MAYOR'S UPDATE:
WEEK ENDING DECEMBER 9

Thank you to Temple Emanu-El for inviting me to participate in the powerful Holocaust exhibit, The Cattle Car: Stepping In and Out of Darkness, which was an immersive experience inside an exact replica of a World War II cattle car used to transport Jews and other targeted groups to the concentration camps and extermination camps. Now more than ever, it is imperative that new and future generations are educated about the horrors of the Holocaust to ensure we never forget. During this holiday season, let’s recommit to standing in solidarity with our Jewish friends and neighbors against hate speech and anti-semitisim in all forms, every day. 


As a reminder, the Town Council meets on Tuesday evening. Wishing you all a wonderful weekend!

NEW RECREATION DIRECTOR

Please join me in welcoming Megan Schaffer as our new Recreation Director! Megan replaces Don Bogardus, who is retiring at the end of December after a 30-year municipal recreation career.

Megan brings diverse and valuable experience to this position – as a Recreation Director, a Division 1 college athlete, and a coach – and will bring valuable perspectives to her leadership of our incredible Recreation Department.

Megan joins the Town of Westfield following a decade of diverse experience in municipal recreation covering a wide range of responsibilities. Most recently, she served as the Paramus Director of Recreation and Assistant Recreation Director, where she oversaw all facility and field scheduling, recreation program development, department budgeting, grant proposals, and staffing.

Prior to her positions in Paramus, Megan worked in the Bloomfield Recreation Department for five years, and served as the Assistant Coach of the Rutgers Softball Team. In addition to her coaching experience, Megan was a standout high school softball player where she received All State and County honors and led Bloomfield High School to a Sectional Championship. She then went on to continue her softball career at the collegiate level, playing for both St. Peter's University and Manhattan College. Megan is a graduate of Bloomfield College.

Megan is a Certified Recreation Administrator, a Certified Rutgers S.A.F.E.T.Y Clinician, and a Certified Aquatics Facility Operator. She is also actively involved in recreation industry organizations, including serving as the Vice President for the NJ Commission for Recreation for Individuals with Disabilities, as well as an ongoing member of the New Jersey Recreation and Parks Association.

Congratulations to Megan on her new position, and best wishes to Don on his retirement!

ONE WESTFIELD PLACE INFORMATION

Thanks to everyone who attended the three Traffic Mitigation information sessions at the One Westfield Place Preview Center last week and the Future of Office Space discussion last night, as well as the information sessions for Wards 1, 2, and 4. The session for Ward 3 will be held on Saturday morning at 11:30, where I’ll be joined by Councilmen David Contract and Mark LoGrippo to speak with residents and answer your questions – no registration required. 

Please mark your calendars for the next round of information sessions throughout December: 

• The Future of Office Space: Discussion of current market trends, demand for Class-A office space, office amenities, and post-COVID work spaces (December 13, 6:00 PM)
• Planning and Design: Discussion of land use, proposed scale, and overall aesthetics and design (December 15, 6:00 PM)
• Wellness and Sustainability: (Monday, December 19, 6:00 PM)

To manage capacity, pre-registration is suggested for these sessions, and is available on the One Westfield Place website.

And if you missed the traffic discussions, please join me on Monday, December 12, at 5:30 for a Facebook Live session to cover this important topic. I will be joined by John Federico from our traffic consulting firm, WSP, as well as Carolina Simon, VP of Development for HBC | Streetworks Development and their traffic consultants from Kimley-Horn. You can submit a question in advance on our website, or in the comments during the presentation. 

We also anticipate that Streetworks will be publishing their full Traffic Impact Study in the coming days. Given some of the misrepresentations of the traffic data that are circulating on social media, I urge you to attend on Monday (or watch the replay afterwards) and gain a firsthand understanding of the extensive analysis that is underway, which is also being peer-reviewed not only by the Town’s certified professional traffic consultant, but also by traffic experts from the Union County Engineering Office, NJ Department of Transportation, and NJ Transit. 
 
Subsequent Facebook Live events focused on the financial details of the proposal, planning and design, and the future of offices will be held immediately after the holidays.

EVENTS

Menorah Lighting
Please be sure to join us for the Menorah Lighting on December 18 at 4:30 at the North Avenue Train Station to celebrate Hanukkah with Rabbi Block of the Union County Torah Center-Chabad!

DWC Holiday Events
As always, the DWC has many events planned to celebrate this festive time of year, including Westfield Winter Wonderland Activities on December 18 in Foundation Park, Hanukkah Hoopla (December 18 - 23), Kwanzaa Fun (December 26 and 28), the Miracle on Elm Street Weekly Gift Card Giveaways, holiday music throughout Downtown Westfield on December 11 and 18, outdoor fire pits, and more. Some events require advance registration – be sure to visit the DWC’s website for full details.

Santa Convoy 
Thanks to our Police Department, Fire Department, Volunteer Rescue Squad, and Department of Public Works for launching our first-ever Santa Convoy on December 17, when Santa will drive around Westfield to hand out candy canes to children. For more information, or to sign up to get a visit on your street, go to westfieldnj.gov/santa-convoy.
 
Toys for Tots
In addition, the Westfield Police Department is partnering with Toys for Tots to collect new unwrapped toys for less fortunate children this holiday season. There is a toy collection bin located in the Police Department lobby, which is accessible 24/7, as well as an Amazon wish list. The deadline to contribute is December 14. For more details, visit westfieldnj.gov/toys-for-tots.

Westfield Community Concert Band Holiday Concert
The Westfield Recreation Department will host its 32th Annual Holiday Concert featuring the Westfield Community Concert Band and the Edison Intermediate School Broadway Singers on Friday, December 16, at 7:30 p.m. at Edison Intermediate School. This free public concert culminates the band’s 110th anniversary concert season! 

Holiday Light Contest
Does your house have the most holiday spirit? Join us for the Town-wide Holiday Light Contest! Registration is open until December 15 using your CivicRec account through the Recreation Department. Online voting will take place from December 16 through December 26. For full details, visit westfieldnj.gov/recreation.