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Dear Editor:
A few writers who call themselves “The Westfield Preservation Alliance” are at this late date writing about saving Westfield’s history by stopping 13 years of study by many Westfield citizens.
The study’s goal has been to save the failing of downtown Westfield. The special study group of the 2007 Comprehensive Plan has indeed rescued it – hardly a vacancy now. We became the Grand Junction Task Group (GJTG). As a 13-year member of the GJTG I don’t know of a single “historic” home that is proposed to be taken for the redesign of Main Street (State Road 32) through downtown.
These few folks would take us back to the old failing downtown that we saved with a carefully studied plan that does save historic buildings.
Yes, the owners of the pharmacy building, Erika’s Place/Pickett’s Cafeteria, and other commercial ones have long known they would be replaced with very attractive vintage designed commercial buildings and façades. One of the buildings they call “historic” is old, but not historic nor attractive. The new buildings between Grand Junction Plaza and Main Street will be very attractive and serve a great need.
We tried to move SR 32 with a bypass as they suggest, but that would cost a great deal more and still not relieve growing traffic on Main Street.
The article in the Reporter last week by the “Alliance” had many false statements. Westfield would not have its world-famous Grand Park if we followed the criticisms from Indy Star and IBJ that the “Alliance” quoted. We are trying to make downtown work.
Mic Mead
Westfield