SOUTHWICK — With the number of children enjoying the activities offered by the Southwick Recreation Center declining, its board of directors has embarked on a plan with the hope of increasing the number of children using the facility.
“We know things are changing, and we’re looking at how we can change to meet that need,” said Russell Fox, who serves on the center’s board and is the vice president of buildings.
For over 60 years, the nonprofit organization has been offering a venue for recreational activities for the town’s youth, but with the town’s population slowly declining and aging, so too has the number of children who might use the center at 64 Powder Mill Rd.
Fox said it was not that long ago that the center’s baseball program attracted 600 children and teenagers, but the number participating has dropped to just 80 children playing T-ball this year.
“It’s tough. And it’s not just in Southwick,” he said.
“We’re going to try a different approach and get some new people involved,” he said, adding, “we have things in the works.”
Late last year, it was announced the center had received a $75,000 for facility improvements.
However, in early January, Gov. Maura Healey announced that in response to declining state revenue, several state grants would be cut by 50%, which reduced the center’s expected grant to $37,500.
Using the funds the state granted, Fox said the board has contracted with R. Levesque Associates Inc. to convert a portion of the baseball fields into a multipurpose field.
“We’re thinking about starting a flag football program. It’s a growing, and now Olympic, sport,” Fox said.
In 2023 the International Olympic Committee announced that flag football would be included as a sport during the 2028 Games in Los Angeles.
Fox also said girls lacrosse is gaining popularity, and the board is hoping to start a program once the fields are converted. Levesque, he said, is working on a design for the field and once completed, “it becomes a money issue.”
He said it was too early to guess what the field might cost, but the board will be hoping to secure the services of a local contractor that might be able to perform some of the work as a donation.
“We’ll also be appealing to the town’s residents for help,” he said, adding that if all goes according to tentative plans, the new field may be ready by the end of the year.
He said there is also a need for volunteers to help at the center. He and the board think volunteers have been difficult to attract because many people believe the center is a town department.
“A lot of people think the town pays for this, but they don’t,” he said.
Financially, the center relies on the small fees it charges for its before-school and after-school programs, and its athletic programs.
“We don’t charge and arm and a leg. We try to make it as reasonable as possible,” Fox said.
The center also accepts tax-deductible donations.
Its biggest moneymaker for the year is charging for parking during the annual Motocross Nationals at the neighboring The Wick 338 racetrack, which take place this year on Saturday, June 29.
He said the center could use some volunteers to help that day.
For more information, donate or volunteer, visit www.southwickreccenter.com, its Facebook page at tinyurl.com/bddmmtwb, by emailing southwickreccenter@gmail.com or by calling 413-569-5950.
