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Home My WebLink About2023-03-01-REC-min Town of Lexington Recreation Committee Frederick DeAngelis, Chairman Tel: (781) 698-4800 Christian Boutwell, Vice Chair Fax: (781) 861-2747 Carl Fantasia Lisa O’Brien Claire Sheth Renen Bassik Weiwei Li Recreation Committee Minutes of Meeting March 1, 2023 A meeting of the Recreation Committee was held on Wednesday, March 1, 2023 in person and via zoom as a hybrid meeting at 7:00pm in Room 237 of the Lexington Community Center. Members Present: Rick DeAngelis, Christian Boutwell, Weiwei Li, Lisa O’Brien, and Claire Sheth Members Not present: Carl Fantasia, Renen Bassik Staff Present: Melissa Battite, Director of Recreation and Community Programs, Peter Coleman, Assistant Director of Recreation, Christine Dean, Community Center Director, DPW Superintendent of Public Grounds, Dave Pinsonneault, DPW Director Others Present: In person: Meg Buczynski (Activitas), Suzie Barry (Liaison to the Select Board), Cindy Arens (Chair of Sustainable Lexington Committee), Lisah and Todd Rhodes (482 Marrett Rd.) Via Zoom: Patrick Maguire (Activitas), Jay Peters (Haley & Aldrich), Maggie Peard (Sustainability and Resilience Officer), Mark Sandeen (Select Board), Naomi Martin (Athletic Director), Deepika Sawhney (School Committee Liaison), Tim Clackson (14 Winthrop Road), Jim Williams (8 Stratham Rd.), Joanne Shorter (7 Bridge St.), Lin Jensen (133 Reed St.), Sean Kennedy (98 East St.), Ken Ford, Diane, Frances 1. Lincoln Park Community Meeting – Evaluating Playing Conditions 7:00pm Slideshow Presentation by Christian Boutwell is included in attachments. 2. Public Comment Resident, Jim Williams, asked for clarification on the field deficit that was referenced in the presentation. Christian Boutwell explained that in attempt to meet the needs of the community, more field hours are permitted than is recommended for the maintenance and resting of the fields. Even so, permit hours fall well below that what is requested in Town. T here is a constant balance – meeting the Town’s needs versus what is good for the health of the fields. Ken Ford and Rob Lyng attended on behalf of Lexington Youth Lacrosse (LYL). Mr. Lyng commended Activitas and Haley & Aldrich for the data and analytics used in their findings. He reported that the testing of the toxicity of the fields is very similar to the practices that are followed in his line of work in the therapeutic drug industry. He went on to add that LYL is in support of synthetic turf for the consistency of playability and that any further loss of field time would result in the need to turn away players. Lexington Resident, Diane, asked what other options and criteria are being looked at, to which Meg Buczynski responded with an explanation of BrockFILL, and other broad scope of organic 2 39 MARRETT ROAD, LEXINGTON, MASSACHUSETTS 02421 products. Products considered during the Center Recreation field reconstruction project included the durable engineered southern pine wood particle infill. She explained that organics are cooler in general, however, a lot of collegiate clients do not use the organics because they hold water and can freeze, making them unsafe to use in the shoulder seasons. She stated that the working group will have to determine what the tradeoffs are and what they find to be acceptable . Melissa Battite added that the Town strives to meet the demands and the needs for play, while also looking at it from a maintenance standpoint. Currently the Town maintains both natural grass and synthetic turf, and to introduce a 3rd fill would add additional impacts to maintenance costs. Claire Sheth stated that Lexington is in New England and therefore, she is in favor of synthetic turf for safety. She is concerned that there might be a push to play on surfaces that are not safe – placing ankles, heads, and joints at risk because people will play on them regardless of conditions. Tim Clackson, representing the Lexington United Soccer Club (LUSC), is on the Board and involved in scheduling for the teams. The program runs year-round soccer for 1400 youth, mainly in grades K – 8 with some high school programs. He stated that they have a great collaborative relationship with Lexington Recreation and the Recreation Committee. Having consistent playability is key and urged the group to think about the shoulder seasons. He feels it is important to find the maximum field usage for the maximum residents. The synthetic turf (based on the field study) is the way to go. He added that it is important to recognize that when the access goes down during the high school renovation, field space will be at an even greater shortage. On behalf of LUSC, he supports the analysis that has been done. Mark Sandeen, member of the Select Board, asked for confirmation that the Recreation Committee is proposing to procure PFAS-free fields. He also asked about the disposal of existing field material, are there insurances from contractors that the materials will not end up in waste water or incinerated in the air? Ms. Buczynski responded that they will reuse materials whenever possible, however, no one will currently take the carpet for recycling so the only option is repurposing. Weiwei Li commended the team for a great presentation and thanked everyone for their work. He stated his support for the project and asked if there were any details on the proposed timeline? Ms. Buczynski responded that those details are not available yet since the project has not been approved. Some study work will be needed first and she expects a 10 – 12 week construction process. Deepika Sawhney, liaison to the School Committee, questioned if more than one field will be done at a time and if the construction will impact the boundaries between them. Lisa O’Brien confirmed that only one field will be offline at a time. Ms. Buczynski added that none of the fields touch each other and there are pathways with timbers bordering the fields. Cindy Arens, Chair of the Sustainable Lexington Committee and part of the Lincoln Park working group, stated that she looks forward to seeing the presentation on the website and added that she may have some more questions following review Resident, Lin Jensen, asked the Committee what signage will be posted at the field. She referenced the Department of Environmental Health’s webpage on artificial turf fields and tips on safe use of the fields. She would like the group to consider having signage with statements like “always wear shoes and keep mouth closed.” Christian Boutwell responded that based on the project and available budget, he believed this would be fine. Melissa Battite said such signage would be similar to what is at playgrounds on how to safely use them. Rick DeAngelis added that email communication will be sent out to the user groups. The Recreation Committee serves the entirety of the community and the working group came out of the collaborative efforts across many groups. 3 39 MARRETT ROAD, LEXINGTON, MASSACHUSETTS 02421 Ms. Battite explained that the Lincoln Park working group consists of representatives of the Board of Health, Sustainable Lexington, Public Works staff, Conservation staff, and the Sustainability and Resiliency Officer. Christian Boutwell made a motion to adjourn and Claire Sheth seconded the motion. The March 1st meeting of the Recreation Committee adjourned at 8:25pm Respectfully submitted, Christine Dean Community Center Director The next meeting of the Recreation Committee is scheduled to take place on Tuesday, March 21st at 6:30pm. The following documents distributed at the meeting are attached: Athletic Fields Projects at Lincoln Park: Evaluating Field Materials