The Department of Defense announced $259 billion in possible spending cuts, including those in Massachusetts.

File photo by John Suchocki / The RepublicanSen. Michael Kanpik, Maj. Gen L. Scott Rice, 104th Wing Commander Col. Robert Brooks, Westfield Mayor Daniel Knapik and the Lt. Gov. Timothy Murray discuss the future of the 104th Fighter Wing at Barnes Regional Airport in February.

Lt. Gov. Timothy P. Murray joined by military officers spent the past two days discussing proposed budget cuts at Massachusetts military bases with legislators and Department of Defense officials.

There were no new developments after meetings at the Pentagon and White House Murray said, adding that it was productive and gave him new information about the proposed cuts.

In February the U.S. Defense Department announced $259 billion in spending cuts proposed over five years nationwide. The cuts could affect the six military bases in the state.

In 2013 Westover Air Reserve Base in Chicopee is slated to lose 17 jobs. The 104th fighter wing at Barnes Regional Airport in Westfield stands to be cut by three posts. It could also lose its explosives unit, and, eventually, Westover may lose half of its fleet of 16 C-5 Galaxy cargo jets.

Four others, Hanscom Air Force Base in Bedford, U.S. Army’s Soldier Systems Center in Natick, Massachusetts Military Reservation on Cape Cod and Fort Devens in Ayer also face cuts.

Since the announcement Murray has visited the six bases in Massachusetts and created a task force that is focusing on preventing cuts that will harm the military mission or the state’s defense industry. Currently Massachusetts draws $14 to $15 billion a year in defense spending fueling the economy.

“We need to get our information out on what our strengths are. If there are cuts we want them in areas of our weaknesses and not our strengths,” said Maj. Gen. L. Scott Rice, the acting adjutant general for the Massachusetts National Guard.

“The cuts are happening across the country and we know each place needs to take their fair share,” he added.

Rice, who joined Murray on the visit, said they met with Department of Defense officials Monday and Director of Intergovernmental Affairs David Agnew at the White House on Tuesday.

“They were helpful in terms of trying to gather information to learn about ways we can support existing missions and find out what decision-makers are thinking,” Murray said.

The visit gave him more direction for the task force. Currently there are subcommittees studying how the state’s technology and educational system benefits the military.

Committees are also looking at ways the state can help bases reduce utility costs with improved infrastructure and green energy and how local governments can work with bases to reduce costs.

Murray also sent a letter to the Senate Armed Services Committee asking it to adopt a provisions from House legislation that prevents the retirement or transfer of any Air National Guard or Air Force planes and to retain the core functions of the Electronic Systems Center at Hanscom Air Force Base.

He also wrote to support a failed amendment that would have frozen the reduction of Air National Guard units and personnel at Otis Air National Guard Base.

Lt Governor Murray Letter to SASC Leadership 5 22 12

The seat was discovered some distance to the southwest of the site on Elephant Mountain, some 80 miles northwest of Bangor, where a B-52 Stratofortress-C crashed on Jan. 23, 1963.

View full sizeFront pages from the Jan. 25, 1963 Springfield Daily News, top, and the Jan.26, 1963, Springfield Union report the first stories on a B-52 crash in Maine. An ejector seat from the doomed aircraft was recently found in the woods.

Nearly 50 years after a Air Force B-52 bomber flying out of Westover Air Force Base in Chicopee crashed in a mountain in an isolated section of central Maine, a forest ranger walking on an old logging road recently discovered an ejector seat believed to have been used by one of the survivors, officials announced.

The seat was discovered some distance to the southwest of the site on Elephant Mountain, some 80 miles northwest of Bangor, where a B-52 Stratofortress-C crashed on Jan. 23, 1963. Seven of the nine crew members were killed.

The seat is described as in good condition, and Maine Forest Service district ranger Bruce Reed, who discovered it, is scheduled to lead a recovery team to the scene on Thursday to retrieve it, according to a release by the Maine Forest Service.

He described it as showing some damage to the top portion around the head rest, but otherwise it has “held up remarkably well,” Reed said “Once we get it off the mountain and in the presence of those who know its true history, it will generate significant interest.”

Reed discovered the seat accidentally last fall while hunting in the area of Elephant Mountain. He spotted it in some overgrowth along an old logging road.

“It was lying upside down in the middle of that road,” he said. “I had a pretty good idea of what it was, and it was kind of eerie finding something like this in the middle of the wilderness.”

Reed left the seat behind but returned on Sunday and marked its exact GPS position, took photos and jotted down any identification numbers he could find.

AP Photo/Maine Forest Service, Bruce Reed This May 17, 2012 photo provided by the Maine Forest Service shows a B-52 bomber ejection seat found by Forest Ranger Bruce Reed near Greenville, Maine. The Maine Forest Service said Tuesday, May 22, 2012 that Reed found the seat on an overgrown logging road while hunting last fall on Elephant Mountain near Greenville. Reed returned to the site Saturday to take photos and record identification numbers to confirm it came from the B-52. The unarmed B-52 went down Jan. 24, 1963, while on a training mission out of Westover Air Force Base in Massachusetts. A recovery team plans to retrieve the seat.

Parts of the aircraft remain scattered on the mountain.

Westover at that time was known as Westover Air Force Base and was an active U.S. Air Force facility. Today it is known as Westover Air Reserve Base and is affiliated with the Air National Guard.

Base officials said they had little information on the plane crash available. Base records from when it was an Air Force installation have long since been packed up. Base officials recommended sending questions to the Air Force Historical Research Agency at Maxwell AFB, Alabama.

The B-52 Stratofortress, part of the 99th Bomb Wing assigned to Westover, crashed into Elephant Mountain while performing routine training maneuvers at low-level navigation. The training was part of training at flying below radar used by the Soviet Union.

The aircraft apparently developed mechanical problems that caused it to pitch out of control while flying at 500 feet. The investigation later determined that a vertical stabilizer had fallen off the rear of the plane.

Three crew members, pilot Lt. Col. Dante E. Bulli, navigator Capt. Gerald J. Alder and co-pilot Maj. Robert J. Morrison, managed to eject before impact, but Morrison was killed when his parachute hit a tree. Alder’s ejection seat was previously recovered and is on display at the at the snowmobile club, meaning the recently discovered seat belonged to either Bulli or Morrison.

Killed in the crash were Lt. Col. Joe R. Simpson, Jr., Maj. William W. Gabriel, Maj. Robert J, Hill, Capt. Herbert L. Hansen, Capt. Charles G. Leuchter, and T-Sgt. Michael F. O’Keffe.

Bulli and Alder were each badly injured and spent hours exposed to overnight temperatures that fell to as low as minus 28 degrees before rescue efforts could reach them.

Location of the Jan. 23 crash of a Westover-based B-52 bomber near Greenville, Maine.

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About 500 people packed the Chicopee Knights of Columbus for a spaghetti supper to raise money for two families displaced by a devastating house fire that scorched their Austin Street duplex.

Republican file photo

CHICOPEE – The Couture and Lisee families, who lost their Austin Street home in a devastating fire last month, received an outpouring of support from the community Tuesday evening when hundreds packed the Chicopee Knights of Columbus for a spaghetti fundraiser to help the families get back on their feet.

About 500 people, including neighbors, friends and even strangers, filled the hall at 460 Granby Road, according to CBS3, media partner of The Republican and MassLive.

The April 29 fire, deemed to be accidental, destroyed the two-family home at 78-80 Austin St. Carissa Lisee, a Chicopee assistant building commissioner, lived in one of the apartments with her husband and their 9-month-old child. Her parents, Robert and Linda Couture, the latter of whom is a longtime employee of the Chicopee Municipal Employees Credit Union, lived in the other apartment.

Despite losing everything in the blaze, Tuesday's strong show of support was heartening, according to the fire victims. "It's almost like you stepped into a dream. It says this world isn't as bad as people seem to think it is," Couture told CBS3, referring to the crowd that showed up for the spaghetti supper.

"As far as we know, they lost everything. What the fire didn't do, the water and smoke did. It is horrible," Cindy Brown, Lisee's aunt and a longtime clerk in the city assessor’s office, told The Republican earlier this month.

The Chicopee Municipal Employees Credit Union is accepting donations for the family. Checks can be made out to the Couture/Lisee Family Fire Fund and mailed or brought to the credit union at 923 Front St. The mayor's office at City Hall also is accepting donations, including gift cards, for the family.

The Coutures are staying with friends, while their daughter and her family have been offered temporary housing through Holy Name Parish, where Alan and Carissa Lisee do a lot of volunteer work.

It is rare for the City Council to reject any nomination made by a mayor.

William Courchesne

CHICOPEE – The City Council voted against appointing a man to the Parks and Recreation Commission who unsuccessfully challenged Council President George R. Moreau for his seat in the November election.

The rejection sparked new allegations of political gamesmanship from the mayor, but council members said they believed William Courchesne, a CVS manager, did not have the experience needed for the volunteer position.

“He is not a good fit in the Parks Department,” Councilor Dino A. Brunetti said about Courchesne. “His experience is limited to Nash Field.”

Before the City Council voted 12-0 with one abstention against the appointment, Brunetti argued most people who serve on the commission have extensive experience with youth sports.

Courchesne was also one of a number of people who helped Mayor Michael D. Bissonnette collect signatures to place a referendum question on the ballot. Several City Councilors complained to the Board of Registrars, which rejected the petition after multiple people testified they never signed the petition even though their signatures appeared on it.

Councilors have asked the Attorney General to investigate. The office never confirms or denies it is looking into a complaint.

It is extremely rare for the City Council to reject a nomination made by any mayor. Councilors said they have never voted against one made by Bissonnette in the seven years he has headed up the city.

Bissonnette said he selected Courchesne because he has different experiences than other members and would give the commission a balance.

“I try to make commissions like the golf commission and the parks commission geographically diverse and Willimansett (where Courchesne lives) has been under represented,” he said. Before recommending Courchesne, Bissonnette said he had a long discussion with him about city parks and found he was especially interested in making improvements to Nash Field, which is located in the Willimansett neighborhood.

Work crews were attempting to fix the sinkhole, which occurred on Sheridan Street near Dewey Street, according to city officials.

CHICOPEE –: City police are cautioning motorists to avoid Sheridan Street in the vicinity of Dewey Street, which will be closed Thursday morning as crews attempt to address a large sinkhole in the roadway.

Chicopee Department of Public Works crews began fixing the problem Wednesday evening, shortly after a large hole appeared near the corner of Sheridan and Dewey streets. But that work is expected to continue throughout today, according to officials, who warned motorists to find alternate routes and to expect delays.

"It's going to take some time," a Chicopee police officer said of the repairs, urging drivers to seek alternate routes for this morning's commute.

DPW Superintendent Stan Kulig told 22News that a pipe burst beneath the raod, causing the massive hole to form. Kulig said the road will hopefully reopen Thursday night.

The affected section of Sheridan Street lies between Memorial Drive (Route 33) and Fuller Road, though residents who live in that area will still be able to access their streets.

MAP showing area of sinkhole at Sheridan and Dewey streets in Chicopee:

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The incident began when the boy left Chicopee Academy and was picked up by police and returned there.

Republican file photo

CHICOPEE – Police charged a 13-year-old boy with domestic assault and battery and other charges at Chicopee Academy on Tuesday morning after he allegedly pushed his pregnant mother against a wall.

Capt. Steven Muise said the boy did not want to be in school and left the Front Street building. A police officer picked him up outside and returned him to the school, where his mother was waiting in the office.

The boy also was charged with assaulting a pregnant woman, disorderly conduct and disrupting school. Chicopee Academy is an alternative middle and high school.

The incident occurred shortly before 9:20 a.m.

The planes will be auctioned off in a gala event June 15.

Photo by John Suckocki / The RepublicanA group of veterans met recently at Chicopee Savings Bank to check out their service time portraits painted on the C-5 model that will be featured in the Memorial Day parade on Monday. John Arthur, an Army veteran who served in Vietnam points to his portrait.

CHICOPEE – Richard Viens says he served as a “Jeep jockey” for the U.S. Army in Germany at the tail end of World War II in 1945 and 1946.

Zygmunt Watchta served in the U.S. Army during the Korean War from 1951 to 1953.

And, John Arthur served in the Army as a medical supply officer in Vietnam from 1965 through 1967.

Portraits of the three men from their time in the military are among those that adorn one of the fiberglass models of a C-5 Galaxy jet which are being launched this Memorial Day as part of a fund-raiser for a new senior center here.

The aircraft for which Chicopee has most recently gained fame in its aeronautic and military history is taking center stage in the “Planes Over Chicopee” fund-raiser. It’s modeled after similar fund-raising efforts in cities and towns across the country in which fiberglass creations, from bears in Easthampton to terriers in West Springfield, are used as art, placed on public display and then auctioned to raise money for community causes.

Three of the 21 C-5s in “Planes Over Chicopee” will be highlighted in this year’s Memorial Day parade on Monday. They’ll be placed on a flatbed truck and ride the parade route in between military units, bands and other marching groups.

The planes are part of the Friends of the Chicopee Senior Center fund-raiser. Area artists designed and painted the models, which have a 7-foot wingspan. Sponsors adopted them for display about two months ago, and the models will be auctioned off in a gala affair on June 15 at the Knights of Columbus on Memorial Drive.

“It is appropriate for the Memorial Day parade (to include some of the planes),” said Sandra Lapollo, executive director of the Council on Aging. The featured planes “recognize people who served our country so it seemed like a natural fit,” she said.

Photo by John Suchocki / The Republcian Harvey Lafleur, a World War II veteran who served in the U.S. Army from 1943 to 1946 stands above his painting on a model C-5 Galaxy jet.

One of the most popular is “In Your Honor,” which features paintings of about 35 veterans, including Arthur, Viens and Watchta, on the wings and body of the model.

The other featured planes will be “Cold War Guardians” and “Freedom Isn’t Free,” Lapollo said.

Arthur is also among the veterans who will join in the parade with the aircraft models.

Arthur served with the U.S. Army in Vietnam with an Army evacuation hospital from 1965 to 1967. His main job was in medical supplies but also did a variety of other things including guard duty.

“It is an honor to be on one of the planes,” Arthur said.

Jennifer Dorgan, the artist who painted “In Your Honor,” said she wanted to focus on Chicopee veterans and first received about five photographs from the Senior Center. When she started running out of time to receive more photographs upon which to base her work, she reached beyond the city.

“People were throwing me pictures left and right of those who served in Vietnam, World War II and Korea,” she said.

Her plane is painted blue and black for the soldiers, and there are poppies honoring veterans’ organizations’ tradition of distributing poppies on Memorial Day in fund-raising efforts.

“I thought this is for the senior center, and there had to be plenty of vets there because it is a military town,” she said. “It is the perfect way to honor the seniors.”

On Memorial Day, people want to know that the past is not forgotten and the future of their country is in good hands.

Air Force photoBonnie Harper, 22, of Amherst, a senior airman in the 104th Fighter Wing at Barnes National Guard Air Base in Westfield, will be grand marshal and keynote speaker at South Hadley's newly expanded Memorial Day ceremonies on May 28.

On Memorial Day, people want to know that the past is not forgotten and the future of their country is in good hands.

Bonnie Harper, 22, seems to be an affirmation of both.

Harper is a senior airman in the 104th Fighter Wing at Barnes National Guard Air Base in Westfield.

She will be grand marshal and keynote speaker at South Hadley’s newly expanded Memorial Day ceremonies on May 28.

“We are very proud of her,” said Timothy Anderson, director of the Minuteman Marching Band at the University of Massachusetts in Amherst, where Harper was a drum major, leading and conducting students in the band. “She is absolutely terrific.”

Harper, who graduated from UMass earlier this month, is eloquent on the meaning of Memorial Day.

“As citizens of the United States, we are so blessed to have the freedoms that we do,” she said on the phone from Eagle, Idaho, where she was visiting her family, “and those freedoms wouldn’t exist without the many men and women who have given their lives for our country.”

Harper came to UMass to study flute performance and music education. After two years, she joined the Air National Guard in Westfield to help fund her studies, and discovered she loved it.

Before South Hadley asked her to reflect on Memorial Day, the music department at South Hadley High School had sought her out to help train their drum major Katie Godfrey.

The town’s Memorial Day event on May 28 will begin with a series of ceremonies in different locations in South Hadley between 7 and 11 a.m., in this order: Canal and Everson Parks, Notre Dame and Evergreen Cemeteries, the Common and St. Rose and Village Cemeteries.

The parade, with Harper as grand marshal, will set off at 11 a.m. from South Hadley High School. At noon, the ceremony at Town Hall will feature speakers and music, followed by a catered reception at St. Patrick’s Church, hosted by Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 3104.

In the afternoon, there will be music, games and a raffle at Buttery Brook Park, with a National Moment of Remembrance at 3 p.m. to honor those whose sacrifice makes it all possible.

In case of rain, the ceremony will take place at South Hadley High School at 11 a.m. For more details, go to sites.google.com/site/shmemorialday/.

Starting this weekend, there will be other ceremonies all over Western Massachusetts. The following are some of those events.

FRIDAY:

Springfield – A ceremony will be at noon at City Hall.

West Springfield – Officials will visit veterans at the Holyoke Soldiers Home at 10 a.m. and at Wingate Healthcare at West Springfield at 2 p.m.

Palmer – A ceremony will be at 8 a.m. at the War Memorial at Converse Middle School on Converse Street.

Chicopee – Starting at 8:30 a.m., veterans’ organizations visit a dozen schools to talk about Memorial Day.

SUNDAY:

Chicopee – At 7 p.m., Vietnam Veterans of America, Western Massachusetts Chapter 111, will hold a candle-lighting remembrance service at Chicopee Vietnam Veterans Memorial Park, Chicopee Street, Willimansett.

Belchertown – At 11 a.m., Veterans’ Council of Belchertown, in conjunction with friends of the Quabbin and state Department of Conservation and Recreation, will hold traditional memorial services at Quabbin Park Cemetery.

Leeds, Northampton – At 1 p.m., Leeds Civic Association hosts a ceremony with speakers, student-led songs, memorial wreath, and a cannon salute at Memorial Park, opposite grammar school.

MONDAY, MEMORIAL DAY:

Amherst – The parade leaves Town Common at 9:30 a.m. for War Memorial Pool.

Easthampton – The parade leaves Clark Street at 10:30 a.m. for Veterans Memorial.

Belchertown – A salute to veterans is held at South Cemetery at 8:30 a.m. The parade leaves Town Hall at 10 a.m. for Town Common ceremony. The speaker is Chief Master Sgt. Kathleen M. Wood, U.S. Air Force, retired.

West Springfield – A ceremony with West Springfield and Agawam officials is at 7:30 a.m. at Vietnam Veterans Bridge off Front Street. The parade steps off at 9 a.m. from St. Thomas School, proceeds to King’s Highway, Elm Street, Park Street to Town Common for speeches and ceremony at 9:45 a.m.

Agawam – A parade starts 10:30 a.m. from Agawam Middle School, and marches down Main Street to Veterans Green. A ceremony follows.

Another ceremony will be at 1 p.m. Massachusetts Veterans Memorial Cemetery, 1390 Main St.

Chicopee – At 10 a.m. a parade sets off at 10 a.m. from Dana Park, goes down Springfield Street to Fairview and Bonneville Avenues, ends at Veterans’ Memorial Plaza for ceremony at 11:15 a.m.

Palmer – A parade leaves Thorndike Street at 10:30 a.m., proceeds down Main Street and Central Street, ends at the War Memorial at Converse Middle School for ceremony. A reception for marchers will be at American Legion Post 130.

Granby – Marchers leave Immaculate Heart of Mary Parish for 9 a.m. ceremony at Veterans Memorial Boulder, then proceed to West Cemetery and Batchelor St.

Springfield – A Bishop’s Mass will be at 9 a.m., St. Michael’s Cathedral, followed by ceremony at Veterans’ Monument at St. Michael’s Cemetery.

Florence, Northampton – A parade departs at 10 a.m. from Trinity Row on South Main Street, and ends at Park Street Cemetery with speakers, cannon and taps. Memorial Day Road Race 5K run starts at 9:45 a.m.

Leeds, Northampton – An 11 a.m. service with Eventide Singers will be held at Veterans Administration Medical Center Chapel. The Medical Center will also be turnaround point for 5K Run that started in Florence.

Monson – American Legion holds its annual parade at 10 a.m. Marchers gather at Wing Medical Center parking lot on Route 32 at 9 a.m., and proceed down Main Street.

East Longmeadow – From 11 a.m. to noon, a small procession walks from East Longmeadow High School parking lot to flagpole for laying of wreath, followed by Sen. Gale Canderas, Rep. Brian Ashe and Rep. Angelo Puppolo speaking in high school auditorium.

Westfield – Westfield Veterans Council’s parade leaves at 10 a.m. from Mestek Corp. property on North Elm Street, and proceeds to Parker Memorial Park on West Silver Street for an 11 a.m. ceremony.

Air Force photoBonnie Harper, 22, of Amherst, a senior airman in the 104th Fighter Wing at Barnes National Guard Air Base in Westfield, will be grand marshal and keynote speaker at South Hadley's newly expanded Memorial Day ceremonies on May 28.

The ceremony began on the steps of City Hall and ended with the laying of the wreaths at war monuments.

Photo by Mark M. Murray / The RepublicanSpringfield high school students from Junior Recruit Officers' Training Corps march from City Hall to Court Square during a Memorial Day weekend ceremony on Friday.

SPRINGFIELD – Many veterans, including William Collamore of Holyoke and Walter Orszak of Chicopee, said their participation in the memorial ceremony at Court Square on Friday was just a small way of saying thanks to those who sacrificed their lives for their country.

The ceremony, which began on the steps of City Hall and included the laying of the wreaths at the Court Square war monuments, was sponsored by the Springfield Veterans Services Department. More than 100 people participated including residents, veterans, color guards from local high schools. and city officials.

Collamore, a Korean War veteran, said he has come to the Court Square ceremony for many years “because it is so important that we remember all our fallen heroes... everyone that has made the sacrifice for our country to be a better place in which to live.”

“It is so important that we do this every single year, and it should be every day, but especially on Memorial Day, to come out and spend a little time just thanking our veterans..” Collamore said. While Friday is the unofficial start of the Memorial Day weekend in Massachusetts, Memorial Day itself will be observed on Monday.

Orszak, a veteran of the U.S. Navy, said it is emotional time each year, remembering the sacrifice of veterans. He also praised the sacrifices of veterans who, he said, gave up an important time in their lives to serve their country.

Thomas M. Belton Sr., the city’s veterans services director , said those who gave their lives did so to preserve the freedoms that people now enjoy. Those veterans are owed a debt of gratitude, he said.

Richard J. Tyrell, chairman of the Springfield Veterans Activities Committee, said the buildings at the Court Square are a reflection of what veterans died for: justice, faith and government. He referred to the nearby Hall of Justice, Old First Church and City Hall.

Mayor Domenic J. Sarno said that many enjoy the Memorial Day weekend for the picnics and the special sales, but asked them to also remember the veterans and their families who made “the ultimate sacrifice.”

City officials also made a special presentation in memory of Daniel E. Hamre, a Springfield Fire Department retiree and U.S. Army veteran, who died last month.

Other local officials attending the ceremony included state Reps. Benjamin Swan and Cheryl Coakley-Rivera, D-Springfield, and City Councilors Clodovaldo Concepcion, Melvin A. Edwards, Zaida Luna and Bud L. Williams.

Brault served in the military for more than 30 years and is now the commander of the American Legion post 275.

Photo by Michael S. Gordon / The RepublicanChicopee Mayor Michael D. Bissonnette introduces the 2012 Charles H. Tracy award recipient, reitred Maj. Louis E. Brault Jr., of the Massachusetts Army National Guard, during a ceremony in Chicopee Thursday. The annual ceremony recognizes veterans for volunteer service. Brault is commander of the Charles Kennedy American Legion Post 275 in Chicopee.

CHICOPEE – For years Louis E. Brault Jr. has organized biannual picnics at the Holyoke Soldiers’ home, every Christmas he makes sure the residents have shopping help and runs frequent visiting trips to the home.

But that isn’t all, the retired Army National Guard major, now serves as the commander of the American Legion post 275, has run dinners for Army National Guard members returning from Iraq, organized a 9-11 memorial service, is key in running luncheons for Gold Star Families, helps with the Chicopee Parade Committee and is always there to assist any veteran young and old.

Thursday Brault was named the 2012 Charles H. Tracy Award recipient.

“This year’s honoree is the definition of the go-to guy,” Mayor Michael D. Bissonnette said.

The award is given to a Chicopee veteran who has gone above and beyond to help fellow veterans. This is the fifth time the award, named in honor of a Civil War Veteran, has been given the week before the Memorial Day celebrations.

The veterans department in the city does a good job but it cannot do it alone. The idea behind the award it to recognize the people who volunteer to do so much behind the scenes, he said.

Brault, an employee at the Northern Correctional Institution in Somers, Conn., joined the Navy in 1970 and served in the Seabees. Brault said he decided to join the Navy to avoid being drafted into the Army. Ironically he got his draft notice while in training.

He said he did serve off-and-on in Vietnam since the Seabees are sent to different locations, complete a building project and then move to the next spot.

After he was discharged in 1974, Brault joined the Army National Guard, where he served for more than 30 years in a wide number of positions including medic, platoon leader and infantry company commander. He retired from the military in 2002 as a major and the state food service officer.

When asked why he does so much volunteer work for veterans Brault said, “Because I can.”

Brault said veterans’ needs now are wide-ranging. There are younger men and women returning from war who are looking for information about education and health benefits.

“A lot are looking for jobs. There are a lot of job issues we are dealing with,” he said.

Older veterans are mostly looking for information about health benefits and some are looking for burial regulations especially for the Massachusetts Veterans Memorial Cemetery in Agawam, he said.

Brault said he helps when he can but said the city’s Veterans’ Services department does a good job and he often refers people there.

“We are lucky to have a Veterans’ department. They do not let a lot go by,” he said.

The 21,000-square-foot building will include an exercise room, a 200-person all-purpose room and multiple classrooms and lounges.

Photo by Michael S. Gordon / The RepublcianPeople in a crowded hall listen to the presentation of the proposed new Chicopee Senior Center Thursday at the current senior center from Tim Eagles of edm, an architectural and engineering firm.

CHICOPEE – Architects and engineers unveiled this week plans for a new two-story senior center that includes two exercise rooms, a specially-designed art studio and plenty of space for socializing.

“Oh happy day...This is the best day ever in a senior center,” said Sandra Lapollo, executive director of the Council on Aging.

The new about 21,000 square-foot center, estimated to cost $8 million, is to be constructed on West Main Street, at the site of the former Facemate plant. Demolition is underway and officials are hoping to start construction this fall.

Thursday drawings for the center were unveiled to more than 100 seniors. Mayor Michael D. Bissonnette said plans were not finalized and encouraged the audience to suggest revisions.

“Ultimately what we came up with is a building which respects the past while looking forward,” said Tim Eagles, an architect for edm who designed the building.

The outside of the building will have a brick facade and long windows reminiscent of the former mill buildings. It will also have large panels of glass in some areas to give more natural light and a better view of the Chicopee River.

Because the site is sloped, the two-story building will be build into a hill, similar to the Chicopee Public Library. From West Main Street, people can enter the second floor through a street-level entrance. A roadway will lead to the main parking lot below and there will be another entrance from the back leading to the first floor.

One of the key elements is the design goes beyond handicap accessibility laws to make it easy for people with mobility issues. There is an elevator, parking lot sidewalks are flush with the pavement so there is no tripping hazards, there are specially-designed rest rooms throughout the building, said Ellen Gallow, of Lifespan Design Studios, who assisted with interior design.

Photo by Michael S. Gordon / The RepublicanAn artist's rendering of the proposed Chicopee Senior Center.

“This is a very social facility and that is one of its strengths,” she said. “There are a lot of public spaces and the corridors are deliberately wide,” she said.

Other features include a fitness room with exercise machines, an exercise room for classes, changing rooms with showers, a lounge with a cafe and a gift shop, said Douglas Gallow, of Lifespan Design Studios.

There will also be a billiards room, a multi-purpose room for 200 people and multiple classrooms and gathering rooms of different sizes.

During the unveiling the Friends of the Senior Center also made its pitch to ask people to assist with the fund-raising effort. The group has pledged to raise $2 million toward building and furnishing the building.

Richard J. Kos, a lawyer and the former mayor who is serving as a fund-raising chairman, reminded people of the June 15 event where painted models of C5 Galaxy jets will be auctioned to raise money.

It is a start, but it is just the first component of what is expected to be a huge effort.

“It is going to be a challenge but it is one we can achieve collectively,” Kos said.

Senter Center Site Plan

The arts festival continues Sunday and Monday.

The Republican/Michael BeswickThe Paradise City Arts Festival began today at the 3-County Fairgrounds in Northampton. Mary Coover of Coover Porcelain from Ashfield, PA creates unique Fantasy Animals such as dragons, lizards, sea forms and dragon mugs which are all hand-built.

NORTHAMPTON – It was Judy A. Gutlerner’s first time at the Paradise City Arts Festival and she was impressed with the quality of work.

Gutlerner, of Amherst, bought herself a flowery tunic.

“It’s a real artistic experience to buy something from the person who made it,” she said.

The festival, which kicked off Saturday at the Three County Fairgrounds, features 260 juried artists and craftspeople from 30 states. It continues Sunday and Monday.

The festival boasts all kinds of art – large glass spiders made by New Hampshire’s Nathan Macomber, steel and glass garden sculptures by Providence., R.I. artist Whitmore Boogaerts, delicately spun gold and silver jewelry from Tiverton, R.I.’s Susan Freda Studios, enamel jewelry from Holyoke’s Angela Gerhard.

There also was pottery, purses that resembled typewriters, nature photography, fabric art, belts, paintings, furniture and wooden toys.

Chesterfield sculptor James Kitchen uses bits of Western Massachusetts – and New England – history to make his pieces. He pointed to a bird made of recycled scrap metal. Its beak came from a 150-year-old barn hinge. He also took apart an old pitchfork to create another birdlike creature. Kitchen said he spends a lot of time looking for old materials that he can incorporate into his designs.

The Republican/Michael BeswickThe Paradise City Arts Festival began today at the 3-County Fairgrounds in Northampton. Wendy Costa Studio, from Fort Plain, N.Y. offers fashion accessories ranging from dresses and cutting boards to custom prints and unique handbags.

A 35-foot bird sculpture – on display outside at the festival – will soon make its home at the corner of State and Main streets in downtown Springfield, he said. Kitchen said he appreciates the ways items used to be made, and the craftsmanship that went into simple objects, such as wheels.

“One hundred years ago, they made things so much better . . . now it’s a commercialized world,” Kitchen said.

Pauline L. Wojtowicz, of the Three Rivers section of Palmer, was with her daughter, Jean P. Masztal, of Ware. It was their first time at the festival, and Wojtowicz gushed about two artists that particularly impressed her, Peter Muller of Vermont, and Chicopee’s Joe Peters. The glass artists, who met at art shows, collaborate to make glass vessels filled with nature scenes.

“As a customer, I walked into this booth and I was blown away,” said Bruce Singal, who purchased a blue vessel filled with an intricate undersea scene for his home on Cape Cod.

That piece was Wojtowicz’s favorite. The vase is blue, and open in the front, revealing the underwater scene featuring coral and an octopus. Peters’ and Muller’s work ranges in price from $200 to $5,000; they have a studio in Gilford, Vt. Peters said he became interested in glass after enrolling in a program at the non-profit Snow Farm in Williamsburg. He started glass blowing in his parents’ garage in Chicopee. It’s his full-time job.

The show runs Sunday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Monday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Cost is $12 for adults, $10 for seniors and $8 for students. It is free for children 12 and under. Visit www.paradisecityarts.com for information.

Veterans of all wars were honored in Sunday's ceremony.

CHICOPEE – Robert R. Dowds left for Vietnam in September 1969, three months after he graduated from high school. He never came home.

The Army private first class was 19 when he was killed by enemy fire in Vietnam in May 1970, less than a year after he earned his diploma.

Sunday, his oldest sister, Mary Rider lit a candle at the plaque installed in memory of her brother while 14 other families did the same at the 19th Memorial Day commemoration ceremony. The event honored the 15 Chicopee men who were killed during the war and remembered the 1,584 who are still missing in action.

The ceremony, held at the Vietnam Veterans’ Memorial Park on Chicopee Street, attracted about 110 people and included military honors for veterans of all wars.

Rider said her brother’s death happened one day after the Kent State shootings and at a time when protesters treated returning Vietnam Veterans badly. It would infuriate her mother if anyone ever said her brother’s sacrifice was for nothing.

“It was a terrible, terrible shock. I feel as if my mother never really got over it,” she said.

During the ceremony, Larry White, a veterans advocate for Hospice Life Care Holyoke and a Vietnam War veteran, read a political poem he wrote imploring people to remember that veterans died to preserve the constitutional rights in this country, and calling on citizens to become more involved in their government.

“We cannot stress our great concerns that you must realize that freedom, as you see it, can be changed before your eyes.

“That if you do not take a stand¦...¦or stop to really look, you’ll be dismayed what change has left,” he wrote in the poem.

During his speech, White urged everyone to remember the older veterans and remind them their service is still important. White personally volunteers at the Soldiers Home in Holyoke, participating in a weekly karaoke session and other things.

“It is important for them to know what they did had a lifetime effect on our country,” White said.

The service was organized by the Vietnam Veterans of Western Massachusetts Chapter 111. The ceremony remembered all wars and candles were also lit for veterans from World War II, the Korean War, the Iraq War and Afghanistan War.

The park was built in 1983 on the original site of the Nativity Church, which was demolished to make way for Interstate 391. It is boarded by 15 pillars, each of which contain a bronze plaque in memory of the local men killed in Vietnam.

World War II Veteran Delfo Barabani, who has served in many different veterans positions in the city, said during construction of the park he noticed there were 14 pillars and he started to think of the 15 Vietnam veterans.

He asked that one more brick column be constructed, and he had bronze plaques made for each veteran.

Several other schools have worked with judges and the courts to enhance their high school law classes.

Republican file photo

CHICOPEE – The School Committee is asking to explore the possibility of adding law classes at Chicopee and Comprehensive high schools.

The idea came a week after nearby Elms College officials announced it will be offering a new degree program in criminal justice starting in September. It was also prompted by news stories about students in law courses in high schools in Springfield and South Hadley working with local judges to hold mock trials and do different course work.

“I think it could open up endless possibilities for kids,” School Committee member David G. Barsalou said.

A course in basic law could be treated as an elective and could give students who are interested in different careers in the courts, police departments and other law-related jobs a chance to learn a little about them before they reach college, he said.

“I’m trying to generate some interest. I think it could be a good addition to our curriculum,” he said.

Superintendent Richard W. Rege Jr. said he was willing to investigate the possibility of adding a class.

Other members of the School Committee endorsed the idea, saying it benefits students by having new electives.

Barsalou, a recently retired teacher, said the more academic classes and activities schools can offer, the more likely students will want to come to school because they do not want to miss a class, an athletic game or something else.

Michael J. Pise, a committee member, said he liked the idea and recommended the city request copies of the curricula from other schools to make it easier to develop a course.

“I think it could be good. It could energize the students,” he said.

In the past the schools did offer a business law class. School Committee member Donald J. Lamothe said he remembered the course from high school.

“It was a class I enjoyed. I learned a lot in that class,” he said.

Col. Steven D. Vautrain, commander of Westover's 439th Airlift Wing, was the featured speaker in the Memorial Day ceremonies.

CHICOPEE — While most came to honor and thank veterans from a variety of different wars, William Brown had a very specific reason to attend Monday’s Memorial Day parade and ceremonies.

“I came for memories of my soldiers who got killed in Iraq, especially Matthew Pollini,” said Brown, of Springfield.

Brown, now a retired Army staff sergeant from the Army National Guard’s 772nd Military Police Company of Taunton, was with Spec. Pollini, 21, when the humvee he was driving over unsteady ground caused by explosions rolled over, killing him.

The two were serving in al-Kut in 2009 when the tragedy struck. Brown was disabled in the accident. He uses a full leg brace to walk and gets around on a scooter.

The Springfield resident chose to attend the Chicopee ceremonies because he said he used to drill in the nearby Armory. He said he appreciated that so many people attended the parade and listened to the speeches Monday.

“I miss him. I think it is wonderful they remember the people who died for our freedom,” he said.

The parade featured marching units from different veterans groups, the 439th Airlift Wing at Westover Air Reserve Base, the police and fire departments, bands from the two high schools and the two middle schools, the Junior ROTC unit from Chicopee High School and a special float with models of C-5 jets painted to honor veterans.

At the end of the parade, veterans and family members of those killed in action placed wreaths at monuments honoring each of the war dead.

Janet LaRoche of Chicopee attended wearing patriotic colors and a lei of red white and blue stars. She, her husband and their children attend the event every year to thank everyone in the military.

“We want to teach our kids to have pride in our country. They always thank veterans when they see them,” she said.

Col. Steven D. Vautrain, commander of the 439th Airlift Wing, was the featured speaker after the parade. Vautrain reminded people of selfless and courageous actions made by many. He read short stories of a veteran from each war, starting with World War I, of how men were killed while trying to save a unit or a wounded friend.

He also reminded the audience of the many who have returned from wars with amputated limbs, post traumatic stress disorder and other disabilities.

“Never forget. Never let your children forget,” he said.

Louis Brault Jr. also was honored at the parade as winner of the 2012 Charles H. Tracy Award, given to a veteran who volunteers to assist other veterans. The retired Army National Guard major is the commander of the American Legion Post 275, volunteers at the Holyoke Soldiers Home, has honored military members returning from Iraq and organized a 9/11 memorial service.

Kimberly A. Babin, the veterans’ director and a master sergeant in the Air Force Reserves, was named parade marshal this year.

“This Memorial Day we remember, we thank and we honor,” she said.

The Massachusetts School Building Authority will pay 80 percent of renovation costs.

File photo | The RepublicanThe old Chicopee High School is shown in 2004.

CHICOPEE — Architects are beginning to study the condition of the former Chicopee High School so they can map out the renovation plan for the future.

The Chicopee Building Renovation Committee hired Caolo & Bieniek Associates Inc. for its architect in an attempt to move the project forward, said William M. Zaskey, a city councilor and chairman of the renovation committee.

Earlier, Arcadis was hired as the project manager and will oversee the project from the planning through the end of construction, he said.

The state School Building Authority, which is providing 80 percent of the funding for the renovation project, must approve each step of the planning process under new state regulations. It has agreed to the architect and project manager selections, Zaskey said.

The project calls for a renovation of the school, which is more than 90 years old, so it can be converted to a middle school. The plan then would be to move students from the Fairview Veterans Middle School, which is small, inadequate and in a poor location for a middle school, to the renovated school.

Students at several other schools would be then shuffled around and Fairview would be used as a combination elementary and early childhood school.

The building is only partially used now with Chicopee Academy, the city's alternative school, housed on the third floor and the maintenance department using some offices.

“We are now preparing for the feasibility study,” Zaskey said.

In the feasibility study, architects examine every corner of the school to determine what work must be done. Included in the examination is a look at the structural issues, wiring, windows, the size and number of classrooms and other facilities such as the cafeteria and gymnasium, he said.

Then architects will come up with a list of repairs that must be made and options so that the committee can decide what they should do, Zaskey said.

The study will figure out the estimated cost of the project, although the final cost will not be known until the city goes to bid, he said.

There was an initial estimate made by architects years ago but the examination was not as involved as the feasibility study will be, Zaskey said.

“That estimate was too old to be accurate,” he said.

The committee is planing for the study and plans to be completed around February and hopes to go out to bid soon afterward.

“We are planning a construction cycle of the summer of 2013 through 2014. Our projection of moving in is September 2014,” he said.

Parades, observances, remembrance ceremonies and other events were held around Western Massachusetts this weekend to commemorate Memorial Day. Residents gathered to honor the lives of men and women who died while serving in the United States Armed Forces.

Parades, observances, remembrance ceremonies and other events were held around Western Massachusetts this weekend to commemorate Memorial Day.

Residents gathered to honor the lives of men and women who died while serving in the United States Armed Forces.

Pictures: 2012 Chicopee Memorial Day observance

Pictures: 2012 Northampton Memorial Day parade

Pictures: 2012 West Springfield Memorial Day ceremony

Pictures: 2012 Springfield Memorial Day service

Pictures: 2012 Agawam Memorial Day parade

Pictures: Chicopee Memorial Day Eve ceremony

Officials with the Chicopee Electric Light Co. were still trying to figure out what caused the outages, none of which lasted longer than 15 seconds, according to a spokesman for the public utility.

CHICOPEE — Multiple electrical outages were reported in Chicopee Tuesday, beginning at about 8 a.m. and continuing sporadically throughout the morning, according to officials with the Chicopee Electric Light Co., who were investigating the cause of the outages.

"We are making every effort we can to find out what caused them," said Jim Lisowski, assistant manager of the public utility.

There were no scheduled power outages, according to the electric company's website, though Lisowski said officials were trying to determine if the disruption in service was linked to ongoing work at the Davitt Bridge. The bridge is scheduled to remain closed until August 2014 to accommodate an $8.1 million state rebuilding project.

Several brief outages were reported Tuesday morning, none of which lasted longer than 15 seconds, Lisowski said. There were no obvious reasons for the temporary outages, he said, adding that utility workers were assessing the situation.

The suspect soon found himself staring at the business end of his own weapon.

CHICOPEE - A 29-year-old city man, who allegedly attempted to rob a soft-serve ice cream stand in the Willimansett neighborhood with a sawed-off shotgun early Monday afternoon, soon found himself staring down the business end of his own weapon thanks to quick-acting patrons.

Capt. Steven Muise said incident began shortly before 1 p.m. when a witness saw the suspect outside the nearby Sunoco station with a sawed-off shotgun stashed under his coat.

Fearing that the suspect was poised to rob the station, the witness told the suspect to “get lost” and then watched him walk away towards Roger’s Place, at 1016 Chicopee St., Muise said.

The witness then went over to the ice cream stand with his nephew and saw the suspect pull out the shotgun in an apparent move to rob the place, Muise said.

The witness, fast-becoming an active participant in the unfolding story, rushed the suspect from behind and grabbed his arms so he couldn’t use the shotgun, Muise said.

Two others then jumped on top of the suspect, grabbed the shotgun and held him at bay with it until police arrived.

Muise said the female employee at the stand hadn’t realized what happened until she heard somebody yell for her to “call the cops,” looked out and saw the suspect on the ground with the shotgun in his face.

Julio Rosa was charged with possessing a firearm without a license, causing a disturbance while carrying a dangerous weapon and attempting to commit a crime.
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Rep. Joseph Wagner said it is clear that there is very strong interest for casinos in each of 3 regions created for possible casinos in state gaming law.

BOSTON — A key state legislator on Wednesday criticized the chairman of the Massachusetts Gaming Commission for suggesting the state might approve less than three casino resorts if updated financial analyses indicate the market would be too diluted with three.

Joseph Wagner

Rep. Joseph F. Wagner, a Chicopee Democrat and co-author of the state's expanded gaming law, said companies are planning casino resorts in different regions of the state, showing they believe the market in Massachusetts can support three resorts. In a press release, Wagner said the private sector will determine the market for casinos in Massachusetts, not the gaming commission. The commission's job is to secure the best agreements with casinos to benefit taxpayers and citizens, Wagner said.

"Why would we be having a discussion about the idea there might be less than three casinos?" asked Wagner, who is a close ally of House Speaker Robert A. DeLeo. "It's pretty clear there is a very strong interest for casinos in each of the three regions established under the expanded gaming law."

In Western Massachusetts, Ameristar Casinos of Las Vegas is planning a resort for Springfield and the Mohegan Sun is proposing a casino for Palmer. The Wampanoag Tribe in Mashpee is planning a casino for Taunton in the southeast part of the state and the Suffolk Downs race track in Boston is teamed up with a casino company for a possible resort.

Stephen Crosby

Wagner reacted to remarks by Stephen P. Crosby, chairman of the gaming commission, who told reporters on Tuesday that the commission might not license all three of the casino resorts and the single slot parlor authorized in the state's gaming law. Crosby said the law gives the commission the power to determine how many casinos will be licensed.

"We are going to try to base it on real data," Crosby said of the commission's decision on the number of casinos. "The legislation came up with three plus one based on a series of economic analyses of what the market could bear. If that still holds, that's what we will do. But it is part of our job to double check that."

Crosby could not be reached for comment on Wednesday.

The state's gaming law says the commission could approve "up to" three casino resorts in three different regions including one for anywhere in the four counties of Western Massachusetts, Crosby said.

Wagner said the language accounted for the possibility that a company might not propose a casino for a region.

"How could we mandate issuance of a license if we had no one interested in a license?" Wagner said.

Crosby said the commission will take a fresh look at economic analyses that have suggested the market in Massachusetts could support as many as three casino resorts.

Stanley Rosenberg

Wagner said he is concerned that updating previous studies could cause a delay in licensing casinos and could create a perception that the approval process is slowing down.

Sen. Stanley C. Rosenberg, an Amherst Democrat and the Senate point man on casinos, said it is appropriate to update market studies on casinos, including one done for the Senate.

If legislators meant to approve three casinos under any and all circumstances, then they would have stated that three casinos must be approved, Rosenberg said. The commission needs the flexibility provided in the law, he said.

Updated market studies could be important, he said. If a casino operator proposes $1 billion casino, for example, then the commission needs to know if the market could support that, considering the law requires a minimum $500 million capital investment in a casino resort, Rosenberg said.

Rosenberg said it would take only a few weeks to make the studies current. "These consultants are up to date every day in changes in the market and changes in the industry," he said.