Happy Spring Ward 3 and Westfield. It may not feel like it yet, due to the foot and a half of snow we received this past week, but winter is almost over. I want to recognize DPW for the great work they did, and the very long hours they put in, keeping our streets clear through winter storm Stella. Spring is a time to be outside after a long winter, and there will be many fun events and activities to do over the next several weeks in Westfield.
On March 31st and April 1st, Westfield public schools are hosting their annual “Into the Arts” festival at Westfield High School. As it is every year, this should be a great event. Arts are an important part of our children’s education. A 10 year Stanford University study showed that children involved in arts programs are:
- Four times more likely to win an academic award, such as being on the honor roll.
- Eight times more likely to receive a community service award.
- Three times more likely to win a school attendance award.
- Four times more likely to participate in a math or science fair.
- Likely to score higher on their SAT college admission test scores if they have been involved for more than four years of after-school arts study.
It’s not just children who need arts in their lives, people of all ages benefit from an active cultural and artistic community.
As Vice-President of ArtWorks Westfield, I’m happy to announce that we are kicking off our season with Articulture 2017, on Saturday April 22nd, from 1:00PM to 10:00PM, at the Westfield Woman’s Club. It is a day-long show featuring local and greater Westfield area musicians, artists, and authors. Last year was the inaugural show for the newly formed ArtWorks group, and this year promises to be even bigger and better. You can buy tickets at Whip City Music, and Jayzz Café, with more locations to be announced. Tickets will also be available at the door.
ArtWorks Westfield was founded to create and promote arts and cultural activities and events in Westfield. One of our goals is to host small local events such as live music, photography and arts shows, and local author events on a consistent basis, to generate an atmosphere that will attract locals and visitors to downtown Westfield. This will help generate traffic for our local businesses, and let other businesses know that Westfield is an up and coming location to relocate to, and a great place to start a new business. ArtWorks other primary goal is to ensure our local talent is being paid for their services. Hence the name ArtWorks, because it really does on many levels.
Onto Ward 3 business. I wish to thank all of the residents that were able to attend the Ward 3 meeting, which I hosted at Westfield Technical Academy on Monday, February 28th. We had a great turn out, and covered a range of topics from the Ward 3 road repair schedule, to the water contamination situation, how to begin a local neighborhood watch, and many other topics. Attendees were so engaged, that the meeting went on an hour longer than expected. I want to again thank DPW Director Dave Billips, and Sergeant Eric Hall of WPDs Community Policing division for giving some wonderful presentations, and for taking questions from Ward 3 residents.
Lastly as a reminder, the City Council recently approved a bond for Westfield Gas & Electric to roll our Whip City Fiber high-speed internet service to approximately 70% of Westfield over the next 2 years. This will create competition in the broadband market, and hopefully drive down the cost of competing services. At the very least it will give residents that are willing to cut the cable TV cord, the opportunity to do so at reduced rates, with higher speeds.
With this roll out, I expect WG&E and the city of Westfield to take full advantage of the opportunities this infrastructure provides us. This high-speed fiber internet service, in conjunction with our regional airport, and easy access to the MassPike is a major selling point to attract high tech businesses to Westfield. I would like to see Westfield develop a high-tech business park in the area surrounding Barnes airport. This would generate much-needed new revenue for the city, which in turn will help to halt the continued rise of property taxes.
The Council and the Mayor were able to stop the increase of property taxes this year, by utilizing free-cash (unspent tax dollars) to offset the budget increase that unfortunately was passed last summer. That was a one time stop-gap measure, and should not be expected every year, as long as our budget continues to expand every year.
This is an election year, and you the citizens of Westfield have the opportunity to voice your opinion in what direction the city should be headed, by supporting the candidates that work for your concerns. I would encourage everyone to look at the records of all of your local elected officials, to see how they vote, and if you agree with their stances. I myself expect to be judged by that same measure, which is why I have kept every promise which I made during the last campaign. It’s a simple matter really, if you say you are going to do something, then follow through. I appreciate the support I have received from the residents of Ward 3, and will be coming to your door over the coming months, to discuss your concerns, so that I may continue to be your voice at City Hall.
As always, I am available to all Ward 3 and Westfield residents. If you have any issues with the city, with which I can assist you, please contact me at (413) 570-0899, or [email protected]. I also host regular monthly office hours at Press Room, in the Westfield News Building at 62 School St. My office hours are on the Second Monday of each month from 11:30am to 1:00pm, and on the Fourth Monday of each month from 3:00pm to 4:30pm.
P.S. I’m half Irish, so I want to wish everyone a belated Happy St. Patrick’s day! I hope you had a great one. I was unable to participate in the Holyoke parade this year, as I was out of town on business. I trust it was a success nonetheless.
Happy Spring Westfield!
Andrew K. Surprise
City Councilor – Ward 3
