Caputo, who had been unemployed, said he played his children's birthdays to come up with the winning combination of 2-4-19-23-24 and Lucky Ball 11.

Photo courtesy of the Massachusetts LotteryAnthony Caputo receives a ceremonial check at the Massachusetts Lottery’s Braintree headquarters from Executive Director Paul Sternburg

BRAINTREE - The Massachusetts Lottery announced Wednesday night that Anthony Caputo of Chicopee is the latest winner in the "Lucky for Life" game and will receive $1,000 per day for the rest of his life.

Caputo, 49, redeemed his winning ticket at the Lottery's Braintree offices after the winning number was announced on Monday, according to a Lottery release.

Caputo said he played his children's birthdays to come up with the winning combination of 2-4-19-23-24 and Lucky Ball 11.

Winning the prize entitles him to $1,000 per day for the rest of his life, or for a guaranteed minimum of 20 years.

Mathematically, that works out to $1,000 per day times 365 days times 20 years (plus another $1000 for leap years or an additional $5,000) for a minimum amount of $7.3 million. Each decade thereafter adds another $3.65 million.

Caputo, who told Lottery officials he is unemployed after having been laid off, said he plans to go into early retirement and live on the winnings.

He purchased his ticket at New Crown Variety, 1875 Memorial Drive, in Chicopee. For selling the winning ticket, store owner Dinesh Patel will receive $50,000, which is the highest commission amount paid out to retailers.

Lucky for Life tickets are $2 each and may be purchased in any of the six New England states. The game, launched on March 11, has so far produced 4 grand prize winners.

For more information about the game, go to www.masslottery.com or www.NELuckyForLife.com.

The homes to be auctioned off are at 128 Lafayette St. and 69 Felix St.

This house at 69 Felix St. will be auctioned June 7. Because it is in poor condition, the buyer will be required to demolish it.

CHICOPEE – The city plans auction two homes in the Aldenville section that officials took for possession because of unpaid taxes and fees that date back to 2008.

One home on 128 Lafayette St., which has four rooms, is in good condition but needs new roof. The second on 69 Felix St. has serious structural problems and the city will require it to be razed as a condition of sale, Treasurer Ernest N. Laflamme said.

The auction is scheduled for 5:30 p.m., June 7 in the City Council Chambers on the fourth floor of City Hall.

“We hope to re-develop one and put the properties back on the tax roles,” he said.

The home at 69 Felix St. has been vacant for some time. It was built on a slab and wooded supports have deteriorated, Laflamme said.

“It should not be remodeled. It has serious structural problems,” he said.

The former owners have not paid taxes since 2008 and also owe sewer, water and legal fees totaling $18,200.

Laflamme said he plans to open bidding for the .23 acre lot on Felix Street at $30,000. The land is assessed at $65,100 and he figured it will take an estimated $30,000 to remove the building, detached garage and large tree on the land.

Often people assume the city only has to sell the property for the cost of the back taxes, but Laflamme said he is required by law to get the best price possible on land.

This house at 128 Lafayette St. will be auctioned off on June 7.

The home on 128 Lafayette St. is assessed at $130,000. It is built on a 1.66 acre, the home measures 768 square feet, has two bedrooms and a one-car attached garage.

The city has been fighting with owners over legal issues and back taxes for years but during most of the time the home has been occupied and maintained. It has been empty for the past about 18 months but a neighbor has been mowing the lawn and otherwise caring for the property, Laflamme said.

The last time taxes were paid was 2008 and about $22,000 is owed in back taxes and fees, he said.

The home does need a new roof and cosmetic improvements but is overall in good condition so Laflamme said he plans to start the bidding at $100,000.

People who want to purchase either property must have a $5,000 deposit, in cash or a bank check the night of the auction. More information about the two homes is in the Chicopee Public Library on Front Street. People can also call the treasurer’s office if they have questions.

This was the 2nd grant the city received to clean up the Uniroyal/Facemate site in a month.

CHICOPEE — The city has received an $800,000 federal Environmental Protection Agency grant that is earmarked to clean up and redevelop some of its biggest eyesores.

The bulk of the grant, $600,000, is designated to be used to continue with the cleaning of the former Uniroyal property, while $200,000 is earmarked to test former industrial sites, also known as brownfields, in the western part of downtown Chicopee, said Lee Pouliot, planner and administrator for the Community Development department.

“We don’t get a lot of these grants,” Pouliot said. “They are competitive and the assessment grants are more competitive than the cleanup grants, so this is a good one for us.”

The assessment grant will allow the city to move to the second phase of a project to redevelop the west end of Chicopee Center. The EPA earlier awarded the city a $150,000 grant to do a study to identify some of the brownfields and discuss potential uses.

The second grant will allow the city to do preliminary environmental studies of about six of the 16 parcels identified. In the studies, experts will examine historical documents such as insurance maps to try to pinpoint where and how much contamination is on each site. There is also money to do soil testing on about four of the sites as the next step, Pouliot said.

One of the sites that will likely be targeted is a former gas station that is on the corner of Hampden and Center streets. The other sites to be studied are undetermined now.

“It is at the gateway and sort of a high-priority parcel to create a gateway entrance,” Pouliot said.

The rest of the money will allow for cleanup work at the former Uniroyal plant to continue. The city is in the process of demolishing the remaining Facemate buildings and has money set aside to clean up that site to prepare for the construction of a new senior center, he said.

In 2009 the city razed the oldest and most deteriorated buildings at Uniroyal. The new grant will allow it to remove asbestos from three more, Pouliot said.

Two of the buildings selected are next to the original six torn down in 2009. The third is a small, somewhat isolated building at the far end of the site, he said.

This the second grant the city has received for the Uniroyal and Facemate cleanup project this month. In early May the city received a $2 million state grant that will allow officials to complete the work at the Facemate site and remove more waste at Uniroyal.

Mayor Michael D. Bissonnette, who took on the complicated project when he took office seven years ago, said he is thrilled with the additional money, especially since it can be used to remove asbestos.

“When we began on this journey one of the things officials on every level of government told us was that there are plenty of grants for assessment but almost nothing to clean up asbestos, and that is where the big costs are,” he said.

He thanked the city staff who worked on the grant and the Brownfields Support Task Force, which is made up of representatives from the city and different state and federal agencies who meet regularly to help the project move along.

Rosa was ordered held in lieu of $25,000 cash bail or $250,000 personal surety.

CHICOPEE - Julio Rosa, a 29-year-old homeless man who allegedly attempted to rob a soft-serve ice cream stand in the Willimansett neighborhood with a sawed-off shotgun early Monday afternoon, was ordered held in lieu of $25,000 cash bail or $250,000 surety following his arraignment in District Court.

Bystanders disarmed Rosa and held him at bay with his own shot-gun after he attempted to rob Roger’s Place, a popular ice cream stand in the Willimansett neighborhood, Police 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.

Rosa denied charges of possessing a firearm without an license, causing a disturbance while carrying a dangerous weapon, furnishing a false name or Social Security number to police and attempting to commit a crime. A pre-trial hearing was set for June 11.

The six have diverse backgrounds and includes a man from Poland and several who speak multiple languages.

Submitted photoSpringfield Bishop Timothy A. McDonnell presents the Chalice to new Rev. Yerick Mendez during the ordination at St. Michael's Cathedral in Springfield Saturday.

SPRINGFIELD – Six priests ordained Saturday have been assigned to serve at churches in Springfield, Agawam, Chicopee and Pittsfield.

The group is the largest class of men to become new priests in the Roman Catholic Diocese of Springfield in 29 years.

During the 2.5 hour liturgy ceremony at St. Michael’s Cathedral, Bishop Timothy A. McDonnell expressed gratitude “that this tiny diocese has six men who would commit to serve God and his people.”

The group is a diverse one, it includes a native of Bielawa Poland, a classical musician and a horticulturist. Three of the men come from outside Western Massachusetts and some are fluent in different languages.

Those ordained were Matthew Alcombright, of North Adams; Daniel Antoni Cymer, a native of Bielawa, Poland; Matthew Guidi, of Holyoke; Yerick Mendez, of Westfield; Peter Naranjo, of Merrimack, N.H.; and James Nolte, of Simsbury, Conn.

Three will be assigned to Springfield churches with Alcombright at Mary Mother of Hope, Mendez at Sacred Heart and Nolte at Our Lady of the Sacred Heart.

Cymer will be at St. John Agawam, Guidi will be at St. Rose de Lima, Chicopee and Naranjo will be at Sacred Heart, Pittsfield.

People can view the entire ceremony as a streaming video at iobserve.org.

There seems to be one irrefutable rule about social media in schools: Teachers and students should never, never be Facebook friends.

The Republican photo illustration | Dave RobackSchools are toughening rules regarding the use of electronic communications among students.

There seems to be one irrefutable rule about social media in schools: Teachers and students should never, never be Facebook friends.

But, in the ever-changing world of electronic media, educators and even students are struggling to sort out how to use websites, Twitter and email as a teaching tool without crossing the line into the inappropriate.

Some school committees have policies of varying strictness, while others have delayed implementing anything out of fears that rules will be obsolete in months or they will be too strict and violate employees' or students' rights.

Many say they must also rely on teachers to use professional judgment when embarking on the world of electronic communications.

"It is extremely tricky," said Glenn Koocher, executive director of the Massachusetts Association of School Committees. "We have a model policy we sent out that was designed to protect the faculty as well as the kids. Many districts adopted it, and some amended it, and some thought it was over the top."

There have been few problems statewide, partly because the issue has been in the media, so teachers are careful.

Koocher said there are rules teachers can follow to prevent impropriety. Emails should be sent to an entire group, and anything posted on a website should be limited to academic information.

When it comes to the popular Facebook site where anyone can start a personal page with photos and text, the association recommends against teachers accepting students as friends. A friend may have access to any information posted.

Teachers use a variety of methods to keep in touch with their students, and the most popular method is email. Others set up classroom web pages or blogs to post homework assignments, project deadlines and links to information about a subject the class is studying. Most pages are set up through their school's Internet site, and are safe because they can only be accessed by students with a password.

"I have a simple way of contacting kids, and I recommend to other teachers that they don't have a Facebook page," said Mark G. Todd.

As choral director at Holyoke High School, Todd frequently has to reach students since event times change and practices get canceled.

File photo | The Republican06.17.11 | HOLYOKE — Holyoke High Music Director Mark Todd rehearses with the Holyoke High Madrigal Singers before they perform at an event at the Yankee Pedlar.

All students have his cell phone number and can call. To reach multiple students, Todd set up a phone tree in September so he only has to call one or two students, and they in turn call a few more who call a few more.

"They know I hate to text. I tell them I'm forcing you to talk to a human being and get a response," he said. "I force them away from social media."

As a teacher for 30 years, Todd said he never had a need for social media networks, but understands the dilemma younger teachers face since they use it so often.

Kathryn Stead, who teaches 11th-grade British literature and is the student newspaper adviser at Holyoke High, is 26 and one of those young teachers. Her Facebook page is totally off limits to students.

"I use the privacy setting. I'm on there for myself and no, you cannot 'friend' me," she said.

Stead said she has a school email account that students can use to ask her a question outside class. She also uses Weebly, an educational Internet service that allows her to create virtual meeting rooms, to set up a class page and also has students set up their own mock pages on different subjects such as romantic poets.

"I do like using the social networking medium in an educational way," she said.
But she said she is always careful to keep anything used in her classroom completely professional and academic.

Stead said she does not want students to know details of her personal life that she posts to friends on Facebook and worries students do not use the same privacy settings to hide their own personal information.

"I think there should be boundaries," she said. "I think it is important to model for students what is correct behavior in class. They know I'm friendly, but I'm not their friend."

She is also available before and after school for extra help, and Stead said she believes students have to take responsibility for their own education and not just get easy answers through electronic media.

But Stead admits that even her careful approach to social media is not perfect. Often, students are suffering "password overload" and won't check unfamiliar sites such as a school website. As one of the school's coaches who help at-risk students graduate, she said other teachers often talk about finding a better way to keep in touch.

Holyoke schools do not have a policy banning teachers from using social media, but administrators repeat the mantra at teacher training sessions: Don't friend students.

"I tell teachers how dangerous ... Facebook can be. You can go out to a wedding and share pictures of family, and kids are good at (Photoshop)," said Douglas Arnold, student services director for Holyoke.

Administrators don't want to interfere with teachers' rights to communicate and rely on them to keep any communications with students or parents professional.

"We recommend strongly they learn the privacy settings. They use them all the time, and they pay attention to what their profile picture is," Arnold said.

The Springfield Public Schools also has no policy specifically dedicated to social media use. Timothy Collins, Springfield Education Association president, said he does not recommend against staff having personal Facebook pages, but advises them to be cautious.

Timothy Collins

"My recommendation to them, especially young teachers, is to clean up their Facebook page to make sure there is nothing to jeopardize their careers," he said. "Make sure your Facebook page and picture is sanitized and could be viewed by the most pious of people."

Teachers are held to a higher standard, and anything they post should stand up to scrutiny, he said.

Similar to other educators, Collins said his advice is that the best way to communicate with students is through the school email accounts and use the school websites if they want to set up classroom pages, which are safe and can be monitored.

Even then, he recommends teachers be very careful in any communication with students, especially since written messages can be misunderstood.

"It needs to be professional," he said. "Any electronic communication needs to be strictly about school."

Collins said he has never run into a problem with any of the teachers in the schools.

That has not been the case in Chicopee, which now has one of the strictest school policies on electronic communications.

In 2009, Comprehensive High School teacher Jason P. Beaudry was charged with annoying and accosting members of the opposite sex and disseminating obscene material to minors after he showed students sexual photos that were on his cell phone. He resigned from teaching, and his state license was revoked.

Last spring, Chicopee High School teacher Donald J. Cushing, now 60, was charged with statutory rape after a 15-year-old student reported having sex with him several times in his classroom closet. A family member of the teenager first aired concerns after seeing inappropriate text messages on the girl's phone, and court documents later said Cushing admitted sending sexual images via phone. He resigned, and his trial is pending.

The policy, passed in the summer, bans teachers from becoming friends with students on social networking sites and forbids teachers from giving students their cell phone numbers unless approved by administrators. It requires all contact to be made through school phones or email.

The policy was adopted when School Committee members realized communication regulations were so outdated they discussed the use of beepers. It was not done as a result of the arrests, Committee member Sharon M. Nawrocki said.

As a parent of two Chicopee students, Nawrocki said she finds the school email is an effective way for teachers and students to communicate about homework questions, project deadlines and sports practices.

"We email directly to the teachers, and all of it is monitored," Nawrocki said. "Everyone is policing themselves."

Delmarina Lopez

Chicopee High student Delmarina Lopez, 16, a junior, said she finds it easy to email her teachers through the school account, and believes using Facebook to contact teachers is wrong.

Students discussed the issue a lot, especially after Cushing was arrested, and most agreed it is not acceptable, she said.

"Facebook is not meant to be professional. It is something you use with your friends," Lopez said. "There is never an excuse to try to contact your teacher on Facebook."

The only complaint about the policy came from coaches, who said they sometimes need to get in touch with players. The committee amended the policy to allow them limited communications mainly for scheduling and emergency purposes, Chicopee superintendent Richard W. Rege said.

In general, the biggest problem Chicopee schools face with electronic communications is student-to-student bullying on websites. Teachers typically used the school email and websites even before the policy, Rege said.

"The only incidents I can remember with any students and teachers were those two (arrests), but two is too many," he said.

Richard Rege Jr.

Along with the policy, administrators are also constantly reminding teachers about proper communications.

"We provide a forum so they can have contact, and they should not step outside the forum," Rege said.

Westfield Public Schools do not have a policy, and teachers are encouraged to create and use classroom blogs and websites that post educational information, said superintendent Suzanne Scallion.

"We have stellar teachers. I think we always need to be reminded of the power of our role with students," she said. "You have to draw a very clear line and have boundaries."

Having a classroom Facebook page can be an effective teaching tool. Teachers post assignments, give students research recommendations and even tell them to get off the computer and go study. Scallion said her advice to those who want to do so is to separate their personal lives from their professional lives.

The issue is not easy, Scallion said, because the potential for abuse through electronic media is great, and trying to create a policy when it is constantly evolving is difficult.

She tells her teachers using email or social networking that it is fine when reminding students of an upcoming test, but inappropriate when communicating with a concerned parent. That is best done in person, she said.

"I always tell teachers to use good judgment and be mindful of your role," she said.

The churches were closed nearly three years ago.

Republican staff photo by Don TreegerRev. David Darcy, pastor of Holy Name of Jesus Church, stands in front of Assumption of the Blessed Mary Church where congregants of Holy Name will worship due to the closing of their church because of structural problems.

CHICOPEE – The Rev. David Darcy jokes that sometimes he feels like Moses leading his flock from place to place.

The pastor of Holy Name of Jesus Church has been facing one of the most complex church closings in the Roman Catholic Diocese of Springfield. A combination of precedent-setting rulings from the Vatican and a deteriorated church that was declared unsafe has left the parish with four churches and the question of where it should settle permanently.

“We are struggling with how to wrap our heads around it,” Darcy said.

During the past decade the Springfield diocese has closed or merged nearly 70 churches in Western Massachusetts. The closings were followed by a few lawsuits and a flurry of appeals to the Vatican filed by parish members protesting the decision’s by the bishop, the Most Rev. Timothy A. McDonnell.

Most issues are now solved with the exception of appeals and lawsuits filed over merged churches in Northampton and the closing of Holyoke’s Mater Dolorosa, where a 24-hour protest vigil continues daily in the church.

The largest outstanding issue is at the Holy Name parish in Chicopee, which is complicated by the financial pressure placed on the parish to maintain all the properties, said Monsignor John J. Bonzagni, the chairman of pastoral planning for the diocese.

When the diocese decided to close churches in Chicopee, it joined the parishes of St. Patrick, St. George, Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary and Holy Name of Jesus together and ruled the new parish would worship at Holy Name on South Street, which was the first church in the diocese.

The expectation was the three other churches and attached buildings would be secularized and sold.

But a small renovation project at the Holy Name chapel in February 2011 uncovered serious termite damage on wooden structural beams and deteriorating masonry in the foundation at the church built in 1857, Darcy said.

“It was closed immediately. They said it wasn’t safe,” Darcy said.

That forced him to reopen Assumption, creating new turmoil for its former members, whose appeal to the Vatican had failed and they thought their church was closed for good.

Then, the Vatican delivered an unusual decision on the appeal of St. Patrick and St. George churches. It upheld the bishop’s right to disband parishes but said both churches must be used for religious purposes.

“Now we have all this property we have to maintain and we cannot sell,” Darcy said.

After the parish moved to Assumption, Darcy said he charged the about 15-member parish council with the mission of finding a permanent home for Holy Name.

At the same time the parish council had to make a decision about the Holy Name School, which had been facing a decline in enrollment for years. It decided to close it at the end of this school year.

“What is it that we need and what is it that we want?” he asked. “This isn’t a history project. I’m concerned about the future.”

When the parish merged, a new council was named which includes members of the four previous churches. Darcy said he understands the historical and emotional ties of all four buildings, but urged the group to focus on the parish’s future.

“Unless we come together and make a decision it can never happen,” he said.

Overwhelmed by the job, the council hired a facilitator who is also a church member and has experience with project management, he said.

The group’s first move was to collect data on each property. It figured the number of buildings with each church, the size of every building, compared meeting halls, offices, rectories and classrooms. It gathered information about operational and maintenance costs, Darcy said.

“We looked at what I call the soft costs: the emotional ties, the location,” he said.

Along with looking at moving to existing churches, the council is also considering demolishing the old Holy Name Church and replacing it.

None of the buildings is perfect. Each needs a lot of repairs and handicap accessibility is limited. Some do not have adequate gathering space, Darcy said.

Darcy said he expects it will take the council another year to make a decision. Then it will bring its findings to the entire parish for input and to make a final decision.

The diocese has supported Darcy’s request for time so the parish council can work through the many issues. Bonzagni praised the group for its methodical approach.

“He is doing everything right. The problem is there is no solution that is going to make everyone happy,” Bonzagni said.

Former members of St. Patrick’s and Assumption continue to hope it will be their church which will be reopened permanently.

Margaret L. Page, who was one of the St. Patrick’s members who filed the appeal, said she is hoping the diocese follows the Vatican rule and uses her church, instead of keeping it shuttered.

“I would be overjoyed to be able to reenter the church again and worship there,” she said.

Since it closed, she elected to attend Mary Mother of Hope in Springfield.

Marie Meder, one of the Assumption members who appealed to the Vatican to keep her church open, said she is happy her church is now being used but has not joined Holy Name.

“It is fantastic they reopened. It is one of the most beautiful churches in the city,” she said. “It is beautiful, inspirational and peaceful. It is a thrill to be back there.”

But she knows it may not be permanent and said she never felt as Assumption was incorporated into the new parish, especially since it did not follow the typical practice of having merged churches adopt a new name.

“It is kind of in limbo,” Meder said.

The mood of the crowd was somber, and most officers wore black bands around their badges in memory of Springfield Police Officer Kevin Ambrose, who was shot dead responding to a domestic dispute call less than 24 hours earlier.

CHICOPEE — State troopers, Chicopee police and agents from the Federal Bureau of Investigation and Alcohol Tobacco Firearms and Explosives attended a ceremony Tuesday to award two Chicopee police officers and two state troopers with the Medal of Valor, the highest honor given to a police officer, for bravery and courage following an April 13 shooting where a man armed with semi-automatic weapons sprayed the downtown with bullets for two hours.

The ceremony comes one day after Springfield Police Officer Kevin Ambrose was shot dead responding to a domestic dispute call at an apartment complex in that city's Sixteen Acres neighborhood. Ambrose has been credited with saving the life of a woman and her daughter in the incident.

Seven other Chicopee police and one state trooper were also awarded meritorious service ribbons, also for bravery, in the incident, which also was set off by a domestic altercation.

Carlos Gonzalez-Lauger shot more than 70 bullets, mostly aiming at police for two hours, hitting and injuring one state trooper, who recovered. He committed suicide after a two-hour standoff.

The mood of the crowd was somber, and most officers wore black bands around their badges in memory of Ambrose. Chicopee Police Chief John R. Ferraro Jr. opened the event asking for a moment of silence. He said he also called Springfield Police Commissioner William J. Fitchet Monday to express condolences and offer any assistance.

“On this day we are suffering with unspeakable grief,” Hampden County District Attorney Mark Mastroianni said.

Chicopee Officers Johnny Jusino and David Benoit and state troopers Kellar Williams and Vasquez all were awarded the Medal of Valor, the highest honor given by the department, by Chicopee Police Chief John R. Ferraro.

Chicopee Capt. Thomas Charette, Sgt. Roy Landry and officers Brian Lepage, Mark Page, Ryan Romano, Joseph Brunelle, Timothy Foley and Trooper David Podworski were awarded Meritorious Service Ribbons.

Civilian Ward Hamilton, a retired New Haven, Conn., police officer who works at the nearby Central Oil, was given a commendation for jumping into the hail of gunfire to help Vasquez.

Massachusetts State Police Col. Superintendent Marian J. McGovern also spoke. She told officers she was deeply and profoundly proud of the work they do.

“We all know as police officers when one of us hurt, we all hurt,” she said.

A moment of silence was held in the memory of Springfield Officer Kevin Ambrose who was shot to death Monday.

This is an update of an earlier story

CHICOPEE – When Officer David W. Benoit answered a call for help he found, a man standing on a porch firing semi-automatic weapons and a state trooper lying on the ground bleeding assisted by a police officer and civilian.

“I knew the most important thing was to get the officer out of there,” he said.

Working with troopers and city police, Benoit managed drive his cruiser through the gunfire. While some officers protected the trooper with shields, another grabbed John Vasquez by the shirt and dragged him into the car. Benoit rushed him to Springfield’s Baystate Medical Center.

“The guy definitely wanted to kill a police officer. He was aiming for anyone in blue,” he said.

Tuesday the Chicopee Police Department recognized nine of its police officers, three state troopers and a civilian for bravery related to the April 13 shooting on West Street.

That morning Carlos Gonzalez-Lauger sprayed bullets over downtown for two hours. He injured Vasquez and a woman while holding his former girlfriend and her young son hostage. Gonzalez-Lauger committed suicide and had been shot by police.

Benoit, Chicopee Officer Johnny Jusino and state troopers Kellar Williams and Vasquez were awarded the Medal of Valor, the highest honor given, by Chicopee Police Chief John R. Ferraro.

Chicopee Capt. Thomas Charette, Sgt. Roy Landry and officers Brian Lepage, Mark Page, Ryan Romano, Joseph Brunelle, Timothy Foley and Trooper David Podworski were awarded Meritorious Service Ribbons.

Those officers provided cover and rescued a driver and two women and a child trapped in a school bus in the line of fire, Ferraro said.

Ward Hamilton, a retired New Haven Conn. police officer, was given a commendation for jumping into the line of gunfire to help Vasquez.

The Tuesday ceremony was marred by the death of Springfield Patrolman Kevin Ambrose, who was killed while responding to a domestic dispute call. A second victim, Charlene Mitchell, was also shot and seriously wounded. The shooter, Shawn Bryan,committed suicide.

Ferraro opened the ceremony asking for a moment of silence and offered his sympathy and assistance to Springfield Police.

Many officials including U.S. Rep. Richard E. Neal, D-Springfield, Massachusetts State Police Col. Superintendent Marian J. McGovern, Hampden County District Attorney Mark G. Mastroianni and Mayor Michael D. Bissonnette thanked the officers.

Ferraro complimented his officers for bravery and excellent work under the worst circumstances.

“Everyone was ready to accomplish that task in an efficient and professional manner,” he said.

Several speakers reminded the crowd police are held to a higher standard but are human.

“You area group that is indispensable,” Mastroianni said. “You are a group a that is questioned by everyone. Every split second decision you make is looked at and questioned.”

But no one questioned the work done April 13.

Benoit said main concern is about the lack of enforcement on people who violate restraining orders. Gonzalez-Lauger had violated restraining orders in the past and should have been in jail.

Trooper John Vasquez, who was shot in the finger and the leg, attended. He said he hopes to return to work in July.

“We were going to help with the call of shots fired and no one knew where the firing was coming from. When I turned the corner he started firing on my cruiser,” he said.

He thanked his fellow officers who helped him escape from the line of fire.

Jusino, a member of the department’s special response team, said he was surprised by the medal.

“I did not think I was doing anything special. Our focus was to stop the threat,” he said.

According to FBI supplementary homicide reports, over two-thirds of the spouse and ex-spouse victims were killed by guns.

SPRINGFIELD - Slain police officer Kevin Ambrose likely faced a courteous and clean-cut professional with a law enforcement background and no criminal record, just minutes before Shawn Bryan fatally shot him three times during a routine domestic call.

By all accounts, Ambrose, a 36-year-veteran, was a particularly well-schooled cop in the pitfalls of calls for domestic warfare, which represent a significant chunk of 911 calls annually for Springfield and for police departments big and small across the country. Law enforcement officials locally have taken pains to point out that Ambrose apparently did everything right, and had an amicable conversation outside the apartment where Charlene Mitchell, Bryan’s estranged girlfriend, lived with the couple’s 1-year-old child.

But around 1 p.m. on Monday, Mitchell and Ambrose were shot multiple times each, and Bryan, a New York corrections officer, shot himself in the chest while sitting in his car outside with a Glock Model 19 for which he carried a license. Mitchell had been granted an emergency restraining order against Bryan less than an hour before.

The incident was the most recent and tragic of explosive, domestic-related crimes to plague the region over the past three months that have left police officers wounded or dead, although domestic violence watchdogs say local police departments are well-trained and the vast majority of domestic calls are not noteworthy.

“The vast majority of these instances police officers deal involve minor violence or no violence,” said Denise Kindschi Gosselin, a retired Massachusetts State Trooper and chair of the criminal justice department at Western New England University. “There’s been some movement by experts to change classifying perpetrators by risk rather than having a similar response to all cases, which is how we do it now.”

Before Ambrose was killed, Chicopee Police Officer Jeffrey Couture was beaten and choked by an angry estranged boyfriend, former court officer Jay DiRico, during a “keep the peace” call on April 17. Four days earlier in the same city, 41-year-old Carlos Laguer terrorized the downtown during a shoot-out with police that wounded a state trooper and a female bystander over a domestic disturbance; Laguer was wounded by police but fatally shot himself in the head, according to reports.

In Westfield, a police officer fatally shot 28-year-old Douglas Musto in an apartment building after Musto stabbed another patrolman while they were trying to coax him away from his ex-girlfriend’s apartment on April 7.

According to statistics from the Massachusetts Court System, the number of people seeking restraining orders sought in 2011 in District Courts statewide and Boston Municipal Court statewide was 43,743.

Those in local communities included: Springfield, 2,359; Holyoke, 615; Palmer, 488; Eastern Hampshire, 476; Westfield, 468; Chicopee, 467; and Northampton, 292.

That shows increases in those courts over 2010 figures, including 495 more filings in Springfield; 175 more in Palmer; 170 more in Eastern Hampshire; 119 more in Northampton; 62 more in Holyoke; 83 more in Chicopee; and four more in Westfield.

Those statistics include domestic abuse filings (filed against a spouse, love interest or relative) and criminal harassment filings.

Gosselin said communities like Springfield, which has its own police academy, are better positioned to properly train its officers than smaller police departments which may send officers to the occasional in-service training.

She added that any indication that the target of a restraining order is licensed to carry a gun, like Bryan, should put responders on high alert.

“The availability of guns has been a frequently noted factor contributing to all forms of homicide, including intimate partner violence. Despite a decline in gun use, firearms are still a frequent weapon used in intimate homicide,” Gosselin said.

According to FBI supplementary Homicide Reports, over two-thirds of the spouse and ex-spouse victims were killed by guns.

Springfield police have credited Ambrose with averting the killings of Mitchell and her 1-year-old daughter, who was in the apartment when the shooting erupted. The child was unharmed and Mitchell is in stable condition, according to officials.

Chicopee Deputy Police Chief William Jebb said his officers are trained to watch body language when responding to a domestic call and are sensitive to whether restraining orders are fresh - which experts consider the most dangerous time for a victim. However, Jebb said even the best-trained officers can get caught off guard.

“As in the case with Officer Couture, everything was calm and that guy just flipped a switch,” Jebb said. “He thought he was going to die and he’s a veteran of 15 years. You can’t prepare for every situation.”

Couture required 11 stitches in his head and suffered a black eye, but is back to work, Jebb said.

Hampden County Assistant District Attorney Melissa G.
Doran said the emotional spikes of a break-up create an uncertain landscape for responders.

“It’s a volatile situation. The offender has a lot to lose as far as their children, their family, when there is intervention. That creates a situation where emotions are heightened,” she said.

Victim witness advocate Tina Walker added that their office helps victims develop safety plans, recognizing that making a break can send abusers over the edge.

Gosselin noted that police officers are not required to assist perpetrators to collect their belongings from their former places of residence - as in the case of Bryan, who was going to retrieve a television before suddenly forcing Mitchell into the apartment.

Hampden County District Attorney Mark G. Mastroianni likens the tragedies that crop up during domestic calls to police killings that occur during traffic stops.

“Cops are trained in how to do traffic stops. They do them every day and everything goes right. Then lo and behold one day there’s a lunatic behind the wheel with a gun,” Mastroianni said. “The only hallmark of these tragedies is that the unexpected happened.”

A chart in the CDM report has an “anticipated debt service” category that jumps from zero in 2011 to more than $2 million in 2016.

NORTHAMPTON – The cost of getting rain and other run-off from the ground and into the local system of rivers is about to hit home.

The Board of Public Works is scheduled to discuss a recent report by CDM of New Hampshire that projects it will cost almost $100 million to repair, replace and improve the city’s aged storm water and flood control system. The most likely source of revenue would be a storm water enterprise fund that would be fed by property owners. The new bills would be similar to the water and sewer bills that now go out. The initial estimate of $66 per month for a single-family house could increase over time.

Neglected for years, the city’s system of storm water drains is more than a century old in places and has had little more than emergency maintenance. Storm water drains differ from sewer lines in that they carry mostly run-off from rain into the Connecticut and Mill rivers while sewer lines carry household and industrial waste to the wastewater treatment plant, which cleanses it before discharging it into the Connecticut.

Edward S. Huntley

Historically, some city lines carried both storm water and sewage, but the two systems were separated years ago. The sewer enterprise fund pays to maintain and upgrade the sewer system, just as the water enterprise fund finances the delivery of clean water. Due in part to federal mandates, Northampton will now be required to upgrade its storm water system as well.

“Every city is going through this right now,” said Edward S. Huntley, the Director of the Department of Public Works.

Chicopee and Westfield are among the local communities that already bill users of their storm water system, but every city and town that flushes its run-off into the Connecticut must come into compliance with the federal mandates, Huntley said.

The Army Corp of Engineers, which oversees the dams and levees that control flooding, is demanding that the city correct deficiencies in that system at an estimated cost of $1.2 million. A separate mandate from the federal government will cost taxpayers about $250,000 a year. CDM projects the 20-year cost at $95 million.

“And that’s just the start of it,” Huntley said.

Stricter standards are demanding that communities purge storm water of nitrates and other contaminants, which could prove even more costly. A chart in the CDM report has an “anticipated debt service” category that jumps from zero in 2011 to more than $2 million in 2016.

Huntley said the original estimate of $66 per household will probably get the city through the first five years of the 20-year plan laid out by CDM. The Board of Public Works will probably discuss the matter this month, Huntley said. If it approves the creation of a storm water enterprise fund, the measure would go before the City Council for approval.

Of the 10 students graduating, some are planning to enter community college, some are interested in the military and some have jobs.

CHICOPEE – At her high school graduation, Natasha Carmenatty took a few minutes to talk about the challenges and achievements each of her classmates faced during their time at Chicopee Academy.

“We made it through and we are going to graduate,” she said.

Carmenatty, 18, gave birth to a son in her sophomore year. When she entered Chicopee Academy she had few credits and a young child to care for.

It didn’t matter to the teachers. They were flexible when she ran into problems and thanks to summer school classes she was able to catch up on missed classes and graduate on time. She plans to enter Holyoke Community College in the fall.

Of the 10 students graduating from the alternative high school, some are planning to enter community college with the hopes of transferring to a four-year school, several have good entry-level jobs and a few are considering the military, said John Leonard, the principal.

“They are so happy. They are ecstatic. They are encouraged about the changes they have made that got them here,” Leonard said.

Shawn Cruzado, 18, is one of the students considering the military and is working with a U.S. Army recruiter.

It took him five years to finish his diploma and he said it has been full of ups and downs. The most difficult was when he was diagnosed with testicular cancer in 2009. He faced months of treatments and doctors appointments continue today.

But it was the combination of entering Chicopee Academy and what he called a wake-up call from the cancer that made him want to take his schooling more seriously. He also became a star football player at neighboring Chicopee High School since the schools allow the Academy students in good standing to play on other school’s teams.

Cruzado said it was moving from school-to-school that made it so difficult on him academically. When he finally settled in Chicopee Academy his sophomore year he had so few credits he was considered a freshman.

“I moved back and forth and I could never keep up with my schoolwork,” he said. “My freshman year I messed up, I think I earned five credits.”

Owen Gagnon, 19, had an equally slow start in high school. His freshman year he attended Comprehensive High School to study in the automotive program but was kicked out of the classes because of his poor grades. He was then transferred to Chicopee High School.

His sophomore year was a complete disaster and he then moved the Chicopee Academy.

“Thank God. It helped me graduate. Without this school I would have had to drop out,” Gagnon said.

He now has a job working in the press room at the Republican and also plans to attend Springfield Technical Community College in the fall to study to be an emergency medical technician.

Some city councilors wanted to study the proposal more, but others voted against the idea.

Republican file photo

CHICOPEE – City Council rejected a plan to take a 2.5-acre site by eminent domain that was being proposed as a location for a new police department.

The proposal was to spend $280,000 to take the land in middle of West Main, Grove and Oak streets from owner Yves Demers. The property was originally owned by the Facemate Corp. and was acquired by Demers as part of a tax settlement.

Mayor Michael D. Bissonnette said the city should take the land for future use, especially since it is located across the street from 72 acres of property from the former Uniroyal and Facemate plants that the city owns and is working through the long process of cleaning it up and developing it. He said it would be a good spot for a police station.

City Planner Catherine L. Brown confirmed Demers does want to develop it and has requested a building permit for one duplex on the land. The property is zoned for single or multi-family dwellings and the application is now being reviewed by different departments for a variety of issues.

Some city councilors first proposed delaying the vote and sending it to committee to study it more. That idea was rejected 7-6.

Frederick T. Krampits, a councilor, said one of the biggest questions is if there is contamination on the site, as there is on most of the Uniroyal and Facemate land. He said he would also like to ask lawyers more about the proposed taking.

Member William J. Zaskey agreed, saying more research should be done on the proposal, but added it could be valuable as the city does more to clean up the former industrial property across the street and starts the project to build a senior center on the Facemate property.

“Its value can only increase,” Zaskey said.

The board then voted against purchasing the entire property in a 9-4 vote.

Councilor James K. Tillotson argued that the cost was too high. He said the owner paid $93,000 in back taxes to acquire the property, which would give him a $187,000 profit.

“I don’t see it for a new police station. I don’t think we can afford $24 million for a new building right now,” he said.

Councilor Frank N. Laflamme said he agrees the city needs to replace the police station, which has multiple problems, but disagreed about purchasing the land for it.

Instead, he said he would like the city to consider building it next to the site where the new senior center will be constructed, where Facemate buildings are now being demolished.

Councilor Jean J. Croteau cautioned members before they rejected the purchase that it will be their only chance.

“The owner is trying to build condos. We can’t sit on it for months and months,” he said. “If you lose this opportunity tonight, you will be kicking yourself.”

More than 80 percent of Chicopee High School students will attend colleges including Yale University, Worcester Polytechnic Institute, Elms College Bryant University.

Photo by Conor BrennanJennifer Kulig, Tamara Kuzmenko and Natalie Laurin, from left, pause Thursday moments before entering the auditorium at Bellemy Middle School for Chicopee High School's graduation.

CHICOPEE – In a passionate appeal, Chicopee High School valedictorian Monica Czausz asked her fellow graduates to resist convention.

Thursday 256 students from Chicopee High received their diplomas. Earlier that day 10 students from Chicopee Academy also graduated.

The highlight of both ceremonies were the student speakers. Czausz, salutatorian Danielle B. Dobosz and class president Amanda Baltazar were the main speakers for Chicopee High. Natasha Carmenatty, who will attend Holyoke Community College, was the student speaker at Chicopee Academy’s graduation.

More than 80 percent of the Chicopee High graduates plan to attend colleges across the country.

Czausz, who plans to study organ performance at Rice University in Texas, encouraged her classmates to pursue something great.

“I speak through music. Some speak through math, God bless you. Find your voice and draft your dreams,” she said.

Dobosz, who is planning to study linguistics at Yale University, quoted author Kurt Vonnegut saying “True terror is to wake up one morning and discover that your high school class is running the country.”

In a light speech, she then talked about a series of mishaps her classmates had gone through while trying to organize fund-raisers, translate a greeting into Spanish and in biology class.

“The world better get ready for us because we are here,” she said.

Baltazar, who is planning to study biomedical engineering at Worcester Polytechnic Institute, talked about how her classmates have made a difference in the school and in the community in their four years.

“Just stop and think about what we can do next,” she said.

About 80 percent of the graduates have reported plans to attend college.

CHICOPEE – One of the largest classes in the history of Chicopee Comprehensive High School graduated Friday with 277 students earning diplomas.

“They left our school a much better place than they found it,” Principal Derek J. Morrison said.

He praised the class for going above and beyond to help the community. Students from the Class of 2012 raised more money and food than most for Lorraine’s Soup Kitchen and members also helped out the community in many other ways.

“They have gone through their own levels of tragedy and they have handled it very well,” he said.

The main speakers at the graduation were valedictorian Kate Daborowski and salutatorian Victoria Ramos. Class President Kara Lacoste also addressed the crowd.

“I just want to tell everyone whatever they do they should try to do their best,” Ramos said. She said she was a little surprised this year to learn she was one of the top students in the class. “I’ve always put my effort into school. I got there without even thinking about it,” Ramos said.

Morrison and Superintendent Richard W. Rege Jr. also spoke to students.

Daborowski is planning to attend the University of Massachusetts at Amherst. Ramos said she will attend Wesleyan University in Connecticut and study neuroscience.

About 80 percent of the class has reported plans to attend college next year. Others have started the process to enlist in the military, and some will leave for work.

The vigil began nearly a year ago on June 30.

Republican staff photo by David MolnarVictor Anop (hand raised) announces outside the Mater Dolorosa Church that those holding the vigil inside the church will leave as the Vatican has ordered.

HOLYOKE – Protesters have decided to comply with an order from the Vatican’s highest court and end a round-the-clock prayer vigil at the Mater Dolorosa Church.

“We are starting our systematic withdrawal today,” said Victor Anop, of Chicopee, an organizer for the vigil.

The group must remove some property protesters have brought in for over the past 12 months, but they should be finished in a day or two. The members plan to notify the security officers for the Roman Catholic Diocese of Springfield before they leave, he said.

The vigil began on June 30, the last day of Mass at the church, in protest of Bishop Timothy A. McDonnell’s orders to close the church and merge it with the Holy Cross parish. The new parish, named our Lady of the Cross, is worshipping at the old Holy Cross Church.

Diocesan officials, who took the unusual step of filing a lawsuit against the group to force members to leave, said they were happy with the protesters decision and hope to mend some bad feelings between protesters and church officials.

“It was gratifying to see the good will of the occupants of Mater Dolorosa Church in following the Vatican directive to leave the building. The Diocese of Springfield will continue to act in compliance with church law and these same recent directives,” McDonnell said. “I would hope that we might all unite at the table of the Lord, setting aside our differences in our greater love for our God.”

Members of the Mater Dolorosa Church appealed the closing to the Vatican last year. When the lower court, the Congregation of the Clergy, upheld McDonnell’s decision the group appealed to the Apostolic Signatura, which is the Vatican’s supreme court.

In a preliminary ruling released Monday, the Signatura agreed to hear the case but placed two requirements on it: It told protesters to leave the church and ordered the bishop to refrain from destroying or selling the church.

Anop said the decision was a difficult one, especially because members are concerned McDonnell will order the steeple of the church removed.

The steeple has been a source of contention. Diocesan officials say engineering reports show it is structurally unsound and dangerous. Protesters hired their own engineer, however, who deemed the steeple safe. The issue has also gone to Springfield courts, where a judge ruled there was no imminent danger in the structure, but refused to take up the full issue of the protesters trespassing citing separation of church and state.

“I think the people have been so dedicated to the vigil inside the church,” Anop said. “They are doing it in the belief and trust they will not sell and destroy the church.”

Prayer vigil members agreed it was important to abide by the Apostolic Signatura’s order. The group voted Thursday to leave the church, but waited until Sunday to announce the decision.

“The supreme court does not have to entertain your appeal. It is huge to overcome that barrier,” Anop said. “It means they found probable cause and we have a meritorious case.”

As far as protecting the steeple, the City of Holyoke recently ordered the diocese to remove the scaffolding that protects the sidewalk in front of the church or renew a permit to allow it.

Anop said the diocese will have to file for permits if officials wish to remove the steeple.

Monsignor John J. Bonzagni, the chairman of pastoral planning for the diocese, said the diocese is not expecting to remove the steeple immediately.

The first step may be to have engineers inspect the structure again, and make plans on how to secure it. After that, the diocese will file a plan of action with the city, he said.

He said it is unlikely the church will be opened weekly for prayer, as requested by protesters, because of the safety concerns.

The diocese’s policy has always been not to put churches up for sale or remove most items from any closed church until appeals are decided, so the request from the protesters that statues and other items remain in the church will be followed, he said.

Mater Dolorosa vigil ending announcement

City councilors can cut the budget but cannot increase it.

File photo | The RepublicanChicopee City Hall.

CHICOPEE – Mayor Michael D. Bissonnette unveiled a $163 million budget for the next fiscal that will increase spending by about $5 million over this year.

About $2.2 million of the increase in the budget will be spread among a variety of municipal departments while the School Department’s budget will grow by $2.9 million to $74.9 million because of an increase in state assistance, Bissonnette said.

Bissonnette released the proposed budget for fiscal year 2013, which begins July 1, to the City Council on Monday night. The council can cut the budget but cannot increase the amount spent. It will hold a series of meetings about it before finalizing it at the end of the month.

Councilors made few comments when the proposals were announced.

A total of $1.8 million of the increase on the municipal side of the budget will be to pay for increases in health insurance and retirement. Bissonnette is also proposing several new positions in the budget.

“I again ask you to fund the city solicitor at a full-time salary,” Bissonnette said.

The issue has been controversial for more than a year. Bissonnette has asked for a full-time solicitor multiple times, but the City Council has rejected every request. Currently Solicitor Karen T. Betournay serves as the part-time solicitor for $47,000 and also works as the compliance officer at a salary of nearly $20,000. For 2013, Bissonnette is asking for a full-time salary of $75,000 for the solicitor.

Equally controversial has been several positions in the mayor’s office and a proposal to add a grant writer. In a very contentious budget hearing last year, the City Council cut two of the mayor’s staff members and the proposed grant writer job. The council later restored the mayor's chief of staff, but never funded his administrative assistant or the grant writer.

Later, several councilors said they would entertain a proposal for a position that would combine the job of the assistant and grant writer. Bissonnette said he took their advice and is proposing that position, called a grant specialist, for a salary of $43,500 a year.

In the planning department, Bissonnette is also proposing adding an environmental planner at an annual salary of $48,000 to take some of the pressure off the city planner.

“Every project has a wetlands or environmental component to it,” he said, adding the city is facing a lot of proposals to redevelop old and likely contaminated industrial property, often referred to as brownfields.

Bissonnette is also hoping to beef up the forestry department by adding two positions, a mechanical equipment operator for $33,00 a year and a maintenance man for $28,000 a year.

While the two positions will be in the forestry department, they would also work in other divisions of the Department of Public Works when needed.

The jet landed safely and there were no reported injuries. A military official said an initial investigation indicated that the plane's anti-skid system may have malfunctioned.

C-5 cargo jets are parked on a runway at Westover Air Reserve Base in Chicopee in this file photo from The Republican.

CHICOPEE — A large C-5 cargo jet was forced to land at Westover Air Reserve Base at about 1:45 p.m. Tuesday after its crew declared an inflight emergency, according to a report by abc40.

Sgt. Andrew Biscoe, a spokesman for the Chicopee base, told the TV station that a problem with the plane's anti-skid system prompted the aircraft to make an emergency landing. Military officials continue to probe the incident.

The plane landed safely and there were no injuries, said Biscoe, who commended the crew for "airmanship at its finest" and for "getting the plane down safely on a shorter runway."

It wasn't immediately known if the plane is attached to any local military installations, or where it was flying to at the time of the emergency landing — the second such incident involving a military aircraft in a week.

Last Tuesday, an Army helicopter out of Connecticut was forced to make an emergency landing in a Hadley field after experiencing mechanical issues. There were no reported injuries. The large Chinook helicopter was repaired at the scene and was airborne again several hours after landing in a field off Mill Valley Road.

The victim was treated by emergency personnel at the scene.

Republican file photo

CHICOPEE - Police arrested a 19-year-old Westover Job Corps student Monday night after he allegedly attacked a fellow student in an attempt to collect a $20 loan.

Capt. Steven Muise said the incident began shortly before 6 p.m. when the suspect, seeing the victim , a 20-year-old man from Lowell, threw a rock at him and missed.

The suspect, Malcolm Gittens, accompanied by friends, then walked up to the victim and went through his pockets, taking $2.75 and a cell phone, said, adding that it was payday at the facility.

Afterwards, as Gittens and the others walked away, the victim swore at Gittens and was then punched in the face by him, Muise said. The victim was treated by emergency personnel at the scene.

Gittens, whose address is listed as the facility, was charged with unarmed robbery, assault with a dangerous weapon and assault and battery.

Members of the Second Baptist Church in South Hadley delivered the first miracle.

Photo by Diane Lederman / The RepublicanShutesbury Community Church members Stephen Jean, of Shutesbury, left, and Linda Hanscom of Belchertown, center, stand with church Pastor Mark Lawrence of Chicopee, right, in the recently restored church.

SHUTESBURY – The white church overlooking the green in the center of Shutesbury has occupied that site since 1827. Some said it’s a miracle that it’s still there. But they also said saving it was God’s will.

“There was such a feeling of love, it was unbelievable,” said David Tetreault, of Belchertown. “We thought God was behind us every day.”

Tetreault is a member of the Second Baptist Church of South Hadley and member of the Board of Directors of the church’s With His Hands Ministry.

He led a band of nearly 100 volunteers to transform the church that was in shambles when they first learned about it. And finding that group, said Linda Hanscom, also of Belchertown, was the first miracle – the first of what some said are three.

The church, which has had several names during its history, became the Shutesbury Community Church in 1985. But in 2005, down to two members, with the building crumbling, the church closed.

Photo by Michael Beswick / The RepublicanA new copper dome is placed on the steeple of the Shutesbury Community Church last month.

Hanscom grew up here and was a member when she was young and so was her family for generations. She got a phone call letting her know the church was closing. She and others concerned with the church’s fate met with the Board of Selectmen.

The group launched weekly meetings potluck suppers to keep the building open. “We thought by occupying it, the town would not take it.” But she remembered, “We barely had enough for oil.” But they prayed to God for help. “We had this immense faith that something would happen.”

And something did – the South Hadley church ministry.

Lee Savage, a contractor and a board member of the ministry, remembered, “We had been sitting around as a group. We had been talking about obligations as Christians to help each other.” They heard about the plight of the church. “They didn’t have the bodies to do it nor funds. You’re commanded by God to help. We took this on as that.”

“I thought they were crazy,” said pastor Mark Lawrence of Chicopee. He ministers to the church here part-time and for free.

He remembers Savage walking through saying, “Let’s resurrect a church.”

But the group had no idea of how much work was needed.

As they inspected, they realized the foundation needed to be stabilized, that meant lifting up the floor and working in an 18 by 24 inch crawl space so it could be reinforced with new support columns, Tetreault said. “We were on our bellies and our back.”

Still Savage said, “Nothing is insurmountable.”

Tetreault said they worked Saturdays for about nine months - the smallest crew was 25, the largest 63. They had some licensed electricians, contractors and people like him he said who can follow directions. He travels the countries buying cars and sells them to dealerships.

While the ministry donated time, money was need for materials. That’s where God entered again for the second miracle.

Tetreault said they’d start off the week “there was $300 in our checkbook. I wrote out a check for materials for lumber and things. Every single week, I had more in the checkbook at the end of that week than when we started.”

Neighbors and volunteers donated. He said one man who was blinded in World War II finally received a settlement check and he made a donation. People donated items for a tag sale.

And steadily the inside of the building was restored to its former glory. “It was remarkable. It was probably one of the most remarkable things I’ve ever seen,” Lawrence said of the work. “I’m amazed the church has been transformed to what it was.”

On Oct. 25, 2009 the church celebrated its reopening and regular services resumed Nov. 1. But last fall, the rains from Tropical Storm Irene wreaked her havoc here.

The roof, which was in need of work, leaked and the steeple threatened to pull the entire building down with it, Hanscom said. The church did not have that kind of money for such repairs - $50,000 for the steeple, plus the cost of the roof repair, lightening protection and clapboard repair. Plus the he church needed to be painted as well bringing the cost up to nearly $74,000.

That came the third miracle. A resident offered a $10,000 gift to pay for the copper dome, clapboard and roof repair with the expectation the church would pay the painting costs of $13,640. Again the community responded to cover costs. The last of the painting was happening this month.

Since the church reopened, attendance has gone from two to more than 20 and sometimes 30 or more. “I don’t know what the potential is,” Lawrence said. “Hopefully the church can be sustained.”
This is the sole church in the town of just over 1,800. Stephen Jean who grew up in Chicopee lived in Virginia for about 30 years and moved back to the area with his wife settling in Shutesbury a little more than a year ago. They were looking for a church. “We came to visit, we found a home.

Standing in the church, he said “you feel the history.’

“He wants a church here,” he said of God. The church serves the community and “I think God honors that. He makes miracles.”

“It’s really quite impressive when you go to a service and see how strong the church and love is. It’s really great,” Tetreault said.