Westfield Road & Park: A Question of Priorities

I recently received the following question through this website. Below is my response. Please feel free to reach out with your own questions. Click contact on the menu. I’ll do my best to answer them here.

Hi Dan! I’m interested in knowing how you feel and what you would do about paving Westfield Rd. to the new Toquerville Bypass, and also finishing Westfield Park. I feel like those of us in Westfield are last on the list of priorities. We bought our home expecting another exit out of the neighborhood ,and a new park.

Hello (name removed),

In Sept. of 2021, I was part of the group putting together the fundraiser for Westfield Park and believed it was going to be built three years ago. Had it been prioritized then, it would have been at a lower cost than what it will cost today. According to the City Manager, it will be completed this year, with the exception of the pickleball courts if they run short of funds.

When I was on Planning Commission, the first plan put forward by Firelight (before it was called Firelight) was the property at the southern end of Westfield behind Mulberry. When it was submitted, there was a traffic study done showing the traffic volume increase on Westfield due to it being connected to the bypass. Apparently, through all the agreement changes that have been allowed, that connection has somehow been dropped off, and now the cost has fallen back to the city if it is to be connected. My understanding is they are trying to work something out with Firelight, but I am not in the loop to know the status.

I don’t think it is just the citizens in the Westfield area, but citizens’ concerns in general have been put on the back burner. They found the funds to remodel the city offices, install cameras, hire more staff, and get new vehicles—including one the Mayor now drives. But they could not find funds to finish the park or keep a code enforcement employee to handle citizens’ complaints.

From 2020 to today, the city’s general fund budget has doubled, but the population has only increased by 10%. In my mind, something is not making a lot of sense in how the city is being managed, which is why I decided to run for Mayor.

I hope this answered your questions.

Best regards,Dan