By Chloe Bruning
Previous visitors to Springs Brook Park will notice some changes in amenities, memberships, and park hours when they arrive to cool off in the early summer heat. The park will open for the season on Monday, June 6.
There are several new attractions being added to the park area, including standup paddleboards and kayaks, a toddler playground, water spray features in the shallow pond area, and a gaga pit (a form of dodge ball) for young children. The new 2016 features join favorites from years past- miniature golf, tetherball, concessions stand, water slide and water spray park. There is also a dock used for swimming lessons, but that is not open to the general public.
While the new amenities are nice additions, the most drastic change is in regard to memberships. For the 2016 season, Springs Brook Park will only be available to Bedford residents and to people who purchase a membership for the season. Residents of Bedford will still be allowed to visit the park without a membership by purchasing a day pass.
In the past, the day passes were available to anyone who showed up to purchase one; however this year, in order to manage crowds and to make sure that the residents of Bedford have the opportunity to enter the park, the day passes are being limited to Bedford residents only.
“It’s a gamble,” said Bedford Recreation Department Director Amy Hamilton about the change in memberships for the 2016 season. Last summer many guests of Springs Brook Park came from outside of Bedford, with others coming from as far away as southern New Hampshire, according to Hamilton. With the change in membership platform it remains to be seen if Springs Brook Park will lose members this summer due to the lack of day passes for out-of-towners.
This season, a Bedford family resident membership costs $225. A non-resident family membership will cost $275.
“It is most important that the public knows the changes this year, in terms of both amenities and memberships,” said Hamilton.
In years past, the pond at Springs Brook Park has had water clarity issues, which led to the park being unexpectedly closed in some areas of the pond. According to the 2016 Springs Brook Park brochure, the chlorine level in the water gets checked before the park opens every day, periodically during the day, and after the park closes every night. Water clarity is impacted by the number of swimmers in the pond at one time. This partially led to the park being closed on the weekends, which was implemented last summer for the first time.
Hamilton thinks that the addition of the paddle boards and kayaks will also help with the water clarity because they will allow people to be on the water without stirring up the bottom.
The park will be open Monday through Friday from 10:30am to 7pm, according to the 2016 Springs Brook Park brochure. The park will not be open on Saturdays or Sundays. The park opens for the season on Monday June 6 and will remain open until Friday August 19.
Loading ...
