Whitman Recreation Commission Reviews Open Space Draft, Flags Budget Gap for Pool

WHITMAN — September 11, 2025 — Whitman Recreation Commission receives first open space plan briefing in two decades and flags pool funding gap. Jason DeRosa, Senior Planner for Housing and Public Engagement at Old Colony Planning Council, presented the draft 10-year Open Space and Recreation Plan at the September 11 meeting, the first such update since roughly 2004, built on a 283-response public survey that highlighted geese control, dog parks, and skate parks as top resident concerns. The commission reviewed action items assigned to recreation, asked to be added to a friends-group initiative, and agreed goose management should shift primarily to the DPW. Recreation Director reported the summer park program averaged 85 children per week — peaking at 100 — across six weeks, with about 55 seasonal pool passes sold and daily gate revenue averaging $100 to $200. The commission disclosed the department operated this year without a town expense line, covering pool chemicals, maintenance, and contractor costs entirely from revolving-fund revenue, and said it will push for at least a $10,000 expense appropriation in the FY2027 budget process.