Latest news with #Chicopee-based
Yahoo
02-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Construction of town's first pickleball courts begins
SOUTHWICK — It's taken over a year and a half, but if all goes according to plan, the town's first pickleball courts will open at Town Hall in about two months. 'The asphalt was put down yesterday,' said the town's Building and Grounds Supervisor Daniel Fernandez while looking over the space directly behind the playground at Town Hall where the courts will be installed. While it appears the work to install the fixtures for the courts could start now, Fernandez said the company that put down the asphalt, Chicopee-based Ondrick Materials & Recycling, LLC, said the surface needs at least 45 days to cure. Once the curing is done, Fernandez said he, with the help of town employees, will install all the fixtures planned for the courts. He said he's yet to decide if the posts needed for the nets will be installed permanently or made to be removable. 'We're just not sure yet,' he said. The surface is the same size as the nearby basketball court, but the pickleball courts will only use about half of the area. In the additional space will used as a basketball and shuffleboard court, Fernandez said. The pickleball courts will be painted but he has yet to decide on the courts' color. Typically, pickleball courts are blue, but he is considering green because the Southwick-Tolland-Granville Regional School District's school colors are green and yellow. For now, a temporary fence has been installed around the courts to keep it from being damaged during the curing process. In December 2024, at a Special Town Meeting, residents approved two Community Preservation Committee requests to fund the construction of the two courts at Town Hall and four at Whalley Park, for $115,000 and $207,000, respectively However, when the town's Parks and Recreation Commission began planning for the courts' construction early last year, there was some concern that the amount allocated wouldn't be enough. That led to a proposal during a commission meeting in August 2024 to nix the two courts at Town Hall and instead build six at Whalley Park. That drew immediate pushback from the Council on Aging. 'We want the two here,' said COA Chair Paula LeBlanc at the board's meeting in early August after hearing the commission wanted all the courts at Whalley Park. 'We're the ones to started this, so we should have them here.' At that point, Russ Anderson, who was serving as the interim supervisor of the Building and Grounds Department, was asked to learn if the two courts could be built for $115,000. After checking he learned it could be done. 'I came to the realization that we could do something for what was budgeted,' Anderson said about the estimate to build the courts for $107,636, which would include lighting, already installed for the playground, and fencing. He also learned the four courts proposed at Whalley Park could be installed for less than $208,000. However, the Parks and Recreation Commission decided to pursue a new pickleball court project at Whalley Park. In January, it applied to the CPC for an allocation of $677,000 to build six courts at the park which will include lighting, fencing, and a pavilion for shade.
Yahoo
07-02-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Chicopee-based company fined for asbestos violations at multi-family residence in Springfield
SPRINGFIELD, Mass. (WWLP) – The Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection (MassDEP) has fined a Chicopee-based company for violations during renovations at a multi-family residence in Springfield. Birch Properties, LLC, a Chicopee-based limited liability company, was fined $186,000 after MassDEP discovered violations of asbestos-related regulations during renovation activities at a Westford Avenue multi-family residence in a designated Environmental Justice neighborhood in Springfield. Violations include asbestos-containing pipe insulation and cement siding fragments scattered about the property near neighboring residences between December 22 and May 2023. Birch Properties is ordered to pay $101,005 of the assessed penalty and survey fifteen of their properties, the majority of which are residential, for asbestos. They are also required to perform necessary abatement of asbestos-containing materials that are found to be in poor condition. Current employees will also be trained in asbestos hazards. Westover Air Reserve Base issues loud noise warning If the company complies, MassDEP has agreed to suspend the remainder of the penalty. 'Asbestos is a well-documented human carcinogen, and MassDEP's regulations are in place to safeguard workers, the public, and the environment,' said Michael Gorski, Director of MassDEP's Western Regional Office in Springfield. 'Egregious violations of these regulations warrant substantial penalties. Compliance with asbestos regulations is not optional.' Property owners or contractors who have questions about the handling, removal, packaging, storing, and disposal of asbestos-containing materials can contact the MassDEP Regional office for assistance. WWLP-22News, an NBC affiliate, began broadcasting in March 1953 to provide local news, network, syndicated, and local programming to western Massachusetts. Watch the 22News Digital Edition weekdays at 4 p.m. on Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
28-01-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Victim identified in deadly Greenfield workplace accident
GREENFIELD, Mass. (WWLP) – A 66-year-old man who died in a workplace accident last Friday has been identified as Matthew Nedorostek of Westfield, according to the Northwestern District Attorney's Office. Westfield man dies in Greenfield workplace accident The deadly incident occurred Friday morning at a worksite off Cleveland Street in Greenfield. The Greenfield Fire Department reported that at approximately 8:54 a.m., they received reports of a person stuck in a sand pit. The Northwestern DA's Office stated that Nedorostek is believed to have fallen into a silo at a site used by a Chicopee-based concrete company to mix dry ingredients for cement. According to co-workers, Nedorostek had climbed to the top of a tower when they realized he was missing and failed to respond to radio calls. The rescue effort was then transitioned into a recovery operation. 'We share our deepest hopes for the safety of the individuals involved,' the city said in a statement on its Facebook page. The Greenfield Police Department, Massachusetts State Police, Western Mass Regional Technical Rescue Team, Franklin County Sheriff's Office, City of Greenfield DPW, Turners Falls Fire Department, South Deerfield Fire District, Erving Fire Department, Deerfield Fire District, AMR of Springfield, LIFE STAR, and South County EMS have been called in to help. The Office of the Chief Medical Examiner is currently investigating the cause of death. 22News will update this story as more information becomes available. WWLP-22News, an NBC affiliate, began broadcasting in March 1953 to provide local news, network, syndicated, and local programming to western Massachusetts. Watch the 22News Digital Edition weekdays at 4 p.m. on Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
