Boards Press for Expanded Community Use of School Gymnasiums-August 14, 1969

Town selectmen and the Recreation Advisory Committee in Norwood have directed the recreation advisory committee to formally request the School Committee to open school buildings for wider community recreation purposes. Charles C. Saraca, chairman of the recreation advisory committee and chairman of the school committee, championed the initiative, stating, “The taxpayers of Norwood pay for and own these buildings and they should be open to them free of charge.”

Currently, Norwood school buildings remain open only during the academic year and are restricted to a select few citizen organizations, remaining largely closed after school hours and during summer months. Under existing school committee policy, most community groups are required to pay custodial fees for facility use. This policy recently brought the Norwood Fitness Association—an informal group of 25 to 65-year-old joggers—into a dispute with the school committee after they were assessed $600 in back custodial fees, which the group had hoped to have waived. Lawrence J. Arendas, director of the fitness group, noted that similar organizations in neighboring towns are not charged custodial fees despite using union-serviced school facilities. Saraca explained that while waiving fees or expanding hours could cost the schools an estimated $4,000 annually, existing custodial fees already total approximately $3,000 a year.

Proponents of the expansion point out that Norwood currently relies heavily on the civic center’s new gymnasium as the town’s primary publicly available indoor facility, whereas the public school system boasts eight gyms across the district—including two each at the high school and junior high school, and one each at the Oldham School, Prescott School, Willett School, and Balch School. Recreation Director Kevin Dixon strongly endorsed the dual-use concept, citing successful models in states like California and Colorado where school facilities are regularly turned over to local recreation departments for physical fitness and gymnastics programs serving both students and adults. With youth programs and adult recreation in high demand, Saraca emphasized that opening school doors would be an effective way to expand town facilities and “keep the kids off the streets.”

(Reporting by Mrs. Eileen B. Sullivan for The Patriot Ledger).

Archival Note: This article has been dynamically reconstructed from the original public record print archives of the Patriot Ledger