By Anna Skinner
Westfield Community Association Network was organized in 2008 as a way to inform the community and neighborhoods of Westfield about city projects and create a partnership.
Now, WeCAN meets monthly and is managed by Jim Ake, city council vice president, and Zach Burton, communications specialist. Although the original target audience was Home Owner Association leaders, the entire community is invited to participate at meetings.
“We’ve always had a communication issue in the city, so it was a way to communicate to the neighbors about city initiatives and also see what neighborhoods were experiencing,” Ake said. “We could get feedback on our programs, and they brought new items to our attention, so it was sort of an intersect where community and government could come together to receive and give information and feedback to everybody.”
Due to organization purposes, many board or group leaders, such as HOA presidents, are the ones to attend the meetings and bring the shared information back to their communities.
“Generally, I think it’s very productive, and people feel it’s very worthwhile,” Ake said. “They come away with a better understanding of the issues and how the city works, and we come away with a better understanding of what’s going on in neighborhoods.”
Over the years, WeCAN has helped implement the universal trash collection, the city smoking ordinance, the solicitation policy, the fireworks ordinance and school zone speed limit changes.
“These are things the neighborhoods bring up, and we try to work to find solutions to some of these things,” Ake said. “I look forward to finding things that need attention and input from the group to make them happen.”
Information about city initiatives, such as the special census, is also shared with the group.
Normally, the group meets the last Tuesday of each month at City Services from 7 to 8:30 p.m.
Ake and Burton create the monthly agenda based on input and what is happening in the city and what the group would like to see. The agenda is available approximately 10 days prior to the meeting.
Ake said he employs a strict time policy and the meetings always end at 8:30 p.m., even if discussion is still going on. People are free to continue the discussion, but the meeting is officially over.
Occasionally, the location of WeCAN changes. When Grand Park opened, the group met there and toured the facility.
“We want to expose people to the community and the activities we have available,” Ake said. “Like volunteer opportunities and charitable organizations we need to support so we give everybody just a picture of the whole of Westfield.”
Speakers are always present on different topics at the meetings. At the Jan. 26 meeting, Brenda Myers from Hamilton Co. will present on the bicentennial events happening in Hamilton Co.
Ake said that future meetings may revolve around questions of the city’s future development and what millennials are searching for.
“It’s so helpful to the neighborhoods as well as the city to be represented in this group,” Ake said.
For those hoping to get involved, email Burton at [email protected] or Ake at [email protected].
Although the group does not exclude anyone’s participation, they do prefer those with a bigger voice. Some neighborhoods that are represented include Centennial, Countryside, Oak Manor and others.
“(Ake) takes his role very seriously and always wants to see that everyone is getting something from WeCAN,” Communications Director Erin Murphy said.
