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Resident urges Cheshire to restore printed Park & Rec program guides, says online notices miss older residents
Summary
A Cheshire resident urged the council to restore printed Park & Recreation program guides, saying many older residents and others don’t see online notices and that participation in an organized walking group has fallen since the guides stopped.
A Cheshire resident who said she started a walking group three years ago urged town leaders during public comment to resume regular printed Park & Recreation program guides so older residents and others without reliable online access would know when activities are scheduled.
The speaker, identified in the transcript as a resident and walking-group founder, said the group once drew as many as 30 participants but attendance has dropped since the printed brochure was discontinued. “I started a walking group in Cheshire actually 3 years ago this month, in April,” the resident said, and asked the council to reconsider the decision to stop mailed/printed program guides.
Parks and Recreation staff and other officials described online options to subscribe to program updates on the town’s new website and said the department will review registration and waiver processes (the department requires participants to complete registration/waiver forms, which some residents said is a barrier when forms must be repeated frequently). Staff said some program notices are now posted, and they will examine whether a twice-yearly printed guide or improved subscription notices would increase participation among older adults and others who do not check the website regularly.
Outcome and next steps: Council members asked staff to follow up with Parks and Recreation to clarify registration procedures and to consider whether a printed brochure or better targeted email/text subscription notices are feasible within the department’s budget and staffing constraints. Council staff said they would ask Parks and Recreation to return with cost estimates and options.
Ending: The speaker invited council members and residents to the group’s upcoming Patriot Walk and said volunteers and staff could work together to boost outreach; council members thanked the speaker and asked staff to explore low-cost ways to restore or replace the brochure’s outreach function.
