To many municipalities in Chautauqua County, Westfield’s downtown is already a gem. Its Main Street is vibrant, pedestrian friendly and filled with a number of businesses.

On Thursday, a meeting will take place to further the vision of downtown. That’s when the public is invited to stop at Eason Hall on 23 Elm St. between 6:30 and 8:30 p.m. for a drop-in style public workshop. According to a recent news release, a poster gallery will be on display to learn about the Westfield Downtown Revitalization Master Plan project process and progress, preliminary project ideas for the project’s focus area, and the NY Forward Program. Opportunities for residents to provide feedback and shape the draft plan will be provided as well.

Interestingly, the plan is a cooperative effort. As noted in the master plan on at the web site https://bartonloguidice.mysocialpinpoint.com/westfield-downtown-master-plan: “A Steering Committee consisting of local stakeholders and village and town officials is spearheading the development of this plan by providing local insight, advertising community input opportunities, and reviewing draft materials.”

If Westfield can do this beneficial project together, why must there be two government entities overseeing a population of 4,000 residents? One would make a lot more sense to someone looking in from the outside.

Closer to home, however, the issue is never as clear. Maybe that consolidation, which would bring in additional funding, can be part of the study as well.