Groton Recreation has a ‘changing of the guard’ 

 

 

 

After 11 years as director of the Groton Recreation Program (Groton Rec), Jennifer Jones has retired from her position and passed the reins to a new director, Becky Koenig, who began on January 3.

Although the director’s desk is located in the Village of Groton office, the program is jointly supported by the village and the Town of Groton and provides sports and recreation opportunities for anyone who resides in either locality.

While the director is the driving force of the program, there is also a governing body in place – the Groton Recreation Committee – consisting of five stakeholder group representatives. Currently, those are Scott Weeks (chair), town member representative; Betty Conger (vice chair), Village Board representative; Leon Brockway, Groton School Board representative; Jennifer Dean, village member representative; and Crystal Young, Town Board representative.

Since the program’s inception, the director’s position has been part-time, and Koenig is the first director to fill what is officially a full-time role, which both Jones and Koenig are grateful for.

“It is so great that the town and village boards and the Rec Committee have shown their dedication and commitment to recreation by making this a full-time position,” Jones said. “The long-term effects on the community will be exciting to see.”

Jones, who grew up in Homer, earned both her bachelor’s and master’s degrees at SUNY Cortland in Physical Education and Leadership, respectively. She has an extensive career background in sports and recreation, including her current position as a physical education teacher and swimming coach at Dryden High School, where she has worked for the past six years.

Despite working full-time, Jones held her part-time position as Groton Rec director since 2012 and has accomplished much throughout her tenure, including garnering a grant through Tompkins County to develop the Groton Trail System, along with Scott Weeks and Jeff Cronk, and implementing background checks on all volunteers for the Groton Rec programs. She was also responsible for the growth of the summer programs, from 92 participants when Jones started in 2012 to 343 most recently.

“I am also very proud of what we’ve done with the pool,” Jones said. “It’s grown extensively. We give over 500 swimming lessons per season and employ about 20 youth, plus we are able to allow our community residents to use the pool at no charge.”

Jones said that her greatest takeaways from her job are the relationships she has built with “a lot of good people who do a lot of good things,” and she hopes those continue.

“After being a teacher, coach and rec director for 11 years, I just needed more work/life balance, and this was a very difficult decision. I love this community,” Jones said regarding her departure. “It was perfect timing that Becky was looking for just such a position now.”

Koenig couldn’t agree more. She said she is “absolutely thrilled to work in the community where I live!”

Koenig grew up in Lake Luzerne, New York and graduated from Hadley Luzerne High School. She earned her bachelor’s degree in Health & Fitness from Keene State College in New Hampshire and her master’s degree in Recreation Management from SUNY Cortland.

Koenig worked at the YMCA in Manchester, New Hampshire as a strength and conditioning program coordinator for two years. Then, she moved to New York to become an exercise physiologist at HealthWorks Wellness & Fitness Center, which was affiliated with Corning Hospital, where she taught exercise, health and wellness and educational programs.

While earning her master’s degree, Koenig also worked for Cornell University Fitness Center as its staffing coordinator, where she was responsible for employing 150 students across its five on-campus fitness centers. She also taught 10 different classes to those same students, which were necessary for them to do their jobs.

The next career stop in Koenig’s life was the Guthrie Cortland Medical Center as a credentialing specialist, then medical office staff supervisor.

Koenig moved to Groton in 2007. She said she had always wanted to get back into sports and recreation, and she has been highly active as a volunteer coach for Groton Rec ever since, coaching T-ball, soccer and basketball. She was a three-sport athlete in high school herself, in volleyball, basketball and softball, and she also played rugby at Keene State.

“When COVID hit and we weren’t doing the sports programs, I needed something else,” Koenig said. “I joined the Groton Fire Department [GFD], and they sponsored me to become an Emergency Medical Technician.”

Koenig remains a volunteer with the GFD and is happily back coaching for Groton Rec. When she learned of the director’s position opening, she immediately applied. Now, she’s learning the job with great excitement and “brain dumps” of institutional knowledge from Jones as she goes.

“I am thrilled to be a part of this community, and I want to continue to build relationships and just do good for it,” Koenig said.

In addition to continuing all of the great programming already in place, Koenig is looking to build programs for adults, such as sports, arts and leisure activities like gardening, adult volleyball, cider making and more.

“My goal is to maintain the quality that Jennifer has established,” Koenig said, “but to also look to the future.”

Koenig is currently working on a grant that would enable the revitalization of the “Welcome to Groton” and VA signs in the village. She also hopes to get the Beautification Committee going again and update the pool.

“I am always open to new ideas for programs,” Koenig added. “I can be reached at recreation@grotonny.org or by phone at (607) 898-3966 or just message me on our Groton Recreation Facebook page.”

Groton on the Inside appears every week in Tompkins Weekly. Submit story ideas to editorial@vizellamedia.com or text or call Linda at (607) 227-4922.  

 In brief: 

 Learn to knit 

 Have you always wanted to learn how to knit? Here’s your chance, and it’s free for Groton students and community members! All materials will be provided.

The group will meet weekly on Tuesdays from 3:15 to 4:15 p.m. beginning Jan. 24 for six weeks in room 206 at the Groton Jr./Sr. High School. Email lwilliams@groton.cnyric.org to enroll.

Village parking reminder 

Just a reminder that no parking is permitted on all Village of Groton streets between the hours of 2 and 6 a.m. from November 1 through March 31 per village code 187-28.

Groton Ridge Runners dance 

 The Groton Ridge Runners will hold a fundraising dance at Stonehedges Golf Course, 549 Stevens Rd., Saturday, Feb. 4 from 7 to 10 p.m., featuring the Past My Bedtime band. A donation of $10 per person includes an entry for door prizes, and there will also be a 50/50 raffle and silent auction items on site. Proceeds will benefit the Groton Ridge Runners Snowmobile Club and local trail systems.