Good idea, good time, good location
It’s been a long time since an idea this good has been raised in Windham. And it’s time we raise our hands and possibly our checkbooks in support of it.
Windham needs a community park, and one has been proposed for the space beside the Windham Public Safety Building on Route 202. Well, let’s rephrase that. Windham doesn’t need one, but, wow, what a great idea. Kudos to the new Parks and Recreation Director Brian Ross for thinking of it, and bringing it in front of the Windham Town Council on Tuesday evening for discussion.
It’s about time this spread-out, sprawling town had a park of its own. A park, especially located in the Windham Center area, would be great for residents of all ages. Kids can come and play basketball or ride bikes on the BMX course. Parents can walk around the property on the proposed walking path. Sounds pretty ideal. Rockwellian, even. Let’s do it.
The best thing is that the citizens won’t have to shell out any dough, or little dough officials say, to get it started. (See the front-page story by Douglas Wright.) Perhaps town money will be used for upkeep or to cover a portion of the construction, but Ross says that amount will be limited due to other revenue sources.
Even if this park cost money for the taxpayer, it is money well spent. Windham already has great hiking areas – Lowell Preserve, Chaffin Pond, Black Brook Preserve – not to mention the Mountain Division Trail running along the old railroad line in South Windham. But it doesn’t have a spot like the one proposed. It doesn’t have a “park,” one where mothers and fathers of small children can bring their kids and take a stroll and play. How grand!
I can’t help but think about my sister-in-law when writing this. She has four kids – all under the age of 8 – and stays at home with two of the younger ones. The older two are in school. And for the last eight years, a visit to my brother’s has usually meant a visit to the local park to watch the kids romp around on the playground. But it also means a walk along the river for the older kids, my mother and me included. That sort of thing is great for my brother’s community. Their park is centrally located and offers most residents a place to recreate. This is what Windham needs. It’s a focal point for family life.
But this park isn’t merely proposed for young families. In this focused-on-the-family society, it seems older folks and singles are left behind and forgotten. Not so with this park. The walking path will be ideal for older folks who want to stroll in a relatively flat and safe environment. And the gardens sound ideal for nature lovers who want to stop and smell the roses. Truly, the remote miles of trails at other Windham green spaces can seem a little daunting to the less hardy outdoorsman. But this sounds perfect for everyone. And it’s next to the police and fire station so safety officials are never far away.
It seems the only problem is what to call it. “Windham Community Park” – though not the official offering, but a name being bandied about – sounds kind of dull. How about something like “Robinson Park” in honor of Windham’s very longtime Parks and Recreation Director Mark Robinson, who’s now the town manager in Fayette.
But it doesn’t matter what the name is; what matters is that we use the land next to the public safety building as more than just a weed and brush garden. What a great idea.
-John Balentine, editor
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