Erving Recreation Commission Approves Minutes, Debates Summer Park Amid COVID-19

ERVING — April 15, 2020 — Erving Recreation Commission plans a scaled-back, residents-only summer park program for summer 2020. Meeting remotely under the governor's COVID-19 emergency open-meeting order, the commission — including members Beretta, Allison, Jeff, and Jill — reached consensus to cap summer park enrollment at 40 Erving children, open registration May 1, and keep the June 29 through August 7 dates tentatively intact, with payments refundable if state health regulations require postponement. The school building, the program's historic home, is in doubt after the principal indicated the camp would not be welcome this year, partly due to a carpet replacement project funded pending a Town Meeting vote pushed to June 17; the commission will seek a spot on the School Committee's May 19 agenda to contest or resolve the facility question. Alternate sites under consideration include the Recreation Center rooms and the old library building. The commission also agreed to post job listings for a summer park director and assistant director immediately, to conduct interviews in open public session, and to pursue local-only field trips — including Northfield Mountain and Laurel Lake — in place of out-of-area travel.