The Westford Friends of Recreation, Inc. has been established to explore viable possibilities of new programs and facilities based upon survey results. This non-profit organization was established in January 2003.  We are a 501(c)3 Non-Profit Organization. The purpose of the group is to maintain an association of civic-minded persons to promote and carry out activities consistent with supporting the encouragement, formation, and broadening of recreational services and activities within the Town of Westford. The group solicits funds to be used toward the fostering and attainment of these civic and recreational goals including but not limited to assisting the Town of Westford's Parks & Recreation Department in its offering of services and recreational land uses to the Town. The group encourages the community to support recreational services, to facilitate communication, to coordinate services between the Parks & Recreation Department, the School Department and any other municipal educational, preservation or cultural organization to help achieve these civic and athletic goals. Finally, the group assists in improving the physical aspects of the Town of Westford and furthering the recreation and enjoyment of its inhabitants and local employees. 

Westford Friends of Recreation, Inc. is now in the process of establishing subcommittees. You are invited to join one of the subgroups listed below as we explore what are viable and realistic options. It appears that a private commercial venture is addressing the needs of a skating rink and therefore we are not forming a subcommittee to address that need. To address the other top items the following subcommittees are forming. Please contact the individual listed below regarding your participation on the subcommittee.

Officers of Westford Friends

President: Donna Holmes

Secretary: Linda Donovan

Treasurer: Carolyn Metcalf

Subcommittee leaders

2) Additional hard-courts   (Tennis and basketball)  Contact: Carolyn Metcalf  carolyn.k.metcalf@verizon.com

3) Town Pool    Contact: Mary Ellen Tynan (978) 399-0373
4) Additional multi-purpose fields  Contact: Linda Donovan (978) 392-0336
5) Trail development   Contact: Sandra Habe  (978) 692-5532  shabe@westford.mec.edu
6) Fund raising    Contact: Carolyn Metcalf (978)392-1290
7) Playgrounds    Contact: Sarah Ledder  (978) 692-7388

We welcome any amount of time commitment that you may have.

 Westford friends of Recreation, Inc. has resently completed the  fundraising for the 3 additional tennis courts that were built at Stony Brook School this past fall.  A grand opening ceremony and donation plaque will be presented this spring. It is not too late to be part of this great addition to the town, we need benches and a storage shed at this facility, so you can still donate. Contact Carolyn Metcalf 978-392-1290 or Donna Holmes at 978-692-6470.

What happened with the Recreation Master Plan?

When the new Director of Parks and Recreation was hired in February 2002, the Recreation Commission realized it was important to have a Master Plan in place, and that it needed to be a priority. Without such a plan, the Recreation Commission could not plan or act for the town adequately. In addition, many grants and other funding sources are available only to those groups with a master plan. Therefore, at the April 2002 Recreation Commission meeting two commissioners volunteered to serve on this committee, the Recreation Master Plan Committee. 

The first priority was to form the committee. Several people had expressed interest directly to the Parks and Recreation office. Several commissioners recruited citizens that they felt would be valuable participants on the committee. Additionally, following the April meeting, a letter was published in the Westford Eagle newspaper in which the goals of this committee were presented, and volunteers were requested. In trying to get a good balance of people on this committee, we contacted Cameron Senior Center and asked if they might know of any people interested in serving on such a committee. 

The committee is comprised of almost 20 people. They met in May 2002 for the first meeting, and continued to have monthly meetings through May 2003. The first meeting mapped out a plan for the committee over the next year. They also assigned tasks for the research of the assessment piece of the document at the first meeting. The assessment phase took place largely from April through October. A large effort took place in August to create the survey, the driving force behind the demand analysis piece of this document. 

Notice of the survey was handled similarly. An article appeared in both the Westford Eagle and the Lowell Sun outlining the survey process and urging all people to complete the survey. A follow-up letter to the editor appeared on September 19. In that letter, we announced that the deadline had been extended to September 27 from September 20. The last survey we entered was on October 12. The survey was sent out to 7975 Households. Six hundred twenty nine people completed the survey, representing a 7.9 % response rate.

Many other volunteers, though not able to serve on the committee, have been invaluable in their services to the group. Without the help of all contributors, the document would not have been written. The master plan is now available for review at the Parks & Recreation Dept., Library, Town Hall. We welcome any and all comments from you. After reviewing the document please direct all comments to psavage@westford.mec.edu.