Recreation Director Gina Caldwell (left) presents the Harpswell Recreation Recognition Award to Susan Rich. (J.W. OLIVER PHOTO)

The Harpswell Recreation Department presented awards to four longtime volunteers during a Board of Selectmen’s meeting on Thursday, May 26.

Stephanie Alexander received the Trufant-Summerton Athletic Field Recognition Award, for dedicated service to Harpswell’s youth. Tony Barrett, Rick Meisenbach and Susan Rich received the Harpswell Recreation Recognition Award, for outstanding service to the town.

Alexander was a longtime booster and volunteer at the snack shack at Trufant-Summerton Athletic Field. “She kept everyone fed and happy for many years during baseball and softball games,” Recreation Director Gina Caldwell said.

Even after Alexander’s children aged out of baseball, she continued to staff the snack shack for almost a decade, until the COVID-19 pandemic shut it down in 2020. “She was a great volunteer and we’ll definitely miss her at baseball and softball games,” Caldwell said.

Barrett served on the Recreation Committee for more than 20 years, dedicating many hours to trail construction and maintenance.

Barrett was a driving force behind the rehabilitation of the Strawberry Creek section of Cliff Trail, which the town will celebrate with a grand opening on June 4. He is also a “huge advocate” for bicyclists and lends his skills to maintenance of the Appalachian Trail, Caldwell said.

Meisenbach was a longtime member of the Recreation Committee. As a volunteer with the Harpswell Heritage Land Trust, he functioned as a liaison between Harpswell Recreation and HHLT. “He was always willing to lend a hand on work days for trails,” Caldwell said.

Rich, like Barrett, served 20-plus years on the Recreation Committee. She led arts and crafts at Camp Harpswell for many years, “always finding the most fun and creative projects for the kids to work on,” Caldwell said. She also works on the art shows at the town office.

Rich was “always willing to get dirty for a work day out on the trails or a property and just always willing to lend a hand,” Caldwell added.