BUCKLAND — Rental fees for the Buckland Recreation Area pavilion are slated to go up $50 for the 2026 summer season.
The Selectboard voted unanimously last week to accept the Recreation Committee’s recommended rates for the 2026 summer season. Pavilion rental fees will come up $50 to $150 for a Buckland resident to rent the pavilion for eight hours on a weekday and $250 to rent the space on the weekend.
After $2.1 million was spent on replacing the pool and upgrading the park, the renovated facility held a ribbon-cutting ceremony in time for the 2024 summer season.
Recreation Committee Chair Cynthia Schwartz told the Selectboard that the pool had a successful season in 2025, with full classes and waiting lists. The pool passes, class fees and pavilion rentals brought in $46,411 in revenue and a $1,961 profit.
“We had a really good season. Our daily pool attendance, we were open 83 days and averaged 44 patrons per day,” Schwartz recounted. “We had 3,646 people come through the door, which is pretty good.”
For the 2026 summer season, Schwartz mentioned the Recreation Department plans to add another beginner swimming class, as well as increase options for water fitness classes.
To offer raises to some staff members and keep up with demand of pavilion usage, Schwartz said the Recreation Committee would like to increase pavilion rental fees. She noted that “events with attendance of over 125 will be charged an additional $100 and have a maximum capacity of 175 because we just don’t have the parking for anything more than that.”
Schwartz noted the cost of swimming lessons will remain the same.
“Our kids need to know how to swim, so we need to keep that as affordable as we can,” Schwartz said. “We’re still the lowest around for swim lessons.”
For individuals, pool passes cost $100 for Buckland residents, $160 for non-residents within Mohawk Trail Regional School District member towns and $190 for non-residents outside of the school district.
For families of four, Buckland residents will pay $200, non-residents within the school district will pay $325 and non-residents outside of the school district will pay $385. Additional family members cost $35 per person.
With Selectboard approval of the 2026 rates, the Recreation Committee can begin opening up registration for passes and programs for the summer ahead.
Correction, January 20, 2026 5:21 pm: An earlier version of this story included incorrect information about fee increases. Only pavilion rental costs will be increasing.