City approves Park Square Green renovations

Date: 12/21/2010

Dec. 22, 2010

By Mike Briotta

PRIME Editor

WESTFIELD -- The city of Westfield approved a major renovation project to the Park Square Green last Thursday night, after about a decade of delays. A supermajority city council vote was needed to pass the most expensive Platinum Plan renovation option, with a total cost estimated to be more than $1.9 million.

The plan passed by the vote of 9-4, but opponents questioned: will the Park Square Green renovation cost taxpayers too many greenbacks?

Mayor Daniel Knapik received criticism, the next morning for proposing a costly initiative in recessionary economic times.

Mainly at issue was an estimated $350,000 in public funds to be spent on a single structure. A public debate ensued about whether the "gazebo" as described in city plans should instead be called what Knapik terms a "performance pavilion."

Knapik said during a radio interview that he prefers to call the edifice an "all-weather, multi-purpose performance pavilion" and termed the 900-square-foot building graced with copper and ornamental iron a relatively small piece of total downtown renovations. On the other side of the issue, it was dubbed a "castle on the green" by local on-air personalities interviewing the mayor.

The mayor told Reminder Publications that he and the council opted for the Platinum Plan because, in his view, the base-level Bronze Plan was insufficient. "That would only be a green space and some curbs," Knapik said of less expensive choice. "It would be nothing more than a lawn. A number of amenities were already pulled out of the project in 2009, including more elaborate lamps, stone work, and additional granite work."

Knapik also stressed that the building's $350,000 price tag as approved late last week could be significantly reduced during the bidding process. "That number is based on engineers' estimates," the mayor said. "We're seeing 20 to 30 percent reductions in the actual costs of these projects."

He added, "I think people will be pleasantly surprised."

Opponents of the Platinum Plan, however, assert that every tax dollar spent toward the roughly $1.9 million overall price tag represented a dollar not spent elsewhere in the city.

"I'm opposed because of the general debt of the city," Councilor David Flaherty said, who has remained steadfast in his opposition to the project. He voted against the plan last Thursday night.

"It's a nicety, not a necessity," Flaherty said. "We have schools that are in bad shape. We need new fire trucks, and employees have been asked to take furloughs. I would have preferred spending this money on paving roads."

He continued, "It doesn't make sense to spend the money at this point [on the Park Square Green]. It's an insult to all the people who have made sacrifices. This is $2 million for just six extra things."

The breakdown of the Park Square Project, as approved by the council, includes: $870,000 granite seat walls; $350,000 steel and copper topped gazebo; $225,000 monument walk; $113,000 anthenaeum entrance; $110,000 General Shepard Monument upgrades; and $56,000 for lighting.

Flaherty believes so strongly that private donations, not public money, should be paying for the project that he created a special private fund. The city councilor said he's given a month's worth of his own councilor compensation -- or $833 -- toward the project. According to Flaherty, none of the other councilors or the mayor has joined in the effort thus far. "I support the green, I just don't want public money paying for it," he explained.

Knapik expects bidding to take place in late January, and construction on the project to begin in April. He stated that the city has already allocated money during the past three years in a stabilization account that will cover the nearly $2 million cost. "Taxes in Westfield do not go up for long-term capital projects," Knapik asserted. "There's no correlation at all that this will impact the day-to-day operations of the city."

Although the mayor conceded during the radio interview that the gazebo wouldn't be used much of the time, Westfield on Weekends (WOW) director Bob Plasse told Reminder Publications that his group hopes to make extensive use of the building.

"I was really pleased with the vote for several reasons," Plasse explained. "Business people in our town have been sticking it out through a long transitional period into a more vibrant downtown. It was a vote for all of us who have worked and hoped for change in our downtown."

Plasse continued, "This was the result of many community groups working together. A renovated downtown green will be a linchpin of one end of our city. The cost per person of this project is not great, over the length of time of the bond."

The WOW director added that the gazebo or pavilion may actually be used year-round. "We're a four-season organization," Plasse said. "We'll use it for Harvest Days, summer concerts, and of course Dickens Days in the winter. Nonprofit groups could also hold their meetings there." The building will be designed for year-round use, according to engineering plans.

Plasse concluded, "Sometimes change is difficult, but when people see what the mayor, city council and supporters have created, we're going to look back and see that we did the right thing."

For more information about the Park Square Green project, visit the city's Web site at www.cityofwestfield.org/detpages/departments1607.html.