Commentary by Jim Ake
I have great pride in where Westfield is heading. Westfield is a city with a purpose. Grand Park was built on the dreams of a citizens group, which had a bigger vision for our community.
Fast-forward five years and we have a 400-acre park that has attracted players and families from all of our 48 contiguous states and even Canada, and it is only the first year of being open. In the last few months, there has been economic development announcements all related to Grand Park: Cambria Suites, Grand Park Fieldhouse (an indoor basketball and volleyball facility), McDonald’s and Dairy Queen. All will be built and operated without using city dollars.
One major development that the City Council voted on 6-1 is the indoor facility, a 370,000-square-foot, $25 million investment. The impressive multi-use facility will have three full-size soccer fields, a restaurant, office space, a retail store and the list goes on. The most important aspect this facility will bring to Grand Park is year-round play. Grand Park can be successful from March through November on its own, but an indoor facility opens a world of opportunity the city cannot ignore.
The Westfield Sports Commission, a group of citizens, envisioned the indoor facility as part of the original Grand Park concept. The vision had a 60,000-square-foot facility built with city dollars. The indoor facility evolved over the years.
In June, it was announced that the facility would be built by Holladay Properties in a partnership with the city. I want to set the record straight, that partnership was publicly announced in a press release dated June 21. The partnership is a lease agreement that the City Council just approved.
I, as president of the City Council and having an award-winning career in the corporate world as well as a small business owner in tax preparation, can whole-heartedly tell you, this agreement is in the best interest of all taxpayers.
The agreement has the city leasing the building from Holladay Properties. Westfield will then sublease to other organizations. Projections show that the city’s revenue through subleases will exceed expenses by $500,000 a year. That money will then be put back into Grand Park. This agreement, along with the sublease agreements, have been looked over by an independent accounting firm to verify the projections.
Before taking a vote, I did my homework. I looked at the projections. I looked at the agreement. This is in the best interest of the city. Is there a risk? Of course there is. But if we do nothing, there is a greater risk to our industry. Grand Park was built to diversify our tax base through economic development; without taking risks our industry will not succeed.
“A ship is always safe at the shore—but that is not what it is built for.” -Albert Einstein.
Jim Ake is president of the Westfield City Council. He may be reached at [email protected].
