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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2024-06-26-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 26, 2024 A meeting of the Recreation Committee was held on Wednesday, June 26, 2024 in person and via Zoom as a hybrid meeting at 6:30pm in the Parker Room of the Lexington Town Office Building. Members Present: Rick DeAngelis, Christian Boutwell, Renen Bassik, and Weiwei Li Members Not Present: Carl Fantasia 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: Joanne Brodfuehrer (19 Ledgelawn Avenue, Lexington), Meg Buczynski (Activitas Inc.), Doreen Karoll (76 Bloomfield Street, Lexington), Peter Kelley (24 Forest Street, Lexington), Kathleen Lenihan (School Committee liaison), Carolyn Levi (60 Turning Mill Road, Lexington), Marcy and Ed Lidman (63 Grant Street, Lexington), Ali Lynch (10 Bloomfield Street), Mary-Katherine McCarey (64 Cary Avenue, Lexington), Kim McCormick (29 Maple Street, Lexington), Janna Mendonca (1 John Wilson Lane, Lexington), Olivia Messenger (Activitas Inc.), Hal Miller-Jacobs (17 Swan Lane, Lexington), Hien Nguyen (17 Holland Street, Lexington), Sanjay Padaki (Appropriation Committee liaison), Steve Parus (19 Ledgelawn Avenue, Lexington), P.K. Shiu (1024 Massachusetts Avenue, Lexington), Paul Skerker (52 Winthrop Road, Lexington), and Dhwani Swamy (48 Cary Avenue, Lexington) 1. Public Comment P.K.Shiu, resident of 1024 Massachusetts Avenue, spoke on behalf of the Lexington Pickleball Club (LPC). Mr. Shiu thanked the Committee for their support with the pilot pickleball program at Adams. LPC now provides a comprehensive pickleball offering with four professionally certified coaches. The workshops that are offered are based on skill level and evening programs at Adams will begin this summer. Mr. Shiu added that Lexington has a good reputation as a pickleball town both in and outside of Lexington. Paul Skerker, resident of 52 Winthrop Road, thanked the Committee, the Town, and LPC. Mr. Skerker uses the Adams Courts as well as Clarke #3 on a regular basis. He noted that private tennis lessons take place at Clarke and that the solar panels cause those courts to stay wet for a long period of time. Mr. Skerker added that the pickleball lines at Adams are hard to see. 2. LHS Building Project Discussion This is a standing item on the Committee’s meeting agendas. Rick DeAngelis, Chair of the Recreation Committee, informed Committee members that he and Christian Boutwell, Vice Chair of the Recreation Committee, were cc’d on an email exchange with Melissa Battite, Director of Recreation and Community Programs, and Mike Cronin, Director of Public Facilities (DPF) 2 39 MARRETT ROAD, LEXINGTON, MASSACHUSETTS 02421 regarding the FAQs that were being compiled for the LHS building project. Mr. DeAngelis emphatically stated that the Committee need to take a stance on where we stand on the fields. The Center Recreation Complex is a crown jewel of the Town’s Recreation infrastructure as this is a community resource and park that has many recreational facilities and amenities. He has seen information that it will be up to six (6) years until the fields are replaced. Mr. DeAngelis believes that he is not getting straight answers and the time to talk about this issue is now as rebuilding the fields in a helter-skelter manner will result in huge problems. While acknowledging that this is not an easy project to bring home, Mr. DeAngelis implored the School Committee to take this more seriously. Melissa Battite said that the School Building Committee (SBC) has been working on FAQs for the website and the meeting last week was a working session on the FAQs as people want answers to generic questions that have not been answered yet. For the five options that are being considered, fields will be offline for 5-6 years in all of them and having the Center Recreation Complex offline for 6 years will change the culture of the community. The projected impacts are from Spring 2026 through FY2031. Christian Boutwell said that some questions can start to be answered regardless of which option is chosen as people should know the lengthy timeframe around this project. Ms. Battite added that there will be a domino effect once things start moving around. There may be middle schoolers who never experience the Center Recreation Complex and programs will be displaced out of town, which will increase the cost of those programs. It is important to recognize that the use at the Center Recreation Complex is more comprehensive that high school athletics and physical education classes as it is a park that has a high school around it. An essential question is how to sustain the Recreation Enterprise Fund during this lengthy period and while there are many unknowns, staff is beginning budget prep for FY26. Mr. DeAngelis reminded Committee members that there is Article 97 land at the Center Recreation Complex that is protected. Good, thorough planning needs to include what is going to be done with the fields. When the project is over, Mr. DeAngelis believes there should be a community park near where it is now and he is not in favor of obliterating the community park and fields. Kathleen Lenihan, School Committee liaison, acknowledged that many questions remain. Massing studies are currently being completed and the project is not in the design phase yet. Of the five options that are currently being considered, three would be new builds and two would keep LHS where it is now. The one preferred option will be presented to the Massachusetts School Building Authority (MSBA). A phased-in renovation will take longer to complete and would require modular classrooms on the fields. Ms. Lenihan emphasized that the Town desperately needs a high school that is larger than what is there currently and the new high school will be built for 2,400 students. Ms. Battite reported that Town staff met recently with SMMA to discuss current uses and overlays of the natural grass fields at the Center Recreation Complex and Naomi Martin, LHS Athletic Director, and Eamonn Sheehan, LPS PE, Health, and Wellness Coordinator were included in this working meeting. It is Ms. Battite’s understanding that whatever is moved will be replaced and no amenities will be lost as a result of this project. Ms. Lenihan agreed and said that everything will be discussed before the decision is made and everything will be replaced. Mr. Boutwell asked Ms. Lenihan if she could let the Committee know when conversations with the SBC are imminent. Ms. Lenihan did not have the schedule, but the plan is to present it to the SBC and people can sign up to receive notifications whenever a meeting agenda is posted. Mr. DeAngelis thought it would be beneficial for a group of representatives from the SBC, Recreation Committee, Town Counsel, and Conservation to huddle, review the plans, and discuss potential issues and concerns. Ms. Lenihan said that Jim Malloy, Town Manager, is heading up Article 97 issues, which are complex and would require going to the State legislature. A slide 3 39 MARRETT ROAD, LEXINGTON, MASSACHUSETTS 02421 deck with more information about the five options is attached to the meeting minutes. This slide deck is meant to be a resource. Mr. Boutwell stated that members of the Committee should be familiar with and well-versed with this information. 3. Final Presentation – Lincoln Park Master Plan – Activitas, Inc. Meg Buczynski and Olivia Messenger made a presentation on the Lincoln Park Master Plan (LPMP) and a copy of the presentation slides is attached to the meeting to the meeting minutes. The LPMP, which will be finalized by the end of July, identified twelve (12) individual projects for consideration going forward. Phase 1 is the short term plan for the next 20 years, followed by Phase 2 which is for potential long term plan 20+ years from now. Ms. Buczynski reviewed the potential project timelines and conceptual site plans included in Phase 1 and Phase 2. Each of the concept plans include an opinion of probable costs for each project. One of the most financially substantial projects would be a reconfiguration of the parking lot (Project 4). Melissa Battite indicated that parking came out of many conversations with the Transportation Safety Group (TSG). It should be noted that Lincoln could be used for off-site parking during the LHS renovation and ideally, the parking project would be done before the LHS project begins. Christian Boutwell thought it would be important to keep in mind that the Harrington project is slated for FY26 with a hefty price tag. He was not sure what the Community Preservation Committee’s (CPC) or Town Meeting’s appetite would be for multiple projects of this magnitude in the same fiscal year and the Committee will need to be strategic about how it spreads big project requests out in future years. Rick DeAngelis supported Mr. Boutwell’s suggestion to not overburden any specific year. Committee members agreed that the LPMP will be a tremendous tool going forward. It provides a holistic road map and approach to the entire park that will allow members to contemplate how not completing a specific project will impact the big picture. After a brief discussion, Rick DeAngelis made the following motion: “The Recreation Committee moves to approve the conceptual plans presented this evening by Activitas for the renovation of Lincoln Park with the understanding that phasing, timing, and pricing will be a subsequent discussion.” Renen Bassik seconded the motion. The Recreation Committee voted 4-0 to approve this motion. 4. Pilot Pickleball Program at Adams – Peter Coleman Peter Coleman, Assistant Director of Recreation, provided the Committee with a quarterly update on the pilot pickleball program at the Adams Courts and a copy of the presentation slides is attached to the meeting minutes. Tennis and pickleball memberships have sold out for the season and he provided an overview of the memberships that have been sold this season, along with cancellation and waitlist requests that have been received. From April 1-June 16, 2024, there were 1,227 pickleball court reservations made by the public, an average of approximately 16 reservations per day. Mr. Coleman informed the Committee that he and Melissa Battite meet with representatives from the Lexington Pickleball Club (LPC) on a monthly basis to discuss how the season is going to date. LPC is now a 501(c)7 non-profit organization whose membership continues to grow linearly. During the spring season, LPC was permitted court time at Adams on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday mornings from 9:00am-12:00pm and at Clarke on Saturday mornings from 9:00am-12:00pm and Sunday afternoons from 2:00-5:00pm. LPC has implemented a paid PASS program for outdoor play from May-October to cover the cost of the court reservation fees. In addition to open play, LPC continues to offer monthly open houses that began in 2023. LPC has identified the short-term issues as being parking at Adams, the color of pickleball lines at Adams, and demand exceeding permitted hours. Parking at Adams has been reviewed by the Transportation Safety Group (TSG) and additional signage and other improvements should be completed this summer. LPC will also be permitted Adams on Wednesday and Friday nights from 5:00-8:00pm beginning on July 1st. 4 39 MARRETT ROAD, LEXINGTON, MASSACHUSETTS 02421 Once the presentation ended, members had the opportunity to make comments and ask questions. Rick DeAngelis commended everyone involved for this collaboration and for the efforts made to think of solutions. Christian Boutwell was curious to know what percentage of total court hours available at Adams has been permitted to LPC as well as how many people have both a LPC membership and a Town membership. Mr. Boutwell also thought it would be beneficial to have the percentage of hours permitted to LPC in comparison to the percentage of hours available to the public as well as a year-by-year comparison of court usage at Adams that could be generated by PlayLocal. Marci Lidman, resident of 63 Grant Street, said that LPC is trying to recruit people, as evidenced by having representatives at Discovery Day in 2023 and 2024, and wants to bring in as many people as possible. Ms. Lidman ended her comments by thanking various people from LPC and the Town. P.K. Shiu said that LPC is planning to offer tournaments at some point. Dhwani Swamy, resident of 48 Cary Avenue, added that pickleball is extremely inclusive, intergenerational, and have brought kindness and joy in her life. Melissa Battite noted that while the Committee asked to receive updates on how the pilot is going, permanent decisions will be made at the end of the season and it is important to note that with the Waldorf School, use at Adams Park is different in the summer as compared to the spring and fall. 5. Meeting Minutes – May 2024 Meeting Weiwei Li moved to approve the minutes from the May 15th meeting and Rick DeAngelis seconded the motion. The Recreation Committee voted 4-0 to approve this motion. 6. Recreation Committee Email Correspondence The Recreation Committee email correspondence from the past month is attached to the meeting minutes. Renen Bassik reported that emails were received on such items as refunds for tennis memberships, proponents in favor of preserving fields at the Center Recreation Complex, and two applications for the Recreation Committee member opening. 7. Recreation & Community Programs Report The June Recreation & Community Programs Report is attached to the meeting minutes. 8. Liaison Report Weiwei Li, liaison to the Lincoln Park Sub-Committee (LPSC), indicated that the LPSC had not met recently. Mr. Li acknowledged Brian Kelley, Chair of the LPSC, for taking care of repairs on the boardwalks at Lincoln Park. Christian Boutwell, liaison to the Community Preservation Committee (CPC), indicated that recent CPC discussions had not been around any Recreation- related activities. The next meeting of the Recreation Committee is scheduled to take place on Wednesday, July 17th at 6:30pm. The June 26th, 2024 meeting of the Recreation Committee adjourned at 9:00pm. Respectfully submitted, Peter Coleman Assistant Director of Recreation 5 39 MARRETT ROAD, LEXINGTON, MASSACHUSETTS 02421 The following documents distributed at the meeting are attached:  LHS Building Project Five Options Presentation Slides  Lincoln Park Master Plan Presentation Slides  Pilot Pickleball Program at Adams Quarterly Update  Recreation Committee Email Correspondence  June 2024 Recreation & Community Programs Report  Family Campout Memo  Open Space and Recreation Plan Memo  Memo on LHS summer use of Pine Meadows Golf Club  Memo on Minuteman High School summer use of Pine Meadows Golf Club