FARMINGTON — At the selectmen meeting on Tuesday evening, Jan. 14, Town Manager Erica LaCroix announced the hiring of a new director and assistant director for the Parks and Recreation Department.

Jennifer Savage is the new director of Farmington Parks and Recreation. She is seen Tuesday evening, Jan. 14, during the Farmington selectmen meeting. Pam Harnden/Livermore Falls Advertiser
Former director Matthew “Matt” Foster resigned in October to take a position with Bureau of Parks and Lands.
LaCroix said the interview panel included Selectman Matthew Smith, Public Works Director Phil Hutchins, resident Tyler Brown [a Skateboard Park Committee member and Regional School Unit 9 teacher], and Winslow Parks & Recreation Director Amanda McCaslin. LaCroix noted McCaslin contracted norovirus and did not attend the interviews, then Jennifer Savage of Chesterville as the new director.
“I just want to say thank you guys for letting me continue my journey here in the town of Farmington whom I have enjoyed working for part time, full time for the last almost six years,” Savage said. “I am just really excited to continue to bring more culture and community to everyone here. I am looking forward to adding some new health and wellness and specifically socially and emotionally. I am very excited for this new opening.”
Chair Joshua Bell congratulated Savage.
Promoting Savage leaves the assistant director position vacant, LaCroix noted. “Out of that same round of candidates we also selected Jennifer’s replacement who will be Michelle Dowd [of Farmington],” she said. “She comes to us with a resume. She has a degree in sports fitness, she has spent a lot of years working with YMCA with their fitness and health program. She’s got a fantastic personality.”
Savage and Dowd will balance each other out, LaCroix stated. “I think they are going to make a great team,” she said. “I think we are going to see great things coming out of the department as we move forward.”
Dowd currently works for Wiles Remembrance Centers in Farmington, will start her new position no later than Jan. 27, may start sooner if she becomes available, LaCroix said.
“I have worked with her for the last year,” Smith, who also works at Wiles, said.
Smith did not vote for Dowd, the other three were duly impressed, LaCroix added.
In other business, selectmen approved rollover of $3,000 remaining in the 2024 Parks & Recreation general repair and maintenance line to the 2025 budget to be used for the following:
• $600 to supplement the Peter Mills Trust Fund for Hippach Field funds set aside to replace the bleachers at Hippach Field.
• $1,686 to replace the ping pong table at the Community Center.
• $714 to establish a Recreation Equipment Capital Reserves Account.
“Part of that is transparency,” Savage said. Purchasing the ping pong table is not really maintenance, she noted. “This one has a metal base, has a better structure, she stated. “We want one that’s going to have longevity.”
“They don’t give those ping pong tables away,” Selectman Dennis O’Neil said. “Does the table get good use?”
“Absolutely, it gets a lot of use,” Savage replied. The table is used during birthday rentals, for after school programs, by families and other groups popping in at the Community Center, she said.
Establishing an equipment reserve account would allow for the replacement of larger items – such as the air hockey table – that make the Community Center a place for people to go without having to increase the budget.
The Peter Mills Trust Fund for Hippach Field is short a little bit for replacing the bleachers, Savage said.
“We are moving away from the wooden structures that are splintering and not safe,” Savage noted.
Selectmen also approved moving $1,000 from the 2024 budget to 2025 for the rekeying of all doors at the Parks & Recreation facilities, and the purchase of two lock boxes and 10 keys stamped “Do Not Duplicate”. Any money remaining will be used to establish a capital reserve account to fund security measures for the department.
A risk management assessment done at the Community Center identified access control as an issue, Savage stated.
Eleven baseball teams use town fields, Savage said. “We want to keep things more secure and under wraps,” she noted. “Make sure we are taking care of what we have.”
Having lock boxes and changing the codes would help decrease risk, Savage added.
“It’s something that we have to address everywhere and this is a good start,” O’Neil said.
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