Rec board appoints two new personnel, approves pickleball and softball tournaments

The Parks-Recreation Board appointed new personnel for the department’s assistant superintendent and recreation supervisor positions.

At Wednesday’s meeting, the board voted unanimously to appoint John David Gilbert as the new assistant superintendent of recreation facilities.

Kim Hebert, the director of the city’s Recreation Department, explained that Gilbert was one of 11 candidates interviewed for the position.

“David here really checked all of our boxes,” Hebert said, explaining that the department was searching for someone with experience maintaining pools and hockey rinks.

Gilbert told the board that since graduating in 2014, he had been working at his alma mater, the University of Alaska Anchorage, which housed a hockey rink, pool and other recreation facilities in a single building.

According to his LinkedIn page, he held the positions of facilities, operations and programs supervisor as well as program assistant at the university.

“So one of my biggest strengths is adaptability, just being able to see a situation and change it on the fly to make it work at the university; that’s a lot of what I had to do,” said Gilbert.

According to the job posting for the position, Gilbert would be managing the daily operations of the department’s ice rink, athletic fields and other recreation facilities.

Hebert said that Gilbert will work primarily at 200 Trapelo Road., which includes the site of the former Walter E. Fernald Developmental Center.

Additionally, Jaclyn Robinshaw was unanimously appointed as a recreation supervisor for the department.

Hebert said that Robinshaw was one of six candidates interviewed for the position and has been a part of various programs within the department for six years.

She served as a program instructor, summer program director and held an internship in the office for the department.

Robinshaw shared that her greatest strength was her knowledge of Waltham and the recreation department, having grown up in the city and been involved in a wide range of programs.

Robinshaw will be responsible for planning and directing the department’s numerous recreation programs. This position also involves working alongside the department’s other recreation supervisors in designing the department’s programs.

In other news

At Wednesday’s meeting, the board also:

• Heard a presentation on the financial status of the Waltham Youth Hockey program from Paul Aborn, the program’s treasurer. Aborn said the numbers for Waltham and out-of-town participants have remained the same as previous years, with around 500 players. Aborn expressed concern over the rise in cost per participant, which is around $1,830 and may prevent some kids from participating.
• Approved a pickleball tournament fundraiser following a request by Ward 3 Councilor Bill Hanley. The tournament is a fundraiser for the Launch Foundation, a nonprofit that assists low-income veterans and the VFW Post 10334. Participants will compete on June 14 at the pickleball courts at Lowell Field at 190 Grove St. Attendance will cost $65. Hanley explained that he is a board member of the Launch Foundation and proceeds will be split between Launch and the VFW. The fundraising goal is $10,000.
• Approved a softball tournament for the Armenian Youth Federation, to take place on Aug. 30 during Labor Day weekend. Festivities will take place from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the soccer and softball fields at the Veterans Memorial Athletic Complex at 385 Forest St. Members of the federation from across the country will come to compete at the event, and it’s estimated that up to 150 athletes will attend.
• Discussed plans with Mayor Jeannette A. McCarthy for the Field Station property at 240 Beaver St. McCarthy said the city plans to use a small space at the property for a rose garden dedicated to Cornelia Lyman Warren, a philanthropist who owned the land where Fields Station is located in 1901. 
• Discussed finishing the footprints for the amphitheater and athletic complex at 200 Trapelo Road. This structure was a part of the city’s capital improvement plan for Fernald property that was approved by the board in 2022.
• Discussed the status of another capital improvement project, improvements to the McKenna Playground, which were approved by the city last June. Hebert said the construction project is around halfway done.
• Approved funding for additional staff at 200 Trapelo Road and 240 Beaver St.
• Approved the department’s capital budgets, which include requests for computer upgrades and a plow truck.