HomeMy WebLinkAbout2021-10-20-REC-min-att 9 MOgN�
RECEIVED
1775 tie Town of Lexington
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Recreation Committee TOWN CLERK
LEXINGTON MA
APRIL 19'
�I•"XINUS
Frederick DeAngelis, Chairman Tel: (781) 698-4800
t.isah Rhodes,Vice Chair Fax: (781) 861-2747
Lisa O'Brien recreationcinte(r?lexirzgtonnia.gov
Francesca Pfronlmer
Christian Boutwell
Recreation Committee
October 2021 Liaison Reports
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School Committee Liaison Report, respectfully submitted, Deepika Sawhney
SUPERINTENDENT'S REPORT—OCTOBER 12,2021
1. Congratulations and Celebrations!
Wednesday, October 6, 2021 marked the official i
ribbon-cutting ceremony to open the new Harrington
Elementary School playground! Principal Daley and
her staff put together a ceremony that emphasized
the focus on inclusivity and belonging. The students f
performed their"We all Belong"song, and we were
fortunate to be Joined by many parents,
administrators, School Committee members and
Town officials. A special thanks goes to those who
supported the project, including the Department of ((
Public Facilities, the Lexington residents, and the
Harrington community!
1625 MASSA(;L11JSETCS AVh,NIJF • I+AIN(.iTON,VIAS.ACIIUSLATS 02420
Other news: Our enrollment numbers(first draft)are
FY22:Preliminar October i Enrollment
Enrollment impacts of
pandemic continue to
linger.Similar to other
r1+x r,ilf comparable districts(e.g.
�Fyl..acc 68 57 69 6!u Newton,Brookline),overall
enrollment has continued
mza sil 470 432 50 we 67 r9 n to decline for the second
....._....._. _.._._ _.____.__._....__. year in a row.
,441SSft 5
2...__400 368 38 4 17 68 6 q 76
�` School-to-school changes
L,"atdttt2?J21s 5 7,; 522 52, 77 8r spa 95 93 0 in enrollment also reflect
- - ----- ---- ----- �- -- -�_____. impact of redistricting
Es<, 461 38r a,? a.1 II ;7 6I 4 c
efforts in 2020-2021 school
IJ{r2�1d1A�.2r1 471 4,16 423 alt 47 r3 76 86 X15 year.
i'A'�rr 437 565 623 _ -�O 76 94 121 R75 1:76........,. .__._ See also ,L1w"�Jl;ilktli„k,(,.
CjLk_M'tk I M, 881 835 252 281 302
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LEXINGTON
PUULK� SCHOOLS
in.
If folks want to read the enrollment analysis -it is available
herehttliq/fcl,r! goerglexoni/dc�CU kilt/cl/Iscll�4�x1`J[_1_l!(Icxy7MynuxuRvVl��la7_r.l.r>ll V��,(e,cll)(awl3xtsll/�di
Not sure if the ITS enrollment numbers will/will riot affect Rec'Dept. services demand,but thought it might be a
good datapoint for the meeting participants to have.
2
October 6, 2021
To: Recreation Committee
Fr: Claire Sheth
Re: Utility Box Beautification Project
Below is a summary of the Utility Box Beautification Project.
Per minutes from the September meeting of the Recreation Committee: the Lexington Council
of the Arts is proposing to transform some of the Town's utility boxes into unique works of art.
The Council of the Arts secured funding for Lincoln Park and Center Recreation Committee from
the Fund for Lexington at its September 14th meeting.The project will have an outdoor/open
space/recreation theme. Requests for submissions were sent out in late September and those
submitting design ideas were asked to specify whether they wanted to be considered for the
Recreation Lands-based boxes (with expectation of a recreation theme), or the utility boxes
located on Town land beyond the historic center.
Ultimately, 7 recreation-specific designs were submitted and reviewed by the "jury" on
Tuesday, Oct. 5th. Members of the jury included Claire Sheth representing the Recreation
Committee, Doug Lucente representing the Select Board, Steve Poltorzycki representing the
Council for the Arts, Christina Burwell representing Lincoln Park Sub-Committee and the
project's paid coordinator, Laurie Bogdan.
Laurie opened the selection session by encouraging participants to not only focus on the
design, but also on the submitter's body of work (examples of other comparable boxes in other
towns) and ability to execute the design. We were also encouraged to judge each piece on the
merits of its design as presented, rather than as a starting point for requests/modification.
To assist with our deliberations, Laurie prepared a PowerPoint presentation that included each
artist's design submission and examples of other work. We reviewed the submissions for
approximately 1 hour and truly, there was little debate across the jury members and our final
selections are included below. We then spent approximately 30 minutes discussing which
image would go where.
The decision about which pieces was only complicated by the prospect of Eversource granting
the Arts Council permission to include one of their Eversource-owned utility boxes in the scope
of work. We picked 4 designs in a fit of optimism and learned early on Oct. 6 that the Council's
request for a 3rd box at the Center complex had been granted and therefore the jury's 4th
choice submission could be used. The selected designs will be executed upon as follows:
• The utility box closest to the tennis courts will have the image filled with... tennis rackets
• The box closest to the gah-gah ball court will be painted with the image that depicts
balls of many persuasions and other games equipment
3
® The box closest to the pool entrance would have the image of the pool water and
goggles
® The box slated for inclusion at Lincoln would display the silhouetted soccer players.
The artists who submitted the chosen designs were notified in the latter half of the week of
10/4/21 with painting starting the week of 10/11. The relatively quick turn-around is due to the
need for certain weather conditions to ensure the integrity of the finished product is assured--
dry and 55+ degree temperatures. Decisions were thoughtfully deliberated and unanimously
selected. A copy of the presentation Laurie prepared for the selection process is included.
The day after the jury selection, the project coordinator notified the jury that the approval to
paint came through for the Eversource box near the pool. This news was, in turn, shared with
Melissa Battite, who pointed out the inclusion of that box fell outside the scope of the initial
proposal. It was agreed that Laurie Bogdan would bring the proposal before the Town Manager
and the Select Board for comment at the October 12, 2021 Select Board meeting. The utility
box locations and designs, including the Eversource box were presented, reviewed and
ultimately approved. It was determined that the approval letter from Eversource and the Select
Board's approval to go forward with the project as amended (to include the Eversource box)
was sufficient and that no other action on the part of the Recreation Committee with respect to
final approval was required.
Painting began on Thursday, October 141H
Soccer Silhouette- Lincoln Field
Tennis Rackets- Box closets to center tennis complex
Pool with goggles- Eversource box
Balls, Balls, Balls- box near ga-ga court and center playground
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Alstrait
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The Lexington Recreation Committee
Sub: Request mdisplay UCL sports banner nnthe Center Fields
Dear Committee members,
UCL is a non-profit sports org based out of Lexington,with the aim of promoting the game of cricket.
We would like to request display of Cricket banner(s)on the Center Fields to highlight and encourage growth of cricket..
We appreciate the support shown to us by the rec dept and hope for continued guidance.
VVewould bohappy toprovide any further information aarequired.
Details ofthe banners are inthe next page below.
Best regards
Vlvmk,Gupta
President, UCL
UNITED CRICKET LEAGUE WWW.UO3EDCLJDRG 617615.6504
Banner 1: UCL Youth Cricket Info banner 3 ft tall x 8 ft wide
Location:Small Practice Field(Worthen Rd) Fence
Dates:During our Spring I Summer I Fall Sports Seasons
Sample:
Banner 2: JCL Adults Nite Cricket Tournaments banner 2 ft tall x 6 ft wide
Location:Center Tracks Fence
Dates:During our Tournaments for the following seasons:Spring I Summer I Fall Sports Seasons
Sample:
NITS CAZXKC1'TOLMNAMENT
ay
AVENGEM MAVERICKS LEXINDIANS PANTHERS SHARKS
UNITED CRICKET LEAGUE WWW.UNITEDCL.ORG 617.615.6504
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RECREATION&COMMUNIIY
P R 0 6 R A M S
Town of Lexington
Recreation and. Community Programs
Melissa Battite, CPRP Tel: 781-698-4800
Director ofRecreatiori aril Community Programs tax: 781-861-2747
Recreation & Community Programs
October 2021 Report
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News & Updates:
• Saturday, September 18t" -Tom Romano attended the Back2School bash that was
hosted by Russian School of Math. The event went from 11am-fpm and had an
estimated attendance of 125-175 during the event. Marketing and promotional items
were brought to hand out and none were taken back to the Community Center. RSM
will be hosting this event again next year on the Visitor's Center green.
• Saturday, October 91" from 10:00am-3:00pm - Re-Discovery Day was held. There was a
good turnout with a steady amount of people visiting the Recreation & Community
Programs table throughout the event.
• Thursday, October 14t" - Peter Coleman and Melissa Interess, Human Services Director,
presented an overview of the Recreation & Community Programs and Human Services
Departments to this year's Citizens' Academy.
• Kate DeAngelis, CTRS and Melissa Battite, Director of Recreation met for the bi-annual
meeting with LPS Special Education Administrators, Ellen Sugita and Kay Slusser in early
October. An overview of the summer and planning for the 2021-2022 school year
services and summer 2022 were discussed.
• October 19th -The annual presentation to the Commission on Disability was held via
zoom. This provides an opportunity for the Commission to learn about the programs
and services available, capital projects that have been completed and or are in the 5
year capital plan along with opportunity to discuss new ideas.
• The Center Recreation Complex and LHS parcel of land has been surveyed. Attached is a
copy of the survey identifying the property lines within the parcel.
Budget & Capital:
• Athletic Fields Feasibility Study—the initial kick-off meeting with the stakeholders was
held on Monday, September 201". There was a total of 19 people in attendance. The
community meeting was held on Tuesday, October 5th with approximately 20 people in
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39 MARRETT ROAD,LEXINGTON,MA 02421(office)
1625 MASSACHUSETTS AVENUE, LEXINGTON, MASSACHUSETTS 02420(moi!)
attendance. The youth and adult sports organizations have submitted their field usage
data to the consultant (Weston & Sampson). Staff will review this information with the
consultant.
• Special Fall Town Meeting—The additional play elements at Sutherland Park and the Old
Reservoir bathhouse project are scheduled to be on the warrant.
• Staff reviewed the proposed FY2023-FY2027 Recreation & Community Programs 5-Year
Capital Plan with the Town Manager and Finance Department staff on Tuesday, October
19th.
• The 5-Year Capital Plan is scheduled to be presented to the Capital Expenditures
Committee (CEC) and the Community Preservation Committee (CPC) on Thursday,
November 4th. The CEC meeting is at 8:OOam and the CPC meeting is at 4:00pm.
Parks, Fields, & Playgrounds Report
• Fall athletics started for the high school athletes at the end of August. The youth
organizations started their programs after Labor Day. The fields have been full of
various users throughout the day during the week and all weekend.
• The Hastings Little League Field has not been officially accepted by the Town due to for
design deficiencies in the field. DPW has been in contact with a contractor and is
planning for the remediation work to be completed this fall so the field will be playable
for the Spring 2022 season.
• Larry Anderson, Park Division Foreman, has retired. Larry was with the Town for 35
years, all in the Park Division, spending the last 22 years as a foreman. He will be
greatly missed. Larry was a jack-of-all trades. In recent years, Larry was responsible for
overseeing the daily operations at the Town Pool. He performed at a high level, took on
any project given to him, was a mentor to his crew, and always had a "can do" attitude.
Larry was always ready to assist to the benefit of the residents. We wish him well in his
retirement.
Virtual Programs &Services
• The fall is off to a great start with over 300 participants logging in each week for their
fitness classes.
Therapeutic Recreation & Inclusion Services
• Let's Kick It, an inclusive soccer program ended after a 5 week session with 8
participants.
• The third annual Harvest Fest will take place on October 23rd. The event is sensory
friendly and multi-generational and is hosted in partnership with Human services.
• A total of 10 inclusion requests have been received for the fall session.
• Teen Time, an inclusive teen program has an outdoor movie on October 21st at the
Lexington Community Center
• A new outreach guide has been created and can be found here:
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Community Center
Programming:
• Beginner Chess, Intermediate Chess, Kids Test Kitchen, and Wicked Cool 4 Kids Lego
Engineering Concepts all started the week of September 271H
• Archery started on September 17th with 17 participants.
• The September Park Pop Up was Fairy Houses at Willard's Woods. Many families
participated by creating whimsical homes in the woods and then sharing pictures with
us. A few copies of Fairy Homes and Gardens will be signed by Author, Ashley Rooney,
and awarded to participants for different categories.
• The October Park Pop Up was a storywalk of'T�Llsl -and-Me.that was put up at Parker
Meadows. 117 people registered for this month and the storywalk will be up for the rest
of October.
• The first Youth Advisory Board meeting was held on September 24th. 15 LHS students
attended and Tom talked with them about why they do not come to the Community
Center and what would make it more enticing for them to come. There was a lot of
brainstorming as this was the kick off meeting. The next meeting will be October 22nd at
bpm at the Community Center. Two more students emailed on Saturday asking to join
as they heard about the meeting from their friends. Ideas that came about to make the
community center friendlier for teens were:
a Having a designated lounge area with comfy seats, couches, and ability to play
music and adjust lighting accordingly.
o Providing free snacks in that specific area
o Having more events for high schoolers hosted here
o Having basketball hoops
o Direct transport for LHS to the Community Center
o Ability to host movies
o Dodgeball matches
o Decorate the outside of the building based on the season
o Decorate and change the energy of the building as the look of the building is very
old
o Ability to have scooters at LHS and have another docking station at the
Community Center so Youth could come back and forth if they do not have a
ride, or a bike
• Family Movie nights in October are underway! Movies are being played October 8, 15,
and 22 at the Community Center Tent.
• Dyslexia Parents Group held a Dyslexia & ADHD Short Film Festival & Discussion. They
watched three short films that talked about Dyslexia and ADHD as well as a video
submissions from Lexington residents. A story walk is at the front of the Community
Center that references user submissions of Residents that have Dyslexia and or ADHD.
More than 40 people attended the event that was held under the tent in the back
parking lot. Kate DeAngelis and Tom Romano were inside with kids that did not want to
watch the movies playing board games, billiards, and listening to music.
• A Social Skills Workshop put on by New England School of Protocol was held on October
13th in the dining room.
• Bike Smart took place on October 16th with 17 participants.
Operations:
• DPW has delivered a stone to the garden area of the Community Center and once the
plaque arrives we will be able to officially name the "Furnstahl Sensory Gardens."
• While visiting the Community Center, don't forget to check out the Dan Fenn exhibit in
the display cases on the first floor. There is also a computer currently dedicated to
viewing video interviews with Dan and his family and friends in Room 245.
Recreation Division:
Programming:
• Various adult programs (pickleball, badminton, and volleyball) began the week of
September 20th. People were eager for these programs to resume as there are 111
registered for these activities.
• Flag Football kicked off on September 12th, but we took in a few last minute registrants
to bring our total number of participants to 277!
• The Department is pleased to announce the relaunch of the ski & snowboard programs
at Nashoba Valley this winter. Both programs will be 5 weeks in length,January 7th-
February 4th, 2022. The Grades 2-5 program will take place on Friday afternoons and
the middle/high school program will be held on Friday evenings. Registration for these
programs began on Tuesday, October 19th
• The timing for the evening drop-in gym program at the Lexington High School Field
House will be adjusted for the upcoming season (mid-November through mid-April).
This is due to the LPS later school start time and LHS Athletics using the Field House later
in the day. The drop-in gym program is typically offered on Monday-Thursday evenings
from 7:15-9:30pm. For this year, it is likely that the start time will be 8:00pm.
Operations:
• The Irving H. Mabee Town Pool Complex and Old Reservoir have been winterized for the
offseason.
• The end-of-summer surveys were sent out recently. Surveys were sent to program
participants, patrons who went to the aquatics facilities, and our summer staff. The
valuable feedback that is received will be used during the planning process and
program development for Summer 2022.
• Staff held the first initial Summer 2021 debrief meeting on Thursday, September 161H
The core service areas that have been identified are marketing, communications,
employment &volunteers, supplies & equipment, and risk management. Working
groups will be formed to review the practices and policies that were in place this
summer and make recommendations that will help to further improve the efficiency
and effectiveness of the department when implementing programs next summer.
• Staff were interviewed with LexMedia on Tuesday, September 28th to highlight the
Summer 2021 season.
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