Toy Library Installed at Onota LakeBy Brittany Polito, iBerkshires Staff
05:33PM / Friday, April 19, 2024 | |
 Wahconah Regional High School senior Alexandra Bills has installed a 'toy library' at Onota Lake with permission of the Parks Commission. |
PITTSFIELD, Mass. — Feel free to use or leave a toy at Onota Lake's newest infrastructure meant to foster community and benefit kids.
Burbank Park now has a toy library thanks to Wahconah Regional High School senior Alexandra Bills. Located along the wall at the beach area, the green and blue structure features two shelves with sand toys that can be used to enhance children's visits.
The Parks Commission supported Bills' proposal in February as part of her National Honors Society individual service project and it was installed this month. Measuring about 4 feet wide and 5.8 feet tall, it was built by the student and her father with donated materials from a local lumber company.
Friends and family members provided toys to fill the library such as pails, shovels, Frisbees, and trucks.
"I wanted to create a toy library like the other examples in Berkshire County from the sled library to the book libraries," she told the commission in February.
"But I wanted to make it toys for Onota Lake because a lot of kids forget their toys or some kids can't afford toys."
Bills lives nearby and will check on the library weekly — if not daily — to ensure the operation is running smoothly. A sign reading "Borrow-Play-Return" asks community members to clean up after themselves after using the toys.
It was built to accommodate children's heights and will be stored during the winter season.
The city unofficially unveiled the library during its Celebrate Spring Beach Party that also included a scavenger hunt, free snacks, relay races, and lawn games.
In other kids' recreation news:
The Parks Commission on Tuesday approved a memorandum of understanding between the U.S. Tennis Association and the Department of Community Development for a beginner youth tennis program.
The program called Tennis in the Parks aims to provide health and wellness opportunities to the community, create and sustain a fun and affordable play pathway, initiate and grow community interest in tennis, develop long-term partnerships between local parks and clubs, create seasonal jobs, and provide additional USTA resources where needed and available.
"Typically the way it works is that parks and (recreation) departments do a lot of the listing and promoting of the program and sometimes they have registration capabilities. They will do the registration and then we handle the tennis side," regional program manager Woody Freeman said.
"It's sort of like an outsourced tennis situation."
The program will run in the spring, summer, and fall depending on the department's preference.
"We work together and see if we can grow tennis in the city," Freeman said.
Commissioner Cliff Nilan voiced concern about the registration fees, which were listed at $60 and $75 per child.
The nonprofit charges $60 as its cost for the program and the $75 includes a $15 revenue split with the city, which has the choice of offering the lower number. A scholarships are also available.
"USTA is a nonprofit and so our goal is the promotion and development of tennis, the growth of tennis. What that covers is the cost of the coach, the cost of the equipment, and also it will make it so that each player, each participant will get a racket no charge to keep," Freeman said.
"So they get six hours of tennis and they get a racket that they bring home and they keep and also a tennis ball."
Commissioners said they don't need the revenue split but the fee can be increased later on if the city feels that it needs the share.
"This is really to be a partner in sort of promoting a sport, promoting an activity, and getting kids out there and those who chose the $60, the city doesn't need to make anything on that," Anthony DeMartino said.
"At least as I can see, there are no expenses that the city is going to incur for a facility like this. It's not like it's lining a field or things like that."
He appreciated the organization reaching out to the city and hopes that the program will spark some more interest in the sport and provide a way for kids and families to get involved.
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