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Date: 6/9/2021
HAMPDEN – A 4-year-old German Shepherd named Nietzsche was the topic of a dangerous dog hearing at the Hampden Board of Selectmen meeting on June 7.
Owners Robert Gossman and his daughter, Angelina Gossman, were present at the meeting, along with Judy Hatch, who had brought the grievance to the board. Another resident, Shannon Sokolowski, who has since moved out of the area, had also had more than one incident with Nietzsche to which Animal Control Officer Shelley Sears had responded.
There are four complaints on record regarding the dog. The first incident happened on Jan. 13 when Sokolowski reported that she went to her mailbox with her dog on a leash and Nietzsche “came at them” and attempted to bite her dog in the neck. She told Sears that she had screamed, kicked and thrown things at the dog while backing away, but the dog followed her up her driveway and only stopped when the owner called him back.
The next incident on file happened on Feb. 10. Hatch was walking past the Gossman’s property with her dog, and Nietzsche attacked them. “He came right at me, teeth bared,” she is quoted as saying in the report. She swatted at the dog with a magazine and it retreated but returned twice. On the third swat, she hit the dog’s nose and he backed off. The owner then called the dog back.
Sears stated that she informed the owner’s daughter that the dog cannot be off-leash and that “aggressive” dogs cannot be put out in the front yard.
On March 1, Sokolowski said, Nietzsche again tried to attack her and her dog while at the mailbox. She said a truck stopped and the driver distracted the dog so Sokolowski could get away. Angelina Gossman again called the dog back to her property after the driver yelled that Nietzsche was attacking Sokolowski.
Finally, on May 1, Hatch said that she saw the aftermath of an altercation between Nietzsche and two other dogs at a street corner. All owners were present at the time.
Robert Gossman said that he has been out of the area and only recently returned, and therefore was not present during the incidents, but that the dog was professionally trained.
Chair Donald Davenport expressed concern about the Gossman property’s proximity to the spray park and asked about how the dog reacts to children.
“He’s only aggressive with other dogs,” Robert Gossman said, and told Hatch by way of explanation, “he’s a German Shepherd, he’s a dog. You came close to our property.”
Robert Gossman said that he would keep Nietzche on a run and out of the front yard.
Board of Selectmen member Craig Rivest asked about the strength of the run and the size of the dog. The equipment is the right gauge for the dog’s size, Robert Grossman assured him.
Interim Town Administrator Bob Markel brought to the board the latest updates on the shared health services memorandum-of-understanding (MOU). Language had been added to the draft agreement that allows the participating communities of Hampden, Wilbraham, Longmeadow and Monson to keep any revenue generated from inspections.
The towns would share health personnel and costs, which the state would fund through a grant for up to three years. There is “complete optimism” that state money will be available to fund years two and three of the partnership.
“I really think this is very similar to what was done with dispatch,” Markel said, referring to a recent push by the state to regionalize emergency dispatch services. He said that the push for regionalization has made the state willing to subsidize its creation.
The board agreed that it would keep Jane Budynkewicz in her position as Board of Health coordinator.
Markel presented the board with a video of the flashing safety light apparatus that is available to be installed at the crosswalk on Somers Road between Centennial Commons and the Village Food Mart. He asked that the board decide on a configuration so that he could put out the call for contractors to install the equipment.
Resident Ted Zebert suggested that the board look into raised crosswalks which act similar to a speed bump, encouraging drivers to slow down. He said that Northampton has put these in use and they seem to work. Davenport noted that the board should reach out to that municipality for further research into it.
The crosswalk, including the pedestrian-triggered safety lights and a radar speed sign is estimated to cost up to $25,000. Rivest asked Markel if the town could use the same $100,000 money pool that the project is funded from to install similar safety lights at other dangerous crosswalks. Markel explained that the grant is from the Massachusetts Gaming Commission and must be used to mitigate issues caused by increased traffic going to and from the casino in Springfield, and therefore must be used in certain areas of town.
Markel said that residents had approached him regarding the installation of a sidewalk between Centennial Commons and the businesses near the East Longmeadow Road and Somers Road intersection, the cost of which would be eligible to come out of the Gaming Commission funding. He said the town can address how to use the remaining money after the crosswalk project is completed.
Board of Selectmen member John Flynn asked that town employees undergo training on ransomware and cyber attacks. He said that many incidents are the result of an employee clicking a link or file that allows cyber attackers to enter the system. Markel said that he will follow up with scheduling a training, but added that the town’s service provider said Hampden is 90 percent protected. Rivest noted that the other 10 percent is likely human error that would be addressed in a training.
The library was approved to use the auditorium for programming on Thursdays between September and June and certain dates during the summer. The caveat was added that municipal meetings would supersede the library’s usage.
The board voted to rescind the town’s state of emergency to coincide with Gov. Charlie Baker’s rescinding of the state’s order on June 15.