http://www.axtora.com/homesites/us/massachusetts/ware/ Ware, MA News http://www.axtora.com/homesites/us/massachusetts/ware/content/a76818e0f2a746a3784218a96e78e505.html By JOHN APPLETON jappletonrepubcom BELCHERTOWN The Board of Selectmen gave its support Monday to a revised plan for how to develop former Belchertown State School land under control of the town's Economic Development Industrial Corp Members of the development corporation said the plan does not differ much from the one approved seven years ago by Town Meeting but the state law that created the corporation and transferred the state land to it requires the plan be revisited every seven years Loy H Harris a member of the corporation who worked on drafting the proposed revision said it has been designed to stick to the previously expressed will of the town over future uses of the land but not lock out appropriate development proposals For a plan like this which looks into an unclear future you want to be inclusive rather than definitive and limited Harris said Selectman James A Barry the board's liaison to the development corporation said the basic guidelines of past corporation decisions and the proposed revision are that the land be used for economic development creating jobs and gathering commercial real estate taxes Belchertown was a mostly agricultural community a few decades ago with a population of roughly 4000 people Since then many farms have been sold for housing development and the population has quickly risen to about 15000 without a corresponding increase in the amount of business property Harris said the town's residents have expressed opposition to any plans that call for the state school land to be used largely for more housing He said that while the revised plan and the one that has been in place do not have language barring new housing developers with that interest have been told and will continue to be told that housing is not in keeping with the plan's general premise However that does not rule out selling some of the land for development of an assisted living complex something corporation chairman William A Terry said is under discussion Terry said there will be a public hearing on the revised plan early next year He said it must be approved at a Town Meeting but there is no reason to call one specially for the purpose as it can wait until annual Town Meeting in May http://www.axtora.com/homesites/us/massachusetts/ware/content/343e3432f938cd07140762a2f0124505.html The Dow lost more than half the 1276 points it added last week File photo by Michael S Gordon The RepublicanDespite the fact that throngs crowded shopping centers like the Holyoke Mall on Friday preliminary figures nationwide show that sales over the Thanksgiving weekend rose only modesly contributing to investors' concerns on Wall Street MondayBy JOE BEL BRUNO Associated Press NEW YORK Confirmation that the nation is in a recession and signs pointing to a prolonged downturn sent Wall Street plunging once again Monday hurtling the Dow Jones industrials down nearly 700 points and more than half of last week's big gains All the major indicators fell more than 7 percent and the Standard Poor's 500 index dropped nearly 9 percent The market began the day sliding on initial reports that the holiday shopping season while better than some retailers and analysts feared was mixed a sign that Americans are very reluctant to spend That has Wall Street concerned about the impact of a continuing drop in consumer spending on the sagging economy According to preliminary figures released by ShopperTrak RCT a research firm that tracks total retail sales at more than 50000 outlets sales over the Thanksgiving weekend rose only modestly Investors are worried that this portends a disastrous holiday season which would be troubling not only for retailers but for an economy that depends on consumers for more than twothirds of its growth Meanwhile downbeat economic reports on the manufacturing sector and construction spending only added to investors' concerns Speeches from Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke and Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson also did little to assuage investors about the downturn The day's news reminded investors who last week were buying on a burst of optimism that the economy is still in serious trouble And at mid day Wall Street had confirmation of what everyone has suspected for months that the nation is indeed in a recession The National Bureau of Economic Research considered the arbiter of when the economy is in recession or expanding said the US recession had begun a year ago in December 2007 That assessment made the retail sales figures all the more unnerving Unfortunately twothirds of the American economy is based on the spending of the American consumer said Mike Stanfield chief executive of VSR Financial Services When the consumer pulls back it's very hard for the economy to gain much traction Investors had been hopeful that last week's rally when the major indexes shot up by double digit percentages was a sign that some stability had returned to a market badly shaken by months of discouraging economic data But analysts expect economic concerns to weigh on the market for some time to come Everyone knows the recession is on us the question is now will it be short and shallow or long and severe Stanfield said Chuck Widger chief executive of investment management firm Brinker Capital expects the volatility to continue until investors have better visibility on the future Investors are looking for better data on the economy he said We've got baked in pretty nasty assumptions for the economy this quarter The markets are looking ahead to the first quarter for data that will confirm or deny the bad news According to preliminary calculations the Dow Jones industrial average fell 67995 or 770 percent to 814909 The Standard Poor's 500 index dropped 8003 or 893 percent to 81621 while the Nasdaq composite index fell 13750 or 895 percent to 139807 http://www.axtora.com/homesites/us/massachusetts/ware/content/8e6b2dcc3898878eaa2d8c5ae403f652.html By DAVID BERGENGREN dbergengrenrepubcom AGAWAM Threeterm City Councilor Cecilia P Calabrese said Monday she has decided to run for mayor next year Though she will not make a formal announcement until after the presidential inauguration Jan 20 Calabrese said she confirmed that she had announced her intention to run for the city's highest office at a Nov 18 meeting of the Republican Town Committee I'm not running against anyone she said referring to current Mayor Susan R Dawson I'm running for myself Saying some supporters had urged her to run early so that she would be the first announced candidate Calabrese said I'm only concerned about finishing first in November Calabrese said she voted against the past few municipal budgets proposed by Dawson and former mayor Richard A Cohen and would like to have a more direct impact on how the city is run If I'm going to have a real impact on the financial stability and the longterm direction of the town I think I need to be more than one voice in 11 she said The City Council has 11 members Calabrese is council vicepresident Dawson could not be reached for comment Monday but Calabrese and other officials agreed there will likely be more than two candidates running for mayor next fall I am confident that there will be plenty of candidates not only for the office of mayor but also for City Council and School Committee City Clerk Richard M Theroux said If there are three or more candidates for mayor a nonpartisan primary will be scheduled for next September to whittle the field to two finalists for the November election Theroux said Mayors are elected for twoyear terms Dawson won her first term as mayor in a close race with Cohen last year winning by a 38vote margin after a recount narrowed her majority by six votes Cohen is often mentioned as a potential candidate for mayor next year He could not be reached for comment Monday If she were elected mayor Calabrese said I would look for other sources of revenue for the town other than the tax base to take some of the burden off both residents and businesses in town Calabrese said she would also like to see modern technology be brought to bear more such as installing a municipal telephone system capable of giving residents information outside of regular business hours Dawson currently has funding for a similar telephone system upgrade on her proposed capital improvement plan for the city Having served on the City Council Calabrese said she felt wellprepared to become mayor if elected http://www.axtora.com/homesites/us/massachusetts/ware/content/b410e936eba772e0f2ef7b57e246320e.html By DIANE LEDERMAN dledermanrepubcom AMHERST The Select Board elected Stephanie J O'Keeffe as the board's chairwoman Monday night replacing Gerald SWeiss Member Alisa V Brewer nominated O'Keeffe and Weiss seconded the nomination with all five board members supporting it In the past the board has reorganized after the annual town election But that changed last week when the board decided to reorganize whenever a new member is elected or whenever it chooses Aaron A Hayden was elected to the board on Nov 4 replacing Anne S Awad who resigned in August During discussion last Monday O'Keeffe offered to chair the board She said that given my circumstances I have the time to put in Weiss who has chaired the board for the last 20 months said he had planned to continue chairing the board until the spring election but the policy change gave him a chance to step down O'Keeffe does not work or have children Weiss a clinical social worker has a practice and grandchildren and he has said chairing the board was taking a toll O'Keeffe said she did not mean her proposal to be hostile in any way I appreciate what Gerry has been juggling she said I could help us be more informed and help us be better prepared she said Two days after that meeting Weiss said that O'Keeffe knew how difficult it had been for him lately to be chairman I know the change is not necessarily sitting well with everyone O'Keeffe said Monday I understand this She said she thinks of the post as an administrative job and hopes she can build on the collaboration created by Weiss Weiss said he enjoyed chairing the board It is more than administration he said It's keeping track of the meeting's facilitation and discourse and keeping everyone involved and civil He also said he enjoyed representing the town at functions I think you will be able to do a fine job he told O'Keeffe http://www.axtora.com/homesites/us/massachusetts/ware/content/5301c6e713435accb2bcbcfca9cddd65.html Agencies can appeal their loss of state funding for homeless sheltersFACING CLOSUREThe following are family shelters in the region faced with closure after Jan 31 due to nonrenewed state contracts: Jefferson Avenue Shelter Springfield operated by Open Pantry Community Services provides housing for 9 families received 422000 in state funds this yearBroderick House Holyoke operated by Providence Ministries provides housing for 15 familiesMain Street Shelter Holyoke operated by Valley Opportunity Council provides housing for 11 families received 322000 in state funds this yearBy PETER GOONAN pgoonanrepubcom The state is cutting funds for at least three family shelters in the region effective Jan 31 as part of a shift aimed at getting homeless people into more stable housing according to a top state official Julia E Kehoe commissioner of the state Department of Transitional Assistance said Monday the sheltering system is being transformed to better serve families and communities At least three shelters The Jefferson Avenue Family Shelter in Springfield and the Broderick House and Main Street shelters in Holyoke are threatened with closure after Jan 31 due to nonrenewed state contracts according to local agency officials All three have existed as shelters for more than 20 years Each agency will be notified of the reasons for nonrenewal and have the right to appeal this month Kehoe said She declined to say what other shelters in the region might be losing funds and what agencies might be gaining funds under the transformed system pending the upcoming appeal process The Center for Human Development which is based in Springfield and operates scattered housing in the region has proposed 84 shelter and or apartment units in 2009 and was awarded all 84 units according to the state's preliminary list A spokesman for the agency wouldn't give specifics of the proposal saying the matter is under negotiation with the state and Kehoe declined to give details The state is committed to reducing family shelter beds and revamping the system toward getting families into permanent housing such as apartments as quickly as possible Kehoe said We believe it is absolutely critical to transform the emergency shelter system in order to end homelessness Kehoe said The goal is to transform the system so it becomes once again a true emergency system that provides shortterm shelter for people and helps them become rehoused as quickly as possible The Valley Opportunity Council which operates the Main Street shelter in Holyoke is absolutely appealing Executive Director Stephen C Huntley said I think the state as made a horrible decision Huntley said adding he believes the state will find that the apartment model does not help them escape poverty and achieve selfsufficiency Karen Blanchard executive director of Providence Ministries which operates the Broderick House said the agency was pretty devastated by the news She declined to say how much the agency receives annually in state funds The state asked agencies statewide to submit proposals for emergency lodging for the homeless in July in very competitive bidding process and received double the units needed Kehoe said The state made it very clear in seeking bids that it was looking to ensure that anyone entering the shelter system was receiving the type of service needed to get rehoused as quickly as possible and stay in housing Kehoe said http://www.axtora.com/homesites/us/massachusetts/ware/content/6de0052233285b710cbca93b879d163f.html When cable giants battle for customers typically it's not a price warBy STAN FREEMAN sfreemanrepubcom The economic theory is that competition lowers prices that without Pepsi Coke would cost more Comcast the dominant cable provider in the Pioneer Valley raised its rates Monday about 36 percent for the average customer after hiking rates 4 percent in February Also Monday Charter Communications the other major cable company serving the valley announced rate increases that will take effect Jan 1 that are likely to add 1 to 3 percent to the typical customer's bill Earlier this year Charter raised its rates for cable customers an average of 5 to 7 percent If there is to be any serious competition in Western Massachusetts for Comcast and Charter both of which operate like monopolies in the communities they serve it will come from Verizon which has been expanding its fiber optic service Internet telephone and television service slowly across the state east to west moving right into Comcast and Charter neighborhoods Verizon's fiber optic service called FiOS has so far reached Fitchburg Will cable prices cool down in the valley if competition heats up Probably not said Barry M Orton a telecommunications professor at the University of Wisconsin at Madison and a cable industry consultant When cable companies battle it typically turns into a services war rather than a price war he said FiOS has come to a lot of areas already and generally the rates don't go down FiOS never promises it is going to be a cheaper product They say they will give a better package he said Why don't cable companies drop rates Because the basic cost is the programming and the basic costs of that are Hollywood stars and professional athletes Is the money they are getting going up or down Orton asked If Comcast does drop their prices it will only be for a short period of time to keep someone from jumping to another company and it will usually be a bundle of services that is offered You might get a really good price for a year maybe even two But in the longer run prices are not going down he said Industry analysts said big cable companies are more likely to battle each other in larger cities than in small cities suburban or rural areas And that is why there is most often only one cable provider in a community in Western Massachusetts They have a huge dilemma which is that in some places there are not enough customers to justify the investment of two companies in the same area said James M Theroux an assistant professor of management at University of Massachusetts at Amherst and a former cable industry executive It comes down to capital costs per mile If you have 10 homes on a mile versus 100 homes one is viable and the other isn't he said If FiOS reaches Western Massachusetts and Verizon chooses to compete with the existing cable companies before cutting prices to attract customers They're going to try everything else they can think of first For instance they'll add more high definition channels I think they know that a price war would kill both them and their competition Theroux said Verizon FiOS relies on fiber optic cable to connect to households which offers more bandwidth than the coaxial cable used by Comcast and Charter However either type of connection will meet all the current requirements of a normal household such as highspeed Internet and highdefinition programming said Theroux Verizon FiOS first appeared in Massachusetts in Woburn in 2005 and more than 80 communities east of Fitchburg have now hooked up Verizon has not added Boston or Worcester and one industry analyst said it is because that in developed urban areas too much of the cable has to be put underground something that significantly raises their costs Verizon officials have given no timetable for expanding the service into Western Massachusetts but Ellen M Cummings a Verizon spokeswoman said the company tends to move from one town to an adjoining town as it extends its network Verizon spokesman Stan J Usovicz said that Verizon must seek a license from any city or town into which it wants to expand and usually must agree to wire the entire community not just the most populated sections Also contracts that communities have with Comcast or Charter do not prevent Verizon from wiring the community with its own lines he said Under federal law cable television rates other than for basic service and equipment are not regulated by the state or by the federal government On Feb 1 Comcast customers with basic service may see a small reduction in their rate due to the timing of the company's Federal Communications Commission periodic rate filing anticipated for that date said company officials Customers with other levels of service will see no change in their rates as a result of that filing A sampling of Comcast's rates shows that basic service will increase from 1305 to 1495; expanded basic service from 4144 to 4350 and the digital starter package from 5844 to 6240 More details in The Republican Tuesday http://www.axtora.com/homesites/us/massachusetts/ware/content/edbd4ba862616e14a06dad80afb88d97.html By DAN RING dringrepubcom BOSTON Directors of the Holyoke Medical Center violated their own policies by failing to independently review and act on conflicts involving the hiring of Goss McLain Insurance Agency Inc of Holyoke the hospital's insurance broker the state attorney general said Monday There was no fine or citation involved the attorney general said Charitable boards need to establish conflict of interest policies Attorney General Martha M Coakley said in a prepared statement However once established they must also assume responsibility for following them The attorney general concluded a fivemonth investigation of possible conflicts involving certain transactions between the medical center and its insurance broker The medical center awarded a nobid contract to the broker but that alone was not a violation of any policy a spokeswoman for the attorney general said Donald J McLain a principal of the insurer is a former officer and director of the medical center the attorney general said Deborah A Buckley president of the insurance agency has been a director of the medical center since 2003 and currently is chairwoman Each year she has served on the board Buckley fully disclosed her interest in Goss and McLain the attorney general said Coakley said the board and management neglected to independently review and act on her disclosures as required by the hospital's own policies on possible conflicts The broker helps the hospital obtain insurance coverage including medical malpractice and property insurance Buckley said she is pleased the investigation is over and that the attorney general recognized that she disclosed the conflict She said her company will still bid to be the medical center's insurance broker The attorney general's review stemmed from complaints by Dr Paul S Gerstein former chief of the physicians' group Emergency Medicine Associates which used to staff the emergency room at Holyoke Medical Center Gerstein's complaints also prompted an investigation in the fall of last year by the state Department of Public Health into emergency room practices at the hospital The hospital made several changes recommended by the state and the emergency room was found to be in compliance after a followup investigation in April Hank J Porten president of the Holyoke Medical Center said he felt very good about the attorney general's review It shows there was absolutely no improprieties on the part of the hospital's board or members of its board Porten said The medical center's conflictofinterest policies required directors to review Buckley's disclosure statements to determine if a conflict exists The policies also demanded that directors act on those findings or approve the insurance contract consistent with those rules No later than April the medical center has agreed to: Review its conflict of interest procedures and impose changes if appropriate Evaluate all current disclosure statements and act on them consistent with its policies on conflict of interest Hire a consultant and competitively bid all insurance broker services to be provided in fiscal 2010 Report to the attorney general on the reviews and bid process The attorney general is charged with preventing breaches of trust in the administration of private nonprofit charities such as the medical center http://www.axtora.com/homesites/us/massachusetts/ware/content/7560f2687bf6df6c8d1b73d8eae4ac97.html The Board of Assessors granted 38 property tax abatements this year and denied 24 according to the principal assessorBy FRED CONTRADA fcontradarepubcom EASTHAMPTON The Board of Assessors is awaiting clarification of an opinion from the Northwestern district attorney's office regarding the privacy of tax abatement requests before it changes its practice of discussing those requests in executive session its chairman said Monday In July Assistant District Attorney Cynthia M Pepyne wrote a letter to principal assessor Mark R Dimauro stating that it is generally not appropriate for assessors to make decision on applications for property tax abatements in executive session Pepyne said she rendered her opinion in response to a complaint about the board's practice Taxpayers who have questions about the assessed value of their property may apply to their communities for abatements that lower their tax burden It is up to the board of assessors to consider individual requests for abatements The applications contain personal information such as Social Security numbers and income Dimauro said Monday that the state Department of Revenue has offered a conflicting opinion in the matter The Department of Revenue permits executive sessions he said The assessors really can't discuss in open meeting the contents of those applications In an email to Dimauro sent Nov 26 Mary Mitchell a lawyer for the Department of Revenue said that her department has advised other boards of assessors that abatement applications are protected from public disclosure and thus may be discussed in executive session Mitchell said however that this is the interpretation of the Department of Revenue and that the local district attorney has the primary responsibility for enforcing the Open Meeting Law Robert R Bliss a Department of Revenue spokesman said Monday that his department defers to the district attorneys on the question We don't get into interpreting or regulating the Open Meeting Law he said In her opinion Pepyne said applications contain confidential information that sometimes necessitates discussion in executive session However she wrote that discussion of the property value is not personal in nature In most circumstances personal information regarding an applicant is not necessary for discussion of an abatement she said Dimauro said his board plans to write to Pepyne to ask for a clarification Depending on her reply he said the board might have to correct its past actions on abatements Dimauro said the board will abide by the ruling of the district attorney's office The Easthampton Board of Assessors granted 38 property tax abatements this year and denied 24 according to Dimauro He said the board meets about three times a week during the threemonth period after tax bills are sent to discuss requests for abatements