Loading...
HomeMy WebLinkAbout2025-05-21-REC-min`OV S IWOgN� OQ 1775 1Q a - F $= w 3 a s V APRIL 19, �FXI NGS�� Frederick DeAngelis, Chairman Christian Boutwell, Vice Chair Carl Fantasia Claire Sheth Renen Bassik Weiwei Li Town of Lexington Recreation Committee Tel: (781) 698-4800 Fax: (781) 861-2747 Recreation Committee Minutes of Meeting May 21, 2025 A meeting of the Recreation Committee was held on Wednesday, May 21, 2025 in person and via Zoom as a hybrid meeting at 7:00pm 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 Charlie Schroeder, Recreation Coordinator Others Present: Mona Altschuler (27 Hathaway Road, Lexington), Robert Breslin (16 Curve Street, Lexington), Lisa Cassidy (10 Richmond Circle, Lexington), Joanne Brodfuehrer and Steve Parus (19 Ledgelawn Avenue, Lexington), Oliver Chong (9 Blake Road, Lexington), Rod Cole (Capital Expenditures Committee liaison), Jim Easton (21 Lincoln Street, Lexington), Jonathan Fleischmann (8 Angier Road, Lexington), Jasmine Gu and Huili Shao (15 Rumford Road, Lexington), Guy Jarvis (97 Woburn Street, Lexington), Yan Jin and Ella Li (259 Marrett Road, Lexington), Minmin Kang and Ethan Xu (165 Lincoln Street, Lexington), Doreen Karoll (76 Bloomfield Street, Lexington), Carolyn Levi (60 Turning Mill Road, Lexington), Doug Lucente (Select Board liaison), Ali Lynch (10 Bloomfield Street, Lexington), Margery, Janna Mendonca (1 John Wilson Lane, Lexington), Hien Nguyen (17 Holland Street, Lexington), Kartik Shah (7 Chestnut Lane, Lexington), Greg Sheehan (51 Williams Road, Lexington), Tom Shiple (18 Phinney Road, Lexington), P.K. Shiu (1024 Massachusetts Avenue, Lexington), Jill Teplensky (219 Follen Road, Lexington), Elaine Tung (5 Franklin Road, Lexington), Public Comment Jill Teplensky, resident of 219 Follen Road, made comments expressing her support for the Valley Courts to be lined for both tennis and pickleball going forward. A copy of Ms. Teplensky's remarks are attached to the meeting minutes. Jonathan Fleischmann, resident of 8 Angier Road, expressed his support for the proposed court improvements at the Adams Courts. Mr. Fleischmann said that pickleball brings people of varying ages together in Lexington who have never met before and the sport provides a social and fitness engine for the community. In his estimation, the Adams Courts are a secondary location for tennis and adding additional pickleball courts at Adams would be beneficial for pickleball players. Greg Sheehan, resident of 51 Williams Road, has played pickleball for the past year and credited both the Lexington Pickleball Club (LPC) and the Recreation and Community Programs Department for the growth of pickleball in Lexington. 2. April 2025 Meeting Minutes Weiwei Li moved to approve the minutes from the April 8, 2025 meeting and Claire Sheth seconded the motion. The Recreation Committee voted 6-0 to approve this motion. 3. LHS Building Project Updates The Committee discussed writing a letter on the current design options and amenities for the LHS School Building Project. Rick DeAngelis, Chair of the Recreation Committee, said that during the School Building Committee (SBC) meeting last week, the topic of potentially lighting the new athletic fields was discussed. Melissa Battite, Director of Recreation and Community Programs, added that the SBC will make votes for the elements to be included in the final design and project budget. As of now, the plan calls for sod on the athletic fields with no lights. Mr. DeAngelis stated that it becomes a matter of whether the Committee want to take a stance on lights at fields that are generally lighted in other communities. For example, Friday Night Lights football games are a big deal in eastern Massachusetts. One factor that must be taken into consideration is that the new athletic fields will be located closer to the Waltham Street abutters. Claire Sheth emphasized that with the Town's recent trend towards conservatism when it comes to expenditures, would it make sense to install the conduit now and take a wait-and-see approach to identify needs as they evolve over time and wondered whether sod justified the addition of lights. Christian Boutwell, Vice Chair of the Recreation Committee, concurred with the sentiments expressed by Ms. Sheth and thought that a scoreboard should absolutely be included at the new football field. He believed that it would make sense for the design to identify where lights could be placed in the future so the conduit could be installed as part of the project. Ms. Battite confirmed that all existing amenities will be present at the new athletic fields in the future and recommended that the Committee consider additional or new item at the fields going forward. At the conclusion of the discussion, Christian Boutwell made the following motion: "The Recreation Committee supports a letter to be drafted regarding the replacement of amenities in-kind for the displaced athletic fields, while consideration is also given to add new items or amenities that would improve connectivity throughout the Center Recreation Complex. The letter will be drafted by Claire Sheth and reviewed initially by Renen Bassik before it is reviewed with and voted on by the Recreation Committee at a future meeting." Claire Sheth seconded the motion. The Recreation Committee voted 6-0 to approve this motion. 4. LHS Girls Soccer Boosters — Banner Renewal Request The sponsorship program proposal from the LHS Girls Soccer Boosters Club is attached to the meeting minutes. Melissa Battite said that the program would be very similar to the one that was in place during the Fall 2024 season. The LHS girls soccer team is moving to Lincoln #1 and the banners cannot be attached to the tension netting, so alternatives on how to display the banners are currently being explored. In total, the Boosters Club would like to display 6-8 banners during the upcoming fall season. After a brief discussion, Claire Sheth made the following motion: "The Recreation Committee accepts the proposal from the Lexington High School Girls Soccer Booster Club to continue with the Sponsorship Program, which will consist of up to eight (8) sponsor banners to be displayed during the Fall 2025 high school soccer season." Renen Bassik seconded the motion. The Recreation Committee voted 6-0 to approve this motion. 5. LCA — Utility Box at Lincoln 1 Christine Dean, Community Center Director, provided an overview of the proposal. Similar to previous projects, the Lexington Council for the Arts (LCA) would provide the funding and it would be preferable to repeat the process of curating an art director with help from the LCA to paint the utility box located by Lincoln #1. The proposal would be brought before the Committee before being voted on by the Select Board. Pending the Select Board's approval, a public art director would be hired. The art director would call for artists to submit proposals. Representatives from LCA, the Committee, Lincoln Park Sub -Committee (LPSC), and the project 39 MARRETT ROAD, LEXINGTON, MASSACHUSETTS 02421 curator would serve on the jury, review submissions, and make the final recommendation to the Committee. The goal is to complete this project during the summer and Renen Bassik agreed to be the juror from the Committee. Rick DeAngelis made the following motion: "The Recreation Committee recommends its support for the concept of painting the utility box located at Lincoln #1." Renen Bassik seconded the motion. The Recreation Committee voted 6-0 to approve this motion. 6. LHS — Imagine Cup Junior Presentation Committee member Weiwei Li provided and introduction and then Ella Li, Jasmine Gu, and Ethan Xu, three juniors at Lexington High School, gave a presentation on Plant Detecht and the presentation slides are attached to the meeting minutes. The problem identified is poisonous plant species such as poison ivy, pokeweed, and water hemlock are present in recreation areas. Approximately 85% of people will react to poisonous plants. These poisonous plants also threaten the livelihood of native species. For the solution, the goals are to protect health, improve ecosystems, and increase accessibility. Ms. Li, Ms. Gu, and Mr. Xu self-taught Al knowledge on this topic, gathered relevant images, and added them to their foundation model. Regarding the Al model performance, the precision, which determines how accurate the identification is, came in at 97.7% and recall, which measures how many images the model can identify, was 91.8%. The students provided a step-by-step demonstration which showed how the system works. Next steps include crowd sourcing images from experts, collaborating with Lexington residents, and taking their successes to other towns. At the end of the presentation, members of the Committee had the opportunity to ask questions. Christian Boutwell asked if the students had given any consideration to refining the definition of poisonous in terms of touch vs. eat. The students said that adjustment could be made. In terms of how to approach crowd sourcing data, Ms. Li stated that they relied on verified images and images would be run by experts before adding it to the module. Mr. Boutwell encouraged the students to reach out to the Lexington Conservation stewards. 7. Greater Boston Cricket Foundation — Storage Shed Request Kartik Shah, founder of the Greater Boston Cricket Foundation (GBos) gave an overview of the proposal to install a storage shed at the Center Recreation Complex and the proposal is attached to the meeting minutes. Mr. Shah indicated that the GBos adult and youth membership is increasing exponentially. A "backyard pitch" youth cricket program is offered at the Crumb Football Field during the summer. There were 25 participants in last year's pilot program and it is anticipated that there will be more participants this summer. There is a lot of equipment associated with this program that requires set up and take down. The request is to have a storage shed on site and place it near the football field. It would be a temporary installation for the duration of the season, which runs from late -June through August, and then the shed would be taken away at the end of the season. Examples of what the storage shed would look like and locations for where it would be placed were included in the proposal and Mr. Shah said that he would work with the Recreation and Community Programs Department and DPW. While Committee members would be in favor of standardizing storage requests such as this one, it does provide a good check-in between the user group and the department and Committee. It may be worthwhile to consolidate requests of this nature in the future. After a brief conversation, Renen Bassik made the following motion: "The Recreation Committee approves the request from the Greater Boston Cricket Foundation for the temporary installation of a storage shed next to the Crumb Football Field in coordination with the Recreation and Community Programs Department and DPW, or their designees." Claire Sheth seconded the motion. The Recreation Committee voted 6-0 to approve this motion. 39 MARRETT ROAD, LEXINGTON, MASSACHUSETTS 02421 4 8. Indoor Badminton Peter Coleman, Assistant Director of Recreation, gave a presentation on the adult badminton program and the presentation slides are attached to the meeting minutes. This program was first introduced in Fall 2015 and expanded to two nights a week in Winter 2022. This past winter, new badminton nets were purchased at the request of the participants. The program is offered during the fall, winter, and spring on Monday and Thursday nights at the Estabrook School. In recent years, there have been between 55-65 unique participants during the course of a school year. Mr. Coleman provided a summary of the equipment that is provided as well as attendance figures from 2024 and 2025. The presentation also included an overview of the badminton program offerings in Arlington and Needham. 9. LPC — Proposal for Adams Hard Court Surfaces Claire Sheth informed the Committee that the Lexington Pickleball Club (LPC) is looking to increase the number of pickleball courts from four courts to six courts at the Adams Courts, located behind the Waldorf School on Massachusetts Avenue. The pilot pickleball program at Adams last year was successful. Ms. Sheth stated that it is difficult to play pickleball at this site due to the color of the pickleball lines. Funds were not available last year to change the color of the pickleball lines. LPC asked if the Committee could prioritize the repainting/reconfiguration of the courts. Earlier this year, Ms. Sheth explained to LPC that finances in town exceeded the financial and bandwith capacity for the coming season, but if a private enterprise took on the responsibility of spearheading a campaign, that could fast-track the project being completed. Members from LPC showed interest in this concept. The LPC presentation slides are attached to the meeting minutes. P.K. Shiu, LPC President, began his presentation by thanking Melissa Battite, Peter Coleman, and the Committee for working closely with LPC over the past year. Mr. Shiu reported that LPC currently has 1,087 members, with 254 members actively participating in the spring season. The purpose of the presentation is to select an option to move forward with for LPC to execute. The desired outcome is to provide a better pickleball experience for players in Lexington. In terms on constraints, LPC was formed two years ago and people are getting anxious for enhancements to the pickleball courts to take place. Mr. Shiu emphasized the importance of timing as well as maintaining balance between tennis and pickleball and indicated that there are tennis players on the LPC board. Pictures of the current court conditions at Adams were presented. The two options under consideration are a full surface treatment (Option A) or addressing the pickleball lines only (Option B). Diagrams with renderings of each option were shown. There was also a proposal overview chart that contained information (estimate cost, funding source, pros and cons) on both options. Mr. Shiu provided an update on the progress that LPC had made to date in terms of the vendor selection process, court layout plan, and establishing the funding source. Another potential option (Option C) would convert the Valley Courts to tennis only and the Adams Courts to pickleball only. Members of the Committee had a chance to make comments and ask questions. Ms. Sheth stated that with LPC providing short-term funding and the Adams Courts scheduled to be reconstructed in a couple of years, there are a range of options for the Committee to consider. Mr. Shiu highlighted that having six pickleball courts at Adams would increase the number of pickleball courts by 50%. If there are six courts, LPC could reduce the times/days of the week that it uses the courts, which would increase the number of court hours available to the general public. Christian Boutwell did express some concerns about Option C as Adams cannot be guaranteed as pickleball-only at this point. Renen Bassik added that community access and engagement would need to take place before a decision like this could be made. Mr. Boutwell appreciated the creative thought process that has gone into the concepts so far and stated that he is more of an incrementalist. He is generally in favor of increasing to six pickleball courts at Adams as that 39 MARRETT ROAD, LEXINGTON, MASSACHUSETTS 02421 would not require a multi -factorial decision at this point in time. Rick DeAngelis supported Mr. Boutwell's mindset as an incremental approach would preserve further discussion on this topic in the future. Weiwei Li also expressed his support for six pickleball courts at Adams. Mr. Shiu indicated that the priority would be to repaint the pickleball lines first, followed by the court surface being addressed at a later date. While the court surface has not been inspected, Melissa Battite reported that it is safe. Ms. Sheth did not want the Committee to lose sight that community members have come together, putting financial resources towards a solution. This will be a model that can be emulated going forward and $10,000 now is a reasonable investment in the courts. Ms. Sheth added that Option B feels like the right size project for right now and acknowledged that Adams will need more intensive repairs in the future. Ms. Sheth encouraged LPC to use the money wisely and asked for the Committee to be respectful of that given the spirit of collaboration and cooperation that has been demonstrated. It was at that point that Claire Sheth made the following motion: "The Recreation Committee recognizes the continued collaboration with the Lexington Pickleball Club (LPC) and approves LPC to proceed with Option B, as presented, for the relining of the pickleball lines at the Adams Courts with construction to take place during the 2025 season." Weiwei Li seconded the motion. The Recreation Committee voted 6-0 to approve this motion. 10. Recreation and Community Programs Report The May Recreation and Community Programs Report is attached to the meeting minutes. Melissa Battite highlighted the first community meeting for the Center Playground replacement project will be held on Thursday, May 22,d as well as the new Pine Meadows Golf Club logo. 11. Working Group Updates Melissa Battite indicated that the Lincoln Playing Surface Working Group has not met since the bid opening for the Lincoln #2 project was held and she will prepare a letter on the recycling options for the current turf field. Prior to adjourning, Christian Boutwell announced that he was resigning from the Recreation Committee, effective May 22, 2025. Mr. Boutwell cited needing to refocus all of his energy to his professional career as the reason for why he is stepping down. Members of the Committee expressed their appreciation to Mr. Boutwell for his thoughtfulness and all of his contributions over the years while serving on the Committee and acknowledged that he is a valuable resource to the entire Lexington community. The next meeting of the Recreation Committee is scheduled to take place on Thursday, June 12t' at 7:00pm. The May 21", 2025 meeting of the Recreation Committee adjourned at 9:20pm. Respectfully submitted, Peter Coleman Assistant Director of Recreation 39 MARRETT ROAD, LEXINGTON, MASSACHUSETTS 02421 The following documents distributed at the meeting are attached: • Statement and handout from Jill Teplensky • LHS Girls Soccer Booster Sponsorship Program Proposal • Plant Detecht Presentation Slides • Greater Boston (GBos) Cricket Foundation Storage Shed Request • Badminton Overview Presentation Slides • Adams Courts LPC Relining Project Proposal • May 2025 Recreation & Community Programs Report • 2025-2026 Select Board Liaison Assignments • Information about the Million Coaches Challenge • Center Playground Community Meetings Flyer • LexELPAC Resource Fair Thank You Letter • Outdoor Amenities at the Community Center Memo • Important Update for Board/Committee Members • Save Lexington Wildlife Presentation to the Board of Health • Recreation Committee Email Correspondence 39 MARRETT ROAD, LEXINGTON, MASSACHUSETTS 02421