Chris McConnell, Westfield’s director of parks and recreation, told the council the city manages 14 developed parks and roughly 212.79 acres of parkland, with 119 developed acres and about 93.5 undeveloped acres remaining for future amenities. He described recent additions — an ice ribbon, a nine-acre lake at Simon Moon, new roundabout landscaping and 51 programs that served more than 2,300 residents this year — and highlighted a tree-bank fee-in-lieu program that has already collected more than $70,000 for future plantings.

McConnell said Westfield’s parkland per 1,000 residents falls well below the national average and noted the department’s responsibility for multiple multi-use trails and 11 bridges across the system. He outlined planned projects including Simon Moon phase 2, a four-season shelter, additional boardwalks, and initial work on a Freedom Trail pickleball/restroom complex with partnership funding being explored.

Later in the meeting, Jeff Speck of Speck and Associates delivered an informational preview of a Simon Moon/Newby master plan. Speck described three neighborhood types around the park — a lower-density Sugarleaf edge, a downtown Simon Moon village with mixed-use buildings and hidden parking, and a southern residential neighborhood — and emphasized making the park’s edge public with active frontages. He said the design is intended to increase walkability, supervision of the park by adjacent residents, and private investment that complements the park’s amenities. Speck stressed the presentation was informational and that his firm and city staff will continue to refine details.

Council reaction was largely appreciative of the parks team’s progress and the awards earned by Simon Moon. Several councilors and staff raised operational questions — for example, how to plow hammerhead alleys in winter — and asked about land-acquisition priorities and park detention strategies tied to nearby development. McConnell and staff described options and noted some long-term constraints driven by land costs and floodplain/detention challenges in the park.

What happens next: Parks projects and the master plan will move through design and funding discussions; Simon Moon phase 2 and Newby AgriPark items were referenced as active or upcoming projects.