TOWN COUNCIL MEETING OPENING REMARKS: APRIL 11, 2023

EARTH MONTH

April is also Earth Month, and the Westfield Green Team has several events in the works. 

[Comments by Councilman Contract]:

On April 22, which is Earth Day, residents are invited to the annual Free Market at the South Avenue Train Station lot. This event allows you to donate and take home yard sale quality items at no cost – such as clothing, kitchen items, garden tools, housewares, sports equipment, and books. This is a great way to share still-usable items instead of discarding them, which helps limit what is sent to the landfill. Donations can be dropped off between 8:00 AM and 11:00 AM (pre-registration is required), and browsing is open to all from 11:30 AM through 2:00 PM.

And as Earth Month continues, be sure to take advantage of the additional activities presented by the Westfield Green Team:

• Native Plant Sale in partnership with The Friends of Brightwood Park
• Battle of the Drains Competition with Berkeley Heights
• Parks Clean-Up at Tamaques and Brightwood

You can find all of the information about these events at westfieldnj.gov/earth-month. And if you’re looking for additional information from the Green Team about their ongoing sustainability efforts, be sure to subscribe to their quarterly newsletter.

FRIENDS OF WESTFIELD MEMORIAL LIBRARY BOOK SALE

The spring book sale returns to Westfield Memorial Library this month, with 100% of the proceeds directly funding library programming. Donation days this year will be April 19-22, and the sale will take place April 26-30. 

The Friends is a volunteer group that exists to enhance the library and to serve the library community. Through membership dues and fundraising efforts like this sale, the Friends enable the library to provide programs like the Hale Speaker Series, books on wheels, museum passes, Saturday children’s programs, and more. For additional details, or to volunteer, visit their website.

MIDDAY MADNESS CLUE HUNT

The DWC is bringing back Midday Madness on April 22 for a downtown clue hunt! Grab your family and friends and use your detective skills to decipher clues that will lead you to various locations throughout downtown Westfield. Come up with your team name and show your spirit with a unifying team color or theme. 

The cost to participate is $9 for adults and kids 12 and under. For additional details, or to register, visit westfieldtoday.com.

AMERICAN LEGION ARTS & MUSIC FESTIVAL

Join the Westfield American Legion for their Arts & Music Festival to support a great cause! The event will be held on April 29 from 6:00 - 10:00 at the Westfield Armory for an evening of live music and artisans selling their products, as well as food trucks and 30 brands pouring unlimited beer, wine and liquor tastings.

All proceeds go to the rebuilding of the Westfield American Legion Hall, which will include 22 units for homeless veterans, a 3,000 square foot banquet hall for rental, and facilities for the veterans. Once the facility is running, a full-time Veterans Affairs representative is planned to be on-site to help veterans with job placement, resume writing, and counseling services. This initiative is part of the Foundation for Sustainable Veteran Housing, whose goal is to repurpose existing veterans’ facilities to build upgraded sites in all 21 counties in New Jersey over the next five to ten years. They are currently working on facilities in four counties, including the Westfield project, that will provide housing for 70 at-risk veterans. With an average of 20 units per facility, they hope to provide enough housing for all 442 current at risk veterans statewide.

You can find out more about this project, as part of the Foundation for Sustainable Veteran Housing, at www.fsvh.org. For more details or to purchase tickets for the April 29 event, visit their ticketing page. 

MEMORIAL DAY PARADE

Planning is underway for the Memorial Day Parade! As always, this beloved Westfield tradition is led by the Martin Wallberg American Legion Post 3 to honor those who made the ultimate sacrifice for our freedom. The Town is assisting the Legion by collecting parade participant information on our website. 

The parade route will be the same as last year with a later start time, beginning with the traditional remembrance ceremony at 10:00am in Monument Circle, and will then proceed down East Broad Street and turn left on North Euclid, ending in Mindowaskin Park, where all members of the public are invited for a gathering. The Westfield Police Department will escort all participating veterans to Fairview Cemetery for the annual solemn service to be held there. The American Legion will also host its annual barbecue with music and entertainment. Additional details will follow in the coming weeks.

OPEN QUIMBY

As the weather gets warmer, it’s time to get ready for another great season of Open Quimby! Over the next few weeks, our dedicated Public Works crews will install the approved outdoor parklets for participating businesses, as well as the tents for Open Quimby, which will be in effect in early May through the end of October. This seasonal pedestrian plaza will once again feature expanded outdoor dining and retail space, entertainment, and additional programming by the DWC. The one-way traffic pattern will also be put in place and, on Tuesday nights in July and August during the Sweet Sounds Downtown Music Festival, the road will be fully closed to cars.

THROUGH THE LENS PHOTOGRAPHY EXHIBIT

The Westfield Public Arts Commission (WPAC) is pleased to announce the Third Annual Through the Lens Photography Exhibit. This year's theme is "Movement." Artists are encouraged to explore photographically what movement looks like through their eyes and the camera lens, and are invited to use their own creative interpretation of the theme. The WPAC will select photographs to be displayed in Downtown Westfield. The deadline for submissions is April 30, and full details can be found on our website.

SCHOOL BUDGET VOTER INFORMATION

A variety of community engagement sessions have been scheduled in to allow multiple opportunities for Westfield voters to hear about the 2023-2024 school district operating budget and to get their questions answered before going to the polls on Tuesday, April 25.  The list of community engagement sessions -- some remote, some in-person -- are posted on the April Budget Vote portal on the district and school websites.

CAPITAL BUDGET ADOPTION

Finally, as part of tonight’s agenda, we will vote to adopt the 2023 capital budget, which includes the next phase of our unprecedented, multi-year road paving program, various intersection and sidewalk improvements, recreation enhancements, and continued investment in DPW vehicles and equipment.

With that, let's get to work.