Westfield Approves $2.33M Improvements To Athletic Facilities

WESTFIELD, NJ — The Westfield Town Council unanimously approved $2.33 million worth of upgrades to Houlihan-Sid Fay Fields on Tuesday.

The renovation package includes creating more parking spots, a multi-use building for meetings and storage, and permanent bathrooms. The parking lot will also get new lighting, new entrances and exits, and striped linings.

At its meeting on Sept. 30, Council approved the first reading of Special Ordinance 2025-06, a $2.34 million bond plan that would be used to fund the projects. Funding from AT&T in the amount of $100,000 from the agreement for the construction of a cell tower at the Westfield Conservation Center will also be directed towards the fields.

A $300,000 donation to the Park Improvement Fund as part of the PILOT deal with Westfield Crossing would also be utilized.

The Westfield Soccer Association is also donating $300,000 over five years to help benefit youth sports in the area. This, along with another $170,000 from the Westfield Lacrosse Club over five years, will be used towards the down payment on the Houlihan-Sid Fay upgrades.

Officials say they are also looking forward to getting people off of the adjacent county road and into the protected lot safely. This includes addressing issues drivers say they have with lines of sight as they are leaving or going into the lot.

"This is no small thing to have two organizations contributing significantly to a project that will not only benefit their organizations, but also the town as a whole," Town Administrator Jim Gildea said while addressing Council.

First introduced in the 2019 master plan for the improvement of Westfield's parks, the next steps in the process are finalizing bid specifications, going out to bid, and then hiring a company to complete the construction.

The work is estimated to start and finish in 2026.

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