Editor’s Note: Recreation district board members solicited comments from community members about the Mad River Valley Recreation District’s efforts to purchase the recreation fields at Mad River Park.
A lack of recreation fields can be a negative impact on a community. Recreation fields are often a place that gives kids a sense of community and opportunity to be physically and emotionally healthy. Having three boys, Mad River Park is a place where we spend a lot of time! To see Mad River Park go up for sale and be developed would be a great loss not only for my family and other families with children but for the community as a whole.
Sarah Jordan, Waitsfield
Having a centrally located set of fields for kids and adults to utilize is critical to the well-being and engagement of The Valley communities. MRP is a place where hundreds of kids and many adults play a wide variety of sports, both organized as well as pickup. Without these fields, the attraction of The Valley for families would drop dramatically, which would have a negative impact on the sustainability of the area. These fields, in particular, are optimally suited for their purpose. They are reasonably centrally located, have room for multiple and simultaneous full-field games/practices, drain extraordinarily well (so can get lots of use), are easily accessible for visiting teams and will have plenty of parking. I have coached hundreds of kids there, watched and participated in numerous pickup soccer games there and seen hundreds of local parents gather to watch soccer and lacrosse games. These fields are a core piece of what makes The Valley so special.
Mike Krupka, Fayston
Mad River Park has been an extremely valuable resource for our families. The idea of losing this venue is difficult to imagine. Many favorite childhood memories were made on those fields as my kids played soccer and lacrosse, forming friendships with kids from neighboring towns, providing an important social opportunity as well as the more obvious physical benefits. Even in the offseason, on weekends and after school, MRP has been host to many games of flag football, Frisbee, pickup soccer and even to hours of remote-control plane flying. On a nice day, there will often be a group of kids who have taken the bus to MRP to hang out, play soccer and enjoy the beautiful area in which we live. Offering time away from screens, being with friends, getting exercise and fresh air, Mad River Park exemplifies many of the reasons people live in this area.
Mad River Park may have impacted more kids in this Valley than any other single resource we have. If we lose this venue, there is nothing to take its place. In a mountain community, open flat land is precious and rare. Please help us preserve this most valuable resource so children for generations to come have a place to play, grow and learn.
Gretchen Frank, Fayston
In light of all the controversy of the Bridge Street bridge this summer, it illuminated a central issue: Our youth have no recreational areas in which to gather, socialize and have fun. While a Waitsfield Select Board member was very vocal of preventing the kids from gathering, he did not offer a solution to the problem.
If we do not offer healthy choices for our children such as having playing fields at Mad River Park, then we will all suffer. The drug issue in our country, including our state, is at epidemic proportion. If the kids do not have the opportunity of recreational fields, what else do you think they will do? Our children are our future and we must invest in them. Please consider saving our fields.
Carolyn Egan, Fayston
A big reason we moved to the Mad River Valley in 2014 is based on the options available for outdoor activities. Mad River Park has provided a place for both of my kids to be active, make friends and compete in a safe environment. We want to live in a place where youth sports is encouraged as we believe they are central to a healthy and vibrant community – the kind of place where we want to raise a family.
Norm Peterson, Warren parent, Mad River girls’ soccer coach
Mad River Park and all of our fields are much more than a place for kids to play sports; they are a community meeting place. That was never clearer than during the weeks following the accident that took those five kids. All of us were able to mourn, share stories, and catch up during soccer practices and games. The Valley's response to that tragedy was amazing and I know a big part of what makes this community so special are the relationships we've built over the years on those fields.
Steve Andrews, Warren
I think it is amazing to see sometimes just how many kids and families make use of MRP. In the fall, it is not uncommon to see six to eight soccer teams practicing or playing games at the same time, and in the spring you might have four lacrosse teams there, along with a few soccer groups at the other end. In that sense, MRP has become a real outdoor “community center” for families in The Valley and surrounding towns.
Lorne Thomsen, Waterbury
Making Mad River Park a permanent community park is more than just securing fields for our youth recreation programs. Mad River Park is a place which will foster families for generations to come. A multi-field park brings together families and athletes, it gives back! It's more than a soccer or lacrosse field, it's a meeting place for all of us. The park is important to us because we watched our daughter, Janie, grow up there. Soccer became her passion, she played there, she reffed there, she coached there, she loved that park. Janie's brothers will continue to honor their sister by playing on those same fields. Let's give all the children of this community the opportunity to find that same passion. #playforjanie #playformadriverpark
Erin Chase and Alex Hilton, Fayston
I have been coaching youth teams at Mad River Park for several years. Based on my experience, and having traveled to other fields around the state, I believe that Mad River Park is an exceptional venue. The quality of the fields is among the best: The playing areas are level, the grass is full, and the drainage is excellent. Mad River Park also easily accommodates multiple games at one time, generating a spirit of community that would be difficult to re-create.
Chris Jernigan, Waitsfield parent, Mad River girls’ soccer coach
