2022 Outstanding Parks Professional Award Winner Barry Alden, Raymond Parks & Recreation

Barry Alden has been working for the Town of Raymond for fifteen years as the Park Maintenance Manager at Tassel Top Park, A Land for Maine’s Future property that is owned by the State of Maine and operated by Raymond Parks and Recreation Department. Barry was my first hire in March of 2020. He previously stepped down from his role the following season and when hearing of management change was considering coming back to work for Tassel Top Park. Within minutes of meeting Barry, I could tell his passion for the Park and was hired on the spot.

Usually with an existing position like Barry’s. A certain routine of doing the “normal” maintenance and what has been done in the past becomes evident. The exact opposite happened. Barry came up with a beautification plan for the park that required a lot of hard work and planning. Reconfiguring how recreational spaces are being used and returning the Park to a more natural Maine setting was his goal. It was a complete transformation of the Park. It was also bringing a lot of attention from our regular users. People who come back every year were glowing with compliments on the changes he made or directed