The Borough of Woodland Park is excited to announce that as of the March 2022 spring athletic season,
our Department of Recreation will begin to offer sports programs and other activities to the children
of our town.

As was discussed in spring of 2019, the Borough will hire paid staff to effectively and efficiently organize
and manage our youth programs—just like our summer camp. We will also continue to run our annual
activities for our seniors, our community celebrations and our holiday events.

We will also open discussion with the Woodland Park Public Schools to enhance after school
programming opportunities and work with our neighboring towns of Totowa and Little Falls to
continue and grow our successful travel team partnerships with youth from all three Passaic Valley
municipalities.

The Borough is well aware of the challenges in delivering quality youth programs, especially in light of
the setbacks related to COVID-19. The suspension of youth athletics during that time period, a further
drop in volunteerism and uncertainty amongst parents as to safety—all contributed to these issues.

Together, with the support of the Borough, we can build back programs under this new structure.
On behalf of the Council, we thank the decades of leadership—both past and present—at the West
Paterson Boys & Girls Club for their efforts in providing athletics to the children of Woodland Park
since 1955.

While we will keep the many traditions of being a Panther—today we start anew! The Council and I
fully understand the importance of good organization, proper scheduling, volunteer recruitment and
the need to provide a positive experience for our children and families across all programs.

More information will be released in the coming weeks regarding this transition. In the meantime,
recruitment and involvement are key to our collective success. Your input and feedback are also
imperative in this process. Should you wish to submit your name for one of the five seats on the newly
formed Woodland Park Recreation & Parks Advisory Board or to submit your name for consideration
as a sports commissioner, coach or volunteer, please complete the application on the borough website
(wpnj.us). All applications are due by Friday, December 3, 2021.

We are looking forward to the beginning of something great here in Woodland Park when it comes to
youth athletics and activities! GO PANTHERS!