By Cynthia Whitty

If you walk by the Ashland Historical Society and Mill Pond, you will notice a new to place to sit and take in the view. Instrumental in donating the bench last fall to the town was Ashland resident and Framingham Rotary Club board member Ken Erdelt. “There were, of course, the usual ideas of helping with food pantries, cleanup projects and so forth, but the idea of donating a bench to the town came up [in early 2021],” Erdelt said. “We [the Framingham Rotary] had previously done one for Framingham. I took the assignment of finding out if the town would be interested and following through to get grant money from our District if we choose to pursue the project.”

Framingham Rotary Club members and town officials dedicate the new bench at Mill Pond on Nov. 16. (Photo/supplied)

 

The Framingham Rotary Club serves the communities of Framingham, Ashland, Hopkinton, and Holliston.

“While we welcome opportunities for our club to donate time, effort, and money to our local communities to help with services, we also look at how we can make an enduring impact to the communities we serve. The bench serves as an enduring and visible symbol of the Rotary’s commitment to the town and as a way of reminding those who may use and enjoy the beautiful view from the bench to think of the Rotary as a part of the town as well,” Erdelt said.

Erdelt coordinated all aspects of the project over 10 months, from planning, funding, and collaborating with town officials to working with the Rotary District grants office to seek approval for a monetary contribution to the overall funding of the project and installation.

During the actual installation work, he kept in close contact with the Ashland Department of Public Works (DPW) as they had to fit the work into a very busy schedule. He also worked with NEC Trophies in Ashland to create the plaque for the front of the bench and buying and transporting about 20 bags of cement to the DPW crew for the pad. “The DPW crew were very supportive and great to work with all the way through the project—shout out to Roy Correia and Chris Messier and their teams,” Erdelt said.

The bench sits on the bank of the Sudbury River between the Ashland Historical Society building and the waterfall off Myrtle Street and offers a beautiful view of the river, the park, and the bridge to the walking trail. “We hope people will enjoy the bench and the view for many years to come.”

Local Community Projects

Erdelt wants residents to know that the Rotary Club of Framingham is a service organization of local men and women from Ashland, Framingham, Holliston, and Hopkinton, who want to better the community in which we live or work. “As a club, we undertake a variety of community projects that range from building a new playground to cleaning up a town park to serving Thanksgiving dinner to those in need.”

“We also serve as a resource to other not-for-profit organizations, awarding financial grants that assist with their worthy causes and community service efforts. We have given over $300,000 to organizations, such as the Visiting Nurses, the Pearl Street Food Pantry, the Boy Scouts, and the YMCA.”

In Ashland, the Framingham Rotary Club has been very active in helping to establish and support the Financial Literacy program—more commonly known as The Reality Fair—at Ashland High School (AHS). “The Rotary helped AHS launch the program three years ago, but the faculty and Student Council really deserve the credit for organizing and running the Fair annually. The Rotary usually has from 8-12 club members helping with the booths and the Ashland business community, and parents have strongly endorsed the program.”

Erdelt invites residents to learn more. “We would love to have more Ashland residents learn about and consider joining the Rotary Club so we can continue to expand the programs that matter to Ashland. If anyone is interested in learning more or, better yet, attending a meeting to see for themselves, they may call me at 508-864-3370 or visit the website at [email protected].”