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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2024-10-16-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 16, 2024 A meeting of the Recreation Committee was held on Wednesday, October 16, 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, Carl Fantasia, Weiwei Li, and Claire Sheth Staff Present: Melissa Battite, Director of Recreation and Community Programs, Peter Coleman, Assistant Director of Recreation, Christine Dean, Community Center Director, and Dave Pinsonneault, DPW Director Others Present: Rod Cole (Capital Expenditures Committee liaison), Emmett and Beth Gardner (138 Laconia Street, Lexington), Doreen Karoll (76 Bloomfield Street, Lexington), Kathleen Lenihan (School Committee liaison), and Alan Levine (54 Reed Street, Lexington), 1. LHS Building Project – Working session to review This is a standing item on the Committee’s meeting agenda and at this meeting, the Recreation Committee had a working session to review the designs with the intent of providing evaluative criteria for each option. Melissa Battite, Director of Recreation and Community Programs informed the Committee that the two design options that the School Building Committee (SBC) seem to be focusing on are the Weave (phased-in-place) and revised Bloom (new build). A site plan of the new Bloom option is attached to the meeting minutes. When reviewing the Bloom option, potential locations for the Field House were discussed. Having the Field House near Waltham Street would lessen the impact on abutters, but at this location, the Field House would not be connected to the high school and would be challenging for students to get to. Claire Sheth offered to answer questions and clarify conversations that have taken place during the SBC meetings and communicated that she is most concerned about the field layouts in the potential design options. Rick DeAngelis, Chair of the Recreation Committee, asked the Committee members if they favored the Bloom option. Renen Bassik stated that Bloom is his preferred option based on what has been presented and Ms. Sheth agreed that the Bloom option is the best that the Committee could expect for a compromise. Ms. Sheth added that the complexity of navigating 2,400 students through a phased-in-place construction lasting for 5-6 years does not seem feasible and she noted that the set-up for each modular classroom would cost approximately $400,000 for each unit. For these reasons, Ms. Sheth believes that there is no real viable option for constructing a new Lexington High School at the current site. Alan Levine, resident of 54 Reed Street and member of the Appropriation Committee, stated that Center #1, Center #2, and Center #7 will be impacted during construction for such uses as staging and a lay down area. Mr. DeAngelis reminded members that the Committee’s duty is to represent Recreation as best as they can. Mr. Bassik asked if the Committee can give feedback and criteria 2 39 MARRETT ROAD, LEXINGTON, MASSACHUSETTS 02421 regarding the field orientation, connectivity between fields, siting of parking, and impact on abutters. Ms. Battite indicated that an abutters meeting was being held tonight, Wednesday, October 16th and mentioned that the design for restrooms and other amenities will continue once the construction management company has been hired. Kathleen Lenihan, School Committee liaison, reiterated that the SBC’s focus is on the Bloom and Weave and that work will continue on these two design options. Ms. Lenihan said it would be helpful to have the Committee take a straw poll on the two options and admitted that it would be difficult to build a new school around students as they go to school. Mr. DeAngelis thought that a straw poll would be a good idea and would like to see how the project progresses. There is currently a community park at the Center Recreation Complex with multiple venues that are centrally located. Mr. DeAngelis acknowledged that upon completion of the LHS school building project, the town will not have a community park in the way that it exists currently. He added that the Article 97 process still needs to be undertaken and emphasized a like-kind for like-kind land swap. Ms. Lenihan stated that she would like to see more details on how the different parts of the park will be connected. Mr. DeAngelis reiterated that he would like to see next steps on how the community park will be connected. Ms. Battite indicated that the Select Board has asked Town boards and committees for their opinions, next steps, and challenges surrounding this project and that it would be important for the Recreation Committee to have a position letter on the project since the Committee does not have a voting voice on the SBC. Mr. Bassik thought that the Field House was still a wild card and expressed his concerns that it may be relocated near the end of the project. He thought it would be beneficial to reinforce the Committee’s position to support a renovation of the Field House and not support the construction of a new building. Ms. Battite stated that the Select Board would like to know what the Committee’s position is before November 12th, and preferably before the SBC retreat scheduled for Monday, November 4th from 5:00-8:00pm in the Police Station Community Room. Christian Boutwell, Vice Chair of the Recreation Committee, said that would be willing to write a memo once the Committee has taken a straw poll. Mr. Boutwell made the following motion: “The Recreation Committee moves to submit a memo to the Select Board, School Building Committee (SBC), and other relevant committees stating that the Committee supports in concept the revised "Bloom" construction option, with the caveat that the Committee remains very concerned about connection between the new fields and old fields, and new facilities and old facilities, and urge the SBC to seek to maximize connections during further design stages. Claire Sheth added to the motion that the Committee continues to support either renovation or renovation and addition of the existing Field House, but continues to not support the construction of a new, free-standing Field House. Rick DeAngelis added that the Committee requests that the SBC continue to seek ways to minimize the duration of the temporary loss of the Center Fields 1, 2, and 7 and in particular explore alternative locations for installation of geothermal wells." Renen Bassik seconded the motion. The Recreation Committee voted 5-0 to approve this motion. Ms. Battite said that the Recreation Committee’s liaison role on the SBC will continue throughout the process as the construction building contractor is brought onboard. A commitment to replacement of the athletic fields and amenities is an ongoing concern and will be important to include in future conversations. Ms. Lenihan views this as a real partnership as the Recreation Committee liaison will be part of the SBC going forward. Ms. Sheth thought that in the memo to the SBC, it should state that the Committee has appreciated having a seat at the table and will look forward to continued participation and this level of engagement in the future. 3 39 MARRETT ROAD, LEXINGTON, MASSACHUSETTS 02421 2. Approve September Meeting Minutes Claire Sheth moved to approve the minutes from the September 4th meeting and Weiwei Li seconded the motion. The Recreation Committee voted 5-0 to approve this motion. Renen Bassik moved to approve the minutes from the September 18th meeting and Claire Sheth seconded the motion. The Recreation Committee voted 5-0 to approve this motion. 3. Eagle Scout Proposal – Community Center – Christine Dean Christine Dean, Community Center Director, introduced Emmett Gardner to the Committee. Emmett is a senior at Lexington High School and a member of Scouts of America Troop 10. A copy of the presentation slides is attached to the meeting minutes. For his Eagle Scout project, Mr. Gardner would like to build and install a Free Little Art Gallery (FLAG) at the Community Center. FLAGs are used to display and trade art created by the community and are similar to a free little library. Mr. Gardner provided some history about the FLAG movement. Regarding the project timeline, Mr. Gardner will purchase materials and begin assembly in late October and installation is scheduled to take place on November 9th-10th. Mr. Gardner reviewed the various design options and informed the Committee that Design Option 4 had been selected. Mr. Gardner then reviewed the two blueprint options and indicated that Blueprint Design Option A had been chosen. After an initial review, the blueprint design was adjusted. Plexiglass or acrylic will be used for doors instead of glass due to safety reasons and the Lex250 logo will be included on the side. Mr. Gardner told the Committee that the mansion portion of the Community Center was the inspiration behind the design. The proposed FLAG will be installed at the Community Center near the Lexpress bus stop. For both location options, it is close to the sidewalk for accessibility purposes and under a light so it will be illuminated at night. Mr. Gardner and Ms. Dean will work with DPW and DigSafe to ensure that it is installed in an appropriate location. There will be a sign with a QR Code that provides more information about the FLAG. At the conclusion of the presentation, members of the Committee commended Mr. Gardner for his efforts and look forward to the installation of the Free Little Art Gallery at the Community Center. 4. Athletic Field Policy – Peter Coleman Peter Coleman, Assistant Director of Recreation, reviewed the updated Athletic Field and Court Use Policy and a redlined version of the policy is attached to the meeting minutes. The revised policy has reduced some redundancies that appeared in the previous version and consolidated information that appeared in multiple sections. Mr. Coleman reported that the most significant change was in regards to the tier definitions. The modified tier definitions went into effect as of July 1, 2024. Under the revised tiers, Tier 3 consists of at least 75% Lexington residents, Tier 4 consists of 50-74% Lexington residents, and Tier 5 is private, for-profit camps/clinics/tournaments or groups that have less than 50% Lexington residents. Previously, Tier 3 was at least 60% Lexington residents, Tier 4 was less than 60% Lexington residents, and Tier 5 was private camps/clinics/tournaments. The thresholds for these tiers have been increased to prioritize the field use of Lexington-based organizations with the impending LHS school building project. Weiwei Li inquired about having more lighted tennis courts at Gallagher available free of charge for the public to use at night. Currently, Gallagher #1-4 are available free of charge and people must pay for use of the lights at Gallagher #5-10. Mr. Coleman replied by saying that this is something that will be reviewed in the offseason and any potential changes would be presented to the Committee before implementation. Claire Sheth asked about the impact that the revised policy will have on the Lexington-based sports organizations. Mr. Coleman indicated that the Sports Advisory Council has been notified about the proposed changes over the past several months and the department has not received negative feedback from any of the field user groups. After a brief discussion, Renen Bassik made the following motion: “The Recreation Committee moves to approve the Town of Lexington Outdoor Recreation Facilities Use Policy labeled 4 39 MARRETT ROAD, LEXINGTON, MASSACHUSETTS 02421 October 2024.” Claire Sheth seconded the motion. The Recreation Committee voted 5-0 to approve this motion. 5. Recreation and Community Programs Report Melissa Battite, Christine Dean, and Peter Coleman reviewed the October Recreation and Community Programs Report with the Committee. A copy of the report is attached to the meeting minutes along with flyers about the Lex250 Drone Show on Sunday, October 20 th and the Battlegreen Run scheduled for Sunday, November 3rd. 6. Liaison Report Renen Bassik reviewed the emails that had been received over the past month and the Recreation Committee email correspondence from the past month is attached to the meeting minutes. Emails were received on such items as signage at the Gallagher Tennis Courts, vacancies on the Recreation Committee, an inquiry about a dog park, and hosting a puzzle hunt in Lexington. Peter Coleman informed the Committee that the new Tennis Play Only and practice backboard hours of use signs were installed at Gallagher by DPW earlier this month. Weiwei Li, liaison to the Lincoln Park Sub-Committee (LPSC), informed the Committee that most terms of the LPSC members have either expired or will expire in the near future. Brian Kelley, Chair of the LPSC, sent a memo to the Recreation Committee to reappoint Bob Pressman, Cristina Burwell, Brian Kelley, and Joanne Shorter. This item will be added to the November meeting agenda. The next meeting of the Recreation Committee is scheduled to take place on Wednesday, November 6th at 6:30pm. The October 16th, 2024 meeting of the Recreation Committee adjourned at 8:34pm. Respectfully submitted, Peter Coleman Assistant Director of Recreation The following documents distributed at the meeting are attached:  LHS School Building Project – New Bloom Site Plan  Eagle Scout Proposal from Emmett Gardner – Presentation Slides  Town of Lexington Athletic Field and Court Use Policy – redline version  October 2024 Recreation & Community Programs Report  Lex250 Drone Show Flyer  Battlegreen Run 2024 Flyer  Fiske Field Renovation Project Abutters Letter  Recreation Committee Email Correspondence