Community Preservation Committee recommends $1 million for projects in Westfield (2025)

WESTFIELD — Three historical projects for a total of $408,000 were recommended for funding by the city’s Community Preservation Committee following its annual public information hearing on April 10. Also recommended was $500,000 for the renovation of the Westfield Skate Park and $90,000 for rehabilitation of the Amelia Park Memorial Garden.

Joseph Muto, a mayoral appointee and CPC chair, Carl Grobe of the Conservation Commission, William Porter, a mayoral appointee, Richard Salois, Planning Board representative and vice chair of the CPC, Cindy Gaylord of the Historical Committee and Daniel Kelly, executive director of the Westfield Housing Authority were unanimous in their recommendations to fund all of the projects that were presented.

Before the projects were voted on, City Planner Jay Vinskey reviewed the availability of $2.5 million of Community Preservation Act funds for historic, housing, open space and undesignated/recreation projects, with another $750,000 anticipated in the next fiscal year.

Muto said the Committee’s role is to make recommendations for funding, to solicit and evaluate projects and review submissions. CPA funding comes from a surcharge of one percent collected in property tax receipts and a state match this November of 15.9 percent, which Vinskey said has gone down from a previous 30 percent match, and initially a 100 percent state match.

“We still get it,” Vinskey said, with 10% going into each category.

Gaylord presented the first two Historical Commission requests of $2,000 for the Hampden/Hampshire Canal Study, and $6,000 for a display case to showcase recently obtained Westfield-made historical whips at the Westfield Athenaeum.

“We’re trying to get the Massachusetts portion of the canal on the National Historic Registry,” Gaylord said, adding that the Pioneer Valley Planning Commission recently came back to the six towns involved in the years-long effort and requested $2,000 from each for further research. “This is the final section, then it will be complete,” she added.

Gaylord said the PVPC has been led to believe that the canal will be accepted, with one last piece of additional research being requested by the Mass. Historical Association. “We already put so much into it, it would be a shame not to complete it,” Gaylord said.

“I think it’s a good value,” said Muto, before the request for $2,000 was unanimously approved.

Another request from the Historical Commission was for $6,000 for a Whip Collection display case. “We were able to obtain 52 historic whips found in an attic for the Athenaeum,” Gaylord said, adding that the Commission contributed money towards the purchase and shipping of the whips from Illinois, which was largely paid for by generous private donors. The display cost is anticipated to cost $5,000 for the case, and $1,000 for lighting.

Porter asked if the whips would be on permanent display on the first floor of the library.

Athenaeum representative Linda Saltus said the library is arranging for a first floor display.

“The whips are gorgeous, in perfect condition, unused, never sold,” Gaylord said, adding the best part is that they were made in Westfield. “We are really lucky. The Collinsville Historical Museum in Illinois could have sold them, and made a lot more money,” she said before the request was approved.

Saltus then presented a historical request on behalf of the Westfield Athenaeum for $400,000 for exterior and interior renovations and painting of the dome ceiling in the great hall.

“The bulk of the request is for the exterior, to maintain the bronze doors and exterior facade. The coping stones on the rain diverters over the brick exterior also have to be repaired. In addition, the dome in the great hall needs to be repaired and painted,” Saltus said.

She said the 35-foot hall ceiling of the great hall was done with calcimine and will need scaffolding to repair and repaint. She said the estimate is $100,000 just for the painting of the great dome.

When asked whether interior work could be funded — generally the Commission restricts historical funding to exterior work — Vinskey said interior work such as the dome ceiling can be funded if it goes beyond routine maintenance and painting.

Saltus said while the Westfield Athenaeum is not a municipal building, it is open to the public. She said the total project cost is estimated to be $850,000, and the request is for less than half of the cost.

Tirrell asked whether a deed restriction would be required for the work.

Vinskey said the city already received a deed restriction on the Athenaeum for CPA funding of previous work completed in the first phase of its renovation.

Saltus said the first phase cost $1.5 million, $850,000 of which came from CPA funds. She said that work was completed in 2019, and in the meantime, the library has spent an additional $500,000 on maintenance and rehabilitation through other grants, legacy and other generous donations and fundraising.

She said future work will entail rebuilding the front stone steps which have shifted over time and need to be removed and have the buttresses rebuilt. She said the sidewalks to the Boys & Girls library were recently redone, and there is always access to the library in the rear.

Also recommended for funding was $90,000 for rehabilitation of the Amelia Park Memorial Garden. The garden is facing a serious drainage issue leaving the field portion unusable, according to the application. The funding will be used to revamp the drainage, to restore it as a resource for the community.

The garden is on city-owned land but is leased to a private non-profit, so is technically private, Vinskey said. “As such the CPC conditioned the funds on ensuring public access remains available to it,” he added.