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Home My WebLink About2024-09-18-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 September 18, 2024 A meeting of the Recreation Committee was held on Wednesday, September 18, 2024 in person and via Zoom as a hybrid meeting at 6:30pm in the Hudson Room of the Cary Memorial Building. Members Present: Rick DeAngelis, Christian Boutwell, Renen Bassik, Carl Fantasia, and Weiwei Li Members Not Present: Claire Sheth Staff Present: Melissa Battite, Director of Recreation and Community Programs, Peter Coleman, Assistant Director of Recreation, Mike Cronin, Director of Public Facilities, and Christine Dean, Community Center Director Others Present: John Albright, Mike Burton (Dore + Whittier), Rod Cole (Capital Expenditures Committee liaison, Logan Finney (SMMA), Dr. Julie Hackett (Superintendent of Lexington Public Schools), Anoush Krafian (SMMA), Suzanne Lau (18 Phinney Road, Lexington), Kathleen Lenihan (School Committee liaison), Dawn McKenna (9 Hancock Street, Lexington), Erin Prestileo (SMMA), and Tom Shiple (18 Phinney Road, Lexington) 1.LHS Building Project Discussion – SMMA and Recreation Committee Melissa Battite, Director of Recreation and Community Programs, opened the meeting by stating that tonight’s meeting is one of many meetings that SMMA will be having with stakeholders. The SMMA “road show” is an outcome of a recent retreat and will provide Town boards and committees with the opportunity to voice concerns, ask questions, and express their preferences of design options. Mike Burton, partner with Dore + Whittier, said that the early design of the feasibility phase began in October/November 2023. During this phase, as many as eighteen (18) options for the Lexington High School building project were developed. Throughout this year, the 18 options have been narrowed down to the six (6) options that are currently under consideration. Mr. Burton stated that the one preferred option will be determined and voted on by th the School Building Committee (SBC) at its November 12 meeting. After the preferred option has been identified and approved, schematic design will begin and is scheduled to be completed by August 2025. The Town Meeting vote will be held in November 2025, followed by the debt exclusion vote in December 2025. It is anticipated that construction will begin in Summer 2026. Mr. Burton added that for a new build, there would be three years of construction, followed by one year to complete the athletic fields and parking. If the project is an addition/renovation, it is anticipated that it will take 6-7 years to complete. Mr. Burton emphasized that the goal is to not touch the athletic fields for as long as humanly possible and that it will take one additional year for the fields to be ready once the school building project has been completed. On the topic of the Field House and indoor pool, the Massachusetts School Building Authority (MSBA) is in place to fund educational programs and a renovation of the existing Field House as 2 well as an addition of the Field House would be eligible for reimbursement. Conversely, the MSBA will not participate in any reimbursement if a brand-new Field House is built. The MSBA will need to review the schematic design before its final decision is made. The construction of a new Field House would have to be a separate project and would need to be approved through a separate vote. Dr. Julie Hackett, Superintendent of Lexington Public Schools, stated that the recommendation of LPS is to not include an indoor pool (which was initially mentioned during the community input process) and is in favor of a renovation or renovation and addition of the th existing Field House. The Recreation Committee discussed this topic at its September 4 meeting and a memo stating the Committee’s opinion on the proposed Field House and indoor pool projects is attached to the meeting minutes. Dr. Hackett raised the question of how the needs of Recreation and LPS are going to bet met when the fields go offline. She acknowledged that both organizations will be significantly impacted and she wants to work with Recreation to come up with a plan. Ms. Battite informed the Committee there was a meeting held last week with Jim Malloy, Town Manager, Kelly Axtell, Deputy Town Manager, Mike Cronin, Director of Public Facilities, Ms. Battite, Dr. Hackett, Naomi Martin, LPS Director of Athletics, and Andrew Baker, LHS Principal to discuss this topic. According to those in attendance, it was a good first discussion and the group will meet monthly to come up with concerns and share with the community. Ms. Battite emphasized the loss of revenue that Recreation will experience and asked how the replaced fields will be made better as well as the amenities at the park, such as shade shelters, PA systems, restrooms, etc. The project will impact almost every resident who uses the Center Recreation Complex, from children who attend camps in the summer to adults who use the park at night under the lights. Connectivity will continue to be discussed and parking, geothermal, and contractor access will impact the athletic fields. The process of choosing a construction manager is beginning now. Bussing and temporary facilities will come with additional costs and a new build on the current footprint would take the longest amount of time. Members of the Committee then had the opportunity to ask questions and make comments. Rick DeAngelis, Chair of the Recreation Committee, questioned if the options currently under consideration could be narrowed down from six to two (one new construction option and one renovation option), rather than going from six to one. He thought this could result in a meaningful discussion. Christian Boutwell, Vice Chair of the Recreation Committee, stated that there are a lot of concerns about putting athletic fields in close proximity to abutters in terms of noise and lights. Mr. DeAngelis said that Article 97 is in place to protect recreation land and that any land exchange should be like-kind for like-kind. The Center Recreation Complex is one of only two community parks in Lexington. The community park aspect needs to be thought about and it would be beneficial to find a way where the community park remains mainly or completely intact. It was reiterated that it will be important to keep the lighted fields together. One design rd option that was discussed was Option 6.5b – Bloom. It was initially presented on September 3 th and the revised version was reviewed on September 16. Under this option, the proposed school building was shifted so it was not located on the Center #1 baseball field and Center #2 softball field. For the athletic fields, seed is not being pursued. The field playing surface options are still being considered as SMMA is requesting pricing for sod and brockfill may also be an option. Representatives from SMMA indicated that a special meeting with representatives from the Sports Advisory Council (SAC) will be scheduled. Mr. Boutwell thought that the major field users should have chance to provide their feedback on an organizational level. Renen Bassik stated that the revised Bloom option is appealing. Members of the Committee then had a discussion about next steps. Mr. Boutwell wondered if the Committee should rank all six options or if it should come up with a ranking with criteria on how to evaluate. He reiterated that the Committee needs to do it due diligence and watch the SBC meetings. The next SBC meeting is 39 MARRETT ROAD, LEXINGTON, MASSACHUSETTS 02421 3 rd scheduled for September 23. Ms. Battite stated that there has been a heavy emphasis for sustainability and having this be a net-zero project. The locations for the solar panels and geothermal will be once the project has been completed have not been finalized. The designs do not show the final product and the vertical design including the impact of the 14-foot solar rd stations has not been seen. Mr. DeAngelis agreed to attend the SBC meeting on September 23. Mr. Boutwell said that he would review the various SBC presentation slide decks and condense them to the six options being considered, including the revised Bloom option. He encouraged members to submit their concerns about the design options. Ms. Battite indicated that the Committee will have two more opportunities to meet with SMMA before the vote in November as they are meeting with each committee three times. There is a summit meeting on September th 19, which WeiWei Li, Claire Sheth, Carl Fantasia, and Mr. Boutwell will attend, a financial thth summit on October 9, and another summit will be held on October 16. Ms. Battite will send an email listing out the upcoming meeting dates and there may be a need to have a working meeting. The plan is for the Committee to have a working session meeting during the last week of September or first week in October prior to its next meeting with SMMA. st The next meeting of the Recreation Committee is scheduled to take place on Tuesday, October 1 at 7:00pm. th The September 18, 2024 meeting of the Recreation Committee adjourned at 6:57pm. Respectfully submitted, Peter Coleman and Christine Dean Assistant Director of Recreation/Community Center Director The following documents distributed at the meeting are attached:  Recreation Committee Opinion on Proposed Field House and Indoor Pool Projects Memo 39 MARRETT ROAD, LEXINGTON, MASSACHUSETTS 02421