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Westwood Historic Commission says Westwood 250 trolley tour is sold out; designations and outreach planned
Summary
The Westwood Historic Preservation Commission said its Westwood 250 trolley tour is sold out with a 14-person waitlist and outlined outreach, recognition and designation work ahead, including active projects at the train station, Pascack Movie Theater and Veteran’s Park.
The Westwood Historic Preservation Commission at its March 19 meeting confirmed that its Westwood 250 trolley tour is sold out and described final event logistics and outreach plans.
Commission members reported the trolley tour "is sold out" with "14 on [the] waitlist," and said the tour will start in the borough parking lot, stop briefly at Westvale Park, and end at Veteran’s Park. Jackie Martin and Bill Martin were assigned narration and assistance duties, and volunteers including Bill Phayre and Lee Tremble were listed as information points along the route. Ann Costello said the commission will distribute commemorative pencils and Christine Scheideler will produce Westwood 250 buttons for HPC members.
Noeline Grefrath told the commission the Westwood Heritage Society offered to videotape the Westwood 250 Celebration and trolley tour; members thanked the society and said they will consider that support for future events. The commission also announced a museum opening at the train station to coincide with the trolley tour.
Beyond the tour, members reviewed active and candidate historic designation projects. In-progress items included Veteran’s Memorial Park (bandstand and related structures), the Pascack Movie Theater, Fireman’s Park, and the Westwood Train Station. The commission also compiled a list of candidate sites for future designation, naming Conrad’s Confectionery; the Diner (current site of 1950s Originals); Fireman’s Memorial Park; Westwood Library (49 Park Ave); Grace Episcopal Church on Kinderkamack Road; Berkeley Elementary School; the Volz Hardware building (now a real estate office); and 19/25 Boulevard (Bogert Built Furniture/office building).
The commission highlighted training and outreach resources for members, including a Pascack Historical Society exhibit on local elections and a recorded presentation, "A History of Home Construction in the Pascack Valley" by William J. Martin, provided as a resource for future programming.
The meeting packet noted the borough has $1,200 in encumbered funds from the 2025 budget earmarked for Veteran's Park. The commission thanked supporting departments and community partners, including the Westwood Mayor & Council, Westwood Heritage Society, Westwood Fire Department, Westwood Police Department, DPW and the Recreation Department.
The commission announced a related senior-focused speaker event, "The American Revolution in NJ," set for March 25 at the Westwood Community Center as part of Westwood 250 programming.
