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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2021-12-15-REC-min RECEIVED `OVS Mop 2022 31 Jaiilil, M45 aiin o� 177s Town of Lexington -� D TOWN Cl..ER - Recreation Committee 3 � z a� pI�,�p APRIL 19"' VI_ .aYB.U u'4I,',,..G TN', M �FXI NGSO� Frederick DeAngelis, Chairman Tel: (781) 698-4800 Lisah Rhodes,Vice Chair Fax: (781) 861-2747 Christian Boutwell Carl Fantasia Lisa O'Brien Claire Sheth Recreation Committee Minutes of Meeting December 15, 2021 A virtual meeting of the Recreation Committee was held on Wednesday, December 15,2021 at 7:00pm through the Zoom platform. Members Present: Rick DeAngelis, Lisah Rhodes, Christian Boutwell,Lisa O'Brien, and Claire Sheth Members Absent: Carl Fantasia Staff Present: Melissa Battite,Director of Recreation and Community Programs,Dave Pinsonneault,Director of Public Works, Christine Dean,Community Center Director, and Hayato Tsurumaki,Recreation Supervisor Others Present: Suzie Barry(Select Board Liaison)Kathleen Lenihan (School Committee liaison) and Deepika Sawhney(School Committee Liaison) 1. Meeting Minutes—November 16,2021 Lisa O'Brien moved to approve the minutes from the November 16 meeting. Christian Boutwell seconded the motion. The Recreation Committee voted 4-0 to approve the November 16 minutes. 2. Public Comment—None 3. Recreation Committee Email Correspondence Lisa O'Brien reported that there were emails received regarding a tree policy,tailgating on Sundays, and a request to consider adding AEDs to the pickleball courts. Melissa Battite explained that this would need to be a capital project and the AEDs would need to be checked weekly. This could require an additional staffed position for someone to check regularly if they were installed at all parks. She went on to add that this idea could be introduced into the master plan at Lincoln Park. It would be difficult to implement at Clarke or Diamond. Suzie Barry recommended checking with Chief Sencabaugh to see what the Fire Department might recommend. 4. Recreation & Community Programs Report The December 2021 Recreation&Community Programs Report is attached to the meeting minutes. Melissa Battite highlighted a few items. The utility box art project was a huge success. The Pine Meadows Golf Club will be open for gift cards this season. As part of the upcoming Consent Agenda for the Select Board,the Adler Fund will be presented to the Public Trusts. Rick DeAngelis asked to take a moment to recognize and commend the Adlers, Joel and Nancy, for their involvement in the community. On January 10,the fee proposal to the Select Board will be reviewed. There will be a Summer Opportunities Open House at the Community Center on January 29. The dates for local elections and Annual Town Meeting have been set. The second 2 stakeholders meeting with the Rindge Park and Playground community took place,and there will likely be a third meeting scheduled based on the feedback received. The Sutherland playground meeting took place and generated helpful feedback about the additional play equipment. On December 4t'',the story walk at Lincoln Park had its grand opening celebration. The story is scheduled to change every 6— 8 weeks. Landscaping was added at the three scoreboards at Lincoln Park. Due to rain and poor drainage,the golf course will need work before opening in the spring. Efforts are currently underway to get designs and a quote from the contractor. Rick DeAngelis asked if the current vendor takes the carts at the end of the season. Ms. Battite responded that although that is an option,the carts are kept onsite. 5. Liaison Reports The December 2021 Liaison Reports are attached to the meeting minutes. 6. Working Group—New LHS Development Plan and Impact on Athletic fields/Recreation facilities Rick DeAngelis shared the history of his use of the fields. He expressed the need to be proactive and advocate for recreation and open space. The community can't afford to have fields taken offline for years or permanently. It will be important to understand where they are going and what they need. Mr. DeAngelis asked Ms. Battite how she saw the process working. Ms. Battite explained that the working group will include herself and the following staff: Department of Public Facilities Director, Mike Cronin,Department of Public Works Director, Dave Pinsonnault, Grounds Supervisor, Chris Filadoro,Town Manager,Jim Malloy, Deputy Town Manager, Kelly Axtell, Superintendent of Schools, Julie Hackett, or her designee,two liaisons from the Recreation Committee,two liaisons from the School Committee, Doug Lucente and Suzie Berry of the Select Board, Town Council representative Mina Makarious, and Karen Mullins from Conservation. The group's first order of business will be to identify what and where a high school is feasible and what steps need to be taken in terms of available funding, etc. The group will be meeting in early January to begin working and they will report out to their respective groups. The frequency of meetings is yet to be determined. Mr. DeAngelis stated that a new high school is a maj or development. The Town needs to give some thought into what is being removed. It is important to allow for community discussion. Ms. Battite would like to have an understanding of what will happen on the land in question in the meantime. It is important to identify our current resources and decide if we continue to invest in them without knowing what the future will bring. The facilities are still open and operating while the discussion is taking place. School Committee member, Kathleen Lenihan,mentioned that working with the MSBA can be tricky. One cannot get ahead of the process. When it came to Estabrook,the community knew that the building had to come down but they still had to go through the process of comparing a renovation to a new build. It is impossible to know if the application will get approved. The Town of Burlington is on year 8 of proposals. School Committee member, Deepika Sawhney, added that decisions will not be made in a vacuum;the community will be involved. Ms. Battite proposed to Chair DeAngelis that the Recreation Committee vote on liaisons for the working group, as well as designating a backup in case one could not make it to a meeting. Rick DeAngelis made the following motion: "The Recreation Committee moves to authorize Rick DeAngelis and Lisah Rhodes, with Christian Boutwell as a 3 seat to back up in case of absence, to be Recreation Committee liaisons for the Lexington High School Building Project working group." Lisa O'Brian seconded the motion. The Recreation Committee voted 4-0 to approve this motion. 39 MARRETT ROAD,LEXINGTON,MASSACHUSETTS 02421 3 7. Park& Playground Improvements—Sutherland Park Ms. Battite reported that Sutherland Park public engagement meeting was attended by a handful of 10— 14 year old middle school students. They provided lots of feedback and it was a great example of community engagement. Ms. Battite shared slides of the proposed designs to the group. The meeting,which took place on December 1St,indicated that option 2 was the clear winner. The concept depicted a suspended skateboard structure and a climbing net. Mr. DeAngelis asked for clarification that the neighborhood has been consulted and they like option 2. He questioned if staff also like this option. Christian Boutwell,who was also in attendance, agreed that there was a pretty strong consensus and majority support by both kids and adults alike. Mr. DeAngelis pointed out that all the slides were labeled 42 and asked for clarification on which design was actually the correct design. Ms. Battite stated that the slides included the cut sheet and live park views of the same design. Mr. DeAngelis asked what would arrive as part of the package if the Committee voted to approve option 42. Ms. Battite stated that the rope structure and the suspended skateboard would be included. Rick DeAngelis made the following motion: "The Recreation Committee moves to approve Option 2 as presented for installation at Sutherland Park with support by the Recreation Committee and Staff." Claire Sheth seconded the motion. The Recreation Committee voted 4- 0 to approve this motion. 8. FY23 Fee Recommendations Ms. Battite presented the proposed program and facility fees that will go into effect on July 1 s'but reminded the group that registration begins prior to that date and some fees would have a spring calendar year 2022 implementation. A fee sheet was shared with the group illustrating the different cost centers. Ms. Battite explained that the increased minimum wage and cost of living will impact the budget. The proposed fee increases do not match the expense increases but the Department can balance in other ways. It is possible to go higher with fees but then we would risk out-pricing ourselves for what the service is. Staff does a 5-year look back at goods and services. The fee request includes some new areas, as it was discovered during the COVID pandemic that there were a lot of requests for outdoor use and spaces that we didn't previously permit. She stated that the column in green is the proposed increase for FY23 and spring calendar year 2022. She asked if there were any questions about a specific cost center or activity type. Mr. DeAngelis pointed out that staff is introducing a new category for field permits,to which Ms. Battite explained that additions were made to be able to permit a picnic shelter and filming permits, or other untraditional requests that don't naturally fall into a field use. The Department has added a category to begin to recover those fees. Mr. Boutwell questioned the fee for Tier 1 in the field permits. Ms. Battite agreed that was an error and it will be fixed prior to going to the Select Board. Rick DeAngelis made the following motion: "The Recreation Committee moves to approve the FY23 Fee Schedule as presented with edits as noted[by Rick-]during the presentation." Claire Sheth seconded the motion. The Recreation Committee voted to 4-0 to approve. At 8:15pm, Lisah Rhodes joined the meeting. 39 MARRETT ROAD,LEXINGTON,MASSACHUSETTS 02421 4 9. Lincoln Park—parking lot and traffic flow Ms. Battite reported that last winter a resident asked about the traffic flow at Lincoln Park so staff went to the Transportation Safety Group to assist in making a recommendation. After reviewing the property, it was decided to make it a one-way passage and to add signage so the flow will be easier for residents and outside users, especially those who are not familiar with the park or the neighborhood. The plan is to move forward with the one-way entrance and one way exit on Lincoln Street. The group also wanted to look at the spaces themselves. The spaces are narrow and can be reconfigured. This will be a 2nd phase after the winter,prior to the next playing season. The new traffic plan will be implemented this winter in the offseason,which will allow some time for people to get used to the changes. Mr. DeAngelis asked if there would be any changes to the geometry of either opening to make them more accessible from the street. Ms. Battite explained that the site lines were reviewed and they will have to feather out the entrance or exit for the sight line. She agreed that it is a good question and it did come up but it may have been for coming out on the east side. Lisah Rhodes asked if the asphalt will be painted with arrows. Ms. Battite stated that it was the plan to have the painting done in-house. Ms. Rhodes suggested that since there was new signage to be added, should the group consider adding some signage asking users to not shovel snow off the field. Ms. Battite said she will ask Dave Pinsonnault about it. She suggested that signage should be added at the Center Recreation Complex as well. Ms. Rhodes agreed, and recommended that they re-do the arrows at the Pool as well. Ms. Barry asked Ms. Battite if she reached out to Temple Isaiah since they often use the lot for overflow parking. Ms. Battite had not yet but was planning to contact them, as well as reach out to other user groups in the area. Lisa O'Brien asked if there was any consideration given to creating one way direction throughout the whole area of Lincoln Park. She added that the spaces are so narrow that they have to come straight out into the drive. Ms. Battite answered that the group looked at the whole lot and did talk about that option but will hold off on that right now and hopefully include overall parking in the master plan. Rick DeAngelis made the following motion: "The Recreation Committee moves to approve the changes in circulation at Lincoln Park, including the entrances and exits as is described in the accompanying memorandum and recommended for traffic flow and safety purposes." Lisah Rhodes seconded the motion. The Recreation Committee voted 5-0 to approve this motion. Lisah Rhodes moved and Claire Sheth seconded the motion to adjourn the meeting. The Recreation Committee voted 5-0 to approve this motion and the meeting adjourned at 8:30pm. The next virtual meeting of the Recreation Committee is scheduled to take place on Wednesday, January 19'at 7:00pm through the Zoom platform. The December 15th, 2021 meeting of the Recreation Committee adjourned at 8:30pm. Respectfully submitted, Christine Dean Community Center Director The following documents distributed at the meeting are attached: • Fees 2022 RC packet • Sutherland RC Rcommendation • December 2021 Recreation & Community Programs Report 39 MARRETT ROAD,LEXINGTON,MASSACHUSETTS 02421 5 • TSG.Lincoln Park Traffic Flow 39 MARRETT ROAD,LEXINGTON,MASSACHUSETTS 02421