A FUN, INFORMATIVE “Senior Day at the Park” was held earlier this month.
By MYRON F. DITTMER Jr.
President
MELROSE — The Mt. Hood Park Association’s “Senior Day at the Park” event was held at the clubhouse at Mount Hood Memorial Park & Golf Course on Tuesday, May 14 from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.
It was a perfect sunny day for the event, which included several lectures, a lunch and later a trip up to Slayton Tower for sightseeing. This free event was sponsored by the Mt. Hood Park Association and the Melrose Park Department.
The first lecture was by Maya Noviski, assistant planner from the Melrose Office of Planning & Development who reviewed the “Melrose 2023 Open Space and Recreation Plan (OSRP).” Her presentation provided a brief overview of how the OSRP was produced. She explained that the OSRP serves to document the City’s continued commitment to preserving, maintaining, and improving the City’s open spaces and recreation areas. A Working Group comprised of community members and City Staff to guide the revision process, while eliciting community input through surveys, focus groups, and open house.
The final theme of the OSRP included: (1) Upgrade and maintain the conditions of existing facilities and expand recreational programming, (2) Activate and enhance open spaces through innovative design and sustainable development, (3) enhance our natural resources, (4) Improve access to parks and open spaces, and (5) Strengthen regional and local partnerships to promote environmental stewardship. The OSRP is to be updated every seven years.
Also, Myron Dittmer, President of the Association, spoke on “The Historical Development of Mount Hood Memorial Park & Golf Course,” while presenting historical facts and pictures from the 1930’s to present time. He also promoted the many recreational opportunities year-round at Mount Hood besides golfing such as: hiking trails, visiting the many ponds, fishing, bird watching, picnicking, tot lot, sightseeing at Slayton Tower, July 4th band concerts – and when the golf course is snow-covered – skating and hockey on frozen ponds, sledding down hills, cross-country skiing, and snow shoeing.
After lunch was served and following the lectures, attendees travelled up to the 4-story Slayton Tower, the highest point in the park, to experience the panoramic view of the area including the mountains of New Hampshire, Revere Beach, and the Boston skyline.
As noted earlier, this event was sponsored by the Mount Hood Park Association and the Melrose Park Department; and we would like to extend our thanks for support from Joan Bell, Superintendent of Melrose Public and Open Spaces, Erica Brown, Executive Director of Melrose Council on Aging, Dean Scarito, General Manager, and Dori Basile, Function Manager from Sagamore Golf, Inc.
Mt. Hood Park Association is dedicated to the preservation, protection, and promotion of Mount Hood – please visit our website at www.mthoodpa.com.
