This Week in Clarkstown

As the Superintendent of Parks & Recreation for the Town of Clarkstown, I am often the face of the department. I’m the one doing introductions at events, attending programs, and visiting our facilities throughout the year. When things go well, I’m often the one who receives the credit. But the reality is that I work with an incredible team of people who are the ones truly making all of these things possible.

The Town of Clarkstown is a big town, and with that size comes a big Parks & Recreation Department, with countless programs, events, and facilities. We have parks with athletic fields, playgrounds, basketball courts, tennis courts, pickleball courts and walking trails. We operate three pools, four community centers, four gymnasiums, 10 summer camp locations, nine senior clubs, and so much more.

Operating all of these programs and facilities takes a tremendous amount of people. Our department has more than 20 full-time employees and hundreds of part-time employees, including summer camp counselors, lifeguards, pool cashiers, and employees who help operate our community centers and facilities.

We simply could not provide the quality programs, events, and facilities that we do without the men and women who work for the Parks & Recreation Department. They are involved in everything from planning, setting up, operating, and cleaning up after special events to working every day to keep our summer campers and pool patrons safe. They welcome residents at our community centers and facilities, answer questions, solve problems, and do countless other things that often go unnoticed.

As the Superintendent, I am extremely blessed to have such an amazing team that works so hard to make everything run as smoothly as possible.

And it doesn’t stop with Parks & Recreation.

We work extremely closely with the Town’s Department of Engineering and Facility Management every single day, and we could not do what we do without them. They set up stages for concerts, clean and maintain our facilities, prepare athletic fields, mow and weed-whack, empty garbage cans, make repairs, and handle countless other tasks. They are an integral part of the success of Parks & Recreation.

There are also so many other Town departments that play an important role in what we do. The Supervisor’s Office, Highway Department and Mini Trans, Comptroller’s Office, Personnel Department, Purchasing Department, Town Attorney’s Office, Police Department, and many others all work with us throughout the year.

The truth is, it takes a tremendous amount of teamwork to make Parks & Recreation successful.

Sometimes residents see a concert, a pool, a summer camp, a senior program, or a community event and only see what is happening in front of them. They may not realize how many people and departments worked behind the scenes to make that experience possible.

And that is why I often say that Parks & Recreation isn’t just about running programs. It’s about creating memories.

It’s a child learning to swim for the first time. It’s a family attending a summer concert together. It’s a camper making a lifelong friend. It’s a senior meeting new friends at one of our senior clubs. It’s a grandfather taking his grandchild to play miniature golf. It’s neighbors taking a walk around Congers Lake together.

These may seem like simple moments, but they are the moments that people remember.

None of those memories would be possible without the incredible employees of the Town of Clarkstown who work behind the scenes every single day. So, while I may sometimes be the person standing in front of the crowd with a microphone, I want everyone to know that I am standing there because I have an incredible team standing beside me.

To each and every Town of Clarkstown employee who helps make these programs, events, facilities, and memories possible: thank you. Your hard work matters, and our residents are better because of everything you do.

Upcoming Parks & Recreation Trip

The Clarkstown Parks & Recreation Department will be taking a day trip on Friday, September 11, to Lancaster, Pennsylvania, to see Joshua at the Sight & Sound Theatre.

Joshua takes audiences from the banks of the Jordan River to the towering walls of Jericho as they journey alongside the people of Israel through their newfound freedom in the wilderness. As Joshua steps into a leadership role following Moses, this powerful production brings one of the Bible’s most inspiring stories to life. Whether you are familiar with the story or experiencing it for the first time, it promises to be an incredible show for the whole family.

Before the performance, we’ll stop at Kitchen Kettle Village in the heart of Amish Country, where you’ll have time to enjoy lunch and browse the unique shops. The bus will depart from the Clarkstown Parks & Recreation Office at 8:00 a.m., arriving in Lancaster for lunch and shopping before the 3:00 p.m. performance.

The cost of the trip is $140 per person and is open to Clarkstown residents and their guests. To register, visit clarkstown.gov/recreation or call 845-639-6200.

As always, if you have an idea for a future column or a Clarkstown event you’d like to see highlighted, I’d love to hear from you. Feel free to email me at m.veronesi@clarkstown.gov.

Have a great week, Clarkstown!