NORWAY — The Norway Parks and Recreation Department has been awarded a $19,429 grant from New Balance Foundation to develop a playground at the Lovejoy Farm Sports Complex.
Town Manager David Holt told selectmen at their Thursday night meeting that credit should go to Parks and Recreation Director Deb Partridge, who recognized that the small, plastic playground at the field was inadequate for children and found a way to fund a better one.
“Her idea was to give kids something to do,” Holt said.
The complex is Grove Street and has two baseball fields, one softball field and one soccer field where league games are played.
In a letter dated Aug. 15, Noreen Bigelow of New Balance Foundation said the foundation is launching a NB SparkStart program. It’s a global initiative focused on improving the health, well-being and self-esteem of children. The town’s proposal fit the program mission.
Selectman Russ Newcomb said many families use the fields.
“It’s a tremendous facility down there. (Partridge) does a lot of work and it gets a whole lot of use,” Newcomb said.
In other business, selectmen heard a report from Norway Downtown President Andrea Burns on BikeMaine 2014 that will bring close to 400 bicyclists to town Sunday.
The board also accepted a $3,000 donation from Norway Downtown for the further development and maintenance of the Norway Railroad Branch trail. Norway Downtown received the money through the Maine Downtown Center’s Healthy Maine Streets program.
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