Amherst’s recreation director has proposed an ambitious and exciting plan for more recreation facilities in the community, mostly aimed at adults and senior citizens.

Craig Fraley’s plan, we think, is excellent and something that should be given serious consideration. It should be presented as often as possible in public forums, especially those directed toward voters who will have the final say on any town spending.

Here are some of Fraley’s proposals:

A community center.

Walking and biking trails.

A town swimming pool.

Dog parks.

Upgrading the Baboosic Lake pavillion into a four-season structure for classes and camps to use.

Ambitious? You bet. He foresees the plan’s initial phase being created between 2018 and 2020, and that phase would include improvements to Wilkins Field, where youth sports activities take place.

Oh, and as part of the Wilkins proposal, get this: A 35-foot slide to link the upper and lower Wilkins Fields. Yes. A slide. This is something about which Fraley learned during a recreation conference he attended where folks of all ages were using the slide, including people in their 70s. Imagine how kids, and parents, using Wilkins will like it.

Fraley believes there aren’t enough programs for adults in Amherst. But the town isn’t alone in that. Milford, for instance, has lots of programs for kids but there are few programs for adults, and no dedicated space for them to gather. Like Amherst, Milford needs a real grown up gathering place.

Milford is looking at the land it owns west of Keyes Park, sometimes called the Permattach property, for the old industrial buildings on the site. In a survey of residents, the top two priorities were maintaining existing facilities, like Keyes Field and Keyes Pool, and creating walking and biking trails around Keyes Park and the Permattach land. Both are great ideas, but do little for people who have no place to gather. The Wadleigh Memorial Library certainly offers some programs, but they, like programs at the Amherst Town Library, are organized and scripted. Missing is a place where adults can simply get together and do whatever they want, but do it together.

Together is the operative word, we believe. As Fraley said, “The idea of ‘aging in place’ is not happening in Amherst,” due to the lack of programs for adults.

When Milford bought the Permattach property, it did it solely through donations and that is something Fraley and Amherst will have to consider, too, given the reluctance of Town Meeting voters to spend. Even town and school budgets that include imperative spending items have been voted down in recent years, which doesn’t bode well for recreation spending.

But Amherst has several major companies that should have an interest in keeping adults in the community and keeping them happy. Many of these adults are employees of these companies, and we all know that a fit, healthy employee is a better worker.

We hope the voters of Amherst will take a serious look at Fraley’s proposals. Sure, they might cost some money – bonding can spread out the pain – but in the long run, the town will be better for the trails, the community center and, of course, that slide.