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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2015-01-21-REC-minFrederick DeAngelis, Chairman Lisah Rhodes Wendy Rudner Sandra Shaw Ruixi Yuan Town of Lexington Recreation Committee Recreation Committee Minutes of Meeting of January 21, 2015 Tel: (781) 698 -4800 Fax: (781) 862 -2747 A meeting of the Recreation Committee was held on Wednesday, January 21, 2015 at 7:00 p.m. in the Reed Room at the Town Office Building. A quorum of 5 was present. Members Present: Rick DeAngelis, Lisah Rhodes, Wendy Rudner, Sandra Shaw, and Ruixi (Ray) Yuan Members Absent: Staff Present: Karen Simmons, Director of Recreation, Peter Coleman, Recreation Supervisor, Chris Filadoro, Superintendent of Public Grounds, and Sheila Butts, Assistant Director Citizens Present: Tom Shiple, Lexington United Soccer Club, Lisa O'Brien and Charles Teague, proponents of Muzzey Field Skating Rink, David Williams, Lincoln Park Subcommittee, and Julie Shapiro, liaison from Council on Aging The meeting was called to order at 7:00 p.m. The meeting acted on the following: 1. Citizens and other Boards — none 2. Meeting Minutes December 17, 2014 Lisah Rhodes moved and Wendy Rudner seconded acceptance of the December 17, 2014 Recreation Committee Meeting Minutes. The Recreation Committee accepted the December 17, 2014 minutes by a vote of 3 — 0. 3. Liaison Reports Wendy Rudner introduced David Williams, Chairman of the Lincoln Park Subcommittee, who reported on the work of the subcommittee this past year, and distributed a copy of the proposed plans for the Granite Forest, which will be located between the playing field and the woodland at Lincoln Park. This Granite Forest will be built from granite that was donated. This Granite Forest will be the first piece of public art in Lexington, and will serve as a gathering place for all within Lincoln Park. The cost of this project is estimated to be $85,000. The LPSC has met and received support from the Tree Committee, the Arts Council and Cary Library. LPSC is in initial funding stages. They would like to request up to 50% CPA funds under recreation if the Recreation Committee approves. The balance will be from private funding, grants and the endowment. Mr. Filadoro noted that if the project were partially funded by CPA funds, the Public Bid requirements would be in effect. 1625 MASSACHUSETTS AVENUE • LEXINGTON, MASSACHUSETTS 02420 Karen Simmons, Director of Recreation asked if the Recreation Committee would support this proposal. If so, she would work with Mr. Williams to gather additional information. Mr. DeAngelis made the following motion: The Recreation Committee supports the Granite Forest at Lincoln Park as proposed by David Williams on January 21, 2015. Further, the Recreation Committee authorizes the Director of Recreation to lvork with Mr. Williams and the Lincoln Park Subcommittee to develop a funding plan including grants and Community preservation monies. The motion was seconded by Sandra Shaw. The Recreation Committee voted 5 — 0 to approve this motion. 4. Ice Skating at Muzzey — Pilot Program Peter Coleman, Supervisor of Recreation introduced Lisa O'Brien and Charles Teague who provided the Recreation Committee with details on their proposal (attached) to institute a Pilot program for ice skating on the Muzzey Field. Mr. Coleman, Ms. O'Brien and Mr. Teague went before the Board of Selectmen on January 12 to review their proposal. Although no formal vote was neccessary, the proposal did meet with a positive response. Sandra Shaw noted that it was an excellent proposal and presentation, and she is very supportive. Rick DeAngelis supported a 1 -year pilot program to gauge success, but expressed concern about funding this in future years. Ms. O'Brien noted that she is working closely with Chris Filadoro to get a sense of the true cost for future years, and indicated that some fundraising efforts might be appropriate in the future. Mr. DeAngelis asked if a sign noting the hours should be installed. Karen Simmons, Director of Recreation noted that this endeavor would fall under Board of Selectmen regulations of Park and Recreation Facilities, which allow sunrise to sunset use. Lisah Rhodes and Sandra Shaw expressed concern about parking and potential issues with the Muzzey Condo Association. According to Chris Filadoro, Dave Pinsonneault, DPW Operations Manager, has agreed to keep the cemetery lane from Massachusetts Avenue open, which will allow for 12 cars to park. Ms. O'Brien told the committee that she has contacted the Condo Association and the Senior Center, and has received positive support for the pilot program. Tom Shiple, Lexington United Soccer Club, asked what the impact of a skating rink would have on spring field use. Chris Filadoro responded that he and peter Coleman had visited Concord, which has a set -up similar to the Lexington proposal, and they have had no meaningful field damage. The Parks Department would aerate and over -seed the field area once the snow melts, but does not anticipate any issues. Ray Yuan asked if usage would be "SKATE AT YOUR OWN RISK ". Ms. O'Brien responded that they would put up signs to this effect. Mr. DeAngelis enquired as to where the melted water would go. Mr. Filadoro noted that there is a drain at the cemetery end of the field, and that he would check with the Highway and Engineering Departments to make sure that the drain is capable of handling the melting ice and snow. Sandra Shaw moved that the Recreation Committee approve a pilot program for ice skating at Muzzey Field, contingent upon the findings regarding drainage. The final decision to proceed with the pilot program requires the approval of the Director of Recreation and the Parks Superintendent. Lisah Rhodes seconded the motion. The Recreation Committee approved the motion by a vote of 5 — 0. 2 5. Community Center Update Karen Simmons, Director of Recreation, provided the committee with the following update on the Community Center: • Construction is moving along. • The interior work should be completed by the end of April. • Punch list items will be finished in May. • The anticipated move -in time is end of May. • Currently we are working programming, furniture, necessary equipment, as well as locations for data lines, phone lines, staff key access and card access, etc... . • The Human Services Department will also be located in the new Community Center and will continue to offer programs and services in line with its mission. We are excited with the opportunity to collaborate! • After July, the Recreation and Community Programs department will pick up senior recreation and leisure programming including fitness & wellness. • Recreation is collaborating with the Human Services Department to submit a grant proposal to the Dana Home Foundation. If approved the monies will allow the addition of new wellness programs for Lexington residents ages 60 +. • Meetings are ongoing with the Deputy Town Manager regarding the recruitment for new positions at the Community Center. • 6. VHB Open Space Recreation Plan Karen Simmons reminded the Recreation Committee and the public in attendance that this is an important document. The Recreation Committee received a draft of the Open Space and Recreation Plan. If members have comments, please submit them to Peter Coleman by January 15. Tom Shiple, Lexington United Soccer Club, commented that he did not see much in the plan for active recreation. Peter Coleman, Supervisor of Recreation noted that the survey results did indicate that the public responses did lean towards the importance of active recreation, and that the infonnation within the document attempts to be balanced, as opposed to a public forum list. 7. Update on Light Feasibility (LUSC) Tom Shiple, LUSC, told the Recreation Committee that they had received a quote of $65,000 for the Light Feasibility Study. LUSC will fund l00% of this. Rich DeAngelis suggested that LUSC may also want to speak to Haley and Aldrich, VHB and /or Sandborn, to see if their price quotes for the study might be less expensive. Mr. Shiple reported that the Executive Board of LUSC wants a better understanding of how the new space under lights might be allocated. Ms. Simmons recommended that LUSC present a proposal to the Recreation Committee. Mr. DeAngelis asked if LUSC was really asking if they would have priority and preferential right to utilize the field. Mr. Shiple answered — yes. They want the benefits of a lighted field in the spring and fall. Mr. Shiple will bring the proposal to the next meeting. Chris Filadoro asked if this proposal is for both lit and not -lit fields. Mr. Shiple said that LUSC believes a redistribution of no- lighted hours is more preferential. Mr. DeAngelis stated that the Recreation Committee will be looking at the LUSC proposal based weighing it against the needs of the entire community. He also recommended that Mr. Shiple meet with Karen Simmons to discuss the LUSC proposal prior to bringing it to the Recreation Committee. 8. Recreation 5 Year Capital Plan This is a standing item. No issues for Town meeting 3 9. Lincoln # 1 Update Karen Simmons, Director of Recreation, reported that there was no new information about the Lincoln #1 project. Pending weather issues, the new field should be installed in March/early April. 10. Recreation Reports Karen Simmons, Director of Recreation, reported on the following: • The varsity Golf Coach at Minuteman Tech requested summer play at no charge for their varsity team. It would be same as the LHS team, including using the school student ID, valid for walk on M -Th between 1 lam- 2:00pm, during July and August. Mr. DeAngelis moved to approve. Ray Yuan seconded. The Recreation Committee voted 5 -0 to approve use of the Pine Meadows Golf Club by the Minuteman Tech High School Varsity Golf Team under the conditions recommend by the Director of Recreation. • Patriot Golf Course at Hanscom Field wants to open to the public. The department has opposed this in the past due to the close proximity of the two courses. Bill Harrison, New England Golf Corporation, does not oppose this as long as the Patriot Course does not charge less. Ms. Simmons has requested a proposal from the patriot Golf Course, which she will review with Mr. Harrison. • Peter Coleman is currently compiling the spring field schedule and field permit requests. • The department is recruiting staff for the summer and interviews will begin during February School Vacation week. 11. Parks Reports Chris Filadoro, Superintendent of Public Grounds, reported on the following: • Sutherland Field is 90% completed. • The town is awaiting the final inspection letter from M.E. O'Brien and Sons for the renovation of the Garfield Play Area. • DPW and Marquis Tree have completed tree work at Pine Meadows. They removed trees and underbrush on the Ste and 9th tees. • Parks Department crews are repairing and building 6 picnic tables. • The bid for the earthen handicap ramp at Hastings Park is out. Thus far the Town has heard from two contactors. • DPW and Recreation are meeting on Friday to generate a plan and timeline for capital projects. The next meeting of the Recreation Committee will take place on Monday, March 2, 2015 at 7:00 p.m. in the Town Office Building, Parker Room. The January 21, 2015 Recreation Committee meeting adjourned at 8:35 p. m. Respectfully submitted, Sheila Butts, Assistant Recreation Director The following documents /exhibits used at the meeting are attached: • Lexington, MA Outdoor Skating Rink Proposal 4 LEXINGTON, MA OUTDOOR ICE SKATING RIND PROPOSAL WINTER 2014 -2015 Proposed by Lisa O'Brien 1454 Massachusetts Ave 11mnobrien(a gmail.com CELL TBD Charles Teague 7 Rowland Ave cteague@gmail.com 425- 495 -9079 Need Lexington currently lacks accessible and safe recreational ice skating within the community. Weather permitting, residents may ice skate on the Old Reservoir, but thin ice is a safety hazard and has posed a hazard to maintenance efforts and equipment as well. Hayden provides recreational skating opportunities only during limited windows due to heavy demand for access to the rink. While Lexington has support for other outdoor winter activities (sledding, cross country skiing), there is limited support for skating during the winter. Benefits to Lexington - Improved quality of life for residents who will have access to a safe winter recreational opportunity - Access to skating that reduces risk of falling through ice or loss of equipment through the ice. - Winter attraction that benefits local businesses (eg; hot cocoa, coffee, and post skate treats). - An outdoor rink will be inexpensive to construct and maintain relative to alternative winter activities. Feasibility Setup The rink will be constructed using simple snow beans and misted water. This approach requires minimal materials and is primarily a function of cooperative weather and manpower to spray the ice. Other local cormnunities such as Concord, Wayland, and Wellesley have successfully used this approach. We propose building a single large ice surface that is divided into a recreational skating area and an ice hockey area by a dividing snow berm. This approach will provide access and opportunity for differing levels of skating ability as well as a safe division of different uses of the ice. Total surface area will be approximately 200 feet x 60 feet with about half dedicated to recreational skating and half for hockey. Location The proposed location is Muzzey field on Massachusetts Avenue near Lexington Center. This field is primarily used for soccer during the Spring and Fall but is unused during the winter. The field is of sufficient size to construct a rink that would provide ice skating options for recreational skating and ice hockey. The field's proximity to Lexington Center will provide additional customers to the center as well as convenient access to Lexington residents. See the below map. Construction & _Materials Based upon conversations with David Pinsonneault (Operations Manager, Lexington, MA, DPW), Richard Reine (Director, Concord, MA, DPW) and Nick Caggiano (Superintendent, Parks Department, Nashua, NH)we've created the following breakdown of materials and effort for constructing an outdoor ice rink using snow berms. Note that the approach we propose is optimized to provide the best ice surface with a low cost in terms of both labor and cash Proposed rirkloca:ior. x expenditure. Lexington DPW has agreed to provide manpower, as available, for creating the snow berms as well as the manpower required to make the ice itself. Creation of snow berms for containing ice 3 hours (1 person) Snow will be piled into berms for containing the water /ice using a bobcat, smaller loader, or a sidewalk plow. Creation of ice using thin misted layers 5 days (2 people) The ice itself is created by spraying a mist on the rink surface, then waiting approximately 20 -30 minutes for the ice to harden, then repeating until the layers of ice are —6" thick. This creates a based of ice that is stable, free of shale ice, and can withstand occasional warm temperatures without loss of the entire rink. Water for making ice $0 Lexington Public Works is willing to provide access to a fire hydrant located on the edge of the field. The water department has approved our use of sufficient water from this hydrant to fill the rink at no cost to the community. Filling the rink will require 25- 30,000 gallons of water. Fire hose $0 The Lexington Fire Department is willing to lend DPW a hose that can safely attach to a hydrant and mist the rink, given all appropriate approvals for this effort. (J. Wilson at FD, 12/3/14) Schedule The schedule for the creation of the rink will depend largely upon the weather. In order to create the rink, the following conditions must be met: - 5 -6" of snow on field - Weather forecast for 5 days with sub 20 degree nights sub 32 degree days Once these conditions are met, it will take approximately 5 -6 days to create the rink. This includes creation of berms as well as misting the ice periodically throughout the day to build the ice surface. Once the ice has been completed, after a day or two of hardening, the rink will be ready for use. Operation / Staffing We recommend that the rink be unstaffed and unsupervised. Residents will be required to bring their own ice skating equipment and show reasonable prudence in the supervision of children. Because the rink will not be lighted, there should be no need to post official opening or closing hours. The Lexington town and Recreation Department websites are excellent resources to post public information about the proposed Rink's operations. Maintenance Essential rink maintenanee is minimal, consisting largely of clearing the ice surface of debris (fallen leaves, etc..,), clearing of snow from the ice surface, and occasional remisting / resurfacing. In this initial test year, we propose to use a combination of volunteer efforts in combination with DPW staff as available for rink maintenance. Other amenities Benches The field currently has a handful of benches placed around the edge of the field that will provide a place for skaters to put on and remove skates. Trash barrels There are currently permanently placed trash barrels on site that are maintained by the DPW. They will continue to maintain these barrels for trash disposal on site. In addition, the DPW can provide temporary barrels if needed.