It really all began when the Town Manager asked me if our old portable classroom and way of doing things was “really the way I wanted to leave the department when I retired”. Everyone has a dream to leave behind great things, but I had let my own conservative nature stand in the way of asking the Town for something that it really needed to move the P&R department forward.
Funding was approved at annual meeting 2017 using money from the P&R reserve fund and a bond for $450k
The time leading up to the annual meeting was filled with anxiety and anticipation for our proposed new building for the department. The voters overwhelmingly supported it. Our beautiful new home of just over 2500 square feet (plus attic for storage of lightweight and seasonal items) contains a kitchen/concession area, restrooms, office space, storage, and a common area. It means we are no longer totally dependent upon the school and allows new opportunities for programming during the school day for our underserved seniors and pre-school children.
Our new tagline for the department is “COMMUNITY HAPPENS HERE”, and our new building is fulfilling its mission
