News: September 2020

September report

Recreation opened the academic year with Soccer, Trail Running, Mountain Biking and Baseball.  All sports were required to have COVID protocol volunteers, and kept an 8:1 ratio with an average of 16 players.  On September 8^th, we began our programs wearing full masks even in active play, with hands being sanitized by the COVID volunteer at arrival and departure.  We have had no complaints or issues with the players wearing masks.  We have had very few noncompliance issues within the programs.

Tracy Hall is not open to the public yet, so Weekday Wind Down was not an option for after school programming. 

Pickleball continued alongside Tennis at Huntley Meadows.  We have added an additional day of Adult Soccer and a Knit Night on the Town Gazebo, to get more adults involved in a recreational activities safely.

On September 27^th, our Youth Advisory Council hosting their first community event.  They partnered with King Arthur Baking for an outdoor music event combined with a walk along the King Arthur Trails.  The event was a success – they had set a maximum of attendees expected, and had 60 in total.  They chose local musicians to play trailside on a beautiful autumn day.   We were extremely impressed with the event that our teen leaders were able to execute safely in a pandemic. 

The next Youth Advisory Council event will be another trail walk, this time combining our demographics in town by inviting local nonprofits and organizations to come haunt our Milton Frye Nature Area for groups of families who will walk through with their children from 3-5pm on Halloween evening.  So far, the Norwich Public Library, the Lions Club, Norwich Women’s Club, the Family Place and the Norwich Fire Department Support Team have all signed on to choose current classroom sites for the event. They will decorate their sites and hand out candy to the children as they walk through, using tables to distance themselves, and gloves and masks to adhere to our safety protocols.

We have begun discussions with a private landowner about a project to connect our trail systems with little impact to the rustic beauty of our town.

The bridge at Huntley Meadows is moving forward with the application for permitting in the next several weeks.  Hopefully, we are looking at a spring season construction.  
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