KENT—Emery Park had a rather forlorn look during the Covid years, but 2024 has brought a new burst of enthusiasm for the park located on Route 341 just outside of town.
A subcommittee of the Park and Recreation Commission has rolled up its collective sleeves, cleaned the large shed to create a place for meetings and activities, assessed the future of the now-closed community pool, and started clearing and creating trails to the summit of Leonard Mountain.
Now, it has announced that dogs will be welcome within its borders. The Park and Recreation Commission adopted a dog policy with some restrictions during its Monday meeting. Dogs are allowed on leash in the park and on the trails. Dogs are not permitted in the fenced-in swimming area or on the playground. Dogs are welcome in the park from sunrise to sunset, but owners should be prepared to clean up after their dogs.
“[Subcommittee Chairman] John Grant told me he has seen people with their dogs in the park, which is great,” said Park and Rec Director Matt Busse. “And we’ve had many positive comments. We don’t have a real dog park, and it’s a great place to take your dog to get some exercise.”
He said discussions have been held about creating an actual dog park and that locations are being discussed, but it may take time to develop one. “If we build one, we want the best policy and the best location to ensure that we solve problems before problems arise,” he said. “We want to be proactive in responding to situations where you might have dog bites or dog infections from mingling with other animals.”
In the meantime, Busse has continued to enhance the trail system at the back of Emery Park. All summer he has been holding hiking sessions to the summit of Leonard Mountain to enjoy its sweeping vistas. Now he is working with subcommittee members to clear a less challenging avenue to the peak. “This is a hands-on commission, and I appreciate them so, so much,” he said.
Busse, who assumed his role as director in February, has sought ways to enhance an already robust program. He suggested to the commission Monday that a mobile application be used so citizens who sign up can interact and plan events. “Sherman uses it,” he reported, saying that residents could use it to coordinate pickleball and basketball games and hiking in Emery Park. He said he could monitor the events.
He and the commission discussed collaborating between different community agencies to enrich programs for seniors. “I would like to arrange for seniors to come together and offer as much as I can,” he said.
The Social Services Department has indicated its desire to provide the senior lunches. “I am comfortable with Social Services taking it on,” he said, but commission members expressed some concern that fewer lunches would be offered. “I can understand making it clearer, but it would be sad if seniors have fewer opportunities for lunch,” said member Lynn Mellis Worthington.
Busse suggested that special events, such as trips, could be planned through Park and Rec that would also include lunches.
“It makes sense for Social Services to be more involved with seniors for lunch,” said commission chairman Rufus P. de Rham. “Maybe we could so something akin to having school kids come and have a game hour. I can see us getting into that kind of recreational activities for seniors.”
Worthington said the director should plan more arts events. “I was fascinated to see the Fairy House program,” she said. “We should offer creative artistic programs where they can do something different.” She said the recreational programs should attempt to expand its efforts to attract younger seniors—those in their 60s rather than their 80s.
It was suggested that such programs could be offered quarterly.
Under old business, the commission decided to send out a Request for Proposals to resurface and repaint the tennis courts so they can be used both for tennis and pickleball. The project will include repainting the tennis court surface with two tennis court line and four to six pickleball court lines, court patchwork in areas missing concrete, and placement of tennis court nets.
The work is to be performed and completed by November 15.
