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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2024-07-17-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 July 17, 2024 A meeting of the Recreation Committee was held on Wednesday, July 17, 2024 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, Weiwei Li, and Claire Sheth Members Not Present: Carl Fantasia Staff Present: Peter Coleman, Assistant Director of Recreation and Christine Dean, Community Center Director Others Present: Suzie Barry (Select Board liaison), Rod Cole (Capital Expenditures Committee liaison), Doreen Karoll (76 Bloomfield Street, Lexington), Kathleen Lenihan (School Committee liaison), Sanjay Padaki (Appropriation Committee liaison), Bob Pressman (22 Locust Avenue, Lexington), Todd Rhodes (482 Marrett Road, Lexington), and Kseniya Slavsky (14 Rindge Avenue, Lexington and School Building Committee member) 1. Public Comment – None 2. LHS Building Project This is a standing item on the Committee’s meeting agenda. Rick DeAngelis, Chair of the Recreation Committee, informed Committee members that he had received two emails from Kathleen Lenihan, Chair of the School Building Committee (SBC), offering the Recreation Committee a liaison position to the SBC. Mr. DeAngelis recommended that the Committee take up Ms. Lenihan on her offer. He indicated that he was quite interested in serving in this role as the chair of the Committee and suggested that the vice chair (Christian Boutwell) serve as the alternate. Claire Sheth expressed her concerns about balance and workload among the Committee members and said she was willing to be the alternate. Regarding the meeting schedule, Ms. Lenihan indicated that the SBC meets every Monday (excluding summers) from 12:00-2:00pm. Each month, three of the SBC meetings are fully remote and one meeting is hybrid. In addition to the weekly meetings, subgroup working group meetings and community forums are also being held. After a brief discussion, Christian Boutwell made the following motion: “The Recreation Committee moves to name Rick DeAngelis and Claire Sheth (alternate) as liaisons to the School Building Committee (SBC).” Renen Bassik seconded the motion. The Recreation Committee voted 5-0 to approve this motion. Christian Boutwell, Vice Chair of the Recreation Committee, referenced the SBC meeting that was held on Monday, July 8th. A copy of the presentation slides from the 7/8 meeting are attached to the meeting minutes. Members of the Committee acknowledged that people are starting to realize the impact of the fields at the Center Recreation Complex being offline and it 2 39 MARRETT ROAD, LEXINGTON, MASSACHUSETTS 02421 has been compelling to hear that the fields would be offline for two growing seasons once installed. If the playing surface ends up being synthetic turf or sod, that would shorten the timeframe for how long the fields are offline. It has been stated that the fields could potentially be offline for more than five (5) years. This is dependent on several factors such as construction laydown areas, the location of modular classrooms during construction, whether or not geothermal infrastructure is installed (which is not a foregone conclusion at this point), etc. Ms. Lenihan stated that a proposed laydown area will be near the Center Playground. Suzie Barry, Select Board liaison, informed the Committee that at a recent Select Board meeting, she went on the record and stated that impacting any of the athletic fields, including the Center #1 baseball field, Center #2 softball field, Center Track Field, Skate Park, Town Pool, Gallagher Tennis Courts, and Farias Basketball Courts, is a non-starter for her. When looking at the fields from Worthen Road, she envisioned that all fields to the left of the access road would remain unimpacted. There are other Select Board members that possibly concurred with her. Ms. Barry expressed her concerns with geothermal being installed underground and she is vehemently opposed to Center #1/ #2 being used for laydown. It was stated that the Worthen Road practice field, Center #3, Crumb Football Field, and Center #4 would be impacted. Kseniya Slavsky, resident of 14 Rindge Avenue and SBC member, said that with land use restrictions in place for Center #1/#2, it is her understanding that there would be no laydown beyond the access road. The upcoming summit meeting scheduled for Wednesday, August 14th is going to focus on the possible construction of a new indoor pool facility and new indoor track facility. This is an item that has been discussed at previous Committee meetings and members have the opportunity to speak or send out statements ahead of time. Ms. Sheth stated that there is not enough gym space in town. As sports that are played indoors is increasing, it will be important to communicate the interior space deficits. Ms. Sheth believed that the Town has an obligation to provide as reasonable as an inventory as possible and mentioned the possibility of exploring public/private partnerships. Renen Bassik believed that the proposed indoor facilities should be readily available to the public. Mr. Boutwell reminded the Committee that the indoor pool and indoor track are not part of the current LHS school building project since while a renovation can be included, new building cannot be included in the project. There would be the challenge of having sufficient community access so the indoor spaces would provide value-added to the greater Lexington community. Ms. Sheth expressed her opinion that the indoor pool or indoor track would have to operate like the Community Center, which is a permanent structure that provides drop-in use and scheduled programming. In terms of an indoor pool, this is where it could get complicated. A competitive lap pool is not conducive to adaptive entry, a pool is expensive to run, and more land would be required to build an indoor pool/track, which could impact the fields to even a larger degree than what is expected. Members of the Committee acknowledged that there is still so much open right now with not much information available in certain areas that would make it difficult to weigh in with anything formal at this point. The Recreation Committee wrote a memo previously that covered these points and it was decided that the Committee will expand off of that memo to express what it would like to see included in the LHS school building project. 3. Athletic Lighting Policy – Peter Coleman Peter Coleman, Assistant Director of Recreation, reviewed the draft of the Outdoor Recreation Area Lighting Policy and a copy of the policy is attached to the meeting minutes. Mr. Coleman noted that the lighting policy has been updated to reflect when the new lighting at Lincoln #1 and Lincoln #3 comes online this fall. In previous years, the Recreation Committee has approved an extension of the shut off time for the Lincoln #2 lights from 8:30pm to 9:00pm. The updated policy lists end times of 9:00pm for the lights at Lincoln Park and 10:30pm for the lighted fields 3 39 MARRETT ROAD, LEXINGTON, MASSACHUSETTS 02421 at the Center Recreation Complex. At both Lincoln and Center, the lights will remain on dim for an additional 15 minutes beyond the end time to allow for a safe exit from the facility. After Mr. Coleman provided an overview, members of the Committee had the opportunity to make comments and ask questions. Claire Sheth thought it would be important for the organizations within the Sports Advisory Council to clearly understand the policy as written. Christian Boutwell added that with the updated policy, no real changes were proposed to past practice. Renen Bassik did note that there were some inconsistencies in the policy when it came to which responsibilities fall under the discretion of the Recreation Committee vs. the discretion of the Director of Recreation and Community Programs or designee and that additional clarification would be helpful. Members of the Committee agreed that a little more substance was needed before voting on the entire policy. At the same time, the Committee members agreed that it will be beneficial to streamline this process and to entrust staff with the day-to-day operations given the other endeavors that the Committee will be involved with in the coming years. Mr. Bassik said he would be willing to work with Mr. Coleman on editing the content and formatting of the lighting policy with the goal of voting on the policy at the next Recreation Committee meeting. In the meantime, the Committee agreed to vote on the modified end time for the lights at Lincoln Park so Mr. Coleman could proceed with issuing field permits for the upcoming fall season. With this in mind, Claire Sheth made the following motion: “The Recreation Committee approves the edits to the Outdoor Recreation Area Lighting Policy specific to changes at Lincoln #1, #2, and #3, with a 9:00pm end time followed by a 15-minute dimmed period for safety reasons.” Renen Bassik seconded the motion. The Recreation Committee voted 5-0 to approve this motion. 4. Capital FY26-FY30 Discussion Melissa Battite, Director of Recreation and Community Programs, prepared a memo for the Committee on the FY2026-FY2030 Capital Improvement Plan and a copy of the memo is attached to the meeting minutes. The memo was reviewed and Peter Coleman reminded the Committee that the FY26-FY30 capital plan will be voted on at the next Recreation Committee meeting. This memo will serve as an outline for the projects that will be included in the proposed plan. Information on current and upcoming capital improvement projects was included in the memo and updates were shared. Christian Boutwell provided an update on the Lincoln #1/#3 project. Regarding the removal of material, Mr. Boutwell reported that none of it has gone to a landfill and it has been reused to the greatest extent possible. The light towers at Lincoln #1 and Lincoln #3 were installed this week and now the focus will be on site prep for the installation of the new playing surface at Lincoln #1. Materials will need to be tested by an independent third party to determine that they are PFAs-free. Mr. Boutwell indicated that the Infilled Synthetic Turf Working Group will reconvene and finalize the bid specifications for the Lincoln #2 field replacement project, which is scheduled to be completed in Summer 2025. The Lexington Observer is going to do an update on the ongoing project and Ms. Battite and Mr. Boutwell spoke to the reporter recently. The LHS school building project came up again in conversation. Members of the Committee stated that a backup plan is needed when the fields at the Center Recreation Complex are offline and it would be beneficial to be prepared with more information on what the impact on the fields will be, especially the impacts on programs with lower enrollment. Mr. Boutwell said that the School Building Committee will be making its decision on the design option that will go forward in November. The financial loss of lower program enrollments and loss in field revenue will need to be calculated and there will be some strength in figuring it out for the Lexington Public Schools and Recreation & Community Programs in terms of field use and field loss. 4 39 MARRETT ROAD, LEXINGTON, MASSACHUSETTS 02421 5. 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 boardwalks and fitness stations that in need of repair at Lincoln Park, congratulations on the Gallagher Courts receiving the USTA Outstanding Facility Award, and an email from an event planning company about potentially having a night walk at a park. 6. Liaison Report Rod Cole, Capital Expenditures Committee (CEC) liaison, commented that it is helpful to hear the Committee’s thoughts on the fields at the Center Recreation Complex as well as the Field House and indoor pool in regard to the LHS school building project. Weiwei Li, liaison to the Lincoln Park Sub-Committee (LPSC), indicated that the LPSC met this past month. The LPSC unanimously approved repairs for the boardwalk at Lincoln Park, but the project is on hold for now as it must follow prevailing wage and procurement requirements. Christian Boutwell, liaison to the Community Preservation Committee (CPC), indicated that there was no CPC meeting over the past month and the CPC will resume meeting in the fall. 7. Recreation & Community Programs Report The July Recreation & Community Programs Report is attached to the meeting minutes. The next meeting of the Recreation Committee is scheduled to take place on Wednesday, September 4th at 6:30pm. The July 17th, 2024 meeting of the Recreation Committee adjourned at 8:37pm. Respectfully submitted, Peter Coleman Assistant Director of Recreation The following documents distributed at the meeting are attached:  LHS School Building Committee Meeting – 7/8/24 Presentation Slides  Draft of Outdoor Recreation Area Lighting Policy  Memo on FY2026-FY2030 Capital Improvement Plan  Recreation Committee Email Correspondence  July 2024 Recreation & Community Programs Report  USTA Outstanding Facility Award Letter