WAKEFIELD — The Boys & Girls Club of Stoneham and Wakefield will again run the boat rental concession on the Lower Common this summer as the Town Council voted to extend the contract for another year.
This will be the second summer that the Boys & Girls Club has run the boat rental operation. Previously, Boston Outdoor Recreation (aka Boating in Boston) ran the concession.
Meeting with the Town Council this week, Anthony Guardia of the Boys & Girls Club talked about last year’s program as well as plans for the upcoming season.
Last year’s program ran from June 26 to Oct. 10, he said, and served 2,300 renters. The program offered 21 single kayaks, eight double kayaks and two pedal boats.
He said that the program encouraged local economic growth by working with the Wakefield Main Streets program which created and distributed 1,250 coupons to boaters. Wakefield Main Streets also created a QR code that had links to Wakefield restaurants. Boating passes were also awarded through Beebe Library’s Summer Reading Program.
Guardia said that the program provided Wakefield teens with over 1,000 hours of summer employment. He said that the boating program also collaborated with a number of local community groups for fundraising, including Boston Marathon Miles for Miracles, Cub Scout Pack 54, the Galvin PTO, the Girl Scouts of Wakefield, the Greenwood PTO, Jake Barton Making Strides Against Breast Cancer, Stoneham Coalition, Stoneham PTO’s and the West Side Social Club.
This year, Guardia said that they plan to open the boating rental operation on Memorial Day weekend and run until about Oct. 10. He said that there will be a new website for registration and scheduling.
All of the community programming from last year will continue, he said, with some additions. There will be joint promotions of new and existing programming with the Quannapowit Yacht Club. There will be environmental science programming funded by the National Grid Foundation.
The library pass program will continue, Guardia said, as will the partnership with the Friends of Lake Quannapowitt. Kayak classes will be offered in conjunction with Wakefield Recreation. He said that the boating program will be working with Economic Director Erin Kokinda on linking to local businesses. Kid-friendly programs will be offered on the common.
Guardia singled out the Wakefield Main Streets Program, The Quannapowitt Yacht Club, the Friends of Lake Quannapowitt and the Wakefield Center Neighborhood Association for their support of the boating program.
Town Councilors universally praised the Boys & Girls Club operation of the boating program last year. Councilor Dombroski suggested directing and encouraging boating patrons toward parking areas closer to the downtown as a way to get people physically closer to local businesses.
The Town Council vote to extend the Boys & Girls Club contract to run the boat rental program on the Common was unanimous.