How many homeowners can claim a former campground’s 36,000-gallon pool as their own? Heather Reneau can.
Reneau, her husband, Timothy, and their three children live on South Street in Douglas, where they purchased the old Winding Brook campground’s storefront and bathhouse to use as their residence, as well as 4.5 acres and that pool — which, no surprise, “is fantastic in the summertime,’’ Reneau said.
Reneau, 33, moved from Woonsocket, R.I., to Douglas when she was 8. Her parents, George and Muriel Lahousse, wanted more room for their children to run around and settled on Birch Hill Road along Wallum Lake. They quickly fell in love with the peaceful area, and their kids did, too.
“I absolutely 1,000 percent did not want to leave this town,’’ Reneau said. Her husband grew up in Milford, but when it came time for house hunting, “we got a lot more house and property for a much more affordable price here.’’ Her brother and his two children live next door to her parents, and she’s only five minutes away.
Reneau appreciates many qualities of this quaint community of about 8,500. The crime rate is low, and she knows many of the police officers, firefighters, and EMTs. Her family often hikes the trails in Douglas State Forest, and her commute to her job as an office assistant at Pyne Sand and Stone Co. is 13 minutes door to door. “We have this privacy and quiet and calm [in Douglas], but if we need anything, it’s not very far for us,’’ Reneau said.
At the same time, the town is growing: Many new developments and homes have sprung up in the past 15 years, and the number of students in the town’s school system “has exploded’’ since she attended, Reneau said. “For people with families especially, this is a really great place to live. I don’t worry about what’s going on in the schools, because the schools are very open to communicating with parents.’’
One of Douglas’s most-anticipated events of the year revolves around the Family Convenience Center on Main Street, where the owner gives away the remaining ice cream and toppings at the end of the summer. “They give you a few weeks’ notice, and they have a cop detail,’’ Reneau said. “People will wait in line for over an hour to get ice cream. My kids get the soft-serve twist with gummies, sprinkles — they’ll load it up!
“I can’t imagine living anywhere else and having so few issues,’’ Reneau added. “My mom says we’re cemented in, and they’ll have to pry us out.’’
Rachel Lebeaux can be reached at rachel_lebeaux@yahoo.com.
