AASL Welcomes new recreation directory Cathy Fochtman! See the latest interview in the Beacon, copied here…

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Personal flavor for recreation
By Patricia Bertuccio/ Staff Writer
Thursday, September 7, 2006

Original Post: http://www.townonline.com/acton/localRegional/view.bg?articleid=570290

ACTON - Recreation can mean different things to different people. Cathy Fochtman, the new town recreation director, wants to cover it all.

     Fochtman, 46, started the job almost a month ago. With her town-issued van and plethora of ideas for new programs this fall and winter, Fochtman hopes to bring fun, leisure and some of her own interests to Acton recreation seekers. She is Acton's third recreation director since the commission started in 1999, which coincided with the opening of NARA Park.

     The nine-year Acton resident spoke to The Beacon last week about her love of gardening, inline skating and what she hopes to accomplish as the new recreation director.

    Q: What kind of training do you have or background that sets you up to be a director of recreation?

    A: Basically, I've been raising kids and had a corporate job in the past for a large computer company as a marketing support specialist. Since I moved to Acton, I've been involved on a volunteer basis. I've done volunteer work on a full-time basis for the schools. I was the president of the Garden Club from 2001 to 2003 and I've been president of the Friends of the Arboretum since June 2005. I hooked into this [job] by volunteering for the recreation department through the Garden Club cookbook [fund-raiser].

    When I found out the position was available, I started to think about it because I am in a stage of my life where I was ready to take on an interesting and challenging job, which I think I've got. It seemed to meld right into things I do anyway.

    Q: What responsibilities do you have as the recreation director?

    A: It's quite a big job, I'd say. I have oversight of NARA Park and recreation spaces like the athletic fields, the beach at NARA, the upcoming Morrison Farm, summer youth programs. I develop programs inside the office. Since I've been on board, I've worked on two of the last of the four concerts in the [summer] series. Part of my job is getting NARA into people's conscious.

    Q: What are the challenges and what things do you find the most exciting about your job? Is it hard to find things for people to do in Acton?

    A: Since I haven't experienced it all, it's hard to say. Running the concert was very exciting. I'm very fortunate to have a nice volunteer network to help put on an event and have it go so smoothly.

    I think the main challenge is just pulling everything together and simply learning all aspects of the job. I don't find it daunting, but I want to do the best of my ability to support leagues and develop different areas. I work with a lot of different entities and pulling it all together is the most challenging aspect. I look forward to doing it.

    Acton puts forth a big effort for teens and residents. NARA Park is so unique and not every town has one like it. We just sent out our program guide for this year. Recreation shouldn't stop just because the weather gets cold and we have a number of programs through out that have already shown to be popular. Acton offers a lot of activities for all ages. There's a lot of interest for a two-day trip to Buffalo to watch the Patriots play the Bills. In February we'll host an evening event called Winter Fest. The guide has a table of contents by age to help people find activities for themselves and their families.

Q: What projects are you currently working on?

    A: I just scheduled field time for disc golf with a group of high school students and their instructor. There's definitely room for new and different things [on the fields]. I'm excited for that and supportive of new things as well as the bread and butter of this town - soccer.

    We're expanding the School Street fields since we've acquired 10 additional acres with CPA funding and [the new area] will include two baseball diamonds and another soccer field.

    We are also working on improving the lighting at the Elm Street fields to expand use and reconfigure where lights are to meet the correct standards of the lighting committee.

    Q: You seem like someone who is fairly active. Have you introduced any programs based on your own interests to Acton's recreation activities?

    A: I was recently certified as a master gardener from the Horticulture Association and I've started a class that targets people who don't have time during the week to do garden activities. It provides tips about planting, selection and hopefully, people will walk away with resources on how to be self-contained.

    I picked up inline skating during my adulthood and we have a class to give adults the opportunity to learn how to skate without falling.

    Q: What programs have you added or would like to add for the upcoming year?

    A: I'm big on bike trails [like the Bruce Freeman Rail Trail]. They have so much to leverage as a recreational area - we can run bike races or runs, teach people about bike safety and inline skating, not to mention, it give kids a safe place to go and a good way to get from one recreational area to another.

    One thing I'm interested in developing is building alliances with businesses and community groups. For example, it would be exciting to have Pedal Power to work with us and do bike runs and other programs.

    Something else I see coming along is the Morrison Farm. It's a great interest to me and a lot of potential for developing programs.

    I want to bring enthusiasm and have a very hands-on role in the community. That's what I see myself working on.

     For more information on recreation department events, visit www.town.acton.ma.us 

     Patricia Bertuccio can be reached at 978-371-5743 or at pbertucc@cnc.com