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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2016-10-19-REC-minFrederick DeAngelis, Chairman Lisah Rhodes, Vice Chairman Sandra Shaw Ruixi Yuan Jason Denoncourt Town of Lexington Recreation Committee Tel: (781) 698 -4800 Fax: (781) 862 -2747 Recreation Committee Minutes of Meeting October 19, 2016 A meeting of the Recreation Committee was held on Wednesday, October 19, 2016 at 7:00pm at the Lexington Community Center, 39 Marrett Road, Lexington. Members Present: Jason Denoncourt, Lisah Rhodes, and Sandra Shaw Members Absent: Rick DeAngelis and Ruixi Yuan Staff Present: Karen Simmons, Director of Recreation and Community Programs, Chris Filadoro, DPW Superintendent of Public Grounds, and Peter Coleman, Assistant Director of Recreation Others Present: None 1. Meeting Minutes from September 14, 2016 Sandra Shaw moved and Jason Denoncourt seconded approval of the Recreation Committee Minutes of September 14, 2016. The Recreation Committee voted 3 -0 to approve the minutes of September 14, 2016. 2. Citizens and Other Boards — None 3. Liaison Reports Sandra Shaw stated that the Bicycle Advisory Committee will be submitting a request to the Board of Selectmen that funding be included in the budget to address the bicycle infrastructure for such things as bike lanes and sharrows. Lisah Rhodes expressed her concerns about bike safety along a portion of Lincoln Street. It was also reported that the Sustainability Fair will be held on October 29th. 4. Recreation 5 -Year Capital Plan Fiscal Years 2018 -2022 Karen Simmons, Director of Recreation and Community Programs, provided a brief update on the 5 -Year Capital Plan. Staff have reviewed the plan with the Town Manager and will be presenting the capital improvement projects to the Capital Expenditures Committee (CEC) on October 25th. The projects will also be presented to the Community Preservation Committee (CPC) in November. 5. Community Center Fees Update Karen Simmons, Director of Recreation and Community Programs, updated the Committee on the status of the Community Center room rental fees. The fees were approved by the Recreation Committee at the September meeting. With that being said, the Board of Selectmen needed more information and were not prepared to vote on the proposed fees at their September 26th meeting and as a result, the request was removed from the meeting. Staff are working with the Town's Universal Use Policy Committee to address the questions that were raised by the Selectmen. Ms. Simmons reminded the Committee that the Community Center falls under the Recreation 2 Enterprise Fund and approximately $500,000 needs to be raised annually through user fees to help support the operations of the facility. 6. Diamond /Clarke Middle School Construction Update Peter Coleman, Assistant Director of Recreation, updated the Committee on the status of the renovation projects at the Diamond and Clarke Middle Schools. At Diamond, the timeframe for when the softball field is shifted will remain unchanged and take place in Summer 2017. 7. Lincoln Park Light Project Update Karen Simmons, Director of Recreation and Community Programs, provided an update on the light project at Lincoln Park on behalf of Tom Shiple, President of the Lexington United Soccer Club, who was unable to attend the meeting. LUSC is waiting for the final plan from the engineer as there have been some delays in exchanging information between the engineer and the light company. The Town is waiting to receive the report on the test borings that were completed during the summer The fundraising committee for this project is also up and running. 8. Recreation Report • Karen Simmons, Director of Recreation and Community Programs, informed the Committee that the Department received a complaint about the temporary lights at Lincoln Park. Department staff and the Police Department investigated this matter and it was determined that the lights did not present any safety concerns to drivers or pedestrians. • Ms. Simmons also stated that she needs to speak with David Williams of the Lincoln Park Sub - Committee (LPSC) about the Granite Forest project as it has been determined that the project needs to be publicly procured. • Peter Coleman, Assistant Director of Recreation, provided an overview of the ongoing capital improvement projects. The design and engineering work on the Town Pool renovation project has begun. The consultant (BH +A) is working with Town staff to develop the scope of the project and once finalized, the proposal will be presented to the Recreation Committee. Work is scheduled to begin next week on the basketball court reconstruction project at Kinneens Park and Rindge Park. The equipment for the new playground at Marvin Park has been ordered and it should be installed later this fall. The renovation project at the Lincoln softball field is ongoing and is tentatively scheduled to be completed later this fall. • Department staff will be making their annual presentation to the Citizens Academy on October 20th. • Mr. Coleman also highlighted a few of the ongoing and upcoming programs. The NFL FLAG Football League season is going smoothly and the program will end on November 13th. The evening adult drop -in gym program at the Lexington High School Field House will open for the season on Monday, November 7th. The in -town basketball leagues will start right after Thanksgiving and the youth basketball clinics will begin in January. Lastly, the Thursday afternoon and Friday evening ski and snowboard programs at Nashoba Valley will begin in January and are either near or at capacity. 9. Parks Report Chris Filadoro, DPW Superintendent of Public Grounds, provided the Parks Report. The bid date for the Center and Muzzey Fence project is pending. The Worthen Road practice field is now open and is in good shape. The LHS girl's soccer team had a game under - the -lights at Center #1/ #2 recently and the football team has an upcoming home night game as well. All athletic fields have been fertilized within the last 2 -3 weeks. Pending the approval of the Board of Selectmen, the Fletcher Park Ice Rink will be open again this winter. Given the drought that was 1625 MASSACHUSETTS AVENUE • LEXINGTON, MASSACHUSETTS 02420 (mail) 39 MARRETT ROAD • LEXINGTON, MASSACHUSETTS 02421 (office) 3 experienced this summer, Lisah Rhodes asked if there is a plan of what to do if there was ever a water ban. Mr. Filadoro noted that it can be tough to rely on Mother Nature to supplement the water fields received from irrigation. He also indicated that the last water ban was back in the 1960's. Lisah Rhodes also asked about the irrigation issues at Lincoln Park that were raised during the September meeting. Mr. Filadoro informed the Committee that a valve box was buried over and there were several issues due to the multiple irrigation systems that are at the park. There were four different issues and three of them (including the one raised by David Williams) have been resolved. Mr. Filadoro explained that one of the proposed FY2018 capital improvement projects is to upgrade the current irrigation systems. These upgrades would include installing a flow meter and computerized controls into all irrigation systems, which would help significantly with water efficiency and water conservation. This is particularly important since in FY2016, the Parks Division for all municipal land spent $52,000 on municipal water. Karen Simmons, Director of Recreation and Community Programs, distributed the USGA On- Site Report from the September 28' visit at the Pine Meadows Golf Club. Ms. Simmons reported that the golf course had a very successful season as evidenced by the increase in greens fees and rounds played as compared to last year and despite the severe drought, New England Golf Corporation did a superb job of keeping the course in great condition throughout the summer. The next meeting of the Recreation Committee is scheduled to take place on Wednesday, November 16, 2016 at 7:OOpm in Room 237 of the Lexington Community Center. The October 19, 2016 meeting of the Recreation Committee adjourned at 7: 50pm. Respectfully submitted, Peter Coleman Assistant Director of Recreation The following documents /exhibits distributed at the meeting are attached: • USGA On -Site Visit Report at Pine Meadows — September 28, 2016 1625 MASSACHUSETTS AVENUE • LEXINGTON, MASSACHUSETTS 02420 (mail) 39 MARRETT ROAD • LEXINGTON, MASSACHUSETTS 02421 (office)