Greetings Ward 3,
I want to take this opportunity to tell the residents of Ward 3 that I will do my best to represent your interests at the local level. Fittingly Ward 3 residents had 3 main priorities, which I heard from nearly everyone as I went door to door last year. Those were Roads, Property Taxes, and Revitalizing our Downtown.
I have addressed the issue of desperately needed road repairs with Mayor Sullivan, and he has assured me more money will be put into the roads this year. He has asked Ward councilors to develop a list of the worst streets which need repairs immediately. The city is discussing the purchase of infrared pothole technology, which heats up blacktop surrounding a pothole so that a hot patch can be applied. The patches are durable and will last 5-7 years. This will make our roads safer, and will save the city money in the long term, and will save our residents money in costly auto repairs.
I am happy to report efforts to revitalize our downtown are moving forward. The Gas Light district development is progressing. There is also a citizen-led initiative which is working to develop a Cultural district in downtown Westfield. It is engaging with Artists of all manner, Downtown business owners, Community leaders, and Average citizens in this effort. At the last Council meeting, I introduced a motion to have the ZPD Committee begin research for a possible Arts and Cultural Zoning Overlay District in downtown Westfield. I was encouraged to have the unanimous support of my colleagues.
The Westfield Arts and Cultural Forum (which can be found on Facebook) has held two very well-attended Community meetings since December. Many wonderful ideas have come from those meetings, and a formal group is now forming to keep pushing this initiative forward. If you are interested in becoming a part of this group, please attend the next meeting on Feb. 23 at Elm Pizza at 6:30 p.m. If you believe Westfield is ready to see a revitalized downtown, let your elected officials know that you support these efforts to bring commerce and life back to our downtown.
Property taxes unfortunately were raised again at the end of last year. I do not support the raising of taxes, and instead encourage the Mayor and the Council to first look at ways to reduce costs through greater efficiencies. Then we must take a hard look at the budget, and make tough calls on what Westfield really needs to be spending taxpayer money on, and what we can do without.
Lastly, I recently attended the Ribbon cutting ceremony for the Westfield Technical Academy’s Aviation Technology Program. Several hundred people attended, and it was easy to see why Westfield is such a close-knit community. We should be proud of our community, and our education and elected officials, for working diligently to implement this program. Aviation is a strong and growing industry. Boeing projects annual airplane demand to increase by 35 to 40 percent over the next decade. In 2014, there were 21,600 airplanes in service, that number is projected to double over the next 20 years to 43,560. Students graduating from this program will have a FAA certification in aviation airframe or power plant maintenance. It will mean students in this program are in line for high paying jobs, without having to take on massive student loan debt. I am very proud that Westfield Technical Academy is located in Ward 3, and I am a strong proponent of vocational education.
Westfield is on the verge of some great things. I will work very hard with the Mayor and my colleagues on the City Council to keep moving Westfield into the 21st Century, without breaking the bank. I am available to any resident of Ward 3 or Westfield at large. If you have a question or issue you would like addressed, please contact me at (413) 570-0899, or [email protected].
Best Regards,
Andrew K. Surprise
City Councilor – Ward 3
Disclaimer: The views expressed in this column are those of the author and not the staff, editor, or publisher of this publication.
