Benson Park Committee members had John Leone announce he would need to step down from his position during the groups March 21 meeting.
“I regretfully need to submit my resignation to the Benson Park Committee after serving a dozen or so years,” said Leone. “For better or worse, I’ve moved out of Hudson, and I understand that’s a requirement to be on the Committee, I will follow up with an email to make it official.”
Leone remains a member of the Friends of Benson Park organization, and he promised to stay active in park affairs. Leone often served as a liaison between the nonprofit group and the Committee.
“I appreciate the work you’ve done,” said Committee Chair, Jack Madden. “You have been an invaluable addition to the team.”
Sue Clement was at the meeting as the Adopt-a-Spot Coordinator with proposed changes to the application progress to Adopt-a-Spot.
“As of last year, the paperwork I’ve seen is outdated,” said Clement. “I also noticed that on the Benson Park website, there isn’t a tab that would indicate where to get these forms or information for people who want to adopt a spot.”
She hoped updating the information would make it more accessible to those interested in participating or volunteering in the program.
“There’s also a calendar of events coming up, and I thought it would be nice to add to the calendar all volunteer days coming up,” added Clement. “Maybe you can post information about what it is to volunteer. Last year we had a lot of scheduled things such the dog park, we were looking for people to help with the little old lady in the shoe, and those types of things we can list.”
Committee members agreed that a lack of easy access to volunteer forms was a problem, particularly for younger volunteers from the scouts, who occasionally have trouble logging their hours.
“I think it’s a great idea to put some of these forms online so people can access them,” said Vice Chair, Judith Brouillette.
The Chair announced there was no recent change in the expenditure report for the Benson Park Committee. Part of this was due to limited activity in the winter months.
“We still have spent this year to date, $192.56, and we have a balance on hand of $907.44,” said Madden.
Madden confirmed that another $10,000 had already been deposited into the Benson Park Capital Reserve Fund following the passage of Warrant Article 18 after the March election. Currently, the fund has a little over $70 thousand.
“That is the fund source we are going to tap for the lead paint, mold, and moisture inspection,” he said, referring to an ongoing remediation project to make Hudson Train Station safe for visitors.
The Friends of Benson Park group has the Benson Park Community Volunteer Breakfast scheduled for Saturday, April 6, from 10 a.m. to noon. Those wishing to volunteer can do so at: friendsofbensonpark,org. The registration deadline is March 30.
The clean-up day is scheduled for Saturday, April 20, from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.
The Benson Park Committee is scheduled to meet again on Thursday, April 18, at 7 p.m.
