Read & Roam Garden opens at Westfield Washington Public Library

New outdoor space offers opportunities for reading, learning & community

Submitted

The Westfield Washington Public Library (WWPL) and Westfield Washington Township opened the new Read & Roam Garden on Tuesday, Aug. 18, with a ribbon cutting for the new outdoor space.

The morning celebration began with a special story time, followed by an official ribbon-cutting ceremony. Westfield Mayor Scott Willis joined WWPL Executive Director Sheryl Sollars, and Township Trustee Jamie Goetz Mills to cut the ribbon, explore the garden, and enjoy light refreshments.

The Read & Roam Garden was envisioned as part of the original plan for the new WWPL, which opened in 2024. The completed garden transforms the library’s outdoor space into a welcoming park and open-air classroom that features shaded pergolas, reading nooks, and flexible spaces that will allow the library to expand its programming outdoors and host a variety of community events and activities.

“Today was a wonderful reminder of why we created the Read & Roam Garden,” Sollars said. “Seeing families and community members together in this space brought our vision to life. We’re excited for this to become a place people return to again and again.”

Goetz Mills added, “The Read & Roam Garden is a great example of what we can accomplish through partnership and a shared commitment to our community. A lot of planning and collaboration went into making this space possible, and it was rewarding to celebrate its completion with the community. I’m excited to see how people make this space their own in the years ahead.”