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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2023-10-18-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 October 18, 2023 A meeting of the Recreation Committee was held on Wednesday, October 18, 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, Christian Boutwell, Renen Bassik, Carl Fantasia, Weiwei Li, Lisa O’Brien, and Claire Sheth Staff Present: Melissa Battite, Director of Recreation and Community Programs, Peter Coleman, Assistant Director of Recreation, and Christine Dean, Community Center Director, Others Present: Cindy Arens (7 Kitson Park Drive, Lexington), Nancy Avallone (9 Seaborn Place, Lexington), Joel Bernstein (10 Ingleside Road, Lexington), Laura and Charles Brauer (9 Millbrook Road, Lexington), Christina and Robert Breslin (16 Curve Street, Lexington), Frederica Cushman (55 Watertown Road, Lexington), Mingshi Dai (21 Welch Road, Lexington), Jeff Darcy (6 Crawford Road, Lexington), Debi Dulberg (63 Bridge Street, Lexington), Lauren Feeney (8 Peacock Farm Road, Lexington), Doreen Karoll (76 Bloomfield Street, Lexington), Jim Leightheiser (9 Ward Street, Lexington), Kathleen Lenihan (School Committee liaison), Allison Lynch (10 Bloomfield Street, Lexington), Dean Maimonis (134 Reed Street, Lexington), Kimberly McCormick (20 Maple Street, Lexington), Janna Mendonca (1 John Wilson Lane, Lexington), Hal Miller-Jacobs (17 Swan Lane, Lexington), Mike O’Connor (59 Bridge Street, Lexington), Roy Palumbo (9 Seaborn Place, Lexington), Eric Pearlman (47 Parker Street, Lexington), Richard Petrasso (39 Parker Street, Lexington), Steve Quatrano (76 Bloomfield Street, Lexington), Todd Rhodes (482 Marrett Road, Lexington), Jay Rifkin (96 Kendall Road, Lexington), Tom Shiple (18 Phinney Road, Lexington), P.K. Shiu (1024 Massachusetts Avenue, Lexington), and Bruce Yap (23 Phinney Road, Lexington) 1. Public Comment P.K. Shiu, resident of 1024 Massachusetts Avenue and board member of the Lexington Pickleball Club (LPC), presented two requests on behalf of LPC. The first request is to convert the Adams Courts into pickleball-only courts once the Gallagher Courts reconstruction project has been completed. The second request is to restart the Tennis & Pickleball Working Group (TPWG) to discuss long-term pickleball solutions in Lexington. Mr. Shiu stated that both tennis and pickleball players, along with abutters on Parker Street, are in support of converting Adams to dedicated pickleball courts. He referenced the Lexington Observer article on pickleball and added that pickleball is here to stay and growing in Lexington. Mr. Shiu encouraged the Committee to make the decision about Adams quickly for programming purposes. Janna Medonca, resident of 1 John Wilson Lane, also expressed her support for dedicated pickleball 2 39 MARRETT ROAD, LEXINGTON, MASSACHUSETTS 02421 courts at Adams and expressed her belief for there to be equitable time between tennis and pickleball on Town-shared courts. Ms. Mendonca began playing pickleball back in 2017 and now plays the sports with her mother and her 20 year-old twin sons. While things have improved, she also expressed her support for the Town’s commitment to the fast-growing sport of pickleball. Charlie Brauer, resident of 9 Millbrook Road, asked P.K. Shiu about the interest in LPC and Mr. Shiu stated that there are currently 290 members in the Lexington Pickleball Club. Bruce Yap, resident of 23 Phinney Road, suggested that the pickleball courts at Adams be relined. The pickleball lines at Adams are black, which present safety issues. While there are currently four pickleball courts at Adams, Mr. Yap believes that between six and eight pickleball courts could fit at this location. Doreen Karoll, resident of 76 Bloomfield Street, encouraged the Committee to reconvene the TPWG so sites can be looked at for dedicated pickleball courts in Lexington. Hal Miller-Jacobs explained that pickleball is a way of life for seniors that allows people to keep up their motor skills as well as mental and social awareness and he asked the Committee to put resources towards this sport. Richard Petrasso, resident of 39 Parker Street, and Laura Brauer, resident of 9 Millbrook Road, both expressed their support for pickleball in Lexington. Rick DeAngelis, Chair of the Recreation Committee, responded by saying that the Committee will take up the topic of Adams as dedicated pickleball courts at a future meeting and he thanked those in the audience for their attendance and passion for the sport of pickleball. 2. Meeting Minutes – August and September Weiwei Li moved to approve the minutes from the August 16th meeting and Renen Bassik seconded the motion. The Recreation Committee voted 5-0 to approve this motion. Rick DeAngelis moved to approve the minutes from the September 20th meeting and Lisa O’Brien seconded the motion. The Recreation Committee voted 5-0 to approve this motion. 3. Working Group – Lincoln Park Field #1 Memo A copy of the Lincoln Field Working Group’s memo dated October 6, 2023 is attached to the meeting minutes. Melissa Battite, Director of Recreation and Community Programs, provided some historical context for the Lincoln Field Working Group. The group began meeting in January 2023 and met every-other Friday. The working group consisted of Town staff and members of Town boards and committees with the purpose of determining what would be best for Lexington in terms of sustainability, health, and playability when replacing the playing surfaces at the three multi-purpose, synthetic turf fields at Lincoln Park in the upcoming years. Rick DeAngelis spoke favorably of the experience. According to Mr. DeAngelis, members of the working group almost treated it as a competition at the beginning, but people came together with a plan that ultimately benefits all parties involved. He said it was an amazing experience and recommended that the Committee utilizes working groups more often in the future. Christian Boutwell, Vice Chair of the Recreation Committee, was impressed with how people put work in to get past the initial differences. Everyone worked together on this collaborative effort which resulted in a compromise solution. Lisa O’Brien added that the working group is a work-in- progress with more to come in the future. Ms. Battite thanked everyone who participated in this working group, specifically Todd Rhodes since he recommended the formation of the group last year. Ms. Battite added that the working group’s efforts will continue in the future and that the working document will be a great resource for Lexington moving forward. Mr. DeAngelis recognized members of the group individually. For the three fields at Lincoln Park, Mr. Boutwell stated that the playing surface will be artificial synthetic turf with a natural infill. He added the group worked to tighten up the goals around disposal and testing since the testing has not caught up with the science yet. Mr. Boutwell stated that the natural infill is more susceptible to freezing than crumb rubber, but that is largely 3 39 MARRETT ROAD, LEXINGTON, MASSACHUSETTS 02421 weather-dependent. The outcome of the working group’s efforts will be to enhance public health and sustainability. Cindy Arens, Chair of the Sustainable Lexington Committee (SLC), thanked Mr. DeAngelis and the fellow working group members for their efforts and for keeping the group together during the process. Ms. Arens reiterated the comments that were made by Mr. DeAngelis and Mr. Boutwell and added that the brockfill infill will lower the heat of the field while also providing the potential for increased safety and play time on hot days. 4. Lincoln Park Field #1 Project Specifications The project specifications for the turf replacement project at Lincoln #1 are attached to the meeting minutes. Melissa Battite explained that the specifications outline what will be required by the contractor. This 24-page document is what the Lincoln Field Working Group has been focused on. Ms. Battite indicated that the specifications have been shared with the consultant (Activitas) that will be overseeing the project and the consultant is currently working on the bid documents. The project is scheduled to go out to bid the first week of January 2024. Activitas will let the Town know if companies decide not to bid on the project due to the specs being too rigid or too restrictive. Ms. Battite did note that while some tests are not required on the state level, those tests will be required here in Lexington. 5. 5-Year Capital Plan (FY25-FY29) An updated version of the Recreation FY25-FY29 5-Year Capital Plan is attached to the meeting minutes. Melissa Battite informed the Committee that in recent weeks, staff have reviewed the proposed capital plan with the Town Manager and Finance Department. The justification sheets will continue to be updated as it goes through the vetting process. Based on requests from the Community Preservation Committee (CPC) as well as findings of the Lincoln Park Master Plan, potential changes could be delaying the Park and Playground Improvements at Lincoln as well as replacement of the Lincoln fitness stations, which are both scheduled for FY25, by one year. The other projects are pretty straightforward. The November Recreation Committee meeting will be a summit with other Town Boards and Committees on Wednesday, November 15th at 7:00pm to discuss the future use of Town facilities such as 173 Bedford Street (current site of the Lexington Police Station), Lexington Public Schools Central Administration Building, and the Center Recreation Complex. 6. Committee Vote for Chair and Vice Chair Melissa Battite reminded that the Committee that votes for the Chair and Vice Chair were needed as this is something that has not been done since before the pandemic began. Rick DeAngelis expressed his interest in continuing as the Chair and recommended that Christian Boutwell ascend to the Chair position at some point in the future. After a brief conversation, Lisa O’Brien made the following motion: “The Recreation Committee moves to approve Rick DeAngelis as the Chair and Christian Boutwell as the Vice Chair of the Recreation Committee.” Renen Bassik seconded the motion. The Recreation Committee voted 7-0 to approve this motion. 7. Recreation Committee Email Correspondence Claire Sheth informed the Committee that Renen Bassik will be assisting her with reviewing the Recreation Committee email going forward. Overall, it was a quiet month as only three emails were received. One email regarded consternation around parking at Muzzey. Melissa Battite added that a member of the Muzzey board requested a list of the field permits for Muzzey Field and the safety barriers that DPW installed at the field were paid for out of the Enterprise Fund. The second email was forwarded by Peter Coleman and was a message from a resident who was concerned about balancing the demand between both tennis and pickleball and wanted to make sure that staff and the Committee does not lose track of the popularity of tennis in town. The 4 39 MARRETT ROAD, LEXINGTON, MASSACHUSETTS 02421 third email was a notice from the Lexington Observer that the article about the Lincoln project will go live on Thursday, October 19th. 8. Recreation & Community Programs Report The October Recreation & Community Programs Report is attached to the meeting minutes. Peter Coleman, Assistant Director of Recreation, and Christine Dean, Community Center Director, reviewed the highlights of the report with the Committee. Melissa Battite informed the Committee that four members of the staff recently attended the National Recreation & Park Association’s (NRPA) annual conference in Dallas, Texas. Approximately 70 people from New England attended the conference, which had a total attendance of over 12,000 people. Rick DeAngelis expressed his excitement for how superb the new Farias Basketball Courts are with the adjustable rims and glass backboards. Mr. DeAngelis emphasized the positive impact the Mr. Farias had on the lives of children while coaching basketball at the courts. Carl Fantasia had fond memories of playing basketball at the courts when he was a youth. Mr. Fantasia expressed his frustration with how long the project took and encouraged the Committee to think about the process for other projects in the future. Ms. Battite reported that the potential to install solar at Lincoln Park would be included with the turf replacement project at Lincoln #3, which is scheduled for FY2026. 9. Liaison Report No liaison reports were submitted in advance of the meeting. Lisa O’Brien, liaison to the CPC, reported that there will be a public meeting about housing in Lexington on Thursday, October 19th and CPC applications are due on Wednesday, November 1st. Ms. O’Brien indicated that the CPC is planning for less in FY25 as compared to previous years. Melissa Battite let the Committee know that the work of the Lexington High School Working Group remains ongoing. Before the meeting ended, members of the Committee discussed how to best proceed with the upcoming conversation around pickleball. Any decisions about potential pilot programs for the 2024 season should be made with enough notice so staff has ample time for coordination and implementation before the courts open for the season. Feedback from the various stakeholders near Adams Park, which includes field and court users, the Waldorf School, Sacred Heart Parish, and Follen Church, would be needed before any decision is made. It was determined that the Committee will begin the conversation by having a working session on Wednesday, November 15th prior to the joint meeting with other Town Boards and Committees about the future use of Town facilities that night at 7:00pm and it is anticipated that the discussion will continue during the December Recreation Committee meeting. The next meeting of the Recreation Committee is scheduled to be a Working Meeting session and will take place on Wednesday, November 15th at 6:30pm. The October 18th, 2023 meeting of the Recreation Committee adjourned at 8:12pm. Respectfully submitted, Peter Coleman Assistant Director of Recreation 5 39 MARRETT ROAD, LEXINGTON, MASSACHUSETTS 02421 The following documents distributed at the meeting are attached: • Lincoln Field Working Group’s Memo • Lincoln #1 Field Renovation Project Specifications • Recreation FY2025-FY2029 5-Year Capital Plan • October 2023 Recreation & Community Programs Report • Memo on Recreation Committee Decision Regarding Pickleball Play at Gallagher Courts • Memo from Lexington Public Schools Regarding Agreement between the Community Center and Lexington Children’s Place to be Emergency Evacuation Locations • October Sports Advisory Council Report