WESTFIELD — An effort to raise the visibility of Women’s Temperance Park, and along with it the history of prominent women in Westfield, received a boost recently with a donation of granite stones for signage from the Westfield Technical Academy.

The park was brought to the attention of the city’s Parks and Recreation Commission last year, when School Committee member Kathleen Hillman noted there was no sign announcing the name of the park, except for a small plaque on the base of a broken granite fountain, noting that it was “erected June 9, 1897, by the Women’s Christian Temperance Union, this plaque replaced by American Legion Post 454, 1999.”

The half-acre park runs along the north side of the Great River Bridges, next to the Half Mile Falls Park, which is labeled with prominent lettering on its concrete wall, easily visible to passing motorists. The Women’s Temperance Park’s paved path serves as a connection between the northern end of the Columbia Greenway Rail Trail and the city sidewalk network.

Hillman told the commission that in addition to signage with the park’s name, she’d also like to put up informational plaques honoring prominent women from the city’s history, such as Alice Burke, the first female mayor in New England.

“There’s nothing that celebrates women in this town,” Hillman told the Parks and Recreation Commission in November. “I would like this to be a park where we celebrate women.”

A small committee composed of Hillman, Parks and Recreation Commissioner Jane DeBarbieri, members of the Westfield Woman’s Club and various other groups in the city have been putting together a list of the names of women to celebrate.

DeBarbieri reported to the commission on April 10 that they have also met with Nate Sperry, horticulture instructor at Westfield Technical Academy, who has done a rendering of potential improvements to the park, and said he is interested in getting his department involved.

Sperry also coordinated a donation of leftover granite stones from the manufacturing technology department at the school, who had asked him if he had any thoughts for their reuse.  The women went to see the stones on April 13.

Sperry said each granite stone is probably valued at $10,000. There were seven stones, approximately 2 by 4 feet, which could be used to display the names of women from the city and placed on either side of the path through the park, and one much larger stone that could be used at the entrance with the name of the park. 

He said the stones could be engraved or letters mounted on them; the committee would have to be responsible for that.  Hillman said they have a lot more work to do on the selection of the names of women to display on the stones, as well as some fundraising to do.

Another suggestion was to accompany each honoree’s engraved name with a QR code, which would enable smartphone users to call up an oral history of who the honorees were and their contributions to the city.  Hillman said later that she has gotten support from Westfield on Weekends President Bob Plasse, who wants to get involved in creating the oral history.

‘It’s a really good combination of people coming together,” DeBarbieri told the commission.