Commentary by John Green
As the City of Westfield’ Public Works director’s assistant, I really have an amazing opportunity to help create big things for Westfield.
I came to this position because of my previous work experience in site planning and major construction projects. I got to know Ken Alexander when we were working together on the Eskenazi Hosptial project in Indianapolis. When Ken became the public works director, he reached out to me to assist with the Grand Park project. It was an offer I couldn’t refuse, and officially began at the end of December.
There were two major attractions that made me want to work on this project. The first is my love of site engineering and construction. My degree from Purdue is in construction engineering management and my previous work experience has allowed me to actually get to do what I went to school for. Every day I get to work with talented craftsmen to help create the largest sporting complex in the nation. What we are putting together here will be huge. I wanted to be a part of that.
The second factor that really pushed me in this direction is that I am a Westfield resident and wanted to be able to work close to home and give something back to the community. Working right here in Westfield also allows me to spend more time with my wife of 10 years and my two children. It’s been wonderful. Just last week my son said “I got to have breakfast, lunch and dinner with Daddy!” That comment makes it all worth it.
While the winter weather has certainly presented us with some challenges getting Grand Park together, I’ve been impressed by the people I work with. I get to leverage their strengths in order to keep the project moving forward. The tradesmen and their hard work are making this effort possible. And, best of all, the people in the Westfield community are excited about what Grand Park will bring, which makes it easier to overlook sub-zero temperatures and 45 days of snow on the ground.
Creating the Grand Park complex has really been an adventure. Sometimes it has felt like I was trying to drink from a fire hydrant, but every day I get to do what I love. This has been a once-in-a-lifetime experience.
John Green is the of Westfield Public Works director’s assistant. He can be reached at HYPERLINK “mailto:[email protected]” [email protected] or 804-3100.
