WESTFIELD – Following the closing of Westfield State University’s downtown art gallery earlier this week, potential tenants for the space in the Rinnova Building at 105 Elm Street are looking at setting up shop there.
The Friends of the Columbia Greenway Rail Trail and Westfield on Weekends (WOW) have emerged as two possible suitors for the space.
“There has been some conversation, although our board of directors has not come to any decision,” said Jeffrey LaValley of the Friends of the Columbia Greenway. “We’re still weighing our options and the benefits.”
LaValley said that having a downtown office location would undoubtedly be beneficial for the organization and the potential opportunity to collaborate with other organizations and small businesses is an appealing one.
“It would provide office and meeting space, but would also be multi-functional and provide workshops and trainings, and other services,” he said. “But any financial decision has to be approved by our board of directors and we’re not there yet. There are many benefits and we will weigh them as we make our decision.”
Ann Lentini, executive director of Domus, Inc., is the landlord of the Elm Street building and is excited about the possibility of welcoming both groups as tenants in a “dual partnership.”
“Those two agencies would be able to go in and share that space,” said Lentini. “For the Greenway, because they are redoing all the trails, that would give them a central point to communicate with folks.”
Cultivating a downtown presence for a vibrant, community-based organization would be of great benefit for not only that organization, but for the city itself, according to Lentini.
“They are still communicating with their boards to see what they can afford,” she said. “I think it would be a great opportunity for them – especially WOW – to have a visible presence in terms of an actual location.”
Lentini said that she has long lent the building’s basement to WOW and allowed them to store items, but hopes to provide them with a physical home to call their own.
“I think it would be great for the community, just to have their presence and their energy,” she said. “I’m hopeful that they can continue their discussions and we will work with them as best we can to accomodate them and see what we can do.”
