LYNDEBOROUGH – On Sunday afternoon, about 30 family members and friends gathered in the rain at the Putnam Pond Boat Launch to dedicate the new picnic area to former Selectman Lee Mayhew. Development of the area was one of Mayhew’s unfinished projects when he died in 2017.

Mayhew served as a selectman from 2014 to 2017. Prior to that, he was Milford’s town administrator for about 18 years.

The brief ceremony was led by Lafayette Artillery Captain Walter Holland. The Artillery firing squad fired a salute over the pond in recognition of Mayhew’s service as a helicopter pilot during the Vietnam conflict.

The Board of Selectmen and Town Administrator Russ Boland attended on behalf of the town.

Selectman Fred Douglas spearheaded the completion of the park and the placement of the memorial on a rise above the parking area, but the COVID epidemic delayed the dedication until this year.

The area contains several picnic tables with views of the pond. It is open to the public.