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MAYOR'S UPDATE:
WEEK ENDING NOVEMBER 18
It’s hard to believe that the holiday season is nearly here! It’s a very busy time of year, and also a great opportunity to patronize our downtown businesses. Please be sure to support them on Small Business Saturday and throughout the holidays, which is the most critical time for small merchants. Once again, free holiday parking for shoppers will be available November 25 through January 1 for pay station lots and street meters (hourly restrictions still apply).
And please join us to kick off the season at the annual Christmas tree lighting ceremony on Sunday, November 27, at 5:00 PM, at the North Avenue train station. The DWC will have a DJ spinning holiday tunes as we wait for Santa’s arrival on the Westfield Fire Department truck. Our annual menorah lighting will take place on Sunday, December 18, at 4:30 with the Union County Torah Center Chabad.
While you’re spending time downtown this holiday season, don’t forget to visit the One Westfield Place Preview Center at 76 Elm Street, where you can view the redevelopment proposal by HBC | Streetworks Development and provide your input. You can either explore the Preview Center at your own leisure during their operating hours (Tuesday through Friday, 10:00 - 5:00, and Saturdays from 1:00 - 4:00), as well as at their weekly open houses. You can also book a personalized, 90-minute curated tour. Visit their website for full details at onewestfieldplace.com.
As a reminder, the Town Council meets on Tuesday night. Wishing you all a wonderful weekend!
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2023 CALL FOR VOLUNTEERS
The annual open call for volunteers to fill upcoming vacancies on various boards, commissions, and committees is now open at westfieldnj.gov/volunteer through December 5, and I hope you’ll consider submitting an application. The talent and eagerness to volunteer among our residents are Westfield’s biggest assets, and we are grateful to all those who step up to devote their time and energy to benefit us all.
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GRANT AWARDS
The Town continues to receive historic levels of grant funding across multiple departments to help fund various initiatives. We recently received two grants from the Union County Board of County Commissioners. The Kid’s Recreation Trust Fund, intended to assist with improvements to recreation resources for children, awarded Westfield $36,477.23 to replace the fencing and provide new equipment for the basketball courts at Windsor Park. The Greening Union County program awarded the Town with $10,000 to go towards the planting of 100 new trees. Both grant programs are funded through the Union County Open Space, Recreation, and Historic Preservation Trust Fund, with funds awarded to municipalities on a matching grant basis.
In addition, Chief Duelks announced today that the Westfield Fire Department has been awarded $28,000 from the American Rescue Plan Firefighter Grant program. The funding will be utilized to assist the department in purchasing additional Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) for our personnel. There were 293 competitive grants awarded to fire companies across New Jersey, totaling New Jersey’s $10 million allotment of funding, with 12 awarded to Union County fire departments. Special thanks to Battalion Chief Robert Sawicki for leading the effort in preparing the application, along with the assistance of Firefighter Ryan Dullea.
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EAST BROAD STREET PAVING
Yesterday, Elizabethtown Gas began milling and paving on East Broad Street. The work began on the Springfield Avenue side of East Broad and will extend to North Euclid over the course of approximately ten days, weather permitting. This will be followed by the milling and paving of North Euclid (from East Broad to Mountain Avenue). Hours of operation for this work are 6:00 AM through 5:00 PM, during which time the affected parts of the road will be subject to closure. We recognize this is frustrating and inconvenient at this busy time of year, but the goal remains to have this work finished before the winter so that the paving does not have to be postponed to the spring. Thank you for your patience as we finally approach the completion of this work. |
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WHS THEATRE PERFORMANCE
Do you have your tickets yet for this weekend's performance of "The Secret in the Wings" by the Westfield High School Theatre Department? Please come out and support the incredible talent of these student performers!
Tickets are sold online only. |
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LEAF COLLECTION
Public Works is in the midst of their first leaf collection pass throughout Town. As a reminder, Nixle alerts are sent out each evening to notify residents of the anticipated collection points for the following day (subscribe by texting 07090 to 888777). In addition, this year the Town is supplementing its weekday collection efforts with six Saturday collection dates.
Once again, the Town is also providing up to ten free leaf collection bags per household, which can be picked up with proof of residency at the Conservation Center (no permit required). For more information on the Center's seasonal hours and curbside pickup guidelines, visit westfieldnj.gov/leafcollection. |
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SUSTAINABLE JERSEY SILVER CERTIFICATION
At this week’s NJ League of Municipalities conference, the Town of Westfield was awarded Silver Certification – the highest tier of recognition – by Sustainable Jersey for the third consecutive year! Many thanks to our employees across multiple departments – particularly Public Works – and our dedicated Green Team volunteers for their ongoing commitment to our sustainability goals.
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WESTFIELD PUBLIC SCHOOLS STRATEGIC PLANNING SURVEYThe Westfield Public School District invites all members of the Westfield community to participate in the strategic planning process by completing a brief survey. The survey takes about 5-10 minutes to complete, and the deadline has been extended to November 23. |
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EVENTS
Senior Scam Seminar
Lifelong Westfield and the Westfield Police Department will once again be partnering to host a Senior Scam Seminar to provide seniors and their caregivers with important information to protect themselves against financial losses from scams. The session will be held on Friday, December 9, at 11:00 AM in the Town Hall Community Room. Registration is available at bit.ly/SeniorScamWebinar. To obtain information to join via Zoom, please call 908-301-1287.
Forest Bathing
Have you heard of forest bathing? Inspired by the Japanese practice of Shinrin Yoku (which translates to “taking in the forest atmosphere”), forest bathing is walking slowly in the woods to connect more deeply with nature, ourselves and each other. Thanks to the Tree Preservation Commission, Recreation Commission, and the Recreation Department, a very successful forest bathing event was held last Sunday in Brightwood Park, with registration filling up in one day and forming a lengthy wait list! Due to the immediate success of the program, look for another session to be held next spring in Tamaques.
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