WESTFIELD—The city of Westfield has provided several downtown businesses with signs showing their efforts to maintain the area but two were reportedly recently vandalized according to Community Outreach Coordinator Amber Danahey, while another was reported missing.
Skyline Trading Company, Blended Vintage Marketplace, Jack’s Barber Shop, RE/MAX Compass and The Good Table all received signs on Friday, Nov. 3, which show locations near the businesses that were “adopted” by them. These are areas that the businesses will help to take care of and maintain, including vegetation and trash pickup.
According to Danahey, the program began to form in August, when several businesses approached the city about caring for planters and other areas of the city. The city determined that they would get signs for the businesses participating to highlight their efforts, while also drafting a policy for businesses to follow regarding caring for their areas.
The Blended Vintage Marketplace sign, with the top portion of the sign missing.
Jack’s Barber Shop sign.
“The city paid for the signs for the good will we will receive in return,” Danahey said.
The signs were planted last week at businesses that were participating, highlighting the businesses that adopted those small parcels to care for.
However, according to Danahey, by this past Monday it was found that at least two of the signs–Jack’s Barber Shop and Blended Vintage Marketplace–were reportedly vandalized.
The information came from a phone call Danahey received from one of the participants. In addition, Lisa Pac, owner of Skyline Trading Company, also noted to The Westfield News that her sign was missing earlier this week.
“We got a phone call from Jack at Jack’s Barber Shop asking if there were replacement possibilities for vendors that had participated,” Danahey said.
“We really hadn’t thought of it that far, didn’t think we had to this soon,” she said.
Danahey said that the sign for Jack’s Barber Shop was found “flat” in a nearby parking lot.
“Luckily it hadn’t been damaged too bad and he was able to put it back in his planter,” Danahey said.
In addition, Danahey said that the sign for Blended Vintage Marketplace also had damage. Andrea Bruno, owner of Blended Vintage Marketplace, was unaware of the damage at first. Bruno said that the fact that this happened is disheartening.
“I’m kind of bummed out, I just got the sign,” she said.
However, in spite of it, she said that she would continue to maintain the area she pledged to take care of.
“I will still take care of the planters, just a little upsetting that someone has to ruin what the city of Westfield is trying to do and what the small businesses are trying to do to bring Westfield back,” she said.
Bill Miner, owner of RE/MAX Compass, who said that he is bringing in his sign for the winter, was also disheartened by the news.
“I can’t believe people that don’t respect things in the town and things that go to improve Westfield,” he said. “Unbelievable people can’t respect that.”
Miner’s sign was not damaged or missing.
Pac said that she noticed the Skyline Trading Company sign missing on Tuesday, and believes that it may have occurred around the same time as the other two incidents. When asked what she may do, Pac was unsure.
“I don’t really know, I can call the mayor’s office and ask but if we put another out there and it disappears then it’s all for nothing,” she said.
“I didn’t even get to really see it,” she added.
Pac said that no police report was filed regarding the incident.
Pac is discouraged, but said that this won’t prevent her from continuing to maintain the area she said she would.
“We’re still going to take care of the garden whether our name’s there or not,” she said.
Pac suggested that the city should look into attaching the signs to their locations somehow to prevent something like this from happening again.
Danahey responded to the news of the alleged incident with the Skyline Trading Company’s sign and others on Thursday via email:
We initiated the Adopt Westfield program at the inquiry of a few local businesses that were interested in helping out their city. We wanted to capitalize on their enthusiasm. Signs were distributed to the businesses on Friday, and by Monday there were reports of vandalism – and today one that has been stolen outright. I’m disappointed. At this point, I am not sure if the signs will be replaced. They weren’t inexpensive. Until a more permanent solution can be determined for the signs, we will not order replacements.”
