WESTFIELD – A divided City Council decided the best course of action was not to act to approve or reject a $1.8 million bond to improve athletic facilities across the city.
The council members generally agree that there is a need to improve athletic facilities and to gave more equality to venues for girls sporting events, but the divide among those members is financial and an issue of priorities including can the city afford to spend nearly $2 million for athletic fields when 14 School Department staff members lost their jobs last June.
Several speaking during public participation urged the council to approve the bond order which will replace the lights and pole at both the Bullens Field baseball diamond and football field, which also hosts soccer matches.
The proposal is to replace the existing lights, which were installed 27 years ago, with new LED lights and poles. The existing lights and poles would then be installed at other athletic fields.
Mayor Daniel M. Knapik originally submitted a bond for nearly $4 million to improve existing and create new athletic facilities, but that was rejected by the dollar-conscious council members. Knapik then submitted a bond order of $1.8 million, but that was also rejected when it was felt it was too oriented on boys sport and baseball.
Knapik then submitted the second version of the $1.8 million bond with language less specific about where the existing Bullens Field light poles would be used.
Finance Committee Chairman Brent B. Bean II, who supported sending the original bond back to the Mayor, said his concerns are addressed in the language of the new bond order.
“The bond language did not initially address female sports, so this revised language gets my support,” Bean said.
At-large Councilor David A. Flaherty also supported the bond for athletic field improvements
“Can we afford this given all the other bonds we have?” Flaherty said. “We decided that we could do this. It is an appropriate use. I do think we can afford to do it.”
Flaherty said that the other option to the bond is to increase maintenance funding in the departmental budgets.
“When we open parks we have to budget money for maintenance. My hope was pass this tonight,” Flaherty said.
The council then voted on a motion to refer the bond order from the Finance Committee to the Legislative & Ordinance Committee, typically a routine process made on a voice vote.
Last night there were “nays” during the voice vote and President Brian Sullivan called for a roll call. The motion to refer the bond order to the L&O was approved on a 8-4 vote.
The L&O had rejected a motion to give the bond order a positive recommendation at its meeting Tuesday by a 1-2 vote. L&O Members Christopher Keefe and Matthew VanHeynigan also voted against the motion to refer the bond from the Finance Committee to the L&O, because of fiscal concerns.
Also voting against the committee transfer were Ward 5 Councilor Robert A. Paul Sr., and At-Large Councilor Cindy Harris.
At-Large Councilor James R. Adams made the motion to table the issue, still in the L&O, until the council’s Nov. 5th session. That motion was approved on an unanimous voice vote.
