Thanks to the most recent citywide survey, Friends of Westwood Parkland (FWWP) knows that you share our passion for preserving Westwood’s greenspace. The majority of responses, 84.5% to be exact, reflected a desire to expand Joe D. Dennis Park. The survey specifically asked about what you’d like to see on the former Westwood View School (WWV) property, which is about a five-acre lot. The deadline has just passed for the Westwood City Council to accept Request for Proposals (RFPs) from developers. Call/email the city to ask for details and to determine whether your input is welcome. Barring significant changes, it looks like the former WWV will end up with single-family/row housing. It’s a blow to those who fought hard for the biggest park possible; others see it as an acceptable compromise.
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If a developer turns the former WWV lot into housing, it would leave us with the nearly one-acre Joe D. Dennis Park, plus the additional two-acres of parkland which we’ve referred to as “the church lot.”

FWWP is focused on keeping those final three acres as green as possible. In fact, the group has been working towards its goal of raising $500,000 to GIFT to the city of Westwood. That money would allow the City to pay off the church lot ($284,625), while having $165,000 left to put towards beginning to modernize Joe D. Dennis Park. It also includes $50,000 to help with continuing maintenance. In exchange, FWWP is asking the City to officially designate the church lot as a park—after all, that’s how we’ve been using it for years.
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FWWP is thankful to the Westwood Foundation for its thoughtful consideration to be the non-profit that would allow donations to be tax-deductible, but due to roadblocks, FWWP is looking for alternatives. Also, the City refused to give any assurance that the church property would be designated as part of the park even after the $500,000 gift had been contributed to the Westwood Foundation. (The good news is that in a little more than a week, FWWP had $173,500 in pledges from just seven families.)
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FWWP asks that you call or email the Westwood City Council and remind them it’s not too late to officially expand the park. Together, let’s save the church green space, creating a BIGGER, BETTER PARK!
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Mayor Waters:  (913) 942-2129 or david.waters@westwoodks.org
jeff.harris@westwoodks.org
andrew.buckman@westwoodks.org
jason.hannaman@westwoodks.org
laura.steele@westwoodks.org
holly.wimer@westwoodks.org
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