WESTFIELD — As Westfield gears up for a busy summer season, local leaders are working to embark on a series of capital-improvement projects that they say will address certain challenges within the community and provide new recreation opportunities over the coming months.
On Tuesday, during a regular meeting of the mayor and council, the governing body voted to introduce a $645,000 capital-improvement ordinance which, if approved, would allow the town to acquire new parkingsystem equipment, resurface the tennis courts at Tamaques Park, purchase new athletic-field maintenance equipment, and install an aboveground fuel-tank system at the Department of Public Works. The funds also will be used to support the engineering phase of a proposed streamcleanup effort along the Robinson’s Branch of the Rahway River and cover the expenses related to the initial parts of the town’s Tamaques Park expansion project.
“We are not adding to our debt service by funding these projects,” Town Administrator James Gildea said. “This is money that has already been allocated to our capitalimprovement fund through our annual budget. Now we’re just explaining what we plan to do with those funds in more detail.”
This year’s $53,380,475 budget, whichrepresentsazero-percentincrease to the local tax levy, was unanimously approved by the council earlier this month.Therestofthisyear’s$4,484,000 capital budget, Mr. Gildea explained, will be used to purchase new municipal vehicles, fund road-paving efforts and provide additional supports to the police and fire departments.
“Now that the budgets have been adopted, we get to the fun part and actually get to work,” Mayor Shelley Brindle said.
The council also voted to introduce two other ordinances on Tuesday — one that would further codify the town’s tree-preservation regulations and a second that would create a more flexible zoning code around the perimeter of the town’s Central Business District.
“We have been getting numerous requests from different types of businesses ever since the end of the Covid-19 pandemic, but as things stand right now, we are pretty limited in terms of what we can allow and what we can’t,” Mr. Gildea said.
If approved, the new ordinance (2024-11) would permit businesses like physical therapy centers, real estate offices and consulting services to operate out of ground-floor spaces in certain sections of town.
The “core” of the downtown area, Mr. Gildea said, will continue to operate as a general hub for “active” businesses like restaurants and retail establishments.
“This will allow our property owners to adapt to the changing times,” Mayor Brindle said, adding that the new amendment also would help to bring more patrons and visitors into the downtown area.
The council also granted its final approval to two other pieces of legislation on Tuesday — one that will require rental properties to submit to lead-based-paint inspections and another that will prohibit parking near the intersection of Grove Street and Grandview Avenue and add a handicapped- parking space on Summit Avenue.
Further, Mayor Brindle issued a series of proclamations and laudatory resolutions in recognition of Mental Health Awareness Month, Building Safety Month, National Bike Month, Emergency Medical Services Week and National Public Works Week.
The town will hold its annual Memorial Day Parade on Monday, May 27. Municipal offices will be closed in honor of the holiday.
The next regular meeting of the Westfield mayor and council will be held at 8 p.m. on Tuesday, May 28.
