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A joint meeting and vote of the Select Board and Park and Recreation Commission on Tuesday resulted in the appointment of William Granger Atkeson to the Park and Recreation Commission. (0:27:50) Atkeson fills a vacancy created by the resignation of Jennifer Stone.
The vote was unanimous across both the Select Board and the Park and Recreation Commission. The appointment lasts through the Annual Town Meeting in May of 2024. The Annual Town Election in March will determine who fills the seat for the remainder of the term, which expires in May of 2025. (Page 60)
This seat has been the source of an unusual number of twists and turns in recent years. It was previously occupied by Dick Williamson. In 2022, Williamson did not return papers by the deadline to get on the ballot for reelection. He opted to run as a write-in candidate, but was soon challenged by Stone’s own write-in campaign. Stone ended up winning with 691 write-in votes to Williamson’s 427.
Once someone is elected to serve out the remainder of the term for this seat, they will serve for a year before it comes up for election again. Park and Recreation Commission Chair Ben Carmel noted that the commission has a lot of projects ahead of them this year, and was grateful that someone stepped up to fill the vacancy. Atkeson did not mention if he would be running for the seat in March, but residents won’t have to wait long to find out. Candidates can begin pulling papers for the Annual Town Election in early January.
The Park and Recreation Commission is indeed working on a number of significant projects. In recent meetings they’ve been discussing new initiatives including a proposed ball wall for Haskell Field, completion of accessible walking paths around Haskell, and the Open Space and Recreation Plan. That’s all in addition to ongoing work and conversations related to the new Fairbank Community Center, Feeley Field improvements, the financial model of the Park and Recreation Department, and updates to the SMILE playground at Haskell Field. In October, Special Town Meeting approved design funds for a major renovation to the Atkinson Pool, and the expectation is that will lead to an article for a significant pool renovation at Annual Town Meeting in May 2024.
The Park and Recreation Department just announced their winter program and posted a brochure to their site here. In addition to the continuation of some popular youth programs, they’ve added men’s and women’s basketball programs which will take place in the new Fairbank Community Center gym.
Speaking of the new gym at the Fairbank Community Center, the Town published a comprehensive update on the project this week. That included an exhaustive photo tour of the new building. You can access the report here. It opens with lots of enthusiasm for the move-in:
“We’ve come a long way, baby! Since we last reported an update exactly two months ago, the Fairbank Community Center has reached a milestone – we have a Temporary Certificate of Occupancy! This means that, while the project is not completed, the new building can be occupied. The furniture was delivered and set up shortly after Thanksgiving, immediately followed by the movers last week, transferring all of the items diligently identified and packed by the staff of each department from the old building to the new. While they unpack and settle in, the rest of us can look forward to being welcomed into the new space upon each department’s reopening date sometime after Christmas.”
The photographs were taken after the furniture was delivered, giving the public the first furnished views of the new facility, and making it easier to visualize how each of the spaces can/are programmed for use. Here’s a cafe space that’s adjacent to the quiet lounge in the Senior Center:
With the vacancy filled, recreation projects happening all around town, and a brand-new facility soon to open to the public, the Park and Recreation Commission is set for what could be a heavy lift, but also a chance to have a lot of impact on the community, in 2024.