The following is information provided by Manchester Parks and Rec Department in its Sept. newsletter.
Don PInard Retires
On Friday, August 30th, Don Pinard leaves the DPW building on Valley Street for the last time as Chief of Parks, Recreation and Cemeteries. He heads off into retirement with a strong legacy of improvements among the city parks. We congratulate him and wish him well! The Sky Is Really the Limit for you now Don. Enjoy!
Pulaski Monument Restoration
Have you seen it? The statue looks brand new! Gardeners can help the Manchester Garden Club in their efforts to restore the gardens in Pulaski Park on October 10 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Contact Elinor at elinorterrell@gmail.com or call 703-727-4487. Ask her about Gardens/Phase 2 also.
Derryfield Park Playground
Derryfield Park will have a new playground that kids can use in the next couple of weeks. Construction began in late August and a lot of it has been installed as of this publication date. We are so excited to see the end results at one of the city’s busiest playgrounds.
Mini Pitch Grant Opening
Southern NH University and US Soccer came together with the City to celebrate the opening of the first of two mini-pitch soccer courts being built in Manchester. The court is in Sheehan Basquil Park which is currently in Phase 1 of renovation. Look for more to take shape in this park in the coming years.
Fun In the Sun
Fun in the Sun came to an end in mid-August and we had another great summer. Sixty-six kids who were 11 and 12 years old went to Hampton Beach State Park on a hot July day. We also took a group of kids hiking on Mt. Major in Alton. Diane Phelps from Granite State Kids offered tennis lessons for the fourth year courtesy of a grant from the USTA.
The pools are always a hit with kids and all three sites offer access to a pool. Swim lessons were offered in the mornings, and the kids loved free swim in the afternoon. Reading teachers ran some fabulous activities throughout the summer and the arrival of the bookmobile was a very popular event.
Another initiative we implemented was IGYB (I’ve got your back) a kindness campaign that uses peer-to-peer ambassadors to spread kindness. We changed the location site within Livingston Park. The camp was moved up to the Gatsas Complex, making the drop-off much safer for the kids and better for everyone in the park. We would like to thank the site supervisors and camp counselors for all that they do during the summer. We wouldn’t be able to run the program without their ideas, energy and positivity. We love seeing the happy smiles of the campers and of their parents and guardians as well! Summer is done and off to school they go!
We Love Our Volunteers
Volunteers from Saint Anselm College College picked up trash and on another day, a group worked on forging a trail over at Rock Rimmon. We are so grateful for the groups that do their community service hours working with us and helping increase the quality of life in Manchester.
Walk for your Health
As the summer comes to an end, that means that the Walk for Your Health fall session is starting. Our first walk was Wednesday, September 4 at Livingston Park. For more information please contact Erik at ebukowski@manchesternh.gov.
Tennis in the Parks
There is still time left to sign your child up for our fall session of tennis. All new participants in the program will receive a tennis racquet, ball, and T-shirt to keep. The fee is $60. To sign up please visit this link https://manchesternh.recdesk.c
Jack Abby Social Tennis
USTA New England is looking to expand their adult tennis league and they want you! They are hosting 3 drop-in events with us in Manchester to gauge the interest. Young professionals aged 21-40 are welcome at the Manchester West High School Tennis Courts on Sunday 9/15, 9/22 and Saturday 10/12 from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. For more info and to register visit usta.com/jacksabbysocialtennis
