WESTFIELD – It can be safely assumed that the majority of meetings held in Westfield’s City Hall do not have pizza delivered prior to roll call, but that was the case Monday evening, when members of the City’s Youth Commission convened for their February meeting.
Composed of students ranging in age from middle school to recent high school graduates attending their freshman year of college, the commission’s goal is to create an environment in which young people and adults can communicate their thoughts and ideas about the city.
“We really want this group to teach the city what the city can do to help them, the youth in our community,” said Diana McLean, the City’s Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) coordinator. “One of the things we’ve said to them is ‘there is no wrong answer. It is whatever they’re thinking about.’ We want them to go out into our community and listen to what kids are talking about.”
The commission was dissolved but then revived under the leadership of Mayor Daniel M. Knapik, and has become an active group once again.
“We changed an ordinance last year that would allow up to 20 students to sit on the commission,” said McLean. “It’s a good mixture between all of the schools: North and South middle schools, the high schools, just really trying to get a good diversity.”
McLean stated that the reformed commission now has 19 students, with room for one more, and that a committee was formed to interview students for seats at the table, with help from organizations like the Westfield Boys and Girls Club.
“We asked them things like ‘what’re your favorite classes?’, ‘what do you like to do?'” McLean said. “There were some shy kids, but those kids need a voice, too.”
She also stated that an ordinance has been put forth that enables non-Westfield residents who still attend Westfield schools to serve on the commission, such as the case with RJ Boyer, a resident of Russell who attends South Middle School.
Other attendees of the meeting included Chair Cindy Santiago of Holyoke Community College, who is a recent graduate of Westfield Vocational Technical High School; Caitlyn Blanchard, a Westfield resident who attended St. Mary’s High School, but transferred to Holyoke Catholic in Chicopee; Madison Bruno of St. Mary’s High School; Lauren Roache, Daniel Gosselin and Ryan Clark of Westfield High School; and David Roundy, Dennis Hall, William Cameron, and Peter Chrisanthopoulos of North Middle School.
The topic of conversation Monday evening involved getting the commission’s input on how to use a state grant to upgrade a spray park in the city at either Sadie Knox or Hampton Ponds State Park.
“The grant is for $200,000, with a $50,000 city contribution,” said Jim Blascak, program coordinator for the city’s Parks and Recreation Department and Youth Commission member. “You can’t build a new park or rehab an old park, but you can add some stuff to it.”
When asked which park would be better suited to receive new goodies for a spray park, Blascak went with Sadie Knox.
“You can get more bang for your buck there,” he said. “Spray parks are the hot thing. They’re lower maintenance than a pool, we already have two of them. You go to them any day in the summertime, and they’re packed with kids from town and from the surrounding towns.”
During the meeting, McLean took the opportunity to further explain a packet on Robert’s Rules of Order that had been dispursed at the January 27 meeting, and the basics of meeting protocol, such as approval of minutes and how roll calls work, as Santiago called off the names of students.
“We talk about things that will make Westfield a better place,” said Cameron. “Projects like the spray parks, but we also talk about what is going on in our schools.”
