RALPH FIGY
I am pleased to have been asked to write this article for the Westfield News. The Westfield News has been and still is a vital component in keeping the citizens of Westfield informed. I would like to thank the voters in Ward 2 for their support and confidence placed in me as their Ward 2 City Councilor. It is a responsibility that I will take seriously.
Numerous things are going on in Ward 2 that should make residents excited. Several items are nearing completion, some are continuing, and some are just beginning. I am excited to report the progress is finally happening for the completion of the Gazebo on the Town Green. The engineers working on the project have finally agreed on a hanger to connect the rafters to the main truss to support the roof. This process has taken an extraordinary amount of time. I have been discussing this issue with the City Engineer and the Construction Instructor at Westfield Vocational School, in order to facilitate this process. I am hopeful that the progress started will continue and we will have a Gazebo by the end of this school year. Once completed, the Gazebo will have taken three years to construct.
The construction of a new senior center is progressing on the fast track. If all goes as planned, construction is scheduled to begin in the fall of 2014. Completion is scheduled for the fall of 2015. This project has been long over do and is coming to fruition due to the hard work of many people. The Friends of the Senior Center is holding a fund raiser at Shaker Farms Country Club on March 1. Please support this organization as all of the money they raise will go to furnishing the new senior center. For more information and for tickets, please call the senior center at 562-6435.
A new project that is proposed by the Domus Agency is for a homeless shelter for teenagers here in Westfield. This project has been in the design phase for quite some time as the need continues to grow. Currently there are thirty plus teens that are attending one of our three high schools that are homeless. This is not an issue particular to Westfield. State wide it is estimated that there are 6,000 homeless teens. Domus is proposing to purchase the Red Cross building on Broad Street and to completely rehab the historical building. They will staff the program full time and provide a myriad of services to assist the teens in staying in school. The ultimate goal is to help the teen to become self sufficient and to lead a productive life after graduation.
Just a reminder, Abner Gibb’s 100th Anniversary Pasta Dinner will be held at the school from 5-7 on Thursday February 13. The alumni will be in the kitchen.
There are other projects that I will discuss in future articles as well as to keep you updated on those discussed in this article. I hope that you are as excited as I am with the positive changes that are happening in Ward 2.I can be reached at 413-568-9954 or by email at [email protected] . Thank you for taking the time to read this article and your comments are welcomed.
Ralph J Figy
Ward 2 Councilor
