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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2014-02-26-REC-min`o,)s MopN� o� 1775 �c V APRIL 1q, �FXI IN C110 Frederick DeAngelis, Chairman Vacancy Wendy Rudner Sandra Shaw Lisah Rhodes <r Minutes of Meeting of February r Tel: (781) 698 -4800 Fax: (781) 861 -2747 A meeting of the Recreation Committee was held on Wednesday, February 26, 2014 at 7:00 p.m. at the Town Office Building, 1625 Massachusetts Avenue, Parker Room. A quorum of 4 was present. Staff Present: Karen Simmons, Director of Recreation, Peter Coleman, Supervisor of Recreation, Chris Filadoro, Superintendent of Public Grounds, and Sheila Butts, Assistant Recreation Director Citizens Present: Tom Shiple, Lexington United Soccer Club, Hank Manz, Selectman's Liaison, Saatrik Ahluwalia, and Francesca Pfrommer The meeting acted on the following items: L Citizens and Other Boards Saatrik Ahluwalia introduced himself to members of the Recreation Committee. He explained that he is running for the vacant seat on the Board of Selectmen, and spoke to the Committee about what he hopes to bring to the community and the Board if elected. 2. Meeting Minutes from January 15, 2014 The meeting minutes of January 15, 2014 were discussed. The minutes were amended to remove the Bicycle Advisory Committee statement by Peg Enders from the list of meeting attachments. Wendy Rudner move acceptance of the January 15, 2014 Recreation Committee Minutes as amended. Sandra Shaw seconded. The Recreation Committee voted 3 — 0 to accept the January 15, 2014 Recreation Committee minutes as amended 1625 MASSACHUSETTS AVENUE . LEXINGTON, MASSACHUSETTS 02420 3. Liaison Reports o Sandra Shaw distributed copies of the Bicycle Advisory Committee Statement made to the Board of Selectmen on January 10, 2014 by Peg Enders (attached) o Wendy Rudner, Lincoln Park Sub - Committee Liaison updated member of the Recreation Committee on the LPSC budget. She indicated that due to Public Trust investments for the Teresa and Roberta Lee Fitness Path and Paul and Jean Kirk accounts, which fund projects at Lincoln Park the principal balance for the LPSC account is higher than initially shown. o Hank Manz reminded the Committee that there will be a new Selectman's Liaison to the Recreation Committee at the March meeting as he will no longer be a member of the Board of Selectmen. Karen Simmons, Director of Recreation thanked Mr. Manz on behalf of the Recreation Committee and the Recreation staff for all he has done to support the Committee, the Department and Recreation throughout the Community over his years on the Board. . Lincoln Park Sub - Committee Restroom Signage Karen Simmons, Director of Recreation, distributed the proposal by the Lions Club for the wording of the signage (attached) to be placed on the Lincoln Park Restroom facility to members of the Recreation Committee. The Committee members reviewed the wording and made the following recommendations: o "Lincoln Park Committee" should read Lincoln Park Subcommittee. o "Funding Provided in part by:" could be changed to say Major Funding By: o "Construction and Support provided by:" could read Construction and Support By® The Recreation Committee approved the signage as modified by a vote of 4 — 0. 5. Little League — Fiske School Field Improvements Karen Simmons, Director of Recreation, provided an overview of her discussion with Joe Cacciatore, Lexington Little League representative, regarding minor modifications and fencing at the Fiske Little League fields. Little League would like to install fencing in the outfields for safety reasons. A representative from Little League was invited to the Recreation Committee meeting, but no one is in attendance. The Fiske School Principal has indicated support for the project, and has been requested to submit a formal support letter. Hank Manz, Selectman's Liaison, suggested that the Recreation Committee review any abutter agreement that might be in place for the Fiske School fields, specifically as it relates to the field closest to Adams Street. Karen Simmons noted that she will check with the Town Clerk's office and the Selectman's Office. 6. Sponsorship Signs at Park and Recreation Facilities Lisah Rhodes brought this item to the agenda for consideration by the entire Recreation Committee in response to inquiries by resident Todd Cataldo regarding any regulations, in place, for sponsorship signage at park and recreation facilities. Mr. Cataldo indicated at the January Recreation Committee meeting that installing sponsorship signage on the Fitzgerald Field could be a mechanism for continued funding of the proposed light project. Mrs. Rhodes suggested that the Committee needs to take a long hard look at these proposals, and the impact that sponsorship signage might have on facilities going forward. Rick DeAngelis concurred that a serious review was in order. Karen Simmons, Director of Recreation, reminded the Committee that there are sign By -laws in place in Lexington that the Recreation Committee would need to review and comply with the By -laws. She also noted that there is a difference between advertising signage on fields and a sponsorship plaque listing donors to a project. Sandra Shaw commented that she does not object specifically to the concept of signage on fields, but believes the idea warrants additional discussions. She and Mr. DeAngelis suggest that this topic be added to the next meeting agenda. 7. Recreation 5 Year Capital flan — Standing Item for Updates Karen Simmons, Director of Recreation reported that she had begun working on the capital Article presentations for Town Meeting. Lisah Rhodes told the Committee that she would be happy to do all capital Presentations at Town Meeting. Article 8 will be all CPA items; Article 9 will be for the Pine Meadows request. 8. Recreation Reports Karen Simmons, Director of Recreation, reported on the following: o Todd Cataldo presented the Fitzgerald Field light proposal to the Board of Selectmen on February 24. The Board was very receptive, but suggested that the Recreation Committee hold a public meeting with abutters living within a 300 foot radius of the field. Ms. Simmons will report back to the Board of Selectmen after this public meeting is held on March 25 at 7:00 p.m. o The Conservation Commission closed the public hearing and approved the Pine Meadows dredging project proposal, with some minor modifications, on February 25, 2014. The goal is to complete the work while snow covers the ground to minimize damage to the grounds. The bid opening for the project is Friday, February 28, 2014. The goal is to have approvals in place by March 3, 2014. o Center Recreation Complex Drainage Project — phase three — is in planning stages. After discussions with Little League, the scheduled was amended to the following: i. Fitzgerald Field work will begin after August 1. ii. Worthen Road field will begin after November 1 so that the renovated football field gets another low impact (reduced practice use) season. Rich DeAngelis commended Karen Simmons for her continued leadership and management of this and all capital projects. Ms. Simmons also thanked Dave Pinsonneault and Chris Filadoro for their expertise and hard work. o The staff is gearing up for summer 2014. The Peter Coleman is searching for a new aquatics manager and several new head lifeguards. He is also finalizing all spring 2014 field permits. o The Spring — Summer Program Brochure is at the printer. It has been published online and through the Town's new Constant Contact email lists. o On March 11, 2014, the Town Office Building will be switching to a new Voice over IP Phone System. All internal numbers will change. o A meeting has been scheduled with Little League representatives to discuss their vision for the future, and to determine if little league wished to develop a master plan of the Little League fields. o Peter Coleman, Chris Filadoro, Larry Anderson, and Karen Simmons met to discuss the potential leak at the Town Pool. Further investigation regarding the leak is ongoing, and solutions may include the installation of new water meters for each pool and locker room to determine specific water usage, and replacement of the skimmers in the wading pool. • The Community Center Advisory Committee continues to meet and discuss the renovations, timeline and possible gaps in programming that should be addressed when the center opens in 2015. The committee was provided an update of the status. • The proposed closing of Cary Hall for renovations may have a serious impact on Recreation programs until the Community center opens. Staff is aggressively pursuing alternative program space in schools and at the Cary Library to compensate for the loss of regularly used rooms (Estabrook Hall, Robbins Room, Bird Room) in the Cary Hall building. It is still unknown where the equipment storage will be relocated. 9. Parks Reports Chris Filadoro, Superintendent of Public Grounds reported on the following: o Parks crews are busy maintaining equipment to be used in the spring. o Crews have also completed several vegetation cut -backs at parks. o One round of playground inspections has been completed. o Mr. Filadoro and two Parks department employees will be attending the Certified Playground Safety Inspector's Certification course in May. o The Parks Department has purchased safety mats that will be installed underneath the FIBAR safety surfacing at swing sets throughout the Town in the spring. o Mr. Filadoro is working with Lexington Little League to determine pricing for the scheduled work at the Bridge Little League Field and Lincoln Softball Field. o By May 1, 2014 the Parks Department should once again be operating at full- force. Several new employees have been hired recently to replace those employees who have retired. 10. New Business The next meeting of the Recreation Committee will take place on Tuesday, March 25, 2014 at 7:00 p.m. The meeting will begin with a public meeting on the proposal to install lights at the Fitzgerald Little League Field on Park Drive. The meeting will be held in the Selectman's Meeting Room at the Town Office Building, 1625 Massachusetts Avenue. The following documents /exhibits used at the meeting are attached: 1. Lincoln Park Restroom Facility Proposed Sign Template 2. Statement from the Bicycle Advisory Committee 3, New Recreation Department phone number list Respectfully submitted, Sheila Butts Assistant Recreation Director A Restroom Facallitjj The Lions Club of Lexington, Inc. presents this facility to the residents, families, volunteers, teams and athletes of the Town of Lexington Architect: Bechtel Frank Erickson Architects, Inc. Toole Design Group Draft Report: "Navigating the Minuteman Commuter Bikewal The Bicycle Advisory Committee strongly endorses the draft report of the Toole Design Group and recommends that the Board of Selectmen accept the report on behalf of the Town of Lexington. The Minuteman Commuter Bikeway is a critical regional transportation resource that needs considerable improvement in terms its appearance and, more importantly, its safety. Of the many recommendations contained in the draft report, the Bicycle Advisory Committee recommends that the following be given top priority: 1. Resolution of pavement issues, including root upheavals, pavement erosion, and flooding. The root upheavals are not just an annoyance for cyclists and skaters: these are a safety hazard. Riders are swerving to avoid the growing number of roots and potholes, thus paying less attention to the traffic around them. Intersection safety recommendations, including traffic controls; signals and warnings on both streets and the bikeway; removal of unsafe gates; and reconfiguration • intersections to safely slow bikeway traffic. Ill. Development of a signage and amenities plan to improve wayfinding, bikeway behavior, and public safety. Such a plan — and its implementation — will require the production of a "master plan" as well as collaboration with the other Bikeway towns. Given these important recommendations, and the many others contained in the report, it is not clear to this committee what agency within the Town would coordinate the effort. That is, to organize efforts of various town departments, staff and committees (e.g., engineering, operations, public safety, recreation, planning, bicycle, center and tourism committees, HDC, etc.) as well as to work with the other towns to implement a uniform signage and amenities plan. The Bicycle Advisory Committee is unanimously in favor of recommending the appointment of a staff person to serve as Lexington's Bicycle Program Coordinator. Submitted • Peggy Enders • behalf • the Bicycle Advisory Committee January 11 , 21 14 MOR& &`pV5 o '775 �c � � 9 k- Q ry o_ D 3 .s APRIL 19' �eXING -TO � ' MEMORANDUM M The Town of Lexington will be upgrading to a new phone system. The Recreation Department phone numbers will change March 11, 2014. Name Title Direct number 781 -862 -0500 exte Recreation Office 781 - 698 -4800 84800 Karen Simmons Director 781 - 698 -4801 84801 Sheila Butts Asst. Director 781 - 698 -4802 84802 Peter Coleman Supervisor 781 - 698 -4803 84803 Melinda Corssino Ad in Asst 781 - 698 -4804 84804 Sandy Alexander Dept Clerk 781 -698 -4805 84805 Cherie Robinson Dept Clerk 781 - 698 -4806 84806 Cancellation line 781 - 698 -4810 84810 You can call the direct phone number or you can call 781 -862 -0500. The extension for the individual is the last 5 digits of their phone number. Example: to reach the Recreation Office, call 781 -862 -0500 x84800..... or..... 781 - 698 -4800