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Home My WebLink About2015-03-30-CCAC-min TOWNOFLEXINGTON AdhocCommunityCenterAdvisoryCommittee(AhCCAC) Minutes Date: March 30, 2015 nd Place and Time: Public Facilities Building, 2 Floor Training Room, 8:30 a.m. Members Present: Michelle Ciccolo, AhCCAC Chair; Board of Selectmen (BoS) member; Harry Forsdick; Jon Himmel, Permanent Building Committee; Laura Hussong; Florence Koplow; Leslie Zales Member(s) Absent: Betty Borghesani Liaisons Present:Staff: Linda Vine, AhCCAC Vice Chair; Town Manager’s Office; Shawn Newell, Department of Public Facilities (DPF); Karen Simmons, Recreation; Charlotte Rodgers, Human Services; Committees: David Kanter, Capital Expenditures Committee; Glenn Parker, Appropriation Committee; Liaisons Absent (liaisons only attend as-requested and as-available to address relevant agenda items):Staff: Chris Filadoro, Department of Public Works; Dorinda Goodman, Information Technology; John Mazerall, Police Department;Koren Stembridge, Library; Chief John Wilson, Fire Department; Committees: Joe Pato, BoS; Jessie Steigerwald, School Committee Also present: Nancy Adler, Council on Aging (COA) Board; Shirley Stoltz, Friends of the COA; Gloria Bloom, Town Meeting Member; Molly Nye; Jane Trudeau; Pat Goddard, DPF; Mark Barrett, DPF; Hemali Patel, Human Services Recording Secretary: Sara Arnold The meeting was called to order by Ms. Ciccolo at 8:35 a.m. 1.Announcements: Ms. Ciccolo reported that the BoS has been moving forward on most of this Committee’s recommendations for the new Lexington Community Center (LCC), and she hopes to offer some “hard hat” tours in the near future. She added that funds for hiring three new staff members were approved during the recent Special Town Meeting #2. 2.Construction and Furniture, Fixtures and Equipment (FF&E) Updates: Mr. Barrett reviewed the progress that has been made in preparing the new Lexington Community Center (LCC) for a June opening: Renovating/restoring the building: Although there have been some additional expenses, there have been no major problems. He expects the Certificate of Occupancy to be issued by late May. Sidewalk from the lower parking area to the building: Americans with Disability Act regulations do not require a 5% grade for this sidewalk; code only requires that it be consistent with the natural grade. The Town may explore the installation of benches along the sidewalk for resting. In areas providing immediate public access to the LCC, the surfaces cannot exceed a 5% grade. FF&E: There will be some furniture in all of the rooms when the facility is opened. Some furniture in current use will be brought to the building. A quote for new furniture is expected in two weeks, after which there will be a better understanding of what might still be needed. Fundraising is needed for equipment in the cardio-fitness room, some additional equipment for the game room, computers for use by the general public, and an electric keyboard. It was suggested that illustrations be displayed to show how the rooms will look when they have all the anticipated furniture and equipment. Such displays can also identify the items for which donations are being sought. It was noted that staff cannot conduct fundraising campaigns. Staff comments about the transition included the following: Recreation Department and Senior Service staff anticipate moving into the facility in early June. The Meals on Wheels program will operate out of Grace Chapel during the transition. Drop-ins and discussion groups will be able to use the facilities after staff has moved in; probably thth starting June 8 or 15. Formal programming at the facility will begin in July. Phone systems need to be transferred. Expectations need to be managed. Comments by non-staff members included the following: WiFi is important to have available to the public when the facility opens. The Friends of the COA is available to help, but input is needed. There needs to be well-structured support for fundraising efforts.. 3.Staffing Plans: Ms. Simmons reviewed a Recreation and Community Programs staff flow chart in a handout entitled “Section VII: Culture and Recreation”, and she shared job descriptions for three new LCC positions: Community Center Director; Office Manager; and Youth and Family Program Coordinator. She reported that the Community Center Director position was posted internally, and two candidates applied. An internal candidate will get up-to-speed quickly. The other two positions were advertised internally and externally, producing 75 applicants for Office Manager and 35 candidates for the Youth and Family Program Coordinator. Ms. Zales is participating in the interviews. Human Services has its own staffing arrangement. Ms. Simmons explained that the Recreation Enterprise fund is used to cover many Recreation Department expenses. The Fiscal Year 2016 (FY2016) budget includes $217,000 from the tax levy to help cover increased staffing costs triggered by the opening of the LCC. It was noted that the LCC may generate income that is not currently factored into the Recreation Department/Community Programs budget. There will be fees for holding classes in the space, but no fees for coming into the building. The Human Services Department, consistent with past practice, will recover only the direct costs associated with senior programming from the tax levy. The balance for Human Services is covered by subsidies from the Friends of the COA and proceeds from the Senior Center’s Window Pane Shop and the Fix-It Shop. It was stressed that there will be no increase in fees for senior citizens in FY2016. The LCC will be open from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Monday-Friday until Labor Day. After Labor Day it will be open from 8:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. Monday- Friday and 9 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. on Saturdays. In response to questions about eventually opening just the lower level fitness room before 8:00 a.m., it was noted that closing off that area from the rest of the building to provide security needs to be explored. Ms. Simmons reported that the Recreation Department already uses many volunteers and will continue its volunteer program. Ms. Rodgers added that there are senior citizen volunteer programs. Of the current 120 senior center volunteers, approximately 30 to 35 are participants in the Town’s tax write-off program. 4.Governance Committee: Ms. Ciccolo discussed plans for establishing a permanent Governance Committee to be appointed by the Town Manager and approved by the BoS. Using a draft document describing the committee’s purpose and criteria for membership, it was noted that volunteer members would represent the BoS, the School Committee, the COA, the Youth Service Council and the library. This triggered discussion about the committee’s make up and size; comments included the following: The committee should include members from the community; community input is critical. The committee should provide an over-arching umbrella for all Town programs, including those held at the library or other locations. 2 This new committee may be an appropriate forum for developing youth policies that go beyond the LCC. There needs to be a core group that is small; a small committee can be an effective sounding board. There could be periodic public forums and suggestion boxes to solicit input from the wider community. An executive committee should bring those together who can iron out the issues and communicate with the community. The schools’ “site council” structure may provide a sample concept to consider. Ms. Ciccolo noted that conflicting concepts were being suggested, but it may be possible to adjust the structure of the committee, perhaps using liaisons, to address the various concerns. 5.Minutes: A motion was made and seconded to approve the Minutes for December 3, 2014 and January 16, 2015. The motion passed. VOTE: 6-0 th 6.Next Meeting: It was agree that the next meeting would be on April 13 at 8:30 a.m. 7.Adjourn: A motion was made and seconded to adjourn the meeting at 3:20 .. The motion passed. PM VOTE: 6-0 These minutes were approved on April 13, 2015. Materials distributed/used at the meeting: Public Meeting Agenda, March 30, 2015, AhCCAC Section VII: Culture and Recreation; Program 5000; Cary Memorial Library; Recreation and Community Programs Town of Lexington; Position Description; Community Center Director; 02/01.2015 Town of Lexington; Position Description; Office Manager – Community Center Town of Lexington; Position Description; Youth and Family Program Coordinator LCC Advisory Committee – Draft Copy 3