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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2017-03-22-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 March 22, 2017 A meeting of the Recreation Committee was held on Wednesday, March 22, 2017 at 6:30pm in the Reed Room of the Town Office Building, 1625 Massachusetts Avenue, Lexington. Members Present: Jason Denoncourt, Lisah Rhodes, Sandra Shaw, and Ruixi Yuan Members Absent: Rick DeAngelis Staff Present: Melissa Battite, Director of Recreation and Community Programs, Peter Coleman, Assistant Director of Recreation, and Chris Filadoro, DPW Superintendent of Public Grounds Others Present: Julie Shapiro (Lexington Council on Aging) and Tom Shiple (Lexington United Soccer Club) 1. Meeting Minutes from February 15, 2017 Sandra Shaw moved and Ruixi Yuan seconded approval of the Recreation Committee Minutes of February 15, 2017. The Recreation Committee voted 5-0 to approve the minutes of February 15, 2017. 2. Citizens and Other Boards — None 3. Liaison Reports Melissa Battite, Director of Recreation and Community Programs, informed the Committee that all liaison groups will provide an update to the Recreation Committee at its April meeting. A liaison for the Lincoln Park Sub -Committee was needed and Jason Denoncourt expressed an interest in this position. Sandra Shaw moved and Ruixi Yuan seconded the appointment of Jason Denoncourt as the liaison to the Lincoln Park Sub -Committee. The Recreation Committee voted 4-0 to approve. Julie Shapiro, liaison to the Lexington Council Aging, reported that an Age -Friendly Summit, in partnership with UMASS, was held on March 1st. The Age -Friendly Communities initiative is assessing where needs are being met and areas that can be improved which going forward, will result in the development of a comprehensive plan. Ms. Shapiro indicated that there was great community attendance at the meeting. 4. Town Pool Renovation Project Update Melissa Battite, Director of Recreation and Community Programs, informed the Committee that the walkthrough for the Town Pool renovation project was held on Thursday, March 16' and there were 4-5 companies in attendance. The sub bid opening will be held on Monday, March 27' and the general contractor bid opening will take place on Friday, March 31st 5. Recreation 5 -Year Capital Plan Melissa Battite, Director of Recreation and Community Programs, notified that the pre-bid meeting for the Adams Field renovation project was held on Wednesday, March 22nd. The bid opening will be on Friday, March 31st and the project is scheduled to begin during the April 2 school vacation week. Tom Shiple from the Lexington United Soccer Club indicated that having use of Adams, once the natural grass fields open for the season, until the project begins would be beneficial. 6. School Construction Update None 7. Lincoln Park Light Project Update Tom Shiple, President of the Friends of Lincoln Lights, provided an update on the project. A total of $252,000 has been raised to date. Significant donations were made by Tricon Sports and the Ciccolo Family Foundation. Mr. Shiple reported that a broad-base awareness campaign with videos and newspaper articles will launch in early April. Two bids have been received so far. sought. The goal is for the lights to be installed this summer with an anticipated start date on th June 19 and the project should take approximately six weeks to complete. For recognizing donors, the plan is to install a boulder with plaques on it near midfield of Lincoln #2. Mr. Shiple also requested permission for LUSC to use temporary lights at Lincoln #2 on rd weeknights from 7:00pm-8:30pm beginning on Monday, April 3 and ending on Friday, May th 15. Mr. Shiple stated that the dates requested could change and LUSC could decide not to use the lights if the natural grass field open for the season on time. Melissa Battite, Director of Recreation and Community Programs, recommended that the same conditions be followed that were in place for the Fall 2016 season in a letter dated September 15, 2016. Lisah Rhodes, Vice Chairman of the Recreation Committee made the following motion: The Recreation Committee votes to approve the installation of temporary lights at Lincoln #2 from April 3, 2017 through May 15, 2017, following the same conditions that were outlined in the letter dated September 15, 2016. Ruixi Yuan seconded the motion. The Recreation Committee voted 4-0 to approve. 8. Parks Report Chris Filadoro, DPW Superintendent of Public Grounds, provided the Parks Report. The late winter snowfall has presented some challenges when it comes to getting the athletic fields prepared for the spring season. Approximately one dozen trash barrels were placed on the synthetic turf fields at Lincoln Park in an attempt to accelerate the melting. The turf fields cannot be plowed since they are still under warranty. Melissa Battite, Director of Recreation and Community Programs, added that plowing the field in 2015 was allowed since the warranty on the original turf fields had expired. Mr. Filadoro stated that during the winter, staff had completed general maintenance tasks and built some backstop storage boxes to be used by Lexington Little League. Sandra Shaw expressed a concern about the lack of signage at Lincoln Park regarding dogs. Ms. Battite agreed that the signage is insufficient. Over the past month, staff had a walkthrough at Lincoln Park and this is something that they will follow up on. Lisah 9. Recreation Report Melissa Battite, Director of Recreation and Community Programs, began by telling the Committee that a Lexington High School alumni is interested in installing a bronze statue and the individual would need to work to Town staff to determine the location. A more detailed proposal will need to be presented and if approved by the Recreation Committee, it would need to go before the Monuments and Memorials Committee and the Board of Selectmen for their approvals. The Lexington Cricket League (LCL) will be making a presentation at the April Recreation Committee meeting. LCL wants Lexington to become the hub of cricket, but 39 MARRETT ROAD, LEXINGTON, MASSACHUSETTS 02421 3 no designated cricket space currently exists given the demand for athletic field space in town. They will be requesting a permanent home cricket field. Ms. Battite reported that Fund Lexington is making a donation in the amount of $10,000 to help augment our financial aid system. Specifically, this donation is intended to increase access for individuals in need to our many summer program offerings. This is an exciting opportunity that we will be working closely with the Human Services Department on. th At the Special Town Meeting on Monday, March 20, funding was approved for the design phase of the Pelham Road property and the staff had a walkthrough on Tuesday, st March 21. th Sheila Butts, Community Center Director, will be retiring on Friday, May 5. The recruitment for the Community Center Director position is currently underway. The th application deadline was March 20 and over 50 applications were received. After the initial meet and greets with eight candidates, the panel interviews with the finalists will th be held on Thursday, March 30 and the final interview is scheduled to take place the following week. The hope is for there to be a 1-2 week overlap with Sheila and the incoming director. A coffee vending machine will be installed in early April, meaning that coffee will be available for patrons during all hours of operation. th The opening of Pine Meadows has been delayed due to the late winter snow. The 4 green renovation project will be presented to the Conservation Commission at its meeting th on Tuesday, April 4. Ms. Battite concluded by informing the Committee that Noam Watt, an Eagle Scout candidate, will be installing a gaga ball pit at the Center Recreation Complex this spring for his Eagle Scout service project. Gaga Ball is essentially a variation of dodgeball that people play while on their knees and this will be a nice addition to the complex. Peter Coleman, Assistant Director of Recreation, also provided an updated. He reported that spring and summer program registration is off to a good start with over $113,000 in th revenue being generated during the first day of registration back on March 6. Summer staff recruitment is ongoing and will be completed before the end of the month. The winter youth basketball program concluded last weekend and it was a successful season. Our Recreation Supervisor Tyler Radicioni has finalized the spring field permits and the field user groups have been notified that clearing snow off of the fields is prohibited. Lastly, Mr. Coleman informed the Committee that the tennis nets will be put up as soon as conditions are favorable and he explained the more involved partnership that the department will have the Battle Green Tennis League this season. th The next meeting of the Recreation Committee is scheduled to take place on Tuesday, April 25, 2017 at 7:00pm in the Parker Room of the Town Office Building. The March 22, 2017 meeting of the Recreation Committee adjourned at 7:22pm. Respectfully submitted, Peter Coleman Assistant Director of Recreation The following documents/exhibits distributed at the meeting are attached: LUSC Proposal to Install Temporary Lights at Lincoln handout Custom Bronze Sculpture Projects Handout 39 MARRETT ROAD, LEXINGTON, MASSACHUSETTS 02421