BY ADAM ATKINSONNorth Country This Week

POTSDAM -- Get ready to roll to recreation. The Town of Potsdam Recreation Department is partnering with Potsdam Central to offer a free bus pickup service in the village to transport children to the summer programs and beach at Postwood Park in Hannawa Falls. 

The free bus service will run on Mondays, Wednesday and Fridays from July 7-Aug. 8, with pickups starting at 9 a.m.

Town officials and the recreation director Michelle Garrow have been working on trying to set up a busing service to the park for the last few weeks, and the town board approved a shared services agreement with the school at the June 10 town board meeting. 

"That's been one of the biggest pieces, is getting kids back out there," said town recreation director Michelle Garrow. "So, we've been working with the school to make arrangements to get a bus."

"We've been struggling with the financial side of it, because with some pieces like if we took on the bus ourselves, then there were some insurance things where we really only need insurance for a month, but we'd have to pay it for a year," Garrow said. "And so that wasn't quite working out according to plan." 

"So we are looking at a different arrangement with the school which is ultimately impacting the days and the hours that we're looking at," Garrow said. 

Garrow said the recreation department was looking at pickup locations being in some of the most densely populated areas in town. 

"We're looking to really hit those populated areas to be able to bring kids out at least for a few hours a day over the course of the summer," she said. "We're really hoping it works out for us." 

Pick-ups will be at the following locations:

• Evergreen Park
• Potsdam High School 
• Lawrence Avenue Apartments
• The Quarry
• Swan Landing

This run is open to all children between the ages of 8-15, a press release from the town said.  

Children will be dropped back off between 12:30 and 1 p.m. at their pick-up location. The recreation department will have staff on the bus each day. 

Children will also be able to participate in swim lessons and other activities while at Postwood.  

The town's recreation department opened its summer season at Postwood Park in Hannawa Falls on Memorial Day Monday at reduced hours and then full time daily 10 a.m.-7 p.m. after the first week. A variety of programming and activities are planned at the park this summer, including Parent-Tot and Learn-to-Swim Programs, Library at the Beach, Children’s Triathlon on July 12, Dragonboat Races and festival on July 13, Rec for the Rest of Us and of course open swimming at the beach. 

Garrow told town board members at their June meeting that several school groups will be visiting Postwood this summer in addition to the other activities the recreation department has planned at the park this season. 

"So things are definitely busy and we're keeping things moving," she said.

For more information, call 315-265-4310 or 315-742-0830 or email recreation@potsdamny.us.