Burlington Parks Director Wins State's Top Recreation Honor at Norwood Ceremony

BURLINGTON — March 27, 2025 — Burlington's parks director received the state's top recreation honor as the commission advanced a $50,000 sensory trailer request toward Town Meeting. The Massachusetts Recreation and Park Association awarded Director Brendan Donahue the Peter C. and Eric W. O'Brien Communitarian Award — the organization's highest honor — at a ceremony in Norwood last week, where roughly 300 attendees gave him a standing ovation. The commission voted unanimously to keep the full $50,000 capital request before the Ways and Means Committee despite a two-to-two tie in the Capital Budget Subcommittee, even as Burlington's Disability Access Commission offered $25,000 toward the trailer as part of a $37,300 grant — double the DAC's typical annual contribution to the department. The commission also recognized Bedford resident Leah Devereaux, who testified at the State House on behalf of Burlington's accessible treehouse at Simons Park after her late husband, who had ALS, used the facility to play alongside their young children.