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
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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
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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