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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2022-06-13-REC-min Town of Lexington Recreation Committee 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 June 13, 2022 A meeting of the Recreation Committee was held on Monday, June 13, 2022 at 7:00pm in Room 242 of the Lexington Community Center. Members Present: Lisah Rhodes, Christian Boutwell, Carl Fantasia, and Claire Sheth Members Absent: Rick DeAngelis and Lisa O’Brien Staff Present: Melissa Battite, Director of Recreation and Community Programs and Peter Coleman, Assistant Director of Recreation Others Present: Becky Abeyta (40 Highland Avenue, Lexington), Tim Clackson (14 Winthrop Road, Lexington), Rob Lowrance (23 Tufts Road, Lexington), Mike O’Conner (59 Bridge Street, Lexington), Denali and Harold Payson (40 Highland Avenue, Lexington), and Deepika Sawhney (School Committee liaison), 1. Public Comment – None 2. Meeting Minutes – May 16, 2022 Claire Sheth moved to approve the minutes from the May 16th meeting. Christian Boutwell seconded the motion. The Recreation Committee voted 4-0 to approve the May 16 minutes. 3. Committee Vacancies and Liaison/Working Group Memberships With Lisah Rhodes stepping down from the Committee, the three time-sensitive openings that it creates are Co-Chair of the Committee, liaison to the Community Preservation Committee (CPC), and a member of the Lexington High School/Center Recreation Complex working group. Members of the Committee had a chance to say what position(s) they are interested in. Claire Sheth said she is willing to serve in any capacity. While Ms. Sheth and Carl Fantasia are both interested in the LHS/Center Recreation Complex working group, Mr. Fantasia noted that he is an abutter to the complex. Christian Boutwell expressed interest in the Co-Chair and CPC liaison positions and indicated that he is willing to cede his spot on the financial working group. Lisa O’Brien wants to remain active with the Lincoln Park Sub-Committee with the upcoming master plan of the park and would also like to be considered for CPC. The vote on these vacancies will be taken at the July Recreation Committee meeting. 4. Recreation Committee Email Correspondence Lisah Rhodes, Vice Chair of the Recreation Committee, indicated that there was nothing new or different received during the previous month. This is another responsibility that will need to be filled with Ms. Rhodes leaving and the email would need to be checked every few days. Claire Sheth indicated that she would be willing to fill this opening. 2 39 MARRETT ROAD, LEXINGTON, MASSACHUSETTS 02421 5. Liaison Reports Deepika Sawhney, School Committee liaison, reported that the new vendor for the after-school program has been in Lexington recently meeting with LPS staff. Graduation was held on Sunday, June 5th and there is nothing directly relevant to the Recreation Committee. Lisah Rhodes, liaison to the CPC, informed the Committee that there was a brief CPC meeting on Wednesday, June 8th with housing being the focus. 6. Recreation & Community Programs Report The June Recreation & Community Programs Report is attached to the meeting minutes. 7. Athletic Field Feasibility Study – Weston & Sampson This item was postponed until the July meeting. Melissa Battite, Director of Recreation and Community Programs, reported that some discrepancies in the data had been identified and Weston & Sampson did not feel comfortable making its final recommendations until it had a chance to further digest the information. 8. Bike Park/Pump Track – Mike O’Connor Mike O’Connor, resident of 59 Bridge Street, gave a presentation on the need for a public bike park in Lexington. A copy of the presentation slides is attached to the meeting minutes. Mr. O’Connor is a member of the Bicycle Advisory Committee (BAC). Mr. O’Connor stated that bike parks vary in scope and that the popularity of biking is growing as New England Youth Cycling has over 750 racers and more than 28 teams. A bike park would provide an opportunity for skill development in a safe, progressive environment. Mr. O’Connor acknowledged that there is rogue trail building throughout town and a sanctioned public park would hopefully reduce this in the future. There are bike parks in Acton, Allston, Chelmsford, and Keene, NH and Arlington and Medford are in the early stages of planning for a bike park. Potential sites in Lexington include Kinneens Park/Flight Yard, near the Diamond Middle School, the Old Reservoir, Webb Street/Laconia Street, or by the Harrington School. Mr. O’Connor has a meeting with Dr. Julie Hackett, Superintendent of the Lexington Public Schools, on Tuesday, June 21st to discuss this concept. Mr. O’Connor has formed a small working group of 11 people. The group sent out a survey and has received 75 responses to date. Additionally, five support letters have also been received. Will Conroy of Powderhorn Trails will provide a written assessment and plan. Mr. O’Connor realizes that budgets are tight due to the current economic conditions, so the plan is to raise funds or pursue grants to cover the costs associated with this project. Members of the Committee provided some initial feedback to Mr. O’Connor. Lisah Rhodes loves having community input and talks often about additions that the community has brought forward, such as disc golf and gaga ball. Ms. Rhodes acknowledged that this would require many steps, especially if a land swap is pursued. Denali Payson, resident of 40 Highland Avenue, explained that this took off at the start of the COVID pandemic. He and a couple of friends started off by building some trails in his backyard. At this point, people come from multiple communities to ride on the trails and he is a member of the 50 riders on the Ghost Riders, which is a team in the New England High School Cycling Association (NEHSCA). Mr. Payson enjoys building the trails himself and is looking to work with the Town of Lexington to make it official. The age range of the participants is 8-19 years old with the majority being middle school or high school age students. Harold Payson, resident of 40 Highland Avenue and Denali’s father, stated that they have not received any complaints about too much noise and he claimed that the noise is quieter than the T- Ball games at Kinneens. Denali and his friends have put a lot of work into the trails and it is resonating with children throughout the community. Mr. Payson is willing to donate the land to the Town if it will be a pump track going forward. Christian Boutwell explained that while this is 3 39 MARRETT ROAD, LEXINGTON, MASSACHUSETTS 02421 an interesting idea, additional information would be needed on such items as ongoing maintenance costs, how would it be managed by the Town, would non-local/non-youth use cause it to get overrun, what is the municipal plan in Arlington, and how would unauthorized expansion be prevented. Mr. O’Connor proposed that there would be a memo of understanding (MOU) with the Town of Lexington and a volunteer group such as the Greater Boston New England Mountain Bike Association (GBNEMBA). The GBNEMBA consists of approximately 35-40 chapters of the New England Mountain Bike Association and would be responsible for the management of the bike park. Mr. O’Connor added that it would be maintenance free since it is an asphalt surface. Carl Fantasia commended Denali for his passion. Melissa Battite stated that factors to consider include abutters, financing, long-term maintenance, liability, land swap, and would it be a recreation facility or would it fall under the BAC. Ms. Battite recommended that the proponents continue to socialize the project. After Mr. O’Connor meets with Dr. Hackett and receives the plan from Powderhorn Trails, he plans to circle back with the recommended operating plan. Ms. Rhodes recommended forming a 501(c)(3) organization with a succession plan so it remains viable long term or having an existing organization take it under their wings. Ms. Battite added that a change in park use would result is a capital request that would need to be reviewed and approved by the Recreation Committee, Conservation Commission, Department of Public Facilities (DPF), Department of Public Works (DPW), Capital Expenditures Committee (CEC), and Community Preservation Committee (CPC). If it were to be a land donation to the Town, the Town Manager, Town Counsel, and Recreation Committee would all be involved. 9. 5-Year Capital Updates – Peter Coleman Peter Coleman, Assistant Director of Recreation, provided the 5-year capital updates during the review of the June Recreation and Community Programs Report. At the conclusion of the meeting, on behalf of the staff, Melissa Battite thanked Lisah Rhodes for her years of service on the Recreation Committee and that her work will be felt for years and years to come. The next meeting of the Recreation Committee is scheduled to take place on Wednesday, July 20th at 7:00pm. The June 13th, 2022 meeting of the Recreation Committee adjourned at 8:32pm. Respectfully submitted, Peter Coleman Assistant Director of Recreation The following documents distributed at the meeting are attached: • June 2022 Recreation & Community Programs Report • A Public Bike Park for Lexington presentation slides