Ycm mar 2015 final

INDOOR BASKETBALL AND VOLLEYBALL FACILITY: GRAND PARK FIELDHOUSE Soon Grand Park will be able to host an even broader range of sporting activities year-round. A group of local investors have committed to develop an 86,000 square foot indoor facility for basketball and volleyball with an estimated value of more than $6 million. The facility will be called the “Grand Park Fieldhouse” and will feature eight full-sized courts along with locker rooms, offices and a café focused on healthy eating options.

Strong demand has been forecasted for this type of basketball and volleyball facility from the local area and across the country for leagues, camps and tournaments. The investor group developing the Grand Park Fieldhouse includes entrepreneur, Andy Card and other local investors. Rodney Sinn will be President of Operations.

In addition to hosting basketball and volleyball events, the Fieldhouse is in negotiations with a third party sports rehabilitation company, which will allow athletes of all sports to utilize the facility.

It is estimated that the Fieldhouse will create 100 jobs and bring tens of millions of dollars into the local economy.

Below: Renderings of the Grand Park Fieldhouse

PRESORT STANDARD U.S. POSTAGE PAID

130 Penn St., Westfield, IN 46074

CALENDAR OF EVENTS

MAR 2 & 16 • Advisory Plan Commission Meeting 7:00 pm, Westfield City Hall, Assembly Room

MAR 9 • City Council Meeting

7:00 pm, Westfield City Hall, Assembly Room

MAR 10 • Board of Zoning Appeals Meeting

7:00 pm, Westfield City Hall, Assembly Room

MAR 14, 18 & 28 • Heart and Soul Free Clinic

9:00 am - 12:00 pm (MAR 14 & 28), 5:30 pm - END (MAR 18) 202 Penn Street

MAR 25 • Board of Public Works and Safety Meeting

1:00 pm, Westfield Public Works Conference Room

MARCH 2015

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communications@westfield.in.gov

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westfield.in.gov

ALSO IN THIS ISSUE • Music in Our Schools Month • MetroNet Update • Public Works Acting Director Named • New Customer Service Tool

Inside: The Grand Park Fieldhouse will help broaden the range of play at Grand Park.

LETTER FROM THE MAYOR Westfield is certainly on the move.

For those of you who get our eNewsletter, you likely saw the map to the left that details economic development over the last year.

Westfield’s economic development over the last year.

ELECTED OFFICIALS Andy Cook MAYOR

Cindy Gossard

CLERK TREASURER

Jim Ake

CITY COUNCIL PRESIDENT

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

STAFF Todd Burtron

CHIEF OF STAFF

Joel Rush

POLICE CHIEF

Joe Lyons

FIRE CHIEF

Melody Jones

PARKS & RECREATION DIRECTOR

As you can see from the map, there is quite a bit of new development happening in our community. In 2014 alone, there were 451 single family permits issued - an increase from 399 in 2013 and 300 in 2012.

Matt Skelton, our Director of Economic and Community Development, said that there has been a 200 percent increase in Plan Commission filings from 2013 to 2014.

These new homes, and the overall activity, are evidence of Westfield’s growing attraction for families looking for great schools, a walkable, friendly community and a high quality of life for residents.

We also can see it in commercial development. Investors have committed to develop an 86,000 square foot indoor facility for basketball and volleyball with an estimated value of more than $6 million. The facility will be called the “Grand Park Fieldhouse” and will feature eight full-sized courts along with locker rooms, offices and a café focused on healthy eating options.

You can read all about that development in this issue.

As a side note: If you’re not currently receiving our Your City Matters eNewsletter, simply follow this link to sign up: http://eepurl.com/bcATB5 We’ll keep you up-to-date on all that’s going on here in the community.

Thanks for all you do for our community.

John Rogers

ENTERPRISE DIRECTOR

Matt Skelton

ECONOMIC & COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT DIRECTOR

Ken Alexander

PUBLIC WORKS DIRECTOR

Derrick Cash

INFORMATICS DIRECTOR

Erin Murphy

COMMUNICATIONS DIRECTOR

J. Andrew Cook Mayor

DEPARTMENT HIGHLIGHT: PUBLIC WORKS NAMES ACTING DIRECTOR

Westfield’s Public Works Department has named its new acting director following the departure of Ken Alexander, who was recently named as Grand Park’s new director.

Lollar began his tenure with the Westfield Public Works Department in 2005 after responding to an ad for an entry level street laborer position. Lollar says he had been working as a welder prior to that, but was interested in finding a stable career in a good municipal organization.

“I started as a street laborer and then spent the next eight years working in the water utility,” Lollar says. “I worked my way up through there and then transitioned to assistant director of public works last year.”

Lollar thinks that by working his way up throught he department he will be better able to understand its overall operations.

JEREMY LOLLAR

“It gives me some perspective on all the different levels,” Lollar said. “I understand what workers contend with. I know what they do on a daily basis because odds are I’ve done it myself.”

He also believes having a good working relationship with Ken Alexander will help with any maintenance issues at Grand Park.

“We help with any kind of light equipment operation,” Lollar said. “Working with Ken will give us the ability to provide great service and support to Grand Park since we’ve already have ongoing communication.”

The DPW currently has over thirty employees working in four divisions comprising streets, project management, inspection and stormwater. Lollar enjoys the diversity of operations and the kind of projects the department has been able to accomplish.

“I enjoy being able to serve the people and the diversity of what we do,” he said. “We do different things all the time. We touch every part of the city.”

Lollar also takes pride in his colleagues and the relationships he has seen develop during his time in the department.

“It’s nice because you get to know people personally. You get to know their families, their children,” he said. “We have grown together professionally. I’ve seen a lot of advancement of peers into the current positions they hold, and it makes me proud of them.”

The Westfield Department of Public Works can be reached by calling 804-3100.

MUSIC IN OUR SCHOOLS MONTH AT WWS! Everyone in Indiana knows about “March Madness,” but the month of March will also mark the 30th anniversary of the national celebration Music in our Schools Month. Westfield-Washington Schools will be participating in an effort to showcase the amazing artistic talent that can be found in their students and faculty.

While nearly everyone enjoys some form of art and music, not everyone may understand the educational beneifts that students can enjoy when they are engaged in that way. An arts education nurtures assets and skills that are critical to future success, including creativity, curiousity, determination and motiviation.

At Westfield High School, students and faculty have outlined a few ways to emphasize the importance of arts education by creating activities such as music and arts trivia games, music ensembles performing during lunch periods, music playing during passing periods and creating student testimonials regarding the importance of music and art in their lives.

To learn more about the national Music in Our Schools Month program, visit www.nafme.org/programs/miosm.

NEW CUSTOMER SERVICE TOOL FOR WESTFIELD RESIDENTS The city of Westfield is launching WeConnect – a new tool that will allow residents to report potholes, fill out permits, pay bills and much more.

“We are completely focused on delivering excellent customer service to the taxpayers of this community,” said Mayor Andy Cook. “By using technology like that found in the WeConnect portal, we can easily improve the way we address issues that matter to our neighborhoods and businesses.”

“Microsoft is thrilled that the city of Westfield is launching their citizen services program using our Dynamics platform, enhanced by our partner ADXStudios”, said Kim Nelson, Executive Director of Microsoft’s State and Local Government Solutions Group and the US lead for Microsoft CityNext, that empowers people to make cities safer, smarter, healthier, and modern.

Derrick Cash, director of informatics for the city, sees WeConnect as a starting point for increasing the public’s access to city services.

“Non-emergency work order management is just the beginning,” Cash said. “This is the technical foundation upon which many aspects of city business will sit. With direct links to our accounting and document retention systems, we aim to centralize the business intelligence of all city resources such as contracts, vendors, projects, fleet and more.”

Residents can visit weconnect.westfield.in.gov/ to explore all the services WeConnect offers. Customer service representatives are available to answer questions by calling 804-3150 Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. – 4:30 p.m.

UPDATES METRONET ANSWERS YOUR QUESTIONS Westfield residents will soon have access to state-of-the-art technology through the company MetroNet. Metronet delivers cutting-edge services through their 100% fiber optic network.

The communities they serve are among the first handful of cities in the U.S. to receive this technology. Because of their 100% fiber optic network, MetroNet can consistently deliver blazing-fast Internet speeds up to a Gigabit per second. And, with every customer they service directly connected to the fiber network, customers receive consistently fast speeds rather than sharing a connection with their neighbors.

Metronet also provides TV and Phone service.

MetroNet is in the process of establishing themselves in Westfield. Until that time, residents are encouraged to call Metronet at 1-855-477-8754 with any questions.