Parks & Recreation

[From my February 25 article in the Colchester Bulletin]

For his next question, the moderator of the youth panel turned to the boy at the far end. The theme of the questions surrounded the teens' views of physical activity and nutrition and the associated impacts on health and wellness. This question was probably one of the simplest posed during the short program: Where did he usually go to play? After pausing for just a brief moment, the boy spoke clearly into the mic, "Seeing that I'm a senior in high school, I don't really play anymore."

Struck by the boy's matter of fact tone, the banquet hall full of health professionals and advocates burst into laughter. He seemed to be incredulous that an adult would even ask him such a question. And, at face value, the room seemed to agree - we probably would have given a similar answer to such an query.

After some time to reflect a bit more, however, I am saddened by the answer. Either he truly no longer found the time or desire to play, or he did not realize that he actually engaged in various forms of play. While I hope that it was the latter of the two, both are disappointing commentaries on the state of our culture.

At what age do we consider ourselves too old to take part in the world of play? And how do we even define play?

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[From my February 18 article in the Colchester Bulletin]

The national fight against the growing youth obesity epidemic got a major shot in the arm last month when First Lady Michelle Obama announced that she would be making this issue a top priority for her. Entitled “Let’s Move”, her campaign is seeking to complement some of the fantastic work that is already being coordinated by leading organizations on the topic. And it has been supported by an official memorandum from the President which has created a special Executive Task Force to focus on the issue and develop a plan within 90 days – an ambitious goal to say the least.

As I’ve written about numerous times in this column, the health of our nation’s children is in serious jeopardy, due to many factors. According to her web site, letsmove.gov, “Obesity rates tripled in the past 30 years, a trend that means, for the first time in our history, American children may face a shorter expected lifespan than their parents.” The site outlines that the goals of the campaign are to “give parents the support they need, provide healthier food in schools, help our kids to be more physically active, and make healthy, affordable food available in every part of our country.”

You may notice that none of these goals say anything specific such as getting kids involved in particular programs. Instead, they focus on changing the environments surrounding them to make it easier and more natural for children to lead healthier, more active lives.

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[From my February 11 column in the Colchester Bulletin]

In my continuing efforts to keep the community apprised of the status of various town and school grounds projects managed through our department, this is the latest installment of news regarding the track reconstruction, Cody Camp Memorial Ballfield, and the dog park.

Since coming on board last fall, our architectural engineers, Milone & MacBroom, have worked closely with the Track Advisory Committee to develop a solid construction plan that meets our town’s many needs while remaining within the allotted project for the budget. By planning to reconfigure the placement and orientation of many of the field events on the site, we have been able to achieve an arrangement that is not only safer for participants, but far more manageable for the coaches; similar events have been grouped together, such as throwing and jumping.

With the plan complete, we have now publicized a Request For Proposals (RFP) from construction companies that can bring the plan to life. By mid-March, we anticipate that we will have selected and contracted with a company, with groundbreaking planned for May. The deadline for completion of the project has been listed as August 13, ensuring the site will be ready for the return of Bacon Academy football and soccer in the fall.

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[From my February 4 column in the Colchester Bulletin]

For excellent reasons, there are many efforts afoot to find ways to collaborate and partner wherever possible. By teaming up to tackle challenges and take care of business, amazing things can happen. In that spirit, I am proud to say that this week Colchester Parks & Recreation took part in a joint venture that could not have succeeded without the participation of numerous contributors.

As anyone who has driven by the Town Green this week knows, there is a massive lit display of a beautiful rose towering over the gazebo. The installation of the rose was conceived by Wallis Johnson, the Director of Colchester Community Theatre’s upcoming production, as a way to promote the show. “Beauty and the Beast”, this year’s presentation, is a familiar and loved story, which includes the rose as a key symbol throughout the show.

Wallis had seen the rose displayed as part of Norwich’s annual holiday lighting exhibit and thought it would be a wonderful tie in to the show. After a few phone calls, she connected with Kathy Relyea, a dedicated volunteer in Norwich who coordinates the annual display. After connecting Kathy with our office, we were able to arrange permission from Norwich to lend it to our Colchester. Upon receiving approval and support from the Bacon Academy Board of Trustees, who actually own that half of the Town Green, we were off and running.

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