Loading...
HomeMy WebLinkAbout2021-10-20-REC-min uS MopN' RECEIVED o 1775 tic Town of Lexington 2021 23 III , 56 pi Q ry za y Recreation Committee TOWN CLERK 3333 3 a^ LEXINGTON MA APRIL 19' �FXINGS�� Frederick DeAngelis, Chairman Tel: (781) 698-4800 Lisah Rhodes,Vice Chair Fax: (781) 861-2747 Christian Boutwell Carl Fantasia Lisa O'Brien Claire Sheth Recreation Committee Minutes of Meeting October 20, 2021 A virtual meeting of the Recreation Committee was held on Wednesday, October 20, 2021 at 7:00pm through the Zoom platform. Members Present: Rick DeAngelis, Lisah Rhodes, Christian Boutwell,Lisa O'Brien, and Claire Sheth Members Absent: Carl Fantasia Staff Present: Melissa Battite,Director of Recreation and Community Programs,Peter Coleman, Assistant Director of Recreation, Christine Dean,Community Center Director, Chris Filadoro,DPW Superintendent of Public Grounds,and Dave Pinsonneault,DPW Director Others Present: Suzie Barry(Select Board liaison), Vivek Gupta(24 Parker Street, Lexington), Richard Petrasso (39 Parker Street, Lexington), Deepika Sawhney(School Committee liaison), and Hanna Starobinets 1. Meeting Minutes—September 29,2021 and October 6,2021 Lisah Rhodes moved to approve the minutes from the September 29'and October 6'meetings, with revisions to the September 29'minutes. Lisa O'Brien seconded the motion. The Recreation Committee voted 6-0 to approve the revised September 29 minutes and 4-0-2 to approve the October 6 minutes. 2. Public Comment—None 3. Committee Email Correspondence—Lisa O'Brien/Lisah Rhodes Lisa O'Brien reported that the emails that have been received over the past few weeks have included such items as the United Cricket League (UCL)banner request and an email from Mr. Petrasso about the trees and path behind the Gallagher Courts. Ms. O'Brien added that the Lincoln Park Sub-Committee (LPSC) observed that there were sections of the wooden split rail fencing down at Lincoln 91. Chris Filadoro, DPW Superintendent of Public Grounds, stated that a work order would be created to address this issue. It was also noted that meeting materials are sent to the committee members, liaisons, and staff prior to each meeting. This information is not distributed to the public beforehand. 4. Liaison Reports The October 2021 Liaison Reports are attached to the meeting minutes. Deepika Sawhney, liaison from the School Committee, submitted part of the October 12, 2021 Superintendent's Report which included preliminary FY2022 enrollment figures as of October 1, 2021. Claire Sheth is serving as the Recreation Committee liaison to the jury for the Lexington Council of the Arts (LCA)utility box project and Ms. Sheth provided a status update on the project. LCA 2 approached Eversource for approval of the Eversource utility boxes. This was a separate notification from the proposal that was presented to the Recreation Committee and Select Board as a different approval process was required. The Eversource utility boxes include a total of four (4)between the Center Recreation Complex and Lincoln Park and there are between six and eight (6-8) other boxes located throughout town, all that fall outside of the historic district. Work has started on the utility boxes at the Center Recreation Complex and Lincoln Park. At the Center, there are swim goggles on the unit next to the Town Pool, the main transformer between the Wading Pool and Gallagher Courts has a series of tennis racquets, and the utility box by the gaga ball pit has been prepped. At Lincoln, there is a silhouette of soccer players in motion. Christian Boutwell stated that the artwork is a nice addition and that visually, they are very eye-appealing. He found it interesting that the utility boxes in the historical district are not eligible to be painted. Chris Filadoro added that the irrigation back flow boxes at parks could be considered and Melissa Battite, Director of Recreation and Community Programs, anticipates that this will be the next step in the future. Claire Sheth indicated that LCA would love to paint other boxes in the future. Funding is the issue. The Fund for Lexington donated for the Recreation and other utility boxes that are currently being painted. The next steps and funding for additional boxes is yet to be determined. 5. Lincoln Field Scoreboards Melissa Battite asked the Committee to reconsider its previous vote as the size and location of the scoreboard foundations would cause safety hazards. Initially,back in the spring, the plan was to install padding on all three scoreboards. The padding was going to be funded through the Lexington Public Schools (LPS). However, as the end of the fiscal year approached, funding became an issue. Ms. Battite spoke with Activitas and padding would not be their first choice as it would encourage people to climb on the foundations and it could also rip. Their recommendation is to plant hearty landscaping around the foundations. This concept has been reviewed with DPW and been deemed both appropriate and maintainable. LPS will still support and pay for the landscaping at two of the scoreboards. The scoreboard at Lincoln 93 was moved to the triangle area between that field, the softball field, and Lincoln 92 and the LPSC has agreed to pay for the landscaping at that field. The cost for landscaping is estimated to be between $800- $1,000 per field, meaning that LPS would contribute $1,600-$2,000 and the LPSC would contribute $800-$1,000. Going forward,Ms. Battite indicated that the plan is to lower the foundations during future renovations. After a brief discussion, Christian Boutwell made the following motion: "The Recreation Committee moves to approve the plan to revise the Lincoln Park scoreboard project to use landscaping rather than padding to be funded for two (2) scoreboards by the Lexington Public Schools system and for one (1)scoreboard by the Lincoln Park Sub-Committee." Lisa O'Brien seconded the motion. The Recreation Committee voted 5-0 to approve this motion. 6. United Cricket League—banner request The banner request from the United Cricket League (UCL)is attached to the meeting minutes. Vivek Gupta,UCL President, stated that their request is to display banners on the fencing by the Worthen Road practice field that would allow for the sport of cricket to help gain exposure throughout the town. The banners could be placed on the same fence where the Lexington Farmers' Market signs are posted. Mr. Gupta informed the Committee that the UCL plays in the spring, summer, and fall. UCL has separate registrations for each season and they would be interested in changing the banners to highlight each season. Christian Boutwell informed Mr. Gupta that the Farmers' Market was a unique situation where a community event moved to a different location and the banners were a method to notify the patrons about the change. Mr. Boutwell would be hesitant to have a banner up for one specific sports organization,but was more intrigued about having a sign displayed during an actual tournament. Mr. Boutwell 39 MARRETT ROAD,LEXINGTON,MASSACHUSETTS 02421 3 encouraged UCL to put up yard signs throughout town during registration,which is a practice that other sports organizations have implemented. Mr. Gupta added that UCL has two equipment boxes at the Center Recreation Complex and asked if a banner could be placed on the equipment boxes. Ms. Battite was not aware of any Town approval process that would be needed as the Recreation Committee would only need to approve if signs were placed on Town park land. She added that currently there are no signs on equipment boxes as they are for ease of play and equipment storage. The signage and sponsorship policy would need to be reviewed and if there are any changes,it would then be brought forward to the Select Board. Ms. Battite said this could be included in the offseason review of various policies and have in place for 2022 to make sure that all organizations can be supported. Members of the Committee agreed with reviewing the policy and discussing it further at a future meeting. Claire Sheth mentioned that email is ineffective since people are flooded with constant messages and parents would appreciate a visual reminder. Referring back to the yard signs, Mr.Boutwell stated that he is a big fan of cricket in town and would be happy to put a sign on his yard. Lisa O'Brien added that Lexington Youth Lacrosse (LYL), Lexington Little League (LLL), and Lexington United Soccer Club(LUSC)would have a wealth of knowledge about yard sign companies. Suzie Barry, liaison from the Select Board, indicated that a residence can have two signs on its yard. She added that the size and term limit, as well as restrictions about the length that a sign can be posted before and after an event, are outlined in the bylaw. The discussion ended with Lisah Rhodes thanking Mr. Gupta for all of his efforts to bring the sport of cricket to the children and adults of Lexington. 7. Center Recreation—footpath and practice boards—Richard Petrasso Richard Petrasso,resident of 39 Parker Street, thanked the Committee and Town employees for working with the Stewards of Center Park Path to address the three issues that were discussed during the May 2021 Recreation Committee meeting. The issues included the sustainability of the great white pine trees, the restoration of the Center Park Path, and the noise level abatement at the tennis practice boards based on the Town's noise bylaw. Mr.Petrasso stated that he has had positive and constructive discussions with Chris Filadoro and Melissa Battite in recent months and he thanked them for addressing the specific issues. Mr.Petrasso added that this will have a positive outcome on the community and mentioned that he could write a brief report to report back to the Committee in the future. Members of the Committee explained that there have been frequent communications recently and that the ultimate goal is to come up with both short-term and long-term solutions to create the best recreational acilities possible. Melissa Battite thanked Chris Filadoro for his time and efforts and Mr.Petrasso seconded that by stating that Mr. Filadoro has come up with many good suggestions. Mr.Petrasso ended his remarks by once again thanking the staff for all that they do for the Town and thanking the Committee for the opportunity to have this follow-up discussion. 8. Recreation & Community Programs Report The October 2021 Recreation & Community Programs Report is attached to the meeting minutes. Peter Coleman, Assistant Director of Recreation,informed the Committee that Larry Anderson, a Park Division foreman,has retired. Mr. Anderson was with the Town for 35 years and in recent years,he was responsible for overseeing the daily operations at the Irving H. Mabee Town Pool Complex. He was a jack-of-all trades and his presence will be greatly missed. Mr. Coleman also shared with the Committee that the youth ski and snowboard programs at Nashoba Valley will relaunch this winter and registration for these programs began on Tuesday, October 19th Christine Dean, Community Center Director,provided an overview of the Youth Advisory Board kick-off meeting that was held in September. This initiative is being led by Thomas Romano, Youth and Family Program Coordinator, and will look for ways to make the Community Center 39 MARRETT ROAD,LEXINGTON,MASSACHUSETTS 02421 4 more enticing for teenagers. The first action item is to review colors and paint the two game rooms. The next Youth Advisory Board meeting is scheduled for Friday, October 22nd. The 3rd Annual Harvest Fest will be held on Saturday, October 23rd and there are approximately 150 registrations. This event is being coordinated by Thomas Romano, Kate DeAngelis, Therapeutic Recreation Specialist, and Michelle Kelleher, Senior Services Coordinator with the Human Services Department. Melissa Battite summarized a series of special events that staff have participated in over the past month,including the Russian School of Math Back2School Bash on Saturday, September 18th Re-Discovery Day on Saturday, October 9th, and Citizens' Academy on Thursday, October 14th Kate DeAngelis and Ms. Battite gave their bi-annual presentation to the Commission on Disability on Tuesday, October 19'and the presentation focused on inclusive and therapeutic programming and highlighted accomplishments over the past year. Ms. Battite reported that the Hastings Little League Field has been offline since 2018 due to the construction of the new Hastings School and the field has not been accepted as of yet. The next steps for the remedial work are tentatively scheduled to be finalized this week and the field will be back online for the Spring 2022 season. The first Community Meeting for the Rindge Park and Playground improvement project will be held on Wednesday, October 27'at 7:00pm via Zoom. In addition to sending out letters to abutters within 500' of the property,posting it on the Capital Projects webpage,having an A-frame at the Rindge Playground, and including it in the Link to Lexington, information about the meeting will be distributed through LexFUN!, the Lexington Town Meeting Members Association (TMMA) listserv, and the Harrington School e-newsletter and it will be displayed in the children's section at the Cary Library. A site survey of the Center Recreation Complex is also attached to the meeting minutes. This shows what parcels are deeded for and their intended use. This survey is for informational purposes only and there will be more on next steps in the coming months. The next virtual meeting of the Recreation Committee is scheduled to take place on Tuesday, November 16"at 4:00pm through the Zoom platform. The October 20'h, 2021 meeting of the Recreation Committee adjourned at 8:28pm. Respectfully submitted, Peter Coleman Assistant Director of Recreation The following documents distributed at the meeting are attached: • October 2021 Liaison Reports • United Cricket League (UCL) Banner Request • October 2021 Recreation & Community Programs Report • Site Survey of Lexington High School/Center Recreation Complex 39 MARRETT ROAD,LEXINGTON,MASSACHUSETTS 02421