City denies PD travel request for paramedicine

    Holyoke City Council voted down a request at its Feb. 5 meeting to pay travel costs for Holyoke Police Sgt. Mark Werts, who will be participating in the 2019 TSJC/RETAC EMS Symposium Friday through Sunday, Feb. 15-17, in Alamosa.
    The symposium satisfies an ongoing education requirement for Werts to keep his certification as a paramedic.
    Council members questioned whether the event involved education relevant to Werts’ role as a tactical medic for the department.
    “I don’t see anything in there for tactical training,” council member Steve Moore said.
    The council also asked why Holyoke had to shoulder the entire travel cost — $69 and use of a City vehicle — while Werts also works as a paramedic in Wray.
    Council member John Schneider asked that the request come to a vote, after it was originally placed on the consent agenda.
    “For me, I think [Wray] should provide his transportation,” Schneider said. “Are we getting a benefit out of it?”
    Holyoke Police Chief Doug Bergstrom said Werts plays an important role as the department’s tactical medic and reiterated that continuing education is necessary for him to keep his certification.
    Werts later explained that the cardiac medicine and experience-based courses that he was teaching, in addition to a pediatric advanced life support course that he planned to take, would allow him to keep his paramedic certification, which is a prerequisite for being certified as a tactical medic.
    In addition to functioning as a tactical medic in Holyoke, he said that he has been sent to assist in local high-risk operations with other law enforcement agencies, as well as the FBI.
    He said that his work in Wray, which includes a few shifts every month, helps him maintain his paramedicine skills.
    The request was rejected in a voice vote by all members except Mayor Orville Tonsing, who said he thought the need for comprehensive education outweighed the other concerns raised by the council.
    “I’m all in favor of all of the education they can get,” he said.
    Werts said that he still plans to attend and will be paying for his own trip.
    A separate $1,140 travel request for Werts and officer Jorge Salas to attend an April 8-9 class in Aurora on communication and conflict mitigation was approved.
    
Water main break closes Sherman
    City Superintendent Mark Brown reported on the burst water main that kept him and city crews busy on the night of Jan. 15 and closed a section of road through Jan. 17.
    The affected main is located in the 400 block of South Sherman Avenue. Brown later said the origins of the leak were unknown, but that a 2.5-inch hole was found in the fixture.
    After spending four hours repairing the main, crews put up roadblocks to prevent cars from crossing the softened pavement.
    Water and sewer crews also installed two new water taps at the Martin duplex development.
    Electrical crews fixed a pole on the north side of the city that was downed in a vehicle crash Feb. 1 and worked on malfunctioning lights at Holyoke Municipal Airport.
    The City also finished spreading grass at the airport, and Brown obtained a permit to demolish the old pilots’ lounge. Another small hangar was acquired by the City for storage in exchange for a lease waiver.
    
Officials report
    City Clerk Kathy Olofson said Scott Szabo of auditing firm Lauer, Szabo & Associates, PC will be visiting the City from March 11-13.
    Bergstrom reported that his department, including code enforcement, handled or generated 407 calls for service from Jan. 10-30.
    They made seven arrests, wrote 40 citations and five reports, and gave out 50 warnings. Code enforcement handled two animal complaints, three dogs at large and 11 ordinance violations.
    City Attorney Al Wall also reported that the City is waiting for a callback from Municode regarding a rough draft of the municipal codes being considered in the City’s ongoing recodification project.
    He also said that the Heginbotham Library Board of Trustees’ operating agreement with the council had been redrafted and is pending board approval.
    
Other business
    In other business at the Feb. 5 meeting, the council:
    — Paid $2,500 to the 2019 Victim Assistance Program Fund.
    — Approved a $528 travel request for Mike Roll to attend the Rocky Mountain Asphalt Conference.
    — Renewed the tastings permit application for Red’s Liquors LLC.
    — Approved 2018 year-end transfers.