HomeMy WebLinkAbout2016-04-27-REC-minFrederick DeAngelis, Chairman
Lisah Rhodes, Vice Chairman
Sandra Shaw
Ruixi Yuan
Jason Denoncourt
Town of Lexington
Recreation Committee
Recreation Committee
Minutes of Meeting
April 27, 2016
Tel: (781) 698 -4800
Fax: (781) 862 -2747
A meeting of the Recreation Committee was held on Wednesday, April 27, 2016 at 6:30pm at the
Lexington Community Center, 39 Marrett Road, Lexington.
Members Present: Rick DeAngelis, Jason Denoncourt, Lisah Rhodes, and Sandra Shaw
Members Absent: Ruixi Yuan
Staff Present: Karen Simmons, Director of Recreation and Community Programs and Peter
Coleman, Assistant Director of Recreation
Others Present: Tom Shiple (Lexington United Soccer Club)
1. Meeting Minutes from February 17, 2016
Lisah Rhodes moved and Sandra Shaw seconded approval of the Recreation Committee Minutes
of February 17, 2016. The Recreation Committee voted 4 -0 to approve the minutes of
February 17, 2016.
2. Citizens and Other Boards — None
3. Liaison Reports
Sandra Shaw presented a liaison report on behalf of the Bicycle Advisory Committee. Ms. Shaw
reminded the Committee that the annual Bike, Walk, and Bus Week will be held from May 14t''-
22nd and the Bike Smart program, which is being co- sponsored by the Lexington Recreation and
Community Programs Department, the Lexington Police Department, the Lexington Bicycle
Advisory Committee, and the Friends of Lexington Bikeways, will be held on Saturday, May 14th
from 2:00- 4:OOpm at the Lexington Community Center. Town Meeting approved both the
Minuteman Bikeway wayfinding signs project. Tom Shiple inquired about the possibility of
creating connections from the bike path to the Town Office Building, Cary Hall, the Muzzey
Condominiums, and the Munroe Cemetery.
4. Recreation 5 -Year Capital Plan Update — Town Meeting
Karen Simmons, Director of Recreation and Community Programs, thanked Lisah Rhodes for
presenting the Recreation capital improvement projects at Town Meeting. She also
acknowledged and thanked Sandra Shaw and members of the Community Preservation
Committee for their continued support of Recreation and Community Programs. The six projects
that were presented at Town meeting this year passed. Ms. Simmons encouraged the Committee
to begin thinking about the infrastructure for the future as the recommended FY2018- FY2022, 5-
Year Capital Plan will be presented to the Recreation Committee in August. Rick DeAngelis,
1625 MASSACHUSETTS AVENUE • LEXINGTON, MASSACHUSETTS 02420 (mail)
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Chairman of the Recreation Committee, expressed his interest in having the Committee tour
recreation facilities in either August or September. Tom Shiple spoke on the poor condition of
the Center Track field which was renovated only 3 years ago. A recent LUSC game was
cancelled by the referee due to safety concerns about the field. This issue has been brought to
Mr. Filadoro, Superintendent of Public Grounds with little response. Mr. Coleman, Assistant
Director of Recreation will bring this issue to Mr. Filadoro. Mr. Shiple asked the Committee to
revisit the timeline for the Center Track renovation project, which calls for replacing the natural
grass athletic field with a synthetic turf field.
5. Diamond /Clarke Middle School Construction Update
Peter Coleman, Assistant Director of Recreation, presented the revised version of the proposed
athletic field layout at the Diamond Middle School, which was emailed to the Committee on
February 22"d. By shifting the fields, the revised version met all of the minimum distance
standards required by the Amateur Softball Association (ASA) for adult co -ed slow -pitch softball,
so the Recreation and Community Programs Department supports this version of the plan. The
renovations at the Clarke Middle School will begin this summer and the tennis courts will need to
be used as a staging area for the equipment. As a result, the Clarke Tennis Courts will go offline
after Thursday, June 2nd and they will not reopen until the renovation project has been completed.
Karen Simmons, Director of Recreation and Community Programs, stated that this project is
going to have a negative impact on program space and the department will have to be creative to
come up with solutions in the short-term, especially during the Summer 2017 season.
6. Lincoln Park Light Project Update
Tom Shiple, President of the Lexington United Soccer Club (LUSC), presented an update on the
light project at Lincoln Park. Mr. Shiple met with the Town's Design Review Team on April 6 '
to review the project. Mr. Shiple indicated that a special permit will be needed from the Zoning
Board of Appeals (ZBA) due to the height of the light poles and he will go before the ZBA in
early June. Additionally, the project will need to go before the Conservation Commission since
access for the construction equipment will go into the buffer zone. A permit will also need to be
obtained from the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection (Mass DEP) for the
core samples as well as the final design. Regarding the fundraising, Mr. Shiple indicated that
LUSC will begin putting out feelers this spring and full -out campaign will begin in the fall.
Ideally, if everything goes according to plan, Mr. Shiple estimates that construction could begin
next spring
7. Recreation Report
• Karen Simmons, Director of Recreation and Community Programs, informed the
Committee that the Pelham School property will be voted on at a Special Town Meeting
on Monday, May 9d'.
• Ms. Simmons will be making a presentation to the Human Services Committee to provide
an overview of the Recreation and Community Programs Department and review all of
the programs, activities, and services that our department provides to children, adults, and
seniors.
• The pre - construction meeting for the basketball reconstruction project at Marvin Park and
Sutherland Park was held on April 27'. Work on this project is expected to begin within
the next week.
• The conceptual design for the playground replacement at Marvin Park has been
completed. It is posted on the department's website and staff will be sending letters to
the abutters and utilize social media to gather feedback from the neighborhood. All input
must be received by Friday, May 13th.
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• The turf replacement project at Lincoln #3 is scheduled to begin on Monday, June 20"'.
The field is scheduled to be back online for the fall season.
• Peter Coleman, Assistant Director of Recreation, reported that residents should be
receiving the summer program brochure within the next week and the next registration
cycle will begin on Monday, May 2" d
• The annual Lexington Little League Opening Day Parade will be held on Saturday, April
30`h
• The Recreation and Community Programs Department now has a Facebook page. To
"like" the page, one can go to www. facebook .com /lexreccommunitycenter.
• The recruitment for summer staff is nearing completion as only one leadership position
remains open for the upcoming summer
• Summer is quickly approaching as the Irving H. Mabee Town Pool Complex and the Old
Reservoir will open for the season on Saturday, June 4"'.
8. Parks Report
Rick DeAngelis, Chairman of the Recreation Committee, complimented Tyler Radicioni,
Recreation Supervisor, for his communication to field permit holders and for being proactive in
closing the fields due to inclement weather and poor field conditions so far this spring. Mr.
DeAngelis indicated that there are several lights out at the Center #1 baseball field and Center #2
softball field. Staff will look into the repair options over the next month. Sandra Shaw was
pleased to report that after noticing the water fountain at Lincoln Park was not working, it was
fixed and working again the following day.
The next meeting of the Recreation Committee is scheduled to take place on Wednesday, May 18,
2016 at 6:30pm in Room 242 of the Lexington Community Center.
The January 20, 2016 meeting of the Recreation Committee adjourned at 7:16pm.
Respectfully submitted,
Peter Coleman
Assistant Director of Recreation
The following documents /exhibits distributed at the meeting are attached:
• Proposed Field Layout at the Diamond Middle School