Who We Are
Crellin Community Park was established in the early 1970’s by dedicated members of the Chatham community who wanted to create a space for youth and individuals to engage in recreational activities. The park, owned and operated by the Town of Chatham, has grown over the past 30 years and now includes two pavilions with snack bars and restrooms, a swimming pond and summer swim and recreational program, two tennis courts, a basketball court, playgrounds, a fitness/hiking trail, three soccer playing fields, a softball field, a community garden and a trout stream, AND we have plans to make even greater changes for the future.
Thanks to a generous land donation from the Sonoco Crellin Corporation located directly across from Crellin Park, the Town of Chatham now owns nearly 50 acres of land and is currently applying for funding to assist in making the Town’s Park Master Plan for park improvements a reality.
Crellin Park Goes Smoke Free!
Crellin Park was also one of the first parks in Columbia County to become a “smoke-free” park. Visitors to Crellin Community Park in Chatham will find new no smoking signs posted at the entrance, the recreation fields, pavilion and on the beach. Shari Franks, Chatham recreation director, said the signs are a colorful way to reinforce the no smoking policy at the park.
“The park is a wonderful resource to town residents and we want people to have the healthiest possible experience here. Cigarette smoke and cigarette litter are not part of a healthy environment.”
Two recreation areas in the town of Austerlitz are also getting new signs following recent action by the town board. “We are proud to do what we can to ensure the health of children and other users of our parks,” said Supervisor George Jahn after the Board decision. Town parks in Germantown, Livingston and Stockport are also receiving new signs.
According to Karen dePeyster, director of the Rip Van Winkle Tobacco-Free Coalition, the trend toward clean outdoor air is gaining momentum. “Since 2003, when New York banned smoking in all workplaces, including restaurants and bars, public tolerance for involuntarily being subjected to someone else’s cigarette smoke has declined sharply, both indoors and outside,” she said. “Smoke free has become the new normal. That’s a great message for kids to be getting, too.”
Eliminating cigarette litter is another benefit of clean outdoor air policies. Cigarettes are the single largest source of litter in the nation. The butts contain toxic chemicals that can be harmful to small children, pets, birds and other wildlife, and the filters are not biodegradable. “Tobacco free is not just healthy for people, it’s also healthy for the planet,” said dePeyster.
The Rip Van Winkle Tobacco-Free Coalition provides free no smoking signs as a service to local governments, organizations and businesses. There are several styles to choose from or custom designs can be made on request. Sample signs can be viewed on the Coalition Web site at www.rvwtobaccofree. org. To order signs, call 518-822-0999 or e-mail info@rvwtobaccofree.org. The Tobacco-Free Coalition is a program of the Healthcare Consortium.
