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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2016-02-17-REC-min � Town of Lexington )'` w ; Recreation Committee a` i a� 3\�� �n APRIL NGI° Frederick DeAngelis, Chairman Tel. (781) 698-4800 Lisah Rhodes,Vice Chairman Fax. (781) 862-2747 Sandra Shaw Ruixi Yuan Jason Denoncourt Recreation Committee Minutes of Meeting February 17,2016 A meeting of the Recreation Committee was held on Wednesday, February 17, 2016 at 7 OOpm at the Lexington Community Center, 39 Marren Road, Lexington. Members Present. Rick DeAngelis, Jason Denoncourt, Sandra Shaw, and Ruixi Yuan Members Absent. Lisah Rhodes Staff Present. Karen Simmons, Director of Recreation and Community Programs, Sheila Butts, Community Center Director, Peter Coleman, Assistant Director of Recreation, Chris Filadoro, DPW Superintendent of Public Grounds, and Tyler Radicioni, Recreation Supervisor Others Present. Suzie Barry(Board of Selectmen Liaison),Ellen Cameron(Council on Aging Liaison),Megan Klein Hattori(44 Forest Street), and Candassamy Jegan Patel and Naram Bhatia(Lexington Cncket League) 1 Meeting Minutes from January 20,2016 Sandra Shaw moved and Ruixi Yuan seconded approval of the Recreation Committee Minutes of January 20, 2016 The Recreation Committee voted 4-0 to approve the minutes of January 20,2016 2. Citizens and Other Boards Megan Klein Hatton, resident at 44 Forest Street, informed the Recreation Committee of a sledding accident that occurred on the grounds of the Hayden Recreation Centre and requested that hay bales be placed around immovable hazards on Town land be considered moving forward. Rick DeAngelis, Chairman of the Recreation Committee, complimented Ms Klein Hattori for the thorough, detailed proposal that was created in a short period of time Mr DeAngelis stated that the next steps would include Town staff putting together a list of sledding areas in Lexington and having Town Counsel review this proposal and once this information has been complied, the Recreation Committee could take this matter up for further consideration. 3 Liaison Reports Ellen Cameron, Council on Aging liaison, reported that things are running smoothly 1625 MASSACHUSETTS AVENUE•LEXINGTON MASSACHUSETTS 02420(mail) 39 MARRETT ROAD•LEXINGTON MASSACHUSETTS 02421 (office) 4 Request for a Cricket Field Candassamy Jegan and Naram Bhatia from the Lexington Cncket League (LCL) gave a presentation on cncket. The presentation included bnef history about the sport and a diagram which included the dimensions of a cricket field. Cncket is played 11v11, there are ten outs per inning and two innings per game, and it is an up-and-coming sport in the country The handouts included a list of the towns in Massachusetts with a cricket field and Mr Patel indicated that Wrentham is the most popular site in the state LCL was established in 2013 and is designed for players ages 7-14 This past fall, there were 44 participants in the league, 40 of which were Lexington residents LCL has been permitted athletic field space at the Hamngton School and Clarke Middle School. In cncket,the ball is typically bounced on the field before the batter strikes the ball. The batting area,which is called a pitch,needs to be an even surface to prevent an uneven bounce of the ball. The fields at Harrington and Clarke provide a soft surface and LCL is in need of a harder, firmer surface LCL is interested in establishing a home cricket field in Lexington. The required dimensions for the pitch are 22 yards length by 10 feet width and for youth, the entire field should have a radius of 60 yards Members of the Recreation Committee expressed their appreciation to Mr Jegan and Mr Bhatia for coming forward with this request. Rick DeAngelis, Chairman of the Recreation Committee, indicated that the location of the field to be converted and the cost to convert an existing field to a cncket field would need to be determined. Mr DeAngelis encouraged the representatives from LCL to do their due diligence and then report back to the Recreation Committee once they have this additional information. 5. Lights at Lincoln Park Tom Shiple will be presenting the proposal on the behalf of the Lexington United Soccer Club (LUSC) to the Board of Selectmen at their March 7'meeting. 6. Belmont Country Club Land Karen Simmons, Director of Recreation and Community Programs, indicated that the Board of Selectmen has requested that the Recreation Committee, along with the Conservation Commission and Planning Board,let the Town know if there is any interest in purchasing the Belmont Country Club land. Ms Simmons read the following statement from Lisah Rhodes, member of the Recreation Committee While our mission is to seek out opportunities which would help alleviate our field shortage and provide our residents with opportunities for outdoor recreational activities, at this time I am not in favor of this motion. I feel the field is too small, the parcel is landlocked and gaining access to the field difficult. There is no parking in the back and there is no handicapped parking I am concerned over access to the field during school times as well as weekend school-sponsored events Finally, I feel that the property will need updating to make it accessible, an additional cost burden to the Town for a very small field. The Recreation Committee had a brief discussion on this issue with members expressing the same concerns as Ms Rhodes Rick DeAngelis, Chairman of the Recreation Committee made the following motion. While always looking for additional athletic fields, due to the difficult access, lack of parking, and the extraordinary field preparation costs that would he required, the Recreation Committee respectfully declines the option to purchase the Belmont Countiy Club land Sandra Shaw seconded the motion. The Recreation Committee voted 4-0 to approve 7 Community Center Membership Fees Karen Simmons, Director of Recreation and Community Programs,presented the modified fee schedule for the Community Center membership fees. Under the revised version,the non- resident senior(age 60+) fee was modified from a lifetime fee of$5 00 per person to an annual 3 fee of$12 00 per person. This fee schedule will be presented to the Board of Selectmen on March 7th After a brief discussion, Rick DeAngelis, Chairman of the Recreation Committee made the following motion. The Recreation Committee moves to approve the revised Lexington Community Center fee proposal for non-residents Ruixi Yuan seconded the motion. The Recreation Committee voted 4-0 to approve 8. Recreation 5-Year Capital Plan Karen Simmons, Director of Recreation and Community Programs, stated that Lisah Rhodes will present the articles to Town meeting 9 Recreation Report • Karen Simmons, Director of Recreation and Community Programs, introduced Tyler Radicioni, Recreation Supervisor, to the Recreation Committee Mr Radicioni expressed his excitement in working for the Town and he began working for the department in August. • Ms Simmons reported that Police and Fire rescued a dog that had fallen through the ice at the Old Reservoir on January 21" This is the second straight year that a dog has been rescued during the winter • Tyler Radicioni, stated that he is currently interviewing applicants for the aquatics staff. He is also looking forward to starting a basketball league for 5th-8th graders at the Center Basketball Courts this summer • The preseason field permit holder meeting will be held on Tuesday, February 23rd Rick DeAngelis, Chairman of the Recreation Committee stated that trash pick-up, especially by out-of-town teams, should be a main point of emphasis dunng the meeting • Ms Simmons informed the Committee that some tree work was done at Pine Meadows over the winter The course is in good condition and the target opening date for the season is tentatively scheduled for early to mid-March. • The contract has been awarded for the turf replacement renovation project at Lincoln#3 and this project is scheduled to begin the third week in June The bid opening for the basketball court reconstruction projects at Sutherland Park and Marvin Park is set for February 25th This project is being re-bid as the initial bid received was substantially greater than the amount budgeted. • The safety of the rubber infill used in synthetic turf fields is receiving national attention again. Ms Simmons stated that the most recent scientific studies have been posted on our web page • Peter Coleman, Assistant Director of Recreation, reported that the spring/summer program brochure is nearing completion and will be sent to the printer in the coming days Lexington residents should receive the brochure in the mail by early March and registration for all spring and summer programs and swim tag sales will begin on Monday, March 7th • The recruitment for summer staff continues and there are several key leadership positions that need to be filled. 10 Parks Report Chris Filadoro, Superintendent of Public Grounds,provided the Parks Report. The specifications for the Lincoln softball field renovation project are being finalized. They include imgation, drainage, and the installation of a new backstop and player benches and the project is scheduled to begin in late June DPW assisted with the installation the skating nnk at Fletcher Park,which was received very well by the community The staff has been completing various projects, including painting picnic tables, dunng the winter Paul Wentzel retired after over 30 years of 4 service to the Town. In looking ahead to the summer, two DPW employees will be completing the Certified Pool Operator(CPO) course in the near future so they can be included in the pool rotation schedule this season. 11 Diamond Middle School Proposed Field Layout Peter Coleman, Assistant Director of Recreation,presented the revised version of the proposed athletic field layout at the Diamond Middle School. This site is used for baseball, softball, soccer, and ultimate frisbee Storm water mitigation measures that must be taken include the creation of a detention basin which would impact the playability of nght field of the softball field. The approximate distance down the nght field line between home plate and the proposed basin is 205 -210 whereas the minimum standard required b\ the Amateur Softball Association(ASA) for adult co-ed slow-pitch softball is at least 275 Not being able to use the softball field for adult softball would have a significant negative impact on the department s Co-Ed Softball League Staff will communicate this concern to the Facilities Department and request that the consultant shift the softball field in a manner to make it playable for adult softball. Suzie Barry, liaison from the Board of Selectmen, communicated the importance of Town staff being involved in the planning process and the Recreation Committee advocating for the athletic fields during the series of school renovation projects that will be occurring in the next few years The Clarke renovation is also a concern and will have a negative impact on the tennis courts and athletic fields 12. Community Center Director Report Sheila Butts, Community Center Director,presented an update on the Community Center to the Recreation Committee The Lexington Community Center opened to the public on July 6, 2015 and Ms Butts stated that the facility is running well. When the Community Center opened, 21 programs were offered last summer This number has nsen each season, increasing to 52 programs in the fall, 58 programs in the winter, and it is anticipated that 68 programs will be offered at the Community Center this spring More children and families have been using the facility recently Ms Butts indicated that there is a need to increase programming for preschoolers and for individuals with special needs Over 100 different groups and organizations have met in the facility so far and most requests have been accommodated. Currently,no fee is being charged to rent the facilit\ since the Town s universal facilit\ use polic` is still being finalized The attendance at the Community Center since the opening is 53,633 people with approximately 19,000 people attending a program in the facility and approximately 17,500 using one of the drop-in spaces The main transaction counter has received over 5,000 phone calls to date and Ms Butts was happy to report that the staff has been working well together over the past eight months The next meeting of the Recreation Committee is scheduled to take place on Wednesday, March 23,2016 at 6.00pm in the Hudson Room of the Cary Memorial Building. The Januart 20 2016 meeting of the Recreation Committee adjourned at 8 49pm Respectfully submitted, Peter Coleman Assistant Director of Recreation The following documents/exhibits distributed at the meeting are attached. • Proposal to clear moveable hazards and place hay bales around immovable hazards on public land • Cricket in Lexington—Lexington Cricket League presentation • Proposal for Lights at Lincoln Field#2 • Proposed Field Layout at the Diamond Middle School