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Home My WebLink About2023-06-21-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 June 21, 2023 A meeting of the Recreation Committee was held on Wednesday, June 21, 2023 in person and via Zoom as a hybrid meeting at 6:30pm in Room 237 of the Lexington Community Center. Members Present: Rick DeAngelis, Renen Bassik, Carl Fantasia, Weiwei Li, Lisa O’Brien, and Claire Sheth Members Not present: Christian Boutwell Staff Present: Melissa Battite, Director of Recreation and Community Programs, Peter Coleman, Assistant Director of Recreation, and Christine Dean, Community Center Director Others Present: Meghan Caldera (39 Bernard Street, Lexington), Doreen Karoll (76 Bloomfield Street, Lexington), Joseph Lehar (33 Parker Street, Lexington), Kathleen Lenihan (School Committee liaison), Eric Pearlman (47 Parker Street, Lexington), Hal Miller-Jacobs (17 Swan Lane, Lexington), Katherine Riester (39 Bernard Street, Lexington), and P.K. Shiu (1024 Massachusetts Avenue, Lexington) 1. Public Comment Joseph Lehar, resident of 33 Parker Street, expressed concerns that a notification that was sent to abutters of the Center Recreation Complex seemed to indicate that the Gallagher Courts would be lined for pickleball during the ongoing reconstruction project. This was surprising to Mr. Lehar and other abutters based on the Tennis & Pickleball Working Group (TPWG) report that was presented at the May Committee meeting which highlighted the concerns regarding noise associated with pickleball and the close proximity of the abutters by the Gallagher Courts. Eric Pearlman, resident of 47 Parker Street, is a pickleball player himself and reiterated that pickleball noise is concerning Claire Sheth described that this was a matter of syntax in the notification and that the court layouts that were at Gallagher previously will not necessarily be the same once the new courts are constructed. Ms. Sheth added that the notification was meant to be a reference, not imply what courts will be installed at the site, and emphatically stated that the final decision about whether or not to line the Gallagher Courts for pickleball has not been made. Ms. Sheth reassured those in attendance that the decision-making criteria outlined in the TPWG report will be used when considering current and future site for pickleball play. P.K. Shiu, resident of 1024 Massachusetts Avenue, is a founding me mber of the recently-formed Lexington Pickleball Club (LPC). Mr. Shiu thanked the Committee for making pickleball more accessible in Lexington and distributed an update on LPC, which is attached to the meeting minutes. LPC currently has 205 members and over 80 people attended their June Open House. Mr. Shiu emphasized that there is a very real need for dedicated pickleball courts in Lexington and recommended that the Committee look at repurposing the Adams Courts for dedicated 2 39 MARRETT ROAD, LEXINGTON, MASSACHUSETTS 02421 pickleball courts since noise at this site has the least impact on nearby neighbors when considering the other court locations in town. 2. Meeting Minutes Lisa O’Brien moved to approve the minutes from the May 17th meeting and Claire Sheth seconded the motion. The Recreation Committee voted 6-0 to approve this motion. As a follow-up to a conversation that took place during the May 17, 2023 Recreation Committee meeting, members of the Committee suggested that Naomi Martin, Director of Athletics for the Lexington Public Schools, be periodically invited to attend meetings to provide the Committee with updates regarding Lexington High School and middle school athletics in an attempt to help foster the working relationship between the two organizations. 3. Recreation Committee Email Correspondence Claire Sheth reported that an email was received about unpermitted users on Lincoln #1 which interfered with LHS Athletics. Melissa Battite, Director of Recreation and Community Programs, and Naomi Martin worked with the Lexington Police Department this issue and Ms. Battite said that this issue self-resolved as the department was notified about it near the end of the spring sports season. Rick DeAngelis, Chair of the Recreation Committee, stated that an environment of uncertainty can lead to escalated tensions among field users, which should be avoided at all costs. Field permit holders should avoid confrontation, attempt to mediate, and then call the Police if further assistance is needed. Ms. Sheth added that a thank you email was received from Minuteman High School for their use of Pine Meadows. 4. Recreation & Community Programs Report The June Recreation & Community Programs Report is attached to the meeting minutes. Melissa Battite informed the Committee that as of now, the preliminary timeline for the new Lexington High School construction project calls for a shovel in the ground in late 2025 or early 2026. This year is the final year of the current management contract at Pine Meadows with New England Golf Corporation and Rick DeAngelis and Renen Bassik volunteered to review and evaluate the golf management RFPs that are received. Christine Dean, Community Center Director, reported that nearly 200 people are registered for the Family Campout that will be held at the Community Center grounds on Friday, June 23rd. 5. Liaison Report Weiwei Li, liaison to the Lincoln Park Sub-Committee (LPSC), said that while there was no quorum at the recent LPSC meeting, the members in attendance had a discussion about the Hayden lease agreement/easement (more information is included in the June Recreation & Community Programs Report) and assistance that was needed to remove down trees. no new updates as the LPSC had not met during the previous month. Kathleen Lenihan, School Committee liaison, reported that the School Committee recently had its last meeting before the summer. Ms. Lenihan encouraged people to check out the new Lexington High School construction webpage. Lisa O’Brien asked Ms. Lenihan if it would be beneficial for the Recreation Committee to put together a bulleted list after each meeting that could be shared with the School Committee. Ms. Lenihan thought this was a good idea, so Ms. O’Brien will work with Melissa Battite on this. Claire Sheth said that on the pickleball front, she would like to put forth more concrete recommendations to serve as a launching pad for the Committee to consider. While there are general recommendations, Ms. Sheth would like to get the ball rolling on this topic. Melissa Battite added that the considerations for the new Gallagher Courts are most time-sensitive and Ms. Sheth encouraged members of the Committee to read through the TPWG report before the July meeting. 3 39 MARRETT ROAD, LEXINGTON, MASSACHUSETTS 02421 6. Girl Scout Gold Award Project – Meghan Caldera Meghan Caldera provided the Committee with a description of her Girl Scout Gold Award Project, which is attached to the meeting minutes. Meghan is a member of Girl Scout Troop 66265 and she has been assisting Melissa Battite with the upcoming project at Justin Park. She will create a survey to collect feedback from the surrounding neighborhoods. T his will include how people are using the current playground and what they would like to see at the park going forward. Ms. Caldera will be summarizing and presenting the data from the survey at a community meeting in the fall. She will also build something as part of the project. Options include either a little library or picnic table and the exact structure is still to be determined at this point. For the Gold Medal Award project, Meghan explained that it cannot be crowd-sourced and that she must interact with the community. Ms. Caldera concluded by saying that she is excited and looking forward to working with everyone on this project. 7. 5-Year Capital Plan Updates/July Meeting Update/2023 Meeting Melissa Battite reminded the Committee of its ambitious 5-Year Capital Plan. For the upcoming field renovations scheduled at Lincoln Park, the renovation at Lincoln #1 will begin in Summer 2024, which is after funding for the Lincoln #2 renovation will be voted on at Annual Town Meeting next spring. The proposed FY28 project at Harrington will not be able to move forward until there is a plan in place for where the Lexington Public Schools Central Office will be located. When creating the FY25-FY29 5-Year Capital Plan, Committee members requested to receive a list of Town deadlines and milestones and reiterated the importance of using various plans, such as the Athletic Fields Feasibility Study, as tools to highlight the existing field deficit in the justification for proposed projects. Hal Miller-Jacobs, resident of 17 Swan Lane, encouraged the Committee to consider the demographics of Lexington, which is becoming much older, and the recreational needs of older citizens. The discussion concluded with an overview of the items that will need to be discussed and voted on at future meetings and the possibility of having additional meetings during the upcoming months was mentioned. The next meeting of the Recreation Committee is scheduled to take place on Wednesday, July 19th at 6:30pm at the Pine Meadows Golf Club. The June 21st, 2023 meeting of the Recreation Committee adjourned at 7:47pm. Respectfully submitted, Peter Coleman Assistant Director of Recreation The following documents distributed at the meeting are attached: • June 2023 Recreation & Community Programs Report • Girl Scout Gold Award Project Description • Lexington Pickleball Club (LPC) Update