FRENCH LICK, Ind. (October 27, 2025) – Accelerate Indiana Municipalities (Aim) has announced that the City of Westfield is the recipient of the 2025 Aim Green Project of the Year Award for its Simon Moon Park Expansion. The city was recognized during the Annual Awards Luncheon, presented by Baker Tilly Municipal Advisors, on Wednesday, October 22, at the 2025 Aim Ideas Summit in French Lick.
Westfield’s Simon Moon Park expansion reclaimed two decommissioned wastewater lagoons, transforming a former industrial site into thriving ecological and recreational space. The $8.3 million investment balanced environmental and financial stewardship, modeling how ecology and recreation can coexist.
Through careful planning, the largest lagoon became a 15-foot-deep fishing pond surrounded by wetlands, native plants, and wildlife habitat. Redesigned trails connect with the city’s growing trail system, providing safe routes for walkers and bikers. The sledding hill was reshaped for safety and fun, with distinct areas for different ages and new berms and switchbacks to improve access. Boardwalks and birdwatching stations were added, with outdoor classrooms and educational signage planned for the next phase.
“It’s rare to see a community honored with two awards in any given year. When it does happen, you know the municipality is firing on all cylinders. Westfield is certainly proving why they continue to rank among one of Indiana’s fastest-growing communities,” said Aim CEO Matt Greller. “The Simon Moon Park project not only provides another recreational space for residents, but it also takes what was once functional public works space and reclaims it for community activities. While the project took home Green Project of the Year, impressively, it could have easily been fit in our placemaking and program innovation award categories.”
Learn more about the completed project here:
Aim launched the Green Communities Initiative in 2008 in partnership with Christopher B. Burke Engineering, LLC, to help municipalities identify cost-saving sustainability practices, strengthen quality-of-life initiatives, and serve as role models for environmental stewardship. The Green Project of the Year Award recognizes a program or project implemented within the past year that demonstrates exceptional commitment to sustainability, energy efficiency, and environmentally responsible community development.
Conference Facts:
2025 Aim Ideas Summit
October 21-23, 2025
French Lick Springs Resort | French Lick, Indiana
Attendance: 1,100 (pending final registration count)
Further information: www.aimindiana.org
Since the 1890s, Aim, formerly the Indiana Association of Cities and Towns, has been an advocate for Indiana municipalities. Aim is the official voice of municipal government in Indiana, with more than 460 cities and towns as members. Our purpose is to foster, promote and advocate for the success of Hoosier municipalities as laboratories of innovation, hubs of talent and the engines driving our state’s economy.