Select Board interviews six Park and Recreation Commission applicants; candidates stress accessibility, neighborhood festivals and park revenue

The Select Board conducted interviews July 1 with multiple applicants for the Park and Recreation Commission and other boards; applicants discussed accessibility, neighborhood programming and park maintenance.

Emily Jacobson, a civil/structural engineer who serves on the Bicycle Advisory Committee, said she would prioritize park accessibility in North Brookline and protect small parks in denser neighborhoods. “Any opportunity…to upgrade existing facilities in North Brookline is really, really important,” she said. She also supported applying PROWAG guidance to improve pedestrian access at parks with level changes.

Sarah Schlossberg, a recent college graduate who studied applied design and society, urged programming that broadens youth and young‑adult use beyond organized sports — for example, walking groups, birding clubs, and small features such as benches and path waypoints that encourage social activity. She cited projects in the park master plan that improve playground accessibility and bicycle connectivity.

Raj Tanda, a longtime resident and mechanical engineer with experience in lighting and development projects, said he favors maintaining the town golf course as 18 holes and urged clearer enforcement of park rules and better communications with users. He suggested that certain events in parks (for example, frequent volleyball games) be managed with permits or other mechanisms to reduce conflicts and generate revenue.

Interviewers asked all candidates whether the Park and Recreation Commission made the right choice in maintaining an open‑air seasonal rink at Larz Anderson Park rather than replacing it with an indoor facility. The candidates generally supported keeping the open‑air rink because of its role as a park feature and the costs and land‑use tradeoffs of an indoor facility.

In separate interviews, the board also heard from applicants to the Brookline Commission for the Arts and other commissions who proposed neighborhood festivals, greater use of public spaces for performance (including youth Shakespeare and poetry readings), and closer school‑arts partnerships.

The Select Board did not make appointments at the meeting; the board said it will vote on appointments at a later meeting after reviewing all applicants.