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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2008-10-15-REC-min Town of Lexington Recreation Committee Frederick DeAngelis, Chairman Tel: (781) 862-0500 x262 Richard Thuma, Vice Chairman Fax: (781) 861-2747 Wendy Rudner Sandra Shaw RECREATION COMMITTEE MEETING October 15, 2008 Members Present: Wendy Rudner, Rick DeAngelis, Dick Thuma and Sandra Shaw Staff Present: Sheila Butts, Peter Coleman AGENDA 1. Citizens and Other Boards There were no non-agenda citizens or other boards present. 2. Meeting Minutes Amend the September 17, 2008 meeting minutes with the following: Page 2- Add “Rick DeAngelis will speak on behalf of the Recreation Committee” under the Don Chisholm Memorial ceremony. Page 3- Eliminate “and” under Parks Report section. Acceptance of the amended meeting minutes from September 17, 2008 was moved by Dick The minutes were accepted by a vote of 4 – 0. Thuma and seconded by Rick DeAngelis. 3. Chisholm Memorial Sandy Shaw provided an update on the Don Chisholm Memorial. The ceremony will be held th at Pine Meadows on Saturday, October 25 at 10:30am. All of the preparations are going well and Sandy has been in contact with Jeff Poirer from Quincy Memorial. The memorial th will be installed on Friday, October 17. Sheila Butts will notify Pine Meadows of this and th confirm that tee times will be stopped on October 25 from 9:30-11:30am at the request of the Recreation Committee. 4. Lighting Request from the Lexington United Soccer Club The committee had a lengthy discussion on the temporary lighting proposal submitted by LUSC. LUSC requested to place six temporary lighting structures around any of the infill th synthetic turf fields at Lincoln Park or at the Diamond Middle School from October 20 th through November 16. The lights would run from 5:00-8:00pm and all costs associated with operating the lights would be paid for by LUSC. Since 2003, LUSC had been given permission to use temporary lighting at the Center Track soccer field and it had been determined by the Superintendent of Public Grounds that Center Track would be playable for the remainder of the fall season. 1625 MASSACHUSETTS AVENUE • LEXINGTON, MASSACHUSETTS 02420 Members of the Recreation Committee expressed their concern for the effect lights could have on the neighbors near Lincoln and Diamond. Sheila Butts reminded the committee that lights at the Center Track field allow people to use the track for a few additional hours each night. Another major concern voiced by committee members was the power source for the temporary lights. The light structures operate on diesel-powered generators, which can lead to some serious, negative ramifications on the environment. In years past, LUSC played on the outfield area of the Center #1 baseball field and Center #2 softball field and utilized the permanent lighting at these fields. After much discussion and deliberation, Dick Thuma raised the motion that the Recreation Committee grant LUSC permission to use temporary The lights at the Center Track field and this motion was seconded by Sandy Shaw. Recreation Committee voted 3-1 in favor of this motion . A copy of the email that Sheila Butts sent to LUSC outlining all of the conditions that must be followed is attached. Included is the phrase which states “that future requests to use temporary lighting utilizing fossil fuels will not be considered. Organizations may apply for use of fields with permanent lighting or request use of temporary lights which are powered by a zero-emissions power source.” Prior to the meeting, Dick Thuma typed up a draft of a Recreation Area Lighting Policy (attached). Currently, there is no formal policy in place and he thought it would be a good idea to come up with one so the committee does not have to rely on memory from year to year. The committee reviewed the draft and appreciated the work that Dick put into it. The committee agreed to review the policy, give it some thought, and come ready to make changes or amendments to it at the next meeting. This will be the first item on the November meeting agenda. 5. Lincoln Park Sub-Committee- meeting notices in Lexington Minuteman The Recreation Department contacted the Town Clerk about how meeting notices for the Lincoln Park Sub-Committee were being displayed in the Lexington Minuteman. There had been some confusion recently with the listings saying “Recreation Committee” rather than “Lincoln Park Sub-Committee of Recreation.” The Town Clerk indicated that sub- committees are difficult to capture, but she will continue to look into this so the essence of Lincoln Park Sub-Committee being a sub-committee of the Recreation Committee is not lost. th Attached is a meeting notice for Friday, October 17, which states at the top “Lincoln Park Sub-Committee of the Recreation Committee.” Wendy Rudner, the liaison from the Recreation Committee to the Lincoln Park Sub- th Committee, distributed the minutes from its August 7 meeting (attached) and its meeting rd with the Conservation Commission on September 23 (attached). 6. Recreation Report Sheila Butts reported that the FY2010 Recreation Department budget is nearly complete. th The budget is due on Friday, October 24 and Karen Simmons has a meeting scheduled with the Town Manager in early November. 2 The Recreation Department has been working extensively on the new website in recent months and the website went live at the end of September: www.lexingtonma.gov/recreationdepartment.cfm. Karen Simmons will receive the Community Professional of the Year Award at the th Massachusetts Recreation and Park Association annual conference on Tuesday, October 28. The Recreation Committee was proud to hear of this accomplishment. A member of the Recreation Committee will try to attend the awards ceremony. 7. Parks Report ?? Sheila Butts reported that the painting at the Valley Tennis Courts and Center Basketball Courts has been completed. th ?? Grading work was being done near the Center Basketball Courts on October 15. The basketball hoops will be put up last. ?? . The fencing is up at the Valley Tennis Courts. The nets have not been installed yet 8. New Business At the start of the meeting, the Recreation Committee had a brief conversation on program space and the proposed renovation of the White House into a Senior Center facility. The rd proposal calls for a 2-story building. Dick Thuma suggested that a 3 floor be added for recreation program use. Sheila Butts pointed out the limited gym and indoor space that the rd Recreation Department offers programs in. The Recreation Committee agreed that a 3 floor should be part of any proposal and that the facility would be a greater asset to the community if it were an intergenerational community center as compared to serving one specific segment of the population. The next meeting of the Recreation Committee will be held on Monday, November 17, 2008 at 6:30 – 7:30pm in Room 111 of the Town Office Building. The meeting was adjourned at 8:05pm. 3