Westfield Monthly: American Legion Ceremonial Groundbreaking

Westfield Mayor Shelley Brindle

On Tuesday, January 14, 2025, officials, and community
leaders from across the state gathered for the groundbreaking
of a transformative new facility at the Martin Wallberg
American Legion Post 3. John Rzeznik from the Goo Goo
Dolls sand the national anthem to open the ceremony. This
facility will provide 22 supportive housing units for homeless
and disabled veterans, addressing the urgent need for
affordable housing for those who served our nation.

The Town is proud to contribute $500,000 from our
Affordable Housing Trust Fund, which is funded by
development fees from local projects. These rental units will
help fulfill our affordable housing obligations while providing
a meaningful step towards solving the homelessness crisis for
veterans. This public-private partnership exemplifies the spirit
of collaboration and compassion that defines Westfield.
Please consider supporting this important cause by donating
to the Foundation for Sustainable Veteran Housing,
www.fsvh.org. Your generosity will help bring this vision to
life.

During the ceremony, I reflected on the incredible
teamwork that made this possible, including the visionary Joe
Mindak, the leadership of Allan Betau, and the Post 3
members for their dedication and tireless efforts to move this
project forward. I also acknowledged Greg Redington from
REDCOM Design & Construction for his generous pro bono
work on the initial design concepts and our Town
professionals — Jim Gildea, Don Sammet, Frank Vuoso, Tom
Jardim, and Liz Jeffery — for guiding this project through the
municipal process.

My gratitude extends to the Town Council for their support
in approving the Redevelopment Plan and Agreement in late
2023 and early 2024, and to Redevelopment Attorney Steve
Mlenak and Redevelopment Planner Chris Colley from
Topology for their essential contributions.
Many thanks to Union County for their partnership, and
most importantly, to our residents for embracing this project
with compassion and generosity.

This project is a testament to what we can achieve when a
community comes together for a noble cause. May it inspire
others to follow suit and remind us all that we are judged by
how we care for those most in need.