WESTFIELD — Residents of Scenic Road and Pheasant Drive, both listed as private ways, spoke at the City Council meeting on Dec. 4 in support of a resolution to take both roads by eminent domain in order to submit them for city street acceptance.
Councilor Karen Fanion, chair of the Zoning, Planning and Development Subcommittee, said she has been working with the residents since 2024, and has petitions signed by all of the residents she was able to contact, plus four letters in favor of the taking by eminent domain. She said since ownership of some of the residences was in probate, the transfer could not be resolved without a friendly taking. She said both streets meet the qualifications for city streets.
Opening the hearing to the public, Dorothy Lakoma of Pheasant Drive confirmed that she was in favor of the taking. “Please take this off our hands. I was the first one to buy a lot and build there. I was under the impression this had been taken care of a long time ago. You don’t have to give me the one dollar,” she said.
Also speaking in favor were Jules Hermele, Jason Polanski, Jeanine Deland and Kristine Hupfer, with Polanski adding that he hopes the city will put Scenic Road on the paving list when the transfer is complete.
Hupfer said it was a surprise and shock to learn that the city didn’t own the road. “I don’t think I’ve ever been so excited for someone else to take over my property,” she said.
After the hearing was closed, Councilor Michael Burns thanked Fanion for her work in being able to complete the transfer through eminent domain. “I’ve done a couple of these. I wish I knew this before,” Burns said.
Councilor Brent Bean said over the last two decades that he has served on the council, the process has changed at least a dozen times. “It is concerning to me that the process keeps changing. People are frustrated. Hopefully, this is the last time it changes,” Bean said.
The first reading of the motion to take the streets by eminent domain and for the order of the laying out of the streets as public ways passed unanimously, and a second reading was scheduled for the next City Council meeting.
After the meeting, Fanion said the streets were part of a housing subdivision from the 1980’s, and at the time, developers were not required to keep an interest in the properties after they were sold. “Each homeowner owned to the center of the line of the road. Now, the developer retains the right of the easement of the road, so when it’s all done, only one signature — the developer’s — is required. They learned that in all these years,” she said.
“I’ve been working with Scenic and Pheasant since January, 2024. That was my first project,” Fanion said, adding that she told the resident, even after the roads are accepted as public ways, they will have to get on a list for paving and wait their turn. She also met with them this summer to give them the information about the easier and less expansive way of taking the street by eminent domain.
“They were such a great group of residents to work with,” Fanion said.
The City Council also voted unanimously in favor of a grant of $800,000 from the Massachusetts Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs Land and Water Conservation Fund to the Parks and Recreation Commission for renovations and improvements to the Westfield Skate Park. Rick Sullivan presented the favorable recommendation by the Finance Committee. He said there is no city match for the grant, however the City Council previously approved $500,000 from Community Preservation Act funds for the park’s renovation.
Sullivan said the Parks & Recreation Commission is anticipating being $300,000 short for the project, and has a commitment from the mayor for an appropriation from free cash. “The park is 95 percent designed and ready to go,” he said, adding that there is a deadline for approval of the Land and Water grant of Dec. 17, so the approval is time sensitive.
The City Council also unanimously accepted a grant of $64,950 from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration through the Commonwealth of Massachusetts Executive Office of Public Safety and Security Municipal Road Safety Program for law enforcement, safety equipment and traffic enforcement.
Bean, presenting the recommendation from Finance, said the city has received this grant for the last few years to pay for overtime of enforcement during events. He said the grant is now able to also be used for equipment, and the Police Department plans to use some of the funds towards a traffic speed trailer and the purchase of a LiDAR radar gun to round out the costs.
Also approved unanimously was a grant 63,662 from the Pioneer Valley Transit Authority to the Council on Aging to cover costs associated with a transportation program for older adults. Ralph Figy, chair of FInance, said the grant will be in conjunction with PVTA to provide transportation for seniors, an issue identified through assessment in Westfield and throughout the region. He said the city will have a 50 percent match, which is already in the 2026 budget.
Figy said the PVTA will provide the vehicle, and there will be fees between $1 and $3 for rides. The fees will cover administration, maintenance, insurance and budgets.
Figy also received unanimous support for a resolution authorizing the mayor to enter into a funding agreement with the Westfield Redevelopment Authority for a pre-development study of the city’s riverfront area.”We just completed a concept plan for this area. The next step in the process is to do a slum and blight analysis to qualify for the HUD program,” Figy said, adding that the money is in the WRA budget.
He said the BSE group from Worcester did the first study, and it looks like they will be assigned by Mass Development to do the analysis. study.
Another grant was approved for $27,391 from the Public Safety and Security Edward J. Burn Memorial Justice Assistance program to the WEstfield PD for five Motorola solution license plate readers to be used for law enforcement purposes. “It’s a hot topic out there, and Westfield’s got them,” Bean said.
William Onyski, chair of the Legislative & Ordinance Committee, received unanimous approval for a resolution to approve a 20-year lease agreement between the city and JimBob Aviation Inc.
“We already currently have a lease agreement. This is giving them an additional 2300 sq ft of property where the taxiway that was being built was supposed to directly meet up with their property, and missed it by 2300 feet. That needs to connect to the taxiway,” Onyski said.
He added that with the recent approval of a 20,000 gallon fuel tank, this will allow for the 20,000 aviation fuel tank to be on the property. Onyski said an airport lease is over 20 years, which is why it’s coming to the City Council for approval. He said the vote will restart the clock at a 20 year lease with a 13 year extension, if asked for, and a 10-year extension, if requested.
Councilor Bridget Matthews-Kane, chair of the License Committee, asked for approval of a home rule petition to the state Senate and House of Representatives to convert a seasonal license for the sale of all alcoholic beverages into an annual license for Shiva Laxmi, Inc. d.b.a. Pleasant St. Market, Jaimin Patel, president and treasurer.
Matthews-Kane said attorney Brad Moir gave a presentation to the License committee explaining seasonal and annual licenses and how home rule petitions work. Pleasant St. Market currently has an annual beer and wine license and seasonal all-alcohol license. She said this will free up an annual beer and wine license and a seasonal all-alcohol license. She said a member of the committee spoke to the Westfield Police Department, who said they have no issues with the current owners of the Pleasant Street Market.
Matthews-Kane said she expressed some concerns with the application, including a petition with signatures without addresses, and its proximity within 600 feet of Westfield Middle School. She said the Pleasant St. Market had also recently received a fine for an unlocked humidor, which the owner explained has been rectified.
Matthews-Kane said she ultimately voted with the committee to approve the petition, which was then approved unanimously by the City Council.
