Have You Registered for the Underground Railroad Run?

The 15th Anniversary Westfield Education Foundation Underground Railroad Run will be taking place on March 23, 2003.  Now is the time to register.  You may do so here.  (Scroll to the bottom of the page to register.)

The Underground Railroad Run includes a 5K run and 3K walk starting at Westfield High School and winding its way through downtown Westfield.  Proceeds from the event benefit the Westfield Education Foundation.

The race starts at 9:00 a.m.  There will also be a Health Fair in the high school Multi-Purpose Instructional Facility before, during, and after the race.

On Friday, March 22, the evening before the race, join the Education Foundation and the Westfield Rotary Club as they host the First Annual "PastaFest."    It runs from 5:00 to 8:00 p.m. in the high school cafeteria.  Reservations for the PastaFest are encouraged.  Please make your reservation here.

Hope to see you there!

Ken Kingshill
Westfield, Indiana

Local Baseball Organization is National Finalist for Lids "Tip the Cap" Award

Former Westfield resident, and personal friend, Mike Lennox is the Executive Director of Play Ball Indiana, a non-profit organization that provides baseball opportunities for inner city boys and girls in Indianapolis.

Play Ball Indiana is one of three national finalists for the Lids "Tip the Cap" Award of $50,000.  If they are successful, this will have a transformative impact on the 1500 boys and girls in their inner city youth baseball program.  But in order to win, they need our help to win a vote on the Lids Facebook page.

If you would like to help, please click here and then do the following:
             
1.  Watch the new short video that Major League Baseball produced about their program.
2.  Click on to the Lids page (right under the calendar) and vote.
3.  Pass this on.  Do you know some people that might support their project?

Note:  The voting is through Facebook, so you'll need to have an account.

Thank you.


Ken Kingshill
Westfield, Indiana

U.S. 31 Lane Restrictions on Monday, February 18

As part of the ongoing construction of the new U.S. 31 highway, INDOT will be closing one lane in each direction on U.S. 31 between Rangeline Road and Greyhound Pass on Monday, February 18. The left lane will be closed on the northbound side and the right lane will be closed on the southbound side. The closure will be in effect from 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.

In my opinion, the construction of the limited access highway has not been too burdensome so far.  INDOT has done a good job of maintaining traffic flow through Westfield. It seems to me that things could be a whole lot worse. Nevertheless, I'll be very happy when the whole project is complete.



Ken Kingshill
Westfield, Indiana

Main Street Through Downtown Westfield Not a War Zone

Not to worry. Main Street (State Road 32) just east of US 31 isn't some sort of war zone. Trust me, it's not blight.  It's not the result of absentee landlords run amok (well, on second thought, maybe it is). It's not indicative of a deficit in pride of ownership.

It's only temporary. Really.

Next, the structures are going to come down. Then we'll have a bunch of empty lots. Again, not to worry.

You see, it's simply a matter of the state having purchased those properties in preparation for the construction of the junction between the new US 31 and State Road 32. SR 32 will be widened through that stretch to accommodate the additional lanes needed coming off of the interchange.

So, as with many examples of progress, two steps have to be taken back before we can move forward. For now, it's not going to be pretty. But with a little patience, we'll all be able to get through it.


Ken Kingshill
Westfield, Indiana

Union Street Flats Starting to Take Shape in Downtown Westfield

If you haven't driven through downtown Westfield lately, you've missed the fact that the much anticipated Union Street Flats are starting to sprout up out of the ground. This is great news for those of us who want to see more economic development attracted to our downtown.

Union Street Flats will be an apartment complex built and managed by the J.C. Hart Company. There will be approximately 250 upscale apartments when the project is completed. That will bring roughly 500 new residents within walking distance of downtown Westfield and the planned Grand Junction Plaza. That's a good thing.

More downtown residents will help attract more downtown businesses such as restaurants, coffee shops, small boutique retailers, bike shops and the like. Won't it be nice when downtown Westfield is thriving and bustling? When it truly becomes a place where connections are made. When it becomes a grand junction of trails, roads and waterways.

Let's keep the momentum going.

Ken Kingshill
Westfield, Indiana