This Week in Clarkstown

By Matt Veronesi

When people ask me, “What exactly does a Superintendent of Parks & Recreation do?” I’m never quite sure how to answer.

I could give them the official job description: A Superintendent of Parks & Recreation is responsible for making sure an entire community’s parks, facilities, programs, events, and recreation services operate successfully.

But that really doesn’t begin to cover it.

One of the things I enjoy most about this job is that no two days are ever the same. Depending on the day, I could be discussing plans for a new playground, meeting with someone about offering a new program, visiting one of our summer camp locations or pools, planning or attending a concert, talking pickleball, visiting a senior club, responding to a resident’s concern, or trying to figure out why something that worked perfectly yesterday suddenly decided not to work today!

The job involves a little bit of everything: management, planning, problem-solving, budgeting, personnel supervision, public relations, and, most importantly, being out in the community.

There is so much variety on a daily basis that things never get boring. There are also lots of meetings. Meetings with administration, meetings with staff, meetings with residents, and some days, multiple meetings about multiple different things. Occasionally, I think we even have meetings about meetings!

All joking aside, coordinating everything that happens within Parks & Recreation requires a tremendous amount of communication. Our Parks & Recreation staff works closely with many of the other departments throughout the Town, and it takes a lot of teamwork behind the scenes to make everything come together.

Attending our programs and events is another big part of what I do, and one of my favorite parts of the job. Summer is especially busy with concerts, car shows, movies in the park, and major special events such as our Fireworks Extravaganza and Drone Show. Throughout the rest of the year, we have holiday events, such as a Halloween Festival, an  Easter Egg Hunt, Memorial Day and Veterans Day ceremonies, Christmas and Hanukkah celebrations, senior events, trips, programs, and much more.

When thousands of residents use our facilities and participate in our programs, there are constantly decisions that need to be made. Some are major decisions involving safety, personnel, facilities, or significant amounts of money. Others can be as simple as, “It’s supposed to rain at 6:00. Are we moving tonight’s concert inside?”

So, if I had to write the unofficial job description for a Superintendent of Parks & Recreation, I think it would go something like this:

You plan things, fix things, promote things, listen to people, solve problems, make decisions, attend a lot of meetings, and spend a surprising amount of time worrying about the weather!

And I wouldn’t have it any other way.

On Saturday, September 19th, from 9:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m., we will be hosting a Tag Sale at Germonds Park. This is a great opportunity to clean out your house, make a few dollars, and pass along some of your treasures to someone else who can take them home and store them for the next 15 years!

Spaces are $30, and participants must bring their own tables. So start going through those closets, basements, garages, and attics now. You may be surprised by what you find, or, in my experience, you may wonder why you have been holding onto some of it for the past 20 years!

In addition to the Tag Sale, we will also be hosting a Touch-A-Truck event that same day. Beginning at 10:00 a.m., kids will have the opportunity to get an up-close look at police vehicles, fire trucks, construction equipment, and more. They will even have the opportunity to climb inside some of the vehicles and see what they are like from the driver’s seat. It should be a great event for families and especially for kids who love big trucks!

Join the Town of Clarkstown and Mighty Mike Simmel and his amazing team of coaches for this nationally recognized basketball program for individuals with special needs.

This all-inclusive program is for children with autism, spectrum disorders, Down syndrome, epilepsy, confidence challenges, motor or developmental challenges, and social interaction needs.

This program will meet on Thursdays October 1st through November 5th from 5pm to 6:30pm at Pascack Community Center. This six week program is $225 and is for ages 7-21 years old.  Special kids deserve special programs, and this is one of the best in the country.

For more information on Bounce Out The Stigma, visit their website at www.bounceoutthestigma.org.

As always, if you have an idea for a future column, program, event, trip, or something you would like to see offered by Clarkstown Parks & Recreation, I would love to hear from you. Feel free to email me at m.veronesi@clarkstown.gov.

Have a great week!