Page 11 - BusinessWest May 16, 2022

Emergency Response Drill Downtown Trick or Treat
COMMITTED TO COMMUNITY
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Over the last year, we have been honored
to support all sorts of local events and organizations. We are inspired by all those who are doing good in Westfield. When we reinvest in the community, it makes Westfield a better place for us all.
Together we have the power to make a difference.
Westfield Public Schools/WE2BA Career Day
Big Rig Rally and Pumpkinfest
Mayor Mike McCabe says he’s gained needed feedback from his visits with business owners and monthly coffee hours.
were no issues with what we are proposing,” he said.
Beyond downtown and the turnpike proposal, McCabe and
other municipal and business leaders can point to progress on sev- eral other fronts, including plans to create a hyper-scale data center in the northwest corner of the city.
According to McCabe, the data center is still only in the planning stage, but if it comes to fruition, this campus of buildings could be the largest development ever undertaken in this region.
The plan is for the data center to occupy some 155 acres in the northwest corner of the city and cost $2.7 billion when complete.It would serve as a clearinghouse of sorts for big data companies such as Google, Amazon and Facebook.
Overall, McCabe and other city leaders say Westfield’s bevy of assets — from its location off the turnpike to its abundance of developable land center; from its municipal airport to its municipal utility, which offers a potent mix of attractively priced energy and
“I’m able to make an
impact in areas that I
wouldn’t have thought Things are Looking Up
high-speed internet — are paying dividends for the community and making projects such as the data center feasible.
That much is made clear in this, the lat- est installment ofBusinessWest’sCommunity Spotlight series.
I could; the job requires Westfield Barnes Municipal Airport is one
a lot of problem- solving, something I’m used to doing.”
area of town where things are literally taking off.
According to Chris Willenborg, airport manager, nearly 50,000 takeoffs and land- ings occur at Barnes every year. A $4.7 million taxiway apron that was completed late in the fall allows the airport to accommodate larger aircraft and improves operations on both the
civilian and military side of the airport.
“Neary 3,700 student athletes fly through Barnes on sports team
charter planes,” Willenborg noted. “These flights are typically larger aircraft, which we can now accommodate.”
Three new hangars are currently under construction that will allow Barnes to have 12 to 15 more aircraft based there.
“Right now, there is a waiting list to store aircraft at Barnes,” Wil- lenborg said. “The leases, fuel fees and other associated costs will all generate revenue for Westfield.”
With the Mass Turnpike and I-91 close by, Barnes has become an appealing
Westfield
Continued on page 13
BusinessWest
COMMUNITY SPOTLIGHT
MAY 16, 2022 11
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