Windsor upgrades playground, dog park with federal money
Elliette Gould, 7, enjoys one of the new pieces of playground equipment at the town fairgrounds on Monday, July 3, 2023, in Windsor, Vt. Gould was there with scores of other kids as part of the Windsor Recreation Department's summer camp.(Valley News - Jennifer Hauck) Copyright Valley News. May not be reprinted or used online without permission. Send requests to permission@vnews.com. Valley News photographs — Jennifer Hauck
Shannon Barrows, of Brownsville, Vt., gives her daughter Savannah, 7, a push when at the newly-renovated Windsor playground at the town fairgrounds on Monday, July 3, 2023, in Windsor, Vt. Since the playground has had new equipment installed, Barrows said she has been bringing her twins often. (Valley News - Jennifer Hauck) Copyright Valley News. May not be reprinted or used online without permission. Send requests to permission@vnews.com.
After spending time at the Windsor playground at the town fairgrounds, participants in the Windsor Recreation Department's summer camp are asked to check for trash before leaving the playground on Monday, July 3, 2023, in Windsor, Vt. The town used ARPA funds to improve the playground. (Valley News - Jennifer Hauck) Copyright Valley News. May not be reprinted or used online without permission. Send requests to permission@vnews.com. Valley News —Jennifer Hauck
| Published: 07-14-2023 5:10 PM |
WINDSOR — Opportunities to play are growing in Windsor for the two-legged and four-legged alike.
The playground at the town’s fairgrounds, managed by the town Recreation Department, just got some upgrades to space and equipment. And the town’s dog park has expanded as well.
The playground’s latest installations include a tire swing, two spinning fixtures that kids can climb on, a two-tiered slide and a section with equipment suitable for smaller kids.
The renovations “opened up (the playground) for a bigger age group,” said Tera Howard, a member of the Windsor Selectboard who led the effort for the recreation upgrades.
Lifelong Windsor resident Jenna Sanderson agreed with Howard. She recently brought her 18-month-old, Everleigh, to the park to play.
“It’s geared toward little and big kids now,” she said while pushing Everleigh in a baby swing.
“It looks safer than when I was a kid,” Sanderson added.
The money for revamping Windsor’s recreation grounds came from the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA), a 2021 federal law aimed at helping communities across the country bounce back from the COVID-19 pandemic.
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The town of Windsor received nearly $1 million in ARPA funds and about 10% of that went to the Recreation Department, thanks to Howard’s advocacy.
She proposed allocating some of the town’s ARPA money to recreation to the rest of her colleagues on the Windsor Selectboard. Howard felt that the department is often overlooked and wanted to avoid that this time around.
“I was worried that none of the money would go to recreation,” she said, “They do so much, but they need so much more.”
James Aldrich, director of recreation in Windsor, originally acknowledged that he was unsure of what to do with the ARPA funds allocated to his department but that Howard’s planning was thorough and helpful. She not only came up with the idea and proposed it to the rest of the Selectboard, she also picked out the new equipment and drew up a new layout for the playground at the fairgrounds.
Aldrich and his co-workers, David Theetge and Bill Gokey, worked with Howard once the ARPA money was in hand this spring. They ordered all of the equipment, which was staggered coming in due to delays. Once they got it, Aldrich, Gokey and Theetge assembled and installed the entirety of the playground equipment themselves with some community help to avoid the extra costs of hiring a contracting company.
“I feel like we got a lot for the money,” said Howard, noting their efforts in construction.
The project at the playground was completed on June 12, when the recreation department hosted a grand opening. Howard had never seen so many kids at the fairgrounds playground, and there was free ice cream for all.
“I kept looking over at James, and he couldn’t stop smiling. … It was such a good day,” she said.
Aldrich said he has never seen the playground as consistently busy as it is now. His summer camp hosted by the Recreation Center takes 130 kids to use the playground every weekday when the weather allows.
“Windsor’s good about putting its kids first,” Aldrich said.
The kids also use Kennedy’s Pond, which has undergone additional renovations with the ARPA money allocated to the recreation department. The dog park at the fairgrounds has already been expanded, and new equipment is coming throughout the summer.
The larger dog park already is drawing folks from neighboring communities.
“There’s not that many (dog parks) around,” said Aldrich, “It’s not just for Windsor. … People from Claremont come, people from Cornish come, people from West Windsor come, people from Hartland come.”
Howard noted that she and other members of Windsor’s Selectboard have been getting a consistent stream of emails from grateful playground and dog park users with positive feedback.
“This summer is more fun in Windsor,” said Howard.
The new playground and expanded dog park are located at 189 Ascutney St., in Windsor on Route 44.
More information and updates on related renovations can be found by keeping up with Windsor Recreation on its Facebook page, “Windsor Recreation Center,” and website, windsorvt.myrec.com/info/default.aspx.
Kaeli Bennett can be reached at kaelibennett34@gmail.com.
