Free Recreation Starts With Places We Already Have

During COVID, we saw just how much our open spaces and quiet places mattered. People were out walking, families were exploring, and Scouts were meeting at Sunny Meadow with proper distancing. We found ways to keep people connected, and I think there is a lot we can carry forward from that as families and the town face increasingly difficult budgets.

We already have places, people, and ideas. With some coordination, our public open spaces and private lands that welcome the community, even occasionally, can provide more free activities with little or no additional cost to the town.

Take Bartlett Woodlot, right across Acton Road from Bartlett Park. There are trails, stone benches, a large glacial erratic, otherwise known as a big rock, and hey, even a waterfall! Both properties belong to the Chelmsford Land Conservation Trust, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit. This is private land with public access, providing a green oasis right in our town center.

As I understand the local history, the dam creating the waterfall is the last remaining of three that held water for the old wood mill. Those waters also provided skating for residents generations ago. People have been finding ways to work, gather, and enjoy themselves here for a long time.

The partly usable Twin Oaks trail extends from the woodlot to the Bruce Freeman Rail Trail, but it is a rough walking route, and I would not try taking a bike through it. Making that a better connection has been discussed for as long as I can remember the rail trail being there. It has yet to move forward, and I would still like to see us find a practical way to make that connection easier to use.

We also have plenty of activities to look forward to, including the Scarecrow Festival, library events, a craft day, and the Pumpkin Armada with floating pumpkins at Heart Pond. Exploring the twelve stone structures at Great Brook, just behind Thanksgiving Forest, on the Saturday after Thanksgiving is always fun too.

For twenty years, we at COSS have been helping make this kind of community work happen. At Sunny Meadow, Heart Pond, Red Wing, and Koulas Farm, you will see mowers we provide when needed. Behind that work are crews giving their time and COSS covering the equipment, gas, and maintenance. Those contributions help keep these places available for everyone to enjoy.

Our community tool shed is another important piece. If a group wants to do an outdoor project at a church, a home, or an open space, having tools available saves them the hassle of finding and organizing everything themselves. People willing to help can spend their time doing the project. Along with our events and the “Live from the Farm” concert series, it is another way we help people turn an idea into something the community can enjoy.

There is a lot of coordination behind all of this that people may never see. Equipment needs repairs, supplies need moving, volunteers need organizing, and somebody has to make sure the pieces come together. In most cases, COSS and our community partners cover those needs directly, without requiring town funding, equipment, or staff time. That helps stretch the resources available across Chelmsford. Working with the library adds another kind of partnership, bringing an existing public service into different community settings.

We even plan for what happens after the fun is over. COSS arranges composting for the pumpkins after the Pumpkin Armada and for compostable material from the Scarecrow Festival, keeping it out of our trash stream and avoiding added disposal costs.

“Free” does not mean there is no cost or work involved. It means people have stepped up to help cover it. As budgets get tighter, I would like to see us build on these partnerships and make it easier for more people to get involved.

Well, hopefully you have learned a few things, and now it is time to join in. Plan to pick up your free scarecrow stand and hay, circle the events on your calendar, and set aside some warm clothes and a red flashlight for stargazing this Saturday night, when Saturn will be near its closest to Earth for the year.

Come along on the day-before-Thanksgiving walk, complete with free cookies and hot chocolate. Dig out that sled for sledding and s’mores at Koulas Farm, and learn about Hanukkah at the annual lantern walk at Sunny Meadow. The cost for all of these is zero. Bring the family, meet some neighbors, and enjoy what our community has to offer