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Home My WebLink About2014-04-17-REC-mino@� °JS R�� 1775�a c� P gsa W b APPILIT �Fx INCA Frederick DeAngelis, Chairman Vacancy Wendy Rudner Sandra Shaw Lisah Rhodes April 0, Tel: (781) 698 -4800 Fax: (781) 861 -2747 A meeting of the Recreation Committee was held on Thursday, April 17, 2014 at 7:00 p.m. at the Town Office Building, 1625 Massachusetts Avenue, Selectmen's Meeting Room. A quorum of 4 was present. +' '' �'• �• r r ' 'rr Members Absent: 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: Tim Carruthers, Lexington United Soccer Club, Todd Cataldo, Christian Boutwell, Lexington Youth Lacrosse The meeting acted on the following items: 1. Citizens and Other Boards — none present 2. Meeting Minutes from March 25, 2014 The meeting minutes of March 25„ 2014 were discussed. Wendy Rudner moved acceptance of the March 25, 2014 Recreation Committee. Sandra Shaw seconded. The Recreation Committee voted 4 - 0 to accept the March 25, 2014 Recreation Committee minutes as presented. 3. Liaison Reports Sandra Shaw, liaison to the Bicycle Advisory Committee reported that the BAC would be running its annual bicycle collection for Bikes Not Bombs at Discovery day on May 24, 2014. 4. Fitzgerald Little League Field Lighting Karen Simmons, Director of Recreation, reviewed her memo (attached) to the Committee regarding a recommended policy for use of lights at the Fitzgerald Little League Field (C4), should the project be approved by the Recreation Committee and the Board of Selectmen. The recommendation includes the days and hours that lights would be allowed, the ages of participants eligible to use the field with lights, the number of games per night allowed, and the months of usage. The Recreation Committee discussed the recommendations, but since no representatives of Lexington Little League were in attendance, agreed to postpone additional debate until the May meeting, as they believe strongly that it is important for Lexington Little League to formally offer its position and recommendations on the project. 1625 MASSACHUSETTS AVENUE • LEXINGTON, MASSACHUSETTS 02420 Todd Cataldo updated the Recreation Committee on his work, to date, on the proposed lighting of the Fitzgerald Little League Field. 5. Lincoln # I/Field permitting Rick De Angelis, Chairman of the Recreation Committee, expressed his personal displeasure, and that of all Recreation Committee members, with the two emails sent on April 13, 2014, by the Lexington United Soccer Club (LUSC) to the Recreation Department, the Recreation Committee, and all LUSC families. The emails (attached) take issue with the lack of field space allocated to LUSC at Lincoln Park this spring due to the renovation of Lincoln 1, and the entire field permitting policy (attached) approved by the Recreation Committee and the Board of Selectmen that has been in place for over 10 years. LUSC does not believe that the pen-nit policy is fair to them, as it does not designate soccer as a primary spring sport. The policy in place adheres to the MIAA designations for school athletics, and gives priority to Lacrosse, Baseball, Softball, Tennis, and Track and Field as spring sports. Karen Simmons, Director of Recreation, provided an update on Lincoln Field # 1 construction, and provided additional insight into the allotment of permitted hours at Lincoln and on grass fields to LUSC (attached). LUSC was permitted 383 hours at Lincoln Park and 1,639 hours on natural grass fields this spring (total of 2,002 hours). LUSC repeatedly has requested a reduction in the number of hours permitted to Lexington Youth Lacrosse (LYL) at Lincoln Park who has 411 hours at Lincoln Park and 232 hours on Natural grass fields this spring (total of 643 hours). The data shows that LUSC actually as a net increase of 24 total permitted hours this spring as compared to spring 2013. Ms. Simmons noted that Peter Coleman, Supervisor of Recreation, manages over 24,000 pen-nit hours during the spring season, and that he has done all in his power to try to accommodate the needs of LUSC by providing them with additional 96 hours on natural grass fields between April 1 and April 18. She also thanks Lexington Babe Ruth Baseball and Lexington Youth Lacrosse for their flexibility in giving up some of their valuable field time to accommodate LUSC. The Spring Field Use Data is attached. Tim Carruthers, representing LUSC, indicated that there was no bad intent on the part of LUSC in emailing the Recreation Department, Committee and LUSC families. The LUSC board wanted to express its belief that with the extended time period that Lincoln # 1 was off line, all field users should have been impacted more evenly. Christian Boutwell, Co- President of Lexington Youth Lacrosse, told the Recreation Committee that LYL supports the current Field Permit Policy, as it benefits all youth organizations, regardless of their size and does not recommend a change. 6. Sponsorship Signs at Park and Recreation Facilities The original proponent of installing signage at the Fitzgerald Little League Field tabled his request pending the outcome of the lighting project at the field. 7. Community Center Advisory Committee Update Karen Simmons, Director of Recreation, provided members of the Recreation Committee with a status review of the Community Center project, including a report on the recent meeting at the Senior Center with interested parties, and the ongoing work of the Program Committee, which is a sub- committee of the ahCCAC. Ms. Simmons distributed copies of the most recent SBA presentation to the ahCCAC, and walked members of the Recreation Committee through the entire document. Ms. Simmons told the Recreation Committee that the ahCCAC was interested in meeting with the Recreation Committee to discuss their ideas about the new Community Center and their vision for enhanced and new programs that will be offered by Recreation. Members of the Recreation Committee indicated that they would be available to meet with the ahCCAC on May 7, 2014 at 8:30 a.m, in Estabrook Hall. 2 8, Recreation Reports Karen Simmons, Director of Recreation, reported on the following: ® The Center Track Field will reopen on April 23, 2014. ® The capital improvement project at Pine Meadows to clean the sediment from the irrigation pond is complete, ® Phase Three of the Center Fields Drainage Project (Fitzgerald Field and Worthen Road Field) has gone out to bid. The work on the Fitzgerald Field should commence in August following the completion of the summer Little League season. Work on the Worthen Road field will begin at the conclusion of the L14S football season. • The Department is still exploring the possible Lincoln # 2 field replacement schedule. The 8- week project will begin either in the summer, or October 1st. Either date will impact users. Peter Coleman has notified users to plan accordingly. • The department is finalizing the recommendation and ordering of new equipment for the skate park. • Work on the Sutherland Little League field will begin at the conclusion of the 2014 Little League season. • Committee members were provided with the Board of Selectmen's goal setting informational handout. Goal setting is tentatively planned for June 196', • Updated maps of ACROSS Lexington routes were distributed. • Lisah Rhodes did a fabulous job presenting the Recreation Capital articles at Town Meeting. All articles passed. Thank you to Lisah and Sandra for their support and participation on behalf of the department. • Summer recruitment is nearing completion. There are still a few gaps in key aquatics positions, but staff is optimistic that these positions will be filled within the next few weeks. • The Strategic Plan is completed. Recreation Committee members were provided with the finalized plan and work matrix. A copy of the Strategic Plan will be posted on the Recreation Web site for residents to download and review. • The Summer brochure is at the printer, and should be mailed to all residents prior to May 1St • The Lexington Little League Opening Day Parade will take place on May 3. • Pine Meadows Golf Course is open. The course is in good shape despite the tough winter. Parks Reports Chris Filadoro, Superintendent of Public Grounds reported on the following: • The Sutherland backstop project may begin after the end of the spring Little League Season. • The Parks Department is completing Patriots Day prep work. • Grass fields are open. The Center Track field opens on Wednesday, April 23. • Parks Department staff, including Chris, recently took the CPSI Examination in Vermont. 10. New Business The next meeting of the Recreation Committee will take place on Wednesday, May 21, 2014 at 7:00 p.m. The meeting will be held in the Parker Room (formerly G 15) on the lower level of the Town Office Building, 1625 Massachusetts Avenue. The April 17, 2014 Recreation Committee meeting adjourned at 9:17 p.m. The following documents /exhibits used at the meeting are attached: 1. Recommended guidelines for Light Usage at Fitzgerald Field (C4) 2. Field Permit Policy 3. Spring Field Use Data 4. LUSC Emails Respectfully Submitted: Sheila Butts, Assistant Director of Recreation j177S "c k T®: Recreation Committee Members FROM Karen Simmons Director of Recreation DATE: April 15, 2014 SUBJECT: Recommended Guidelines for Light Usage at Fitzgerald Field (C -4) On March 25, 2014, a public meeting was held to discuss the proposed installation of lights at the Fitzgerald Little League Field with the abutters. The lights would be installed with private funds and gifted to the Town of Lexington. A total of eight Lexington residents, including Todd Cataldo, Chair of the private committee to install the lights attended the meeting. The citizens in the audience asked a variety of questions and voiced their concerns about the proposed project. Specifically, they asked about how the lights would be used (end time each night, how many days per week, etc.) and how they would impact the neighborhood. One neighbor requested that the lights be installed at another field in Lexington. At the conclusion of the public meeting, the Recreation Committee came up with a list of six items that needed further consideration before making a final recommendation to the Board of Selectmen. These items include: 1. End time for the lights each night 2. Number of days per week the lights would be used 3. The actual days during the week the lights would be used 4. The ages of the users 5. Start date and end date of the season 6. Rain policy N Based on the feedback received from the abutters, input from Lexington Little League, and information gathered from surrounding communities that have a lighted Little League field, the Recreation Department's recommendations to address your questions are as follows: ® The lights would be available to permit �Monday-Saturday evening. ® Regulate the off time during the spring to 8:30pm on school nights and 10:00pm on Friday and Saturday night.` _., Regulate the off time during the summer to 9:30pm Monday — Thursday and 10:00pm on Friday and Saturday night. ® The lights would be controlled by a computerized system programmed and managed by the Recreation Department staff with an exact turn on/tum off time for each day. Lexington Little League would have the capability to turn off the lights remotely if a game ended early. ® The permit holders would pay an hourly user fee to offset the cost of the lights. It is my recommendation that the lights not be permitted on Sunday evenings. By allowing the lights to be used on the other six nights, this will provide Lexington Little League with flexibility when coordinating their game schedules. It is the intent of Lexington Little League to use the lights during the same months it is currently permitted the field, which is from late April through October with the majority of the use being late April- August. Regarding rainouts, this field would follow the same guidelines outlined in our field permit policy about field conditions and make -up games would not be scheduled for Sunday nights. Lexington Little League has indicated that they would limit light use to games in the AAA and Majors divisions. These participants are between the ages of 10 -12, with the players in 4th -6tn grade primarily. Prior to the committee taking any further action, I recommend that a representative from Little League, as the major stakeholder, attend the next Recreation Committee meeting to discuss the recommendations and lighting the Fitzgerald Field. If you have any questions, please feel free to give me a call. OVS MOgro' O 177 5 �c ti Or y APRILW �£XI N61 Karen Simmons, CTRS, CPRP Director of Recreation own o 7. o f Recreation Department Tel: (781) 698 -4800 Fax: (781) 861 -2747 • •. r, The Town of Lexington (the Town), through authority granted to its Recreation Department, hereby adopts the following policy concerning the use of the Town's playing fields and related facilities. Lexington Fields and Facilities are in the public domain and do not necessarily need a permit for use. However, a legally issued permit does take preference over drop -in use on any site or playing surfaces. Regular meetings of a group of individuals are considered organized use and do necessitate the issue of a Field Permit. • Organized or regular use of the Town's playing fields by groups shall require a permit. • When two or more applicants are on an equal footing and applying for the same space, priority will be given to the traditional in season sport, outlined as follows: o Fall Season - Football, Field Hockey, Soccer o Spring Season - Baseball, Softball, Lacrosse, Track and Field o Summer Season - Baseball, Softball Allocations will be based on availability, scheduled renovations, and turf control measures, implemented by the Recreation Department and the Public Grounds Department. (Simply because a field looks open and available does not mean it will be permitted. It may be scheduled for renovation or have been renovated with controls that are not readily visible, or may have been deemed by the Recreation Department and Public Grounds Department to be at its maximum use level in light of its condition). The Town will make a concerted effort to schedule field renovations and turf maintenance after the athletic season is over. In addition to the tier (which will be issued pursuant to the priority tier system and other factors as described below) to which a permit holder belongs, consideration will be given to a Lexington Based Sports Organization (LBSO) that has been a permit holder at a site in the past. As a general rule, a permit will be renewed provided the holders have conducted themselves in accordance with the conditions described in this policy. This does not guarantee a permit from season to season. Items that will weigh in final decisions will be the past history an organization has developed with the Recreation Department, length of time an organization has been at a particular site, how good a neighbor the LBSO has been to the surrounding neighborhood (i.e. parking, no alcohol use), condition the field is left in after user is finished for the day (i.e. trash), and the ability of the group to conform to the rules and regulations of the Recreation Department. Other than Tier 1 and Tier 2, applicants that wish to use a second field during a season will only be considered for a second site based on availability after the season permits have been issued. In general, we have space for non Tier 1 or 2 applicants to have only one field per season. Applicant or the responsible adult who is designated on the permit form shall be present at all times when a field allocated to them is in use. 1625 MASSACHUSETTS AVENUE m LEXINGTON, MASSACHUSETTS 02420 • Payment is expected prior to receiving the permit (with the exception being Lexington youth organizations that pay the per participant rate). Payment by check or cash is accepted. No future permits will be issued to a group or organization until all outstanding fees are paid. • Reallocation or subletting of fields by a permit holder is strictly prohibited. If permitted fields are going unused, the unused dates and times may not be assigned to non - permitted users and are to be turned back to the Recreation Department for allocation to other users. • Unless specifically requested and approved by all applicable Town Departments and Boards, it is understood that the function /activity to be held is not a fundraiser, that no admission is to be charged, that no tickets will be sold or collections taken, and that no items will be sold. • Any violation of the permit's terms, conditions, and /or limitations shall be grounds for immediate revocation of the permit. No refund of the permit administrative fee will be granted and future applications for permits submitted by such team, group, or organization may be denied. • By submitting an application, all applicants agree to conform to all Town policies for playing fields and related facilities use. Checklist for permit application: Consideration will not be ,given until the following conditions are met: 1. Completed application with signed acknowledgement of policy statement. 2. Associated rosters signed by organization or league authenticating residency requirements for Tier 2, 3, & 4 users. A copy of participant's driver's license or other proof of residency may be required. 3. A copy of the organization's insurance certificate. It must be for a minimum of $1,000,000 general liability coverage and the Town must be named as additionally insured. 4. Any organization or entity that accepts volunteers and provides activities or programs to children 18 years of age or younger must provide the Recreation Department with written documentation that the entity or organization performs a CORI check on all volunteers, as required by Massachusetts General Law. This must be on your organization's letterhead and signed by the President: Chapter 385 of the Acts of 2002, "An Act Further Protecting Children ", was signed into law by Governor Jane Swift in November 2002. The law imposes several new requirements, including "...any entity or organization primarily engaged in providing activities or programs to children 18 years of age or less or that accepts volunteers, shall obtain all available criminal offender record information from the criminal history systems board prior to accepting any person as a volunteer. " The permit holder(s) must be in possession of the permit at the playing field and /or related facility, and be prepared to produce the permit upon proper request by representatives of the Recreation Department, or any Town official, including the police. Failure to produce a valid permit when requested is grounds for expulsion from the playing field or facility, and such further action as the Recreation Department may determine to be appropriate under the circumstances. Once a field permit has been processed, no refunds will be given. A credit may be issued due to inclement weather contingent upon timely notification of a cancellation (for lighted fields, the organization must contact the Recreation Department by 3:3Opm the day of the cancellation) and at the discretion of the Recreation Department. The Recreation Department will (Monday - Friday 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.) communicate, by means of email, its website, and /or its Program Information and Cancellation Line (781- 698 - 4810), playing field conditions when afield is closed due to wet or unfavorable conditions. )f the weekend forecast calls for rain, the Reo eation iaepartrnent in or unction with tlse 1 ubiic � °curses Der_�artr entLhas tlie uthoriry to close all athletic fields for the weekend. If this decision is made, an attempt will be made to notify all field permit holders via email and /or phone on Friday afternoon. Ultimately, it is the rs-ebl' of the field oerrnit hrslder to check with the Recreation Department to see if a field has been closed by calling L781) 693 -4. After regular Recreation office hours, it is the responsibility of the permit holder to determine whether or not an activity can be held. If the decision to cancel is made after regular Recreation office hours, the permit holder must contact the Recreation Department the next business day in order to be eligible for a credit. • After a field permit has been processed, each change made to the permit, whether it be date, location, or time, will result in a $10 administrative fee being assessed to the permit holder. • Each non - profit sports organization must be in compliance with all state and federal regulations Permits will be issued in the following priority Tier 1 Priority Use: • Recreation Department Sponsored Programs. • School Department Use: • Lexington High School MIAA sanctioned athletic team (e.g., soccer, softball, lacrosse, baseball, football, field hockey, tennis, track and field, etc.) games and practices. • Lexington Middle School athletic team (e.g. soccer, softball, lacrosse, baseball, football, field hockey, tennis, track and field, etc.) games and practices. • Lexington Public School Physical Education classes. • Lexington Public School /PTA special events such as "Walk for the Arts ", school fairs, etc. • These priorities override any permit issued by the Recreation Department. School Dept. sport & special events take priority over all previously issued permits. Conflicts will be resolved on a case -by case basis. Tier 2 Priority Use: (Must have 95% Lexington Residents) • Lexington Based Youth Sports Organizations (i.e. Little League, Babe Ruth baseball, Lexington United Soccer Club, Lexington Youth Lacrosse who pay a per participant /per season fee) • A Lexington resident with at least 95% residents can apply for a single use one -day permit (example: birthday party, pick -up game, etc.). Tier 3 Priority Use: (Must have minimum of 60% Lexington Residents) • Lexington Based Youth Sports Organizations (a team that participates in regional leagues - MAPLE, Summer District Select, etc. will be considered provided that no fewer than sixty percent (60 %) of the officially rostered members of such teams (e.g., 6/10, 7/11, 8/12, 9/14, 10/16, 11/17, 12/18 etc.) are residents of the Town. • Lexington based adult sports league *. League membership must have 60% residency. • Season permit for organized pick -up games /adult league games & practices - must maintain 60% residency. Tier 4 Priority Use: • Lexington Based Youth Sports Organization *, Lexington based businesses, private or charter schools, and groups of residents who cannot meet the 60% residency requirement. Such requests will be accommodated on a case -by -case basis. Season permit for organized pick -up games /adult league games & practices and does not meet 60% residency. Tier 5 Priority Use: Private Clinics, camps, tournaments, or other special uses shall not be eligible for a playing field and /or related facility use permit unless such use is sponsored by the Recreation Department, Lexington Public Schools, or on a case -by -case basis a recognized Lexington Based Sports Organization. Any playing field and /or related facility use permit issued for such use shall be subject in all instances to the terms, conditions, and limitations of the Town Department or agency's sponsorship, including permit priority. • Please be advised that rosters will be verified. • Organizations cannot sub -lease the fields or sell their field permit to another group. • A Lexington -based league must consist of a minimum of 4 teams to be classified as a league. • Field Permits are not guaranteed from season to season. 9 Application Process • Permit applications will be accepted by the Recreation Department beginning the first Monday in January. Starting and ending dates are approximate and depend upon weather /field conditions. The Recreation Department and the DPW Public Grounds Department will set the start dates. • Sessions: 1. Spring - approximately April 1 - June 23 2. Summer- approximately June 24 -August 18 3. Fall - approximately August 19 - November 30 (or sooner if fields are closed) • Single Use field requests will be on a first -come basis. Tier Categories and fees apply to single use requests. No refunds will be issued, but a credit will be awarded in the event of rain cancellation. Permit holder must call the Recreation Office no later than the day following the rain out to receive this credit. • A schedule of permit fees is listed at the end of this document. The Recreation Department will issue a permit /invoice based upon the Tier Category the organization falls under. ® An application requesting use of any Lexington High School Field may need the additional approval of the LHS Athletic Director. The Recreation Department shall make this determination and notify the applicant if such approval is required. • All completed permits received by the Recreation Department on or before the seasonal (i.e., spring, summer and fall) deadline will be considered shortly following the seasonal deadline. Permits received after the seasonal deadline will be considered only if there remains playing field availability. Following is an approximate timetable for submission of playing field and related facility applications and issuance of permits: It is the responsibility of each permit holder to submit requests in writing to the Recreation Department. ® Once a permit is issued, use of the playing fields and related facilities covered by such permit is strictly limited to the terms, conditions, and limitations contained in the permit. These shall include, without limitation, all applicable Town ordinances and such further rules and regulations as may be promulgated and in effect from time to time by the Town and /or the Recreation Department. Field permits may be revoked for: • Use of alcohol, tobacco, and other controlled substances at field sites • Use of wet fields (defined below) • Excessive litter o Cars parked on fields and other grass areas o Use of foul and abusive language o Failure to adhere to Town ordinances ® In addition, the following Rules /Regulations must be enforced at the 3 multi- purpose synthetic fields at Lincoln Park: o No staking any object into the synthetic turf o No chewing gum is allowed (gum may damage the synthetic turf) ® Appropriate notices will be posted and maintained by the Recreation Department and the Public Grounds Department at all playing fields and related facilities that may be under renovation. Spring Season Summer Season Fall Season Application Period Opens December January January Applications Due By January 10 April 25 July 1 Permits Issued By March 1 June 1 August 8 It is the responsibility of each permit holder to submit requests in writing to the Recreation Department. ® Once a permit is issued, use of the playing fields and related facilities covered by such permit is strictly limited to the terms, conditions, and limitations contained in the permit. These shall include, without limitation, all applicable Town ordinances and such further rules and regulations as may be promulgated and in effect from time to time by the Town and /or the Recreation Department. Field permits may be revoked for: • Use of alcohol, tobacco, and other controlled substances at field sites • Use of wet fields (defined below) • Excessive litter o Cars parked on fields and other grass areas o Use of foul and abusive language o Failure to adhere to Town ordinances ® In addition, the following Rules /Regulations must be enforced at the 3 multi- purpose synthetic fields at Lincoln Park: o No staking any object into the synthetic turf o No chewing gum is allowed (gum may damage the synthetic turf) ® Appropriate notices will be posted and maintained by the Recreation Department and the Public Grounds Department at all playing fields and related facilities that may be under renovation. _ _ ._ f ....... e a 7" ._ i l t�... -`'. �- _ € � _ ,b a- f,'u, a YD ''F l "e r j F, 4 i t —1-1 _ L,? 1 a i LAI pp- fti rw„r rlolc,, w I_. Wl e"n there is standing V✓at�r on th, ; iivl(j' 2, When -the jai "outl d is water- logged and "squishy" 3. 'ki` }1I 3^l 'the footing is lick ur - and FI: P P '`;% 4. During any tnul Gee i "= tornn lightning even, or heavy/downpour rain, i s ? ...._8 .." "?%m...,.t aoiders wifl be held : e -po i � ra e fi Town of Lexington Recreation Department Spring 2014 and Fall 2013 Youth Sports Field Comparison Spring 2014 # of • Hours Tier 2 Permitted Hours Total Field Organization ip ants Natural Grass Fields • Permit Hours Lexington United Soccer Club (LUSC)* 1,236 1,615 361 1,976 Lexington Youth Lacrosse (LYL)* 309 232 368 600 Lexington Little League 1,000 6,302 0 6,302 Lexington Babe Ruth 84 1,810 0 1,810 Spring 2014 (continued) Tier 3 & 5 Permitted Hours Tier 3 & 5 Permitted Hours Total Field Organization Natural Grass Fields Turf Fields 0 Lincoln Permit Hours Lexington United Soccer Club (LUSC) ** 24 22 1 46 Lexington Youth Lacrosse (LYL) ** 0 43 1 43 Fall 2013 # of Tier 2 Permitted Hours Tier 2 Permitted Hours Total Field Organization Partici•, • •: (W Lincoln Permit Hours Lexington United Soccer Club (LUSC) 1,420 2,138 519 2,657 Lexington Youth Lacrosse (LYL) 158 0 35 35 Lexington Little League 115 462 0 462 Lexington Babe Ruth 0 0 0 0 Fall 2013 # of Fall 2013 (continued) Tier 3 & 5 Permitted Hours Tier 3 & 5 Permitted Hours Total Field Organization Natural Grass Fields Turf Fields @Lincoln Permit Hours Lexington United Soccer Club (LUSC) * ** 30 1 22 1 52 Lexington Youth Lacrosse (LYL) 467 232 Spring 2014 & Permitted Flours Total Field Fall 2013 # of Permitted Flours Turf Fields P Permit urganlzatlon Participants Natural Crass rielcis Lincoln Hours Lexington United Soccer Club (LUSC) 2,656 3,807 924 4,731 Lexington Youth Lacrosse (LYL) 467 232 446 678 Lexington Little League 1,115 6,764 0 6,764 Lexington Babe Ruth 84 1,810 0 1,810 TOTALS 4,322 12,613 1,370 13,983 Footnotes * The Town of Lexington has a field exchange with Lexington Christian Academy (LCA). LCA is permitted use of the Harrington softball field on weekday afternoons from 3:30- 6:00pm during the spring, In exchange, LUSC and LYL are able to use the field space at LCA on weeknights during the spring without paying a fee. LUSC is permitted LCA on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday evenings from 6:00- 7:30pm and LYL is permitted LCA on Friday evenings from 6:00 - 7:30pm. For Spring 2014, LUSC is permitted 34.5 hours at LCA and LYL is permitted 12 hours at LCA and these totals are included in the Tier 2 Natural Grass Fields Permitted Hours category. The field exchange between the Town of Lexington and Lexington Christian Academy has been in place since 2010. ** In Spring 2014, LUSC and LYL are issued field permits in addition to Tier 2 use. For LUSC, the Early Kickers and weekday 1 st/2nd Grade Clinic programs are offered at Lincoln Park at the Tier 3 rate and the April school vacation week clinic is offered at Diamond at the Tier 5 rate. For LYL, the annual Face -Off Festival is offered at Lincoln Park at the Tier 5 rate. * ** In Fall 2013, LUSC was issued field permits in addition to Tier 2 use. In Fall 2013, the Early Kickers and weekday 1 st/2nd Grade Clinic programs were offered at Lincoln Park at the Tier 3 rate and the preseason clinic was offered at Diamond at the Tier 5 rate, From: John Clough [mailto:cloughjohnh @gmail.com] Sent: Sunday, April 13, 2014 12:07 PM To: Peter Coleman; fjdeangelisl @comcast.net; Rick DeAngelis; Sandra sj.shaw @verizon.net; lisahrhodes @gmail.com; Karen Simmons; Sheila Butts; wendycrgolf @rcn.com Cc: David Sheehan; Nina Johannessen; LUSC; Tom Shiple; Brendan; David Pinsonneault; Christopher Filadoro Subject: Re: Lexington Recreation - Update on Lincoln #1 Dear Peter, et al., Thank you for the update. We very much appreciate that the Recreation Committee, the Recreation Department and Town of Lexington decided to invest in re- turfing Lincoln #1, and we are very much respectful of the fact that the town must ensure the work is done properly, especially given the level of investment. We are 100% behind you on that and we know you are doing everything in your power to get the construction completed to the town's satisfaction and get the field back in use. We do remain very bewildered, however, that: ® LUSC has not been accominodated with any additional Lincoln Park field space while Lincoln #1 remains offline this past week or for the coming week; and, ® the Recreation Department Field Permit Policy is being interpreted in a manner that has enabled LUSC's allocation of hours at Lincoln Park fields to be reduced for Spring 2014. While we do appreciate what you, Peter, and the Recreation Department have managed to give us in additional grass space the last two weeks, in our view, it is unfair for our requests for additional Lincoln Park field space on a temporary basis to be denied at this time. It was not our decision to permit the closed Lincoln 41 to Lexington United Soccer Club, so why do we pay the price of the construction delays and no one else? As a result of that decision, Lincoln Park fields have effectively been permitted for this past week and most likely next week at a 9 -to -1 ratio of hours in favor of Lexington Youth Lacrosse, w=hile LUSC is 4 times larger than LYL. Moreover, we believe that our general weeknight allocation of hours at Lincoln this spring season of 9 -to -6 (LYL to LUSC), down from 8 -to -7 last spring, is grossly unfair, especially when considering (a) the relative size of enrollments of Lexington children in each program (1200 LUSC and 300 LYL) and (b) the proportional use by each organization of grass field space in this spring's field permits: For every 1 hour of Lincoln turf field space LUSC is permitted, it is also using 6 hours of grass field space; and, For every l hour of Lincoln turf field space LYL is permitted, it is only using 0.5 hours of grass field space. Given these realities, for our allocation of Lincoln Park field space to have gone down this year is incomprehensible. A significantly more reasonable application of the field permit policy is needed. Lincoln Park fields can be shared by all sports in a reasonable manner. It should not be the case that one youth sport can displace another sport when the vast majority of its requested time is on Lincoln Park field space and it is not even beginning to balance its use of available grass fields in Lexington. It is a privilege to use the superior Lincoln Park facilities that Lexingtonians are so fortunate to have and not a right of any youth sports organization to so heavily concentrate its activities only at those premium fields. Have we really reached a point where there is a sport that can only be played on premium synthetic turf surfaces? We find it hard to believe that the policy was intended to allow this. We plan to reach out to LYL in an effort to reach agreement on a more sensible allocation of Lincoln Park field space, and look forward to discussing this issue and the application of the policy with the Recreation Department and Recreation Committee in the future. So that all are aware, given the high level of frustration currently being expressed to us by the families of our 1,200 children playing soccer with LUSC this spring, we are sending a communication to our families to share what we've been told in terms of why LUSC, by far the largest youth sports organization in Lexington and still growing, first, has less Lincoln Park field space this spring than in prior spring seasons and, second, is solely paying the price for Lincoln #1 being offline and no other organizations are sharing the burden. Sincerely, John Clough & Tom Shiple Lexington United Soccer Club co- Presidents cc: LUSC Board of Directors Forwarded - . g From: • o 1 •• o • Date: Sun, Apr 13, 2014 at 1:42 PIVI Subject: • • Season Launch & Important - • -• Situation Update Dear LUSC Families, We want to share some information on what's happening with field space in Lexington. It's not been an easy season to launch, and that has a lot to do with Mother Nature but also some to do with the field space crunch in Lexington. Before we touch on the field space, we do want to say thank you to all the coaches, volunteers, staff and families for all the work that's been put in to get the season going. We have done everything in our power to get teams up and running on fields wherever and whenever we could. And by and large we're off to the races. We've had a few glitches and we do apologize to those coaches and families impacted. And we know there's been considerable work put in by all to make practices and games happen -- switching of fields, emails, texts, etc. We very much thank you for your understanding and patience. There are some towns that still have not had their grass fields open, so we're thankful to have been able to get in most of our practices and all of our home games for the 1,200 kids playing soccer with LUSC this spring. LEXINGTON FIELD SITUATION Quality field space in Lexington is a significant issue and LUSC is grappling with it on a regular basis. The lack of space in general this spring is due to a combination of factors. First, grass fields did not start opening until April 1st due to the late snow melt. Clarke field has just opened this past week, and the slightest rain causes some fields to close again. Second, Center Track field, which was resodded last fall, is still offline to allow the new grass to take root, and is not likely to be available until at least late April. We were informed March 20th that it would be offline until then. Third, Lincoln Park field #1, which is our primary practice field at Lincoln Park as permitted by the Town of Lexington, remains offline to replace the turf. This project started in early November 2013 but could not be completed in December due to early snow. Work to finish it in the spring was delayed due to late snow, and now the opening has been delayed further while the contractor fixes some defects. That results in LUSC losing 80% of its allotted practice time at Lincoln. Fourth, our ability to secure additional Lincoln turf field space and even grass field space is significantly hampered by the following Recreation Department policy regarding field allocation: When two or more applicants are on an equal footing and applying for the same space, priority will be given to the traditional in season sport, outlined as follows: Fall Season - Football, Field Hockey, Soccer Spring Season - Baseball, Softball, Lacrosse, Track and Field Summer Season Baseball, Softball What this means is that, since youth soccer is not considered a spring sport (even though more Lexington kids play soccer in the spring than any other sport and is growing), LUSC's allocation of field space at Lincoln Park and at the prime grass fields is greatly diminished. Any bad weather or closed fields has a severe impact on our ability to run our programs. We view this application of the field permit policy as unacceptable and we want you to know that we have expressed this to the Recreation Department and the Recreation Committee. We think there is ample space at Lincoln Park and grass fields throughout Lexington that all youth sports organizations can share the premium turf and grass field spaces in a manner that will not impact any organization's ability to run its programs effectively. LUSC continues to pro - actively search for quality field space and has also urged the town to prioritize making more quality field space available for Lexington's youth sports programs. We again thank you for your patience and understanding. We will keep you updated on issues related to fields and we hope we can count on your support as we continue these efforts. Best regards, John Clough & Tom Shiple LUSC Co- Presidents