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Home My WebLink About2000-01-19-REC-min Town of Lexington Recreation Committee Sandra Shaw, Chairman Tel: (781) 862-0500 x262 Pamela Varrin, Vice Chairman Fax: (781) 863-2350 Frederick DeAngelis Donald A. Chisholm Richard L. Neumeier RECREATION COMMITTEE MINUTES January 19, 2000 Members Present: Don Chisholm, Rick DeAngelis, Dick Neumeier Staff Present: Karen Simmons, Brian Gilbert, Matt Casparius, Ronnie Russo Others Present: Bill Harrison of New England Golf AGENDA: 1. The meeting minutes of November 16 and December 15, 1999 were both approved. Karen Simmons introduced Matthew Casparius, the new Recreation Program Coordinator. Matt is replacing Joseph Leniart who resigned his position. 2. Pine Meadows Annual Report Bill Harrison of New England Golf Corporation presented the Annual Report for Pine Meadows Golf Course. Financially it was a good year in spite of it being dry. There was an 8% increase in revenue for greens fees and a 14% increase in cart rentals. The 8% is attributed to the dollar fee increase. The 14% increase in cart rentals is attributed to the heat. The golf cart lease has expired and the Town will be going out to bid on carts soon. The lease rate should see a slight increase of possibly $100 – $200 per month. This year the following improvements were made: ?? Putting green- was estimated at $30,000 from USGA, but $500 was probably all that was spent. The area will only continue to improve as time passes. ?? Two practice hitting stations were built and are a nice addition. ?? Trees were planted on first and fifth fairways. ?? Cart paths on fifth and ninth were built and/or upgraded. ?? Drainage left of the fourth green, which was previously very wet, has now been completed. ?? Mounding and sod were added around the ninth green. ?? Improved planting areas around the course. 1625 MASSACHUSETTS AVENUE • LEXINGTON, MASSACHUSETTS 02420 2 ?? Reconstructed second tee box. The following improvements are expected during the 2000 season based on money available: ?? New fleet of leased golf carts. ?? New planting areas on the fifth tee and eighth green. ?? Irrigation improvements (Article #29 of 1999) and a pond aerator. ?? Replacement of the sand in the bunkers on 2, 6, 7, 8. ?? The addition (lease to purchase) of a rough mower should make things a lot nicer. All equipment will then be new. ?? Tree plantings on the third and seventh. ?? Construction of forward tees. ?? New fairway bunkers on the third and seventh. th Don Chisholm raised the issue of sun and wind exposure on the 5 tee. If some lower branches are pruned and some trees are cut down on the left, would it help any? Brian reported that some trees on the right are already down. Regarding the irrigation during 2000, it was suggested that it might be interesting to put a flow meter on the well to see how much water is actually used. Bill Harrison will look into this. The total number of rounds played in 1999 was 48,549, the highest number ever. Again, we had excellent weather conditions for another exceptional year. Rick DeAngelis asked about reviewing the rates. Bill did not recommend that we raise the rates again this year. At the previous Recreation Committee meeting there was a discussion regarding establishing a single cart rate for seniors on Monday through Thursday. Although there is merit to this proposal, it would require more carts and economically is not sound. No one picked up on the option last year of paying for nine cart rentals and getting the tenth free. Bill feels that it could be a nice thing to do and if the times were limited we could do it without ordering more carts. Karen feels that if a single rate plan is implemented it should be done only as a trial. Bill suggested implementing the rate at the opening of the season and then evaluating it in June 2000. It was proposed to implement a single cart rate of half the regular rate for seniors age 75 and older on Monday through Thursday before 3:00 p.m. This proposal was voted and approved by a 3-0 vote. The Recreation Committee will review this again in June. Bill Harrison was asked to gather usage data. 3. Capital Articles for Town Meeting Two volunteers are needed to present the Capital Articles at Town Meeting this year. It was recommended that Pam Varrin present the Article regarding the Old Res., and Don Chisholm volunteered to present the Pool complex Article. (See attachment.) Initially it was hoped that Sutherland Park would be included this year, but the Board of Selectmen is not recommending any playground improvements until 2003. The playground improvements will still be listed under capital and other non-controversial articles, Article #8. 3 Sutherland will be listed, but not recommended. The question was raised as to whether or not the Recreation Committee should consider using Enterprise Funds for Sutherland. Karen expressed her concern regarding the health of the Enterprise Fund. Although it is doing better, she does not recommend spending it down to an unhealthy balance. Over the next ten years we are looking at over a million dollars in Recreation Facility Capital Improvements. A motion was made to table this issue and put it on a future agenda for further discussion. 4. Capital Update th The bids for the irrigation project at Pine Meadows will go out February 17. This will be for holes #1, 2, 3, 4 and part of #5. Brian Gilbert reported that the wetland boundaries at Harrington have been surveyed. There is a 100-foot buffer behind the school. The entire boundary has been staked and flagged. Brian has a preliminary design that meets specifications of Parks and Recreation, the Harrington PTA, Conservation, and soccer groups. A biologist had to do a soil sample. The next step after we receive the results of the soil sample is to file for determination. The project proposal was presented to the Board of Health last night; Brian felt that it was well received. In the Spring the area will have a baseball field and in Fall a soccer field. All the trees and topsoil between the fields will be removed so that the ground over to the 100 foot marker will be level. Brian will ask Conservation to walk through as soon as possible. 5. Karen’s Report Karen presented the golf statistics and comparisons. Employment information is ready for seasonal employees. Closing for all positions is April 3, 2000. We will hire approximately 150 people for summer positions. There is nothing new to report from the Skateboard/Inline Park Committee. We are still waiting for their group to present their recommended plan, a copy of the insurance certificate, and copies of the fundraising letters that will be mailed to households. Both Brian and Karen will be out of town during the third week in February so it was agreed to change the date of the February meeting. Since some committee members expect to be out of rdth town on February 23 during school vacation week, it was agreed to meet on February 9 instead. 6. Article 31- Recreation facility improvements at LHS, Clarke and Diamond The Permanent Building Committee has had this project for a year and the Recreation Committee has not seen any progress. Karen spoke with Rick White about the Recreation Committee having a more active role with the project. Dick Neumeier feels that we do need to manage the Article 31 project even if our staff resources are limited. Dick expressed his frustration with the lack of communication by the PBC and their apparent lack of attention to this project. The question was raised numerous times as to why we haven’t been able to get the results of the soil testing done last fall by HMFH Architects. Brian will call John Moynihan. Brian and Karen will plan to meet before the next Recreation Committee to develop a strategy. 4 The meeting was adjourned at 9:15 p.m. NEXT MEETING: WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 9, 2000 7:30 P.M. ROOM G-25, RECREATION DEPARTMENT OFFICE