In July 2019 the Town of Webster sent in their application to the State of Massachusetts in the hopes of being a recipient of a $400,000 PARC grant. The grant was worked on by Recreation Director, Carole Marchand with assistance from Town Administrator, Douglas Willardson. Before applying for the grant the Town had to establish an Open Space and Recreation Plan, which was completed in January of 2019 and can be found at http://www.webster-ma.gov/722/Open-Space-Recreation-Plan.
Through surveys and committee recommendations it was decided
to apply for this grant for funding to upgrade the beach facilities. There were many items that topped the list of
things the residents of Webster wanted to see done at Memorial beach. Among them are:
- Updating the beach house/concession stand;
- Putting in a dog park;
- Updating the playground area to include more items for individuals with disabilities;
- And adding new picnic tables and other amenities.
If awarded this grant the Town is also looking to overlay
the parking lot, improve the dock at the boat ramp, and add some new amenities
to the beach and water as well. If the grant is awarded, further design
meetings will be held with the public before a final plan is completed.
Now that the research and the work has been done in
preparing this grant application, it is just a matter of waiting. Grant recipients will be notified in January
2020 of the State’s decision. We look
forward to making the beach a better place for our residents to visit.