Madawaska Parks and Recreation Director Amy England-Baldock Aims to Strengthen Community Connections and Enhance Programs

Madawaska, Maine (WAGM) - Amy England-Baldock, the Madawaska Parks and Recreation Director who was appointed earlier this year, aims to strengthen the department’s relationship with the community and foster positive connections. Newssource 8s Jonathan Eigenmann interviewed the new Director of Parks and Recreation to discuss her vision for the department.

Amy England-Baldock:” I wanted to make a difference in Madawaska and be apart of the community. I’m interested in all types of different events and programs and coming from a teaching background, i feel like i could implement that very well”.

Amy England-Baldock is the new Parks and Recreation Director for Madawaska. With a background in teaching and having traveled to 42 states, she aims to leverage her experiences and engage with the public to enhance the department’s already strong foundation. Additionally, the department plans to enhance its adult teams with specific sports in mind.

Amy England-Baldock:” Right now we have pickleball, we like to start possibly a basketball team that continues; we have one in the winter time but we like to continue it. Going forward, will have; i’d like to start a dodgeball tournament too, i think that will be alot of fun”.

England-Baldock acknowledges that implementing any changes or innovations in the department will require time and effort. However, the community can look forward to a major renovation project underway

Amy England-Baldock:” Updates take awhile to happen, one thing that we are going to be doing is updating the community gym. We’re going to be adding some new equipment to the gym, we’re going to be painting, we’re going to be adding; basically its just going to look revamped and brand new”.

Warmer weather means everyone, regardless of age, will want to enjoy the outdoors while engaging in fun activities. England-Baldock values community involvement in athletics and strives to promote inclusivity and participation.

Amy England-Baldock:” I think athletics is really important to kids of all ages, adults as well. Being active is an important part of your health, if you are active; the longer you are active, the longer you will be able to stay active, and i feel like building those foundations at a young age to be active , and be involved, is a way to have an adult continue into it. The more we’re able to have kids and adults involved, the better the community will be, ways that i plan on doing is advertising, we’ll send flyers home from school, we’ll send flyers home. offering multi-student discounts if you have families that have more then one kid, a lot of different options are there”.

After falling in love with Madawaska when her family moved here, England-Baldock is now working on building rapport with her crew and staff for the summer program, as well as fostering a relationship with the community and children, with the goal of improving the department’s future.

Jonathon Eigenmann, newssource sports

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