In the Public Eye: Windham’s Director of Parks and Recreation, Linda Brooks, values partnerships and community input

Linda Brooks has led Windham's Parks and 
Recreation Department for six years and
prior to that served as the director of Parks
and Recreation for the Town of Standish.
SUBMITTED PHOTO   

Editor’s note: This is another in an ongoing series of Windham and Raymond town employee profiles.

By Elizabeth Richards

Linda Brooks has worked in community recreation for more than 25 years.  After 21 years as the director of Parks and Recreation for the town of Standish, she made the move to Windham where she has served in that same position for six years. 

Brooks has a degree in therapeutic recreation from the University of Connecticut.  She worked in a rehabilitation hospital in Braintree, Mass., before her family relocated to Maine and she took a position at Sanford Parks and Recreation as a recreation coordinator.

“That was my introduction to community recreation,” Brooks said. “That became what I really have loved most, clearly, since I’ve stuck with it for so many years.”

The move to Windham has been a great experience, Brooks said.  Windham has additional resources available in the community, more parks and facilities, and great council support, she said. Impact fees collected allow for park improvements, and an active advisory committee encourages and supports community events, such as the concert series at Dundee Park, Summerfest, and the Halloween Adventure, which have been extremely popular.

Summerfest is run by a town appointed committee now, which provides additional support and funding for the event. 

“Committee members have been able to be less focused on trying to raise the money and more focused on coming up with the great ideas and suggestions on how to celebrate that event,” she said.

Two community center committees have worked to explore the possibility of a new facility in Windham.

“That’s been an ongoing process and we’re making some real headway. A lot of people are talking about the possibility of a community center for Windham, which is really exciting,” Brooks said.

“We have a great staff here that work together as a nice team,” Brooks said. “Everybody knows what their role is, but they are happy to pick up the slack for anybody else.”  

Partnerships and relationships are inherent to the success of many of their programs, she said. They rely on, and receive, support from other town departments as well as a long list of community organizations.

Quality enrichment programs and summer camps for youth are an important aspect of the department as well, to build upon what kids are accomplishing throughout the school year, Brooks said.

“To me, one of the greatest success stories is to have somebody who has been to our camp all the way through, then they do the senior camper program, the CIT program, they’re hired and the next thing you know a few years down the road they’re one of our assistant directors or something,” said Brooks. “It’s great to watch that because they’re really invested in the program, and they know what we’re all about.”

The role of Parks and Recreation departments has evolved over the years, she said, and these departments really enhance what a community can be from a resident perspective.

“Many directors around the state have been there for years, and there’s a reason for that. It’s a great job,” she said.

Some of the main challenges she’s encountered are lack of facilities, both indoor and out, and staffing shortages.  For instance, they’ve had to be careful about how many people use the parks and trails due to a lack of parking.

“It’s a good problem to have, but we have to be really creative,” she said. “The more we enhance these facilities, the more people show up, and we’ve got to make sure we can manage all of that.” 

Currently, there’s a parking lot expansion happening at Lowell Preserve, and another planned for Donnabeth Lippman park at some point in the future.

Brooks said the door to Parks and Recreation is always open.

“Even when it wasn’t open during Covid, we found ways to be there for people,” she said. 

They welcome ideas and suggestions and try to serve the community in the best way they can, she said.

Brooks and her husband raised five children in the Bonny Eagle School District.  Two years ago, the two moved to Biddeford.

“We had loved our rural lifestyle for many years but once we were empty nesters, we wanted to be closer to things,” she said. 

Their five children have all returned to the area, and the couple has two granddaughters and a grandson they see on a regular basis. They also love to travel and are working on seeing as many National Parks as they can. <