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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2015-11-18-REC-minFrederick DeAngelis, Chairman Lisah Rhodes, Vice Chairman Sandra Shaw Ruixi Yuan Town of Lexington Recreation Committee Recreation Committee Minutes of Meeting November 18, 2015 Tel: (781) 698 -4800 Fax: (781) 862 -2747 A meeting of the Recreation Committee was held on Wednesday, November 18, 2015 at 7:00 p.m. at the Lexington Community Center, 39 Marrett Road, Lexington. Members Present: Rick DeAngelis, Lisah Rhodes, Sandra Shaw, and Ruixi Yuan Staff Present: Karen Simmons, Director of Recreation and Community Programs, Sheila Butts, Community Center Director, and Peter Coleman, Assistant Director of Recreation Others Present: Tom Griffiths and Bill Turville (Munroe Center for the Arts), Ken Noles (Eaglebrook Engineering), and Tom Shiple (Lexington United Soccer Club) 1. Meeting Minutes from October 21st, 2015 Lisah Rhodes moved and Sandra Shaw seconded approval of the Recreation Committee Minutes of September 9, 2015. The Recreation Committee voted 3 -0 -1 to approve the minutes of October 21, 2015. 2. Citizens and Other Boards — None 3. Liaison Reports — None 4. Update on Lincoln Park Light Feasibility (LUSC) Tom Shiple, president of the Lexington United Soccer Club (LUSC), indicated that LUSC has looked into fundraising options and that the LUSC board has a meeting on Sunday night. If approved by their board, LUSC would like to move forward and formally submit their proposal for Lights at the December Recreation Committee meeting. The abutters within 100' of the parcel would be notified. Mr. Shiple also informed the Recreation Committee that the issue of using drones to record youth sporting events could be coming to the forefront soon. LUSC does not support this and from the Town's perspective, Karen Simmons, Director of Recreation and Community Programs, said that this is a new potential issue and would consult with Town Counsel. 5. Munroe Parking Lot Ken Noles from Eaglebrook Engineering presented the revised proposal for the Munroe Center for the Arts parking lot to the Recreation Committee. Mr. Noles indicated that various options had been considered and several changes were made to the original proposal that was presented in April to address the concerns of the Committee. The aisle had been reduced from 27' to 22' and the additional amount of paved area decreased from 4,257 square feet to 3,232 square feet. 1625 MASSACHUSETTS AVENUE • LEXINGTON, MASSACHUSETTS 02420 2 Mr. Noles stated that drainage from the parking lot onto the grass fields would be improved due to the installation of two catch basins and that a temporary fence would be installed 13' off of the pavement to separate the parking lot from the playing field to ensure the safety of the participants. Tom Griffiths, a board member from Munroe, indicated that if approved, the plan would go before the Town Manager and Board of Selectmen. Karen Simmons, Director of Recreation and Community Programs, informed the Recreation Committee that the Town Engineer had been involved with this plan and it had also gone before the Design Review Team (DRT). Ms. Simmons added that when the plan was first presented back in April, the Recreation Committee asked to reduce the amount of additional pavement and to improve the drainage of the field. Ms. Simmons believes that the revised plan addresses both of these issues. After a brief discussion, Rick DeAngelis, Chairman of the Recreation Committee made the following motion: The Recreation Committee votes to approve the plan as presented this evening and requests that in his review, the Town Engineer determine if a bean at the edge of the parking lot is necessary. Once that determination has been made, the Recreation Committee recommends that the plan go to the Board of Selectmen and Town Manager for further action. Sandra Shaw seconded the motion. The Recreation Committee voted 4 -0 to approve. 6. Recreation 5 -Year Capital Plan Karen Simmons, Director of Recreation and Community Programs, reported that the FY2017- FY2021 5 -Year Recreation Capital Plan was presented to the Capital Expenditures Committee on October 27th and to the Community Preservation Committee on November 12th. At the Community Preservation Committee meeting, a straw vote was held and the committee was unanimous in its support of all projects. 7. Community Center Non - Resident Membership Fees Sheila Butts, Community Center Director, provided the Recreation Committee with an update on the Community Center Membership Fee Policy. Ms. Butts stated that while the Board of Selectmen is in favor of not charging Lexington residents, it does support charging non - residents a membership fee. Under the proposed policy, non - resident seniors (ages 60 +) would pay a one- time fee of $5.00, the annual fees for non - resident youth, adult (ages 18 -59), and family memberships would be $25.00, $50.00, $125.00, respectively, the annual fee for a non - resident adult who works in Lexington would be $25.00, and the cost to replace the ID card would be $5.00. Rick DeAngelis, Chairman of the Recreation Committee believed that language stating that non - residents will continue to pay regular program registration fees in addition to the membership fee should be included. Lisah Rhodes, Vice Chairman of the Recreation Committee, expressed her concerns with the policy. Ms. Rhodes understood the rationale for not charging Lexington residents, but is concerned that a minimal attempt is being made to cover ongoing expenses and she hopes that the fee structure will be reviewed on an annual basis. If approved, Karen Simmons, Director of Recreation and Community Programs, indicated that the policy would go into effect sometime after the first of the year. Rick DeAngelis, Chairman of the Recreation Committee made the following motion: With edits and additions that were discussed being made, the Recreation Committee approves the non - resident membership fee schedule for the Community Center. Lisah Rhodes seconded the motion. The Recreation Committee voted 4 -0 to approve. 8. Recreation Report Karen Simmons, Director of Recreation and Community Programs, commended Sheila Butts for the outstanding job she is doing in overseeing the operation of the Community Center. From when the Community Center opened on July 6th through November 13th, the Community Center had received over 3,100 phone calls, 11,854 people attended scheduled programs that were sponsored by the Human Services Department or the Recreation and Community Programs 3 Department, and there were 2,300 hours of reservations at the facility. A Program Improvement Request (PIR) is being submitted as part of the FY17 Community Center operating budget. This request is to increase the current part-time (17.5 hours /week) administrative assistant position to a full -time (35 hours /week) position. Sheila Butts, Community Center Director, said that the staff and volunteers who are working at the main transaction counter have been doing a terrific job and are providing excellent customer service. Karen Simmons reported that signs have been put up for Route E of ACROSS Lexington and the Conservation Commission granted permission for Eagle Scout candidate Pieter Svenson to proceed with the disc golf course at the Bridge School and the course will be installed during the spring. Peter Coleman, Assistant Director of Recreation, reported that the winter program brochure should be delivered to all Lexington households within the next week and registration opens on Tuesday, December 1st. On Tuesday, November 17t'', the staff made its annual presentation to the Citizen's Academy, which included a tour of the Community Center. The equipment rental night and chaperone meeting for the Nashoba Valley ski /snowboard programs will be held in early December. Recruitment for summer staff will also begin in December. Lastly, Ms. Simmons reported that the Pine Meadows Golf Course is still open for the season. The green and fairways are in good condition and the maintenance staff have done well at keeping the fairways clear of leaves. 9. Parks Report Karen Simmons, Director of Recreation and Community Programs, provided the Parks Report. There were a few issues with the resurfacing project at the Gallagher tennis courts and these will be addressed in the spring. The bid openings for the Marvin and Sutherland basketball reconstruction project and Lincoln #3 turf replacement project will be held on Friday, December 18t''. Ms. Simmons is disappointed with how the Worthen Road practice field project came out. She will be working with Dave Pinsonneault, DPW Operations Manager to develop a strategy to address some of the concerns. A draft of the ADA accessibility is nearing completion. The renovation project at the Lincoln softball field still needs to go out to bid The next meeting of the Recreation Committee is scheduled to take place on Wednesday, December 16, 2015 at 7:00 p.m. in Room 237 of the Lexington Community Center. The November 18, 2015 meeting of the Recreation Committee adjourned at 8:10 p.m. Respectfully submitted, Peter Coleman Assistant Director of Recreation The following documents /exhibits distributed at the meeting are attached: Non - Resident Community Center Membership Fee Policy