Westfield board approves roughly $807,900 Simon Moon playground, delegates change-order authority to director

The Westfield Parks and Recreation Board on Feb. 5 authorized the parks department to accept a proposal from Recreation Insights LLC to replace the playground at Simon Moon as part of the park's Phase 2 work and delegated limited change-order authority to the parks director to keep the project on schedule.

The proposal presented at the meeting showed a contract value listed in the staff packet as $807,909.16 and was described aloud in the meeting record during the motion as $807,916.20; the board approved the purchase after a roll-call vote. Parks and Recreation Director Chris (last name not provided) told the board the playground is a custom, universal-design installation with a manufacturing lead time of about 32 weeks and that the department hopes to have the new playground open by spring 2026.

The vote followed a public-comment presentation by a representative of the Westfield Pickleball Association. Donna Van Hughes introduced her newly formed group and said the association's mission is “to promote the sport of pickleball within the greater Westfield community as a healthy recreational activity by providing ... accessible, inclusive, public, and year round playing opportunities for all ages and skill levels.” Van Hughes asked about the status of courts at Quaker Park, potential temporary subsidized play locations during renovations, Osborne Park as a possible site, and whether Grand Park community use might include pickleball.

Director Chris reviewed the playground design and why staff recommended approval. He said the new installation would replace equipment installed in 2012 (staff noted a typical playground…