Your City Matters Aug 2014

AUGUST 2014

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communications@westfield.in.gov

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westfield.in.gov

IN THIS ISSUE • Hamilton County Master Gardeners • Movies in the Park • Employee Spotlight • Trash and Sewer Bill Answers • Community Development Updates

Pictured: Westfield’s City Hall and gardens

LETTER FROM THE MAYOR Greetings, everyone! I hope the summer has treated you and your families well.

As you probably remember, last year our city was given the distinct honor by CNN Money of being named the best place in Indiana to live.

Last month we were given two more accolades.

ELECTED OFFICIALS Andy Cook MAYOR

Cindy Gossard

CLERK TREASURER

Jim Ake

CITY COUNCIL PRESIDENT

First, we were listed by Family Circle Magazine as one of the best places in the country for families. In fact, we were in the top 10! Westfield was given this honor because of our great schools, trails, plans for downtown and our overall sense of community. I am very proud of this designation.

Movoto, a California-based real estate group, also ranked us as one of the ten safest cities in Indiana. This is also something Westfield residents can take great pride in. Many thanks are due to our public safety professionals and ordinary citizens who work hard to keep our community a safe place to live, work and play.

Robert Horkay, Steve Hoover, Chuck Lehman, Bob Smith, Cindy L. Spoljaric, Robert Stokes

We’ve got some great things to discover in this issue: you’ll meet one of our new employees, get acquainted with the Hamilton County Master Gardeners, check out our movies in the park series and we’ll give you some updates on two recent community developments.

STAFF

Also, don’t miss out: Westfield’s famous Voices from the Past is coming up in September. If you’re interested in being a part of that, get in touch with our Parks Department soon!

CITY COUNCIL MEMBERS

Todd Burtron

Joe Lyons

It’s truly an honor to be a part of this community. I am consistently amazed by what we are able to accomplish. Thank you all for being good neighbors to one another and for making Westfield one of the greatest places in the country to live.

Melody Jones

All the best,

CHIEF OF STAFF

Joel Rush

POLICE CHIEF FIRE CHIEF PARKS & RECREATION DIRECTOR

John Rogers

ENTERPRISE DIRECTOR

Matt Skelton

ECONOMIC & COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT DIRECTOR

Ken Alexander

PUBLIC WORKS DIRECTOR

Derrick Cash

INFORMATICS DIRECTOR

Erin Verplank

COMMUNICATIONS DIRECTOR

J. Andrew Cook Mayor

EMPLOYEE SPOTLIGHT ANGELA SMITHERMAN

We interviewed City employee Angela Smitherman to find out more about her and the work she does for the Public Works Streets Dept.

You are a fairly new employee to the City of Westfield. What brought you here?

I developed a strong passion for working with the public in my volunteer work. I believe the City of Westfield to be a well-respected community which is growing in many positive ways. I chose to come here in hopes of becoming a part of the growth and to become more involved in the public sector.

Explain a little bit about your role in the Public Works Department. What is your favorite part about the job?

My primary role is to provide assistance with the administrative functions of the Public Works Department. This will include facilitating GIS data collection and entry, drafting and revising department policies, research and analysis for special projects and assisting customers. My coworkers have been very welcoming and helpful. This department is a solid team who works well together and that is extremely important to me. I’m excited to be working for a community that has such drive and vision for it’s future.

Where do you live? Tell us a little bit about yourself.

I grew up in Kokomo, but currently live in Pendleton where I have raised my sons. My youngest son will graduate from Pendleton Heights High School in 2016. I have two undergraduate degrees through Indiana University Kokomo and currently working on my Masters in Public Management.

What do you like to do in your spare time?

I love spending time with my family and I enjoy my volunteer work in two, local non-profit organizations. Running is my favorite way to stay healthy and active but I have recently picked up cycling and adventure racing as well.

Do you have a favorite spot to run in Westfield?

Currently I enjoy jumping on the Midland Trace Trail because I can access it from Simon Moon Park (easy access from the office!).

However, my ultra-marathon training begins in one week so I am very much looking forward to utilizing all of the trails that Westfield has to offer.

TRASH AND SEWER BILLS By now you should have received your 2nd bill from the city for trash and sewer services. We understand there may be some confusion over the bills.

This bill is a quarterly bill that comes directly from the City of Westfield. On average the bill is $45.00, which covers 3 months of service for trash and sewer. This particular billing cycle, customers may notice a higher bill, some as high as $99.00. Please don’t fret!

When the utility transition occurred, the account numbers were also transferred to Citizens Westfield. What does that mean?

Simple: your water bills have the same account number as they did prior to the utility sale.

New account numbers were assigned to the trash and sewer bills. If you had set up automatic payments through your bank prior to the sale, that means only your water bill was being paid and not your trash and sewer bill. In order for that to happen, you need to change the account number through your bank.

If you paid your water bill twice, you will have a credit on your Citizens Westfield account. However, that means your trash and sewer bill was never paid -- hence a higher bill this month.

Simple fix: Update your account information with your bank. Once that happens, you will have less headaches and more time to enjoy all the great things that Westfield has to offer. If you still have questions, we would be more than happy to help!

COMMUNITY

BEAUTIFYING WESTFIELD Westfield’s public spaces are some of our community’s most prized assets. While some of these are maintained by city staff, two of the most prominent locations are cared for under the watchful gaze of the Hamilton County Master Gardeners.

“I was always interested in gardening, and wanted some kind of volunteer work to do when I retired,” says Margie Inlow, a long-time member of the Hamilton County Master Gardener Association.

“Gardening has become very popular,” Inlow observes. “Just in the seven years that I’ve been in the HCMGA I’ve noticed a big increase in membership.”

And gardening isn’t just for retirees or women. Inlow mentions that there is a wide range of ages represented, and there are men who take an active interest.

“It’s a very diverse group,” she notes.

Westfield’s HCMGA projects include two of downtown’s treasures: the Westfield City Hall gardens (130 Penn Street) and Hadley Park (at the northwest corner of Main Street and Union Street).

Aside from maintaining gardens, the HCMGA also offers public education programs, scholarships for students interested in environmental sciences and holds a plant sale on the third Saturday of each May that helps support various community programs.

“Gardening beautifies the community, and a lot of the people that work on our beds live and work in the area. So the gardeners feel like they are contributing something to their own community,” Inlow says.

The Hamilton County Master Gardener Association will be celebrating their 30 year anniversary in 2015. Information about Master Gardener classes can be found on the group’s website (www.hcmga.org) under the “What is a Master Gardener” tab. Applicants must be a resident of Hamilton County.

Above: Flowers surround the sign at Westfield City Hall.

Right: Hadley Park is seen at sunset.

DEVELOPMENT UPDATES! NEW CYCLING SHOP If you’re a cycling nut or just interested in taking the dive into this competitive world; stop by T3 Cycling & Triathlon located at 2508 E 146th Street, Cool Creek Commons. You can find the best bicycle that suits your needs, the right equipment for your ride and -- best of all -- experts.

The owner, Vern LaMere, is a Bike Fit Specialist, Road bike and Cyclocross racer, a competitive triathlete and a cyclist for 40 years. This shop is the perfect addition to Westfield and its expansive trail system.

Westfield Welcomes T3!

WESTFIELD LIONS DISC GOLF COURSE An Eagle Scout project comes to life for the City of Westfield. Alec Brooks raised $7,000.00 to design and build the Westfield Lions Disc Golf Course at Asa Bales Park. The Westfield Lions Club donated their time and money to help Alec with this project. The Westfield Parks and Recreation department is thrilled with this addition to the park and believe it’s just one more great outdoor activity for Westfield families!

PRESORT STANDARD U.S. POSTAGE PAID

130 Penn St., Westfield, IN 46074

CALENDAR OF EVENTS

AUGUST 4 & 18 • Advisory Plan Commission

7:00 pm, Westfield City Hall, Assembly Room

AUGUST 9 & 23 • Heart and Soul Free Clinic

9:00 am - 12:00 pm, 202 Penn Street

AUGUST 11 • City Council Meeting

7:00 pm, Westfield City Hall, Assembly Room

AUGUST 12 • Board of Zoning Appeals Meeting

7:00 pm, Westfield City Hall, Assembly Room

AUGUST 23 • Race Across Hamilton County

8:00 am - 5:00 pm

AUGUST 1, 8 & 22 • Movies in the Park

Sunset, Asa Bales Park - North entrance