2 minute read
The City of Frederick Parks & Recreation Department
A trio of City of Frederick Parks & Recreation Department experts – soon to become a quartet – is on a mission. Their goal is to provide “for diverse recreational opportunities and amenities that enhance the quality of life for residents and visitors to the City of Frederick through the creation, operation, and maintenance of a comprehensive parks and recreation department.”
For 80-plus years, the department has provided affordable quality programs for the young and young at heart. It operates five facilities where participants may enjoy offerings focused on sports, fitness, and leisure.
The William R. Talley Recreation Center is a state-of-the-art facility featuring a wide variety of exercise equipment including ellipticals, Concept II rowing machines, stair climbers, and upright bicycles. The center is open 5:30 a.m. to 8 p.m. on weekdays, and from 8 a.m. to noon on Saturdays. Annual, semi-annual, and monthly memberships are available for purchase.
The building, nestled beside Baker Park, dates back to 1913 when it was built for the Maryland National Guard. Featuring medieval fortifications, the site is on the National Register of Historic Places. The structure was converted to its current use as a community and meeting center in 2001 by the City’s Parks and Recreation Department.
Superintendent of Recreation Sean Poulin, along with Supervisors of Recreation Catherine Effland and Alex Garipay, manage all the programs. They are in the process of adding a third supervisor.
Poulin, formerly a supervisor, took on his new position on July 1; he has been with the department for almost six years, so the process of building relationships was well in place. He works on the department’s shared goals and mission, and expanding its range. In addition to Effland and Garipay, he oversees youth, adult sports, and camps.
Effland’s area is marketing and membership; she manages the Talley Fitness Center, park reservations program registration, facility reservation desk, and rentals at the Bentz Street facility. With nearly 10 years on staff, she also oversees the department’s social media, marketing, and advertising. She is planning new programming — environmental outreach and education — which she expects to be in full operation by spring 2023.
Garipay, a three-year department veteran, is hands-on with day- to day programming, in charge of the five recreation centers — Lincoln, Butterfly Ridge, and Whittier elementary schools, Gov. Thomas Johnson Middle, and Trinity. While her primary duty is organizing the thousands of renters who use the facilities every year for a wide variety of events such as youth and adult sports, she also serves as volunteer coordinator for the department’s nonprofit Celebrate Frederick, movie nights at the park, creating brochures. Having taken on many of the duties for which the third supervisor will be responsible, she eagerly anticipates the arrival of the new supervisor.
To learn more about programs and activities offered, call 301-6001450, visit www.cityoffrederickmd.gov or register online at www. cityoffrederickmd.gov/webtrac.
121 N. Bentz St., Frederick • 301-600-1450 CityOfFrederickMD.gov
PARKS & RECREATION
