will continue to investigate and prosecute those who violate the law.”

Chicopee purchased the former St. Patrick's School on Montgomery Street in the spring for about $2.75 million.

The Republican file photo / Michael S. GordonThe former St. Patrick's School on Montgomery Street in Chicopee will become the Belcher School.

CHICOPEE - The move from the Belcher School to a former Catholic school the city purchased this spring will be delayed two weeks so workers can put the final touches on the school renovations.

“We do not want children of that age group in a school not totally ready for them,” Superintendent Richard W. Rege Jr. said when announcing the delay.

The city purchased the former St. Patrick’s School on Montgomery Street in the spring for about $2.75 million and spent an additional $300,000 to buy four portable classrooms from Springfield schools to give the school enough space for about 260 kindergarten to second-grade students who attend Belcher School.

This summer, workers built a new hallway and attached the classrooms as well as doing a variety of other renovations, including re-wiring the school, improving cable access, removing carpeting and painting.

Because work was not done by the Sept. 7 start of school, Rege proposed moving students over the three-day Columbus Day weekend. But that didn’t work because there is still some minor work that has to be done.

Principal Samuel A. Karlin said he is confident the move can be done in a weekend, especially since the school already planned a half-day Oct. 23 for teacher training.

“It is a challenge but we have a plan in place,” he said. “The most difficult piece is making sure everything is set up and ready to go on Monday.”

The city hired the same moving company that moved everything when new schools were built to replace Chicopee High and Comprehensive High schools. They will arrive at the close of school on Friday and are expected to move all the furniture and boxes that day, Rege said.

The school will be open all weekend to allow any teachers who wish to come in to set up classrooms, Karlin said.

The delayed move will also allow the school to schedule a field trip Oct. 21 so all students can ride the bus to the new Belcher School, see their classrooms and learn things such as where they have to line up for dismissal and how they will get their lunch in the new cafeteria, he said.

All the infrastructure, such as the computers and the phones, have already been installed. The biggest problem will be helping teachers make sure they are ready for Monday, he said.

“The PTO (Parent Teacher Organization) has been wonderful. They have been in helping up pack up and that helps so much,” Karlin said.

On Tuesday, the School Committee also voted to move the historic name of Belcher School to the new building in a 9-0 vote.

Across from Mount Holyoke College, almost 30 booths had been crowded onto the little Town Common.

Photo by John Suchocki / The RepublicanDolly R. Cupak, 11, of Granby, samples some fried dough at the Columbus Day fair in South Hadley Monday.

SOUTH HADLEY – Some may look forward to Columbus Day as a day to snooze, but in South Hadley, Monday was a day that popped and sizzled like a can of carbonated soda.

Pedestrians took over, as they do every year, pouring onto Route 116 in couples, in groups and singly, old and young, pushing baby strollers, carrying kids on their shoulders, past dozens of tag sales on their way to the crafts fair.

“I come every year,” said Wanda Koch, of Easthampton, emerging from a tag sale at United Methodist Church. “I love it.”

Across from Mount Holyoke College, almost 30 booths had been crowded onto the little Town Common. Fairgoers munched on hot dogs, fried dough, chili, apple dumplings and pulled pork as they perused the crafts.

“I do my Christmas shopping here,” said Patricia Reynolds, of Granby.

At the other end of Route 116, the high school parking lot offered activities for children, including a fire truck and two giant Bounce Houses donated by Allied Waste.

In between, people on front lawns were selling everything from toys to a bridal gown to a car – with a snowplower attached! At corners, homemade signs promised even more tag sales on the side streets.

“I like the crafts and my husband likes the flea markets,” said Judy A. Gilman, of Belchertown, who has been coming to the fair for 15 years.

Cars were parked in the breakdown lane for a good two miles, even in the spots that on ordinary days are reserved for buses. Those vehicles still on the road crept along to make way for people criss-crossing at will.

“My favorite part is that you see everyone in town here,” said Karen Motyka, of South Hadley

“It’s like a family reunion,” said her husband, Ronald.

Among the babies in strollers was 11-month-old Boston Lauziere, of Chicopee, whose sister, Kaylee Krajewski, 12, said her favorite food at the fair was the chicken pot pie.

Flaxen-haired Juliet Lagone, 4, and her mother, Amy, came in matching black outfits. Juliet enjoyed making a ghost at the children’s arts-and-crafts booth, said her mom.

Fifteen-year-old Brittani Aldrich, of Belchertown, said her favorite stop at the fair was the jewelry. McKinley A. Chase, of Ludlow, also 15, said food was the main attraction.

Karen Motyka said a woman came all the way from Becket to pick up six apple dumplings at the United Methodist booth, where she and her husband were working.

The Motykas said the fair typically draws 10,000 people.

The state confirmed $5 million was transferred to a program designed to prevent evictions or settle people in their own apartments.

The Republican file photo

A move to increase funding for placing homeless families in apartments instead of putting them in hotels is getting praise from local providers.

Officials from the state Department of Housing and Community Development confirmed $5 million was transferred to a program designed to prevent evictions or to settle people in their own apartments, said Philip Hailer, a department spokesman. It was moved from an account designated for housing the homeless in motels.

In 2008, state officials and housing providers developed regional networks that assign each agency a job to eliminate duplication. The networks also create an easier way to share resources, said Pamela Schwartz, director of the Western Massachusetts Network to End Homelessness.

The networks received $45.5 million in federal stimulus money in January to be used statewide to move people living in hotels and shelters into their own apartments and to help people stay in the homes they have, she said.

“It is fantastic news. It is the only way we can go out there and make an impact is with the necessary resources,” Schwartz said.

Because the program is already in place and proved successful, providers simply have to continue it, she said.

“What is exciting is this offers the greatest potential for having an immediate impact,” she said.

Financially, it makes sense because it costs an estimated $3,000 to house a family in a hotel for a month while monthly rents in Western Massachusetts run between $700 and $800. At the same time, the family is in a better situation, she said.

When the program began in January, there were 312 families in the region living in hotels and at the end of June, when the money ran out, that was reduced to 161, Schwartz said.

“When the re-housing money ran out, the numbers started climbing again,” she said.

As of Sept. 28, there were 250 families living in hotels in Hampshire, Hampden and Franklin counties, with 121 in Chicopee, 49 in Holyoke, 42 in Springfield, 31 in West Springfield, 6 in Greenfield and one in Westfield, Hailer said.

“The numbers are climbing and as we go into the colder months it will get even higher. That is why diversion (preventing people from becoming homeless) and stabilization services are so critical,” said Rose E. Evans, program developer for the Center for Human Development, which serves Western Massachusetts.

Under the funding program, families are eligible for housing assistance for 18 months. The services include financial counseling, job training or education assistance, she said.

While having the extra money is good, it does not solve the long-term problem, said Peter A. Gagliardi, executive director of HAP Housing for Hampden and Hampshire counties.

“This (the money) is state-wide. Given the demand in shelters and hotels, it will not last long,” he said. “There simply is not enough housing available for people with very low incomes.”

There are more than 3,000 families living in hotels and shelters in the state and 20,000 people in Western Massachusetts are on a waiting list for federal Section 8 housing assistance, he said.

One of the additional problems is staff working with the homeless are ending up with more cases and there is no extra money to hire counselors, said Thomas P. Salter, vice president of the New England Farm Workers Council.

Some people became homeless because they lost their jobs, but others have complex problems and need far more services to get out of poverty, he said.

“It is helpful given the economy, but given the number of families, my feeling is it is going to go real fast,” Salter said.

A task force studied the idea of having businesses sponsor different high school athletic games.

Republican file photo

CHICOPEE – Citing continuing concerns about funding for schools, the School Committee will discuss new ideas for raising money soon.

Member Mary-Elizabeth Pniak-Costello brought up the issue of fund raising after hearing about a school system that have been selling advertising on monthly school newsletters that are sent home to parents.

“We don’t have to do that but I think it is time to talk about creative ways to do fund raising,” she said.

The school system has been fortunate to see a 10 percent increase in state assistance for the last school year and a 9 percent increase in state assistance this year, while most other schools in the state have seen declines in funding. But Pniak-Costello said she is concerned those increases will not continue.

Additionally she said she would like to expand the sports program to include lacrosse. The proposal has been discussed by the School Committee several times but the sport was never instituted mostly because of a lack of funding for it.

The School Committee is expected to bring up the issue in its Oct. 20 meeting.

In 2004 a school task force did study the idea of having businesses pay to sponsor different athletic events to avoid charging students fees to pay a fee to play sports. The group learned it would be legal, allowed by the Massachusetts Interscholastic Athletic Association and found other communities who do it.

However a downturn in the economy made it difficult to find businesses who were interested in sponsoring games. While the School Committee agreed to allow sponsorships, few if any were actually sold.

“Some districts do it and they make a lot of money,” School Committee member Michael J. Pise said.

Pise, who lead the task six years ago, said the information had been turned over to the athletic director. Since then, she retired and James P. Blain took over as athletic director.

He said it may be a good idea to bring the idea up to Blain, since he may not be aware of it.

Police arrested the suspects in the South East Street area Tuesday night.

Jose Perez

HOLYOKE – Detectives, investigating complaints of drug dealing and prostitution in the South East Street area Tuesday night. arrested a man apiece from Springfield, West Springfield and Chicopee.

Police Chief Athony R. Scott said the suspects were believed to be in the area, between Cabot and Hamilton streets, to solicit prostitutes and were found also to be purchasing drugs or were wanted on other charges.

“I thank the citizens for coming forward and reporting their concerns in an effort to rid their neighborhood of crime,” Scott said, adding that the arrests were overseen by Lt. David R. Pratt.

William Camerlin, 29, of 53 Moore St., Chicopee, was arrested on Main Street shortly before 5:30 p.m. and was charged with possession of cocaine.

Jeffrey A. Neill, 29, of 121 Overlook St., West Springfield, was arrested at 415 Ingleside St. and charged with possession of heroin.

William Camerlin

Jeffrey Neill

Jose Perez, 39, of 16 Collins St., Springfield, had default warrants issued out of Worcester for shoplifting and attempt to commit a felony.

Scott said Perez has been arraigned 52 times district courts in Worcester, Springfield, Holyoke and Chicopee and in Hampden Superior Court. Perez has been convicted of robbery, breaking and entering in the nighttime, shoplifting and other charges.

Camerlin has been arraigned 18 times in Chicopee and Palmer district courts. He has been convicted of vandalism and other charges, Scott said.

The city would like to renovate and expand the public safety complex, convert the former Chicopee High School into a middle school and build a new senior center.

Republican file photoOfficials are hoping to convert the former Chicopee High School into a middle school.

CHICOPEE – An examination of proposed capital improvement projects show that the city can afford to complete all of then and remain within financial goals.

The city is proposing at least $31 million in projects over the next few years, but wants to cap the annual payments on principal and interest at $6 million.

The city is planning to borrow about $10 million to renovate and expand the public safety complex, which has a variety of problems especially with the heating and cooling system; $15 million to convert the former Chicopee High School into a middle school; $2 million to renovate the Department of Public Works complex on Baskin Drive; and $4 million for a new senior center.

If all the projects were done, the city would make the largest payment of $5.7 million in 2014. After that some debt from old projects would be retired and payments would go down, said Mayor Michael D. Bissonnette.

“We would still be under the $6 million cap,” he said.

City councilors said they were happy with the news but questioned if the city would actually be bonding more for the new Senior Center.

Councilor James K. Tillotson said the Senior Center is expected to cost about $8 million. The city has discussed borrowing about $2 million through the federal Community Development money. That money would then be paid off with the federal government deducting $250,000 annually through payments made to the city over eight years.

The Friends of the Senior Center has also pledged to raise $2 million to help finance the center. Tillotson said he is concerned the group will not meet that goal.

“I share your concern about the fund-raising abilities of the non-profit,” Bissonnette said.

Even if the city has to borrow extra for the Senior Center, it will not impact the debt payments much because they are spread over several decades, he said.

The other unknown is the cost of renovating the former Chicopee High School.

A preliminary examination of the project that was done at least four years ago estimated the cost of renovation at about $15 million. The city is expecting about 60 percent of the cost of the project to be reimbursed by the state School Building Authority, Bissonnette said.

The 60 percent reimbursement is a conservative estimate, based on amounts other communities have received. The state has not announced how much it would contribute to the project.

The Chicopee company has 25 employees and makes filters and oil separators.

Photo by Don Treeger / The RepublicanChicopee Engineering Associates, Inc. vice president Roger L. Fontaine, Jr., left, and president David P. Pieciak hold an air-oil separator their company makes that is identical to the one used in the compressor in the drill that was used to free 33 trapped miners in Chile earlier this week. The company recently learned that its product played a role in the rescue.

CHICOPEE – The rock drill that gnawed its way 2,300 feet into the collapsed Chilean mine and made the rescue of 33 trapped miners possible wouldn’t have worked without a part built in Chicopee.

“It is a tremendous sense of satisfaction for all of us. And no one knows it’s from Chicopee,” said David P. Pieciak, president of Chicopee Engineering Associates Inc., a maker of industrial filtration equipment, including the oil/air separator on the Schramm drill rigs used in the rescue.

One Schramm rig drilled the hole that first located the trapped miners and another drilled the 28-inch diameter rescue shaft that broke through on Wednesday. Both pieces of equipment use oil separation parts from Chicopee Engineering Associates.

Pieciak said he suspected his products were playing a role in the real-life drama when he saw the Schramm drills in news coverage. Drills made by other companies were on the scene, he said. But the Schramm drills broke through first.

“We’ve supplied parts to Schramm for years,” he said.

Pennsylvania-based Schramm, confirmed Pieciak’s suspicion with a congratulatory e-mail Friday thanking home and all his staff.

He and company vice president Roger Fontaine Jr. promptly shared the news with their 25 employees.

“It’s a happy e-mail,” Pieciak said Friday afternoon. The Schramm drill rigs were among several at the scene but were the first to reach the miners, breaking through on Wednesday.

In this photo released by the Government of Chile, miner Pablo Rojas gestures as workers remove his rescue equipment after being pulled out of the collapsed San Jose gold and copper mine where he had been trapped with 32 other miners for over two months near Copiapo, Chile, Wednesday.

The size of a locomotives, the drill rigs run on compressed air generated by two huge auger-like screws spinning in a lubricating oil bath, Pieciak said. The resulting oil and air mixture gets fed through the separator that Chicopee Engineering manufactures in Chicopee.

“A separator is kind of like a filter, but a filter is a Tinker Toy compared to this,” he said, referring to the model car toymaker.

The tube-shaped separator Chicopee Engineering Associates made for these drills is nearly 30 inches long and 9.5 inches in diameter. Inside is a fabric of specially-designed glass fibers pressed into pleats. Those fibers trap the oil and let it fall into a pan where it gets pumped back to the screws.

The oil-free air goes down the hole where it makes the drill bit spin and blows the debris back out of the way, Pieciak said.

“It’s a critical item,” he said. “If the separator fails than all the oil goes down the hole and it can be a catastrophe. Thank goodness it didn’t fail.”

The area, downtown Chicopee's West End, was once home to the Danaher Tool Co., the Hampden Steam Plant and other manufacturers.

CHICOPEE - The Pioneer Valley Planning Commission will receive a $175,000 federal Environmental Protection Agency “brownfields” grant to help revitalize a former industrial neighborhood here.

The area, downtown Chicopee’s West End, was once home to the Danaher Tool Co., the Hampden Steam Plant and other manufacturers, and supported a thriving working-class neighborhood.

The city has developed a Downtown Revitalization Plan that incorporates the community’s vision for revitalizing the downtown area, including the use of alternative energy generators, reuse of current infrastructure, and creation of greenspace.

Proposal would give city easier way to handle negligent property owners who accumulate junk on their property, fail to shovel sidewalks, mow their lawns or create other nuisance violations.

CHICOPEE – City councilors praised a proposal that will allow enforcement agencies to place liens on properties if owners fail to mow grass, leave large piles of trash on lawns or create other violations.

“I think it is a great idea,” City Councilor George R. Moreau said. “You can take this for anything in the city, anything.”

The council’s Ordinance Committee endorsed a proposal that would allow the city to fine people for a variety of violations such as failing to mow their lawns. If people refuse to pay the fines, the city can place a lien on their property.

It now has to be approved by the full City Council.

The regulation is part of a new state law. The governing body of each community must accept it before attaching any property.

The proposal would give the city an easier way to handle negligent property owners who accumulate junk on their property, fail to shovel sidewalks or create other nuisance violations. The only other recourse the city has now if homeowners don’t pay fines or ignore orders to clean up their property is to take them to court.

“When I took office, I did not realize there was not an easy way to handle it,” Mayor Michael D. Bissonnette said, who proposed the council adopt the new regulation.

Moreau said he feels the ordinance will be effective because it will hurt people financially.

“You have problems all over the city,” he said.

People who violate one of the ordinances can be fined daily until they fix the problem. That can result in hundreds of dollars of fines, which can be recouped when the house is sold.

Councilor Frederick T. Krampits said some of the problems come from properties that are under foreclosure, were abandoned by owners and are not being cared for by the bank or a management firm yet.

The city would place the lien on the property, and the bank would pay the lien as the owner. It can force owners to pay because it is nearly impossible to sell a property with a lien attached, city lawyer Daniel P. Garvey said.

The ordinance will also allow the city to clean up property and then charge the owners through the lien process as well, Bissonnette said.

Assistant district attorney Stephen Spelman is returning to the case after a leave of absence to run for Hampden DA.

SPRINGFIELD - The trial of two men facing murder charges for a fatal shooting in the Six Corners neighborhood two years ago will be delayed despite objections by their lawyers.

Attorneys for Charles L. Wilhite, 27, of Springfield, and Angel Hernandez, 44, of Chicopee, say changes in prosecutors are causing delays that are unfair to the men who were arrested more than a year ago and have been held without right to bail.

The trial, which had been due to begin in Hampden Superior Court on Oct. 26, is now slated for Nov. 15.

The postponement was approved by Judge C. Jeffrey Kinder at the request of assistant district attorney Stephen E. Spelman. Spelman is returning to the case after having been on a leave of absence since December to run for Hampden district attorney. He lost in the Democratic primary on Sept. 14.

Wilhite and Hernandez, who were arrested in September 2009, have pleaded innocent to charges for the Oct. 14, 2008, shooting of Alberto L. Rodriguez. The shooting occurred outside the Pine Street Market, which Hernandez owns.

Linda J. Thompson, Hernandez’s lawyer, argued the trial should not be postponed even though she is still waiting for important evidence from prosecutors. In her remarks, she said Spelman was the third prosecutor to have handled the case; she identified the others as the late John Compton and assistant district attorney Donna S. Donato, to whom the case was transferred after Compton’s death.

The Treasurer's Office will allow interested bidders a chance to look at the houses.

Republican staff photo by John SuchockiThis home on 51 Asselin St. will be auctioned off Oct. 19

CHICOPEE – Two houses taken by the city after the owners failed to pay taxes and other fees three years ago will go up for auction Tuesday.

Despite the continuing rise in foreclosures by banks, the city rarely has taken private homes for back taxes, said Ernest N. LaFlamme, city treasurer.

“In my 46 years seldom have we had houses. We have had little pieces of land, but I don’t think I have sold two houses in my history,” he said.

In both of the cases, owners are living in nursing homes and liens were placed on the houses by owners of the nursing homes. When families cannot afford to pay the liens, they stop paying the taxes and abandon the properties, Jessica Hebert, assistant treasurer, said.

Republican staff photo by John SuchockiThis home at 57 Larchmont St. will be auctioned on Oct. 19

LaFlamme said both homes have been empty for some time, are in poor condition and he believes whomever purchases them will likely do so to raze them and rebuild on the lots.

Anyone who is interested in bidding on either property can call his office to arrange a tour of the homes. The auction is scheduled for 10 a.m., Tuesday in the fourth-floor City Council Chambers in the City Hall Annex on Front Street.

“I feel for the city’s sake we are selling them for the lot,” he said. “Asselin Street is beautiful and Larchmont Street is in a nice area.”

The property at 51 Asselin St. is assessed for $173,800. Owner Lorraine Kelly owed $17,250 in back taxes and fees and the city also encumbered legal fees when going to land court, LaFlamme said.

The property at 57 Larchmont St. was owned by Claire Dascanio and is assessed for $132,300. About $15,000 in back taxes and fees was owed to the city.

LaFlamme said he believes the lots alone are worth $40,000 to $50,000 and does not plan to accept bids lower than that. As treasurer he has the right to refuse all bids if they will not benefit the city.

Along with the back taxes, the city has also had to pay legal fees to go through the process of taking title to the homes. It has also had to pay to secure the property, he said.

But LaFlamme said he also realizes it will cost some money to tear down the homes, especially if there are any hazardous materials, such as asbestos or lead paint in them.

Police Chief John Ferraro said police have made several arrests and that much of the break-ins have been drug-related

Republican file photo

CHICOPEE – This city, like many other communities across Western Massachusetts, has been experiencing a surge in motor vehicle and residential break-ins.

“It’s been going on all year and it is evenly distributed throughout the city,” said Police Chief John R. Ferraro Jr. “We are not any different than any other community, we are all experiencing the same thing.”

City officials met with residents Monday night at Chicopee Comprehensive High School to discuss the break-ins and share information and tips on how to deter them.

“We like to nip things in the bud and we like to keep lines of communication with the citizens,” Ferraro said.

Residents - along with such common-sense approaches as securing their valuables, locking windows and doors - need to keep an eye out for each other and report suspicious activity to police, Ferraro said.

“At the end of the day, the basic premise of all these programs is this, ‘Keep your eyes open,’” Ferraro said, adding that residents should not hesitate to call police if they see something or somebody that appears to be out of place.

Police have seen a slight increase in residential and motor vehicle break-ins since January, Ferraro said.

“What we are noticing is it’s the same group of people,” Ferraro said. “We have made several arrests and the majority of it is drug-related."

Data compiled in the 2008-2009 FBI Uniform Crime Report show a significant spike in burglaries - which includes break-ins to businesses and vehicles - over that period for many Western Massachusetts communities.

Major increases include Monson, which posted a 60 percent increase (from 38 break-ins reported in 2008 to 61 in 2009); Southwick, which saw a 21.4 percent increase (from 42 in 2008 to 51 in 2009); and Holyoke, which recorded an 11.5 percent increase (from 461 break-ins in 2008 to 514 in 2009).

Conversely, some communities, including Chicopee, saw a decline in burglaries from 2008 to 2009. In 2008, Chicopee logged in 470 break-ins to buildings and vehicles. In 2009, that number declined to 450 for decrease of 4.5 percent, according to the FBI report.

Developer Craig Authier has proposed an over-55 complex off Granby Road on about 17 acres on the Chicopee River.

Republican file photo

CHICOPEE - The city is considering developing an overlay zone, which would allow elderly and age-restricted housing.

The proposal for the zone came after developer Craig R. Authier and partners proposed an over-55 complex off Granby Road.

They are proposing about 60 condominiums to be built on the about 17 acres of property that sits on the banks of the Chicopee River. The condominiums would be limited to people who are 55 or older.

He had originally proposed a regular condominium complex. The change was to ease complaints from neighbors who are concerned about the additional traffic the complex could bring to their narrow and winding streets.

“This would be in line with what people are looking for,” City Councilor Charles M. Swider said.

Currently developers can propose an age-restricted condominium complex, but the city has no ability to enforce it because there is no ordinance for it. The regulations can only be enforced by the condominium association and the developer, Councilor James K. Tillotson said.

The proposal would be to identify areas where an age-restricted complex is appropriate and set the zones in that area. The existing zoning would also continue so a developer would be required to get a zone change or waiver if, for example, he wanted to build homes in an area which is designed for business.

“Whatever remains under the district remains the same,” Tillotson said.

Even if the city does have an overlay zone, it will not guarantee every unit is occupied by someone over 55 because a 20 percent variable is allowed in the zone, he said.

Along with the age-restricted housing, nursing homes and assisted living complexes would be allowed. The change would ban those uses from other districts without an overlay district, regulations said.

The ordinance would also require the developer to receive a special use permit to build one of the uses in the overlay zone.

City Council voted 11-0 to have the issue studied more in the planning, zoning and ordinance committees.

School Committee members will also ask City Planner Catherine L. Brown to attend a meeting in the future to explain the overlay zone to them.

It is important for the committee to keep informed about issues about development because it could impact enrollment in the schools, said Mary-Elizabeth Pniak-Costello, a School Committee member.

Member Michael J. Pise agreed saying even a condominium complex designed for the elderly could impact enrollment because some older people are raising their grandchildren.

The company has 50 employees in Chicopee and added $2 million in annual payroll last year.

Photo by Mark M. Murray / The RepublicanMagendra Yadava, left, a researcher at the Pioneer Valley Life Sciences Institute in Springfield, and Jay Teich, CEO of Seahorse Bioscience of Chicopee, show one of the products the company makes, which measures cell metabolism. Dr.Yadava and his lab have entered into a new scientific collaboration with Seahorse.

SPRINGFIELD – By making it easier to measure how individual cells produce and consume energy, Seahorse Bioscience dreams of helping researchers around the globe uncover the causes of diabetes, obesity, cancer, and Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s diseases.

The equipment and supplies needed in that effort will be manufactured in Chicopee. And the new technology and applications for that equipment will be developed at the Pioneer Valley Life Sciences Center in Springfield.

“Our customers have been stimulated by the additional $1 billion the federal government has provided to the National Institutes of Health,” said Jay Teich, Seahorse’ CEO. “We are expecting a lot of growth. We’ve been growing our sales force.”

That growth includes a sales office in Shanghai.

“We’ll be selling product in China but manufacturing in Chicopee,” Teich said.

Teich met Thursday at the Pioneer Valley Life Sciences Institute, 3601 Main St., Springfield with officials from the institute, its founding institutions Baystate Health and the University of Massachusetts at Amherst, and U.S. Rep. Richard E. Neal, D-Springfield.

The occasion was a media tour of an 8,000-square-foot expansion of the institute’s space on Main Street. The $4.5 million expansion will add 4,000 square feet of laboratory space, essentially doubling the amount of laboratory that will be available for scientists, said Dr. Paul Friedmann, executive director of the Institute.

The new space will be open in November and created 50 to 55 construction jobs. All told, the institute has the equivalent of about 25 employees, Friedmann said. The center has received $10 million in federal funding

But the real economic value of the institute is its ability to spin off technologies.

Teich said Billerica-based Seahorse first came to Chicopee in 2004 because of the high concentration of sophisticated plastics-molding companies located there. Within six months, Seahorse bought out its supplier and has since grown the operation from a $1.5-million-a-year business to $20 million a year with 50 employees. Teich said Seahorse has added $2 million in annual payroll in the last year, most of it in Chicopee.

The company makes equipment for medical research laboratories that measures the oxygen, carbon monoxide and acidity of cells in order to measure how they make and process energy. The machines cost upwards of $100,000.

Seahorse also makes disposable plastic trays that allow researchers to test as many as 96 different cell samples at one time with each sample enclosed in its own space, Teich said. The 4-inch-by-6-inch trays cost $50 each.

“It would take all day to test just one or two samples otherwise,” said research scientist Nagendra Yadava.

Yadava is an expert on the mitochondria, the powerhouse of cells where energy is created, and he plans on helping Seahorse Bioscience develop new applications for his technology.

Question 3 would lower the Massachusetts sales tax to 3%; Question 1 would eliminate the tax on alcohol.

Republican file photo

CHICOPEE - Joining three other Western Massachusetts communities, the City Council passed a resolution supporting a defeat of ballot Questions 1 and 3, this week.

The City Council voted to 12-0 to oppose the two tax-cutting questions, saying the consequences could be devastating to the city.

In the Nov. 2 election, voters will be asked if they want to roll back the state sales tax from the 6.25 percent set last year to 3 percent and if they want to eliminate the year-old 6.25 percent tax on beer, wine and other liquor.

A yes vote on Question 1 will end the alcohol tax and a yes vote on Question 3 will reduce the sales tax.

Calling the consequences of rolling back the sales tax “catastrophic,” Councilor Timothy D. McLellan said the reduced revenues will mean fewer police officers, fewer teachers and fewer firefighters.

Timothy D. McLellan

“If you vote for this there will be less services,” he said.

The Committee To Vote No on Question 3 estimates Chicopee will see a $7.5 million reduction in state assistance. Neighboring Springfield would lose $13 million in state aid for this year and $35 million for next year.

The alcohol tax has generated about $97 million in its first year. All of that money is earmarked for substance prevention and treatment programs.

Proponents say passing Question 3 will give about $688 back annually to a family of four and the alcohol tax is unfair because it is already taxed at the wholesale level.

“Question 3 in my opinion would be devastating,” Councilor Ronald R. Belair said.

City councilors debated little about the actual questions but were concerned with the issue of telling voters how to cast their ballots.

“It feels to me like I’m overstepping my boundaries,” Councilor Frederick T. Krampits said. “I don’t know if I’m comfortable with the City Council giving recommendations for ballot questions.”

After modifying the question several times, the council voted unanimously to oppose the questions. One member was absent.

One day before Chicopee decided to oppose the questions, the Springfield City Council voted 10-0 to take stand against the two ballot initiatives.

The Northampton City Council, which could lose an estimated $1.2 million in revenues, also voted on a resolution opposing changes in both taxes this month. The Belchertown Board of Selectmen, who stand to lose $2.5 million in state assistance, voted 5-0 last week to urge residents to defeat Question 3.