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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2018-02-28-REC-min `pus IWOgNY pQ' 1775 c Town of Lexington a - w ; Recreation Committee APRIL 19 FX I IN UV Frederick DeAngelis, Chairman Tel: (781) 698-4800 Lisah Rhodes,Vice Chairman Fax: (781) 862-2747 Sandra Shaw Ruixi Yuan Jason Denoncourt Joint Committee Meeting Minutes of Meeting February 28,2018 A joint meeting of the Recreation Committee and Community Center Program Advisory Committee was held on Wednesday,February 28, 2018 at 7:00pm in Room 237 of the Lexington Community Center, 39 Marrett Road, Lexington. Recreation Members Present: Rick DeAngelis,Jason Denoncourt, Lisah Rhodes, Sandra Shaw, and Ruixi Yuan Program Advisory Members Present: Alessandro Alessandrini,Nancy Adler,Lisah Rhodes,Archana Singhal, and John Zhu Program Advisory Members Absent: Dan Palant and Nancy Sheppard Staff Present: Melissa Battite,Director of Recreation and Community Programs, Peter Coleman, Assistant Director of Recreation, Christine Dean, Community Center Director, Chris Filadoro, DPW Superintendent of Public Grounds, Charlotte Rodgers, Director of Human Services, and Thomas Romano, Community Center Youth and Family Program Coordinator Others Present: Barry Orenstein (132 Follen Road, Lexington), Susan Rockwell (Historical Society) and Julie Shapiro (Lexington Council on Aging) 1. Recreation Committee Meeting Minutes from January 17,2018 Rick DeAngelis moved and Sandra Shaw seconded approval of the Recreation Committee Meeting Minutes of January 17, 2018. The Recreation Committee voted 3-0 to approve the minutes of January 17, 2018. 2. Community Center Program Advisory Committee Meeting Minutes from January 11,2018 Nancy Adler moved and Archana Singhal seconded approval of the Community Center Program Advisory Committee Meeting Minutes of January 11,2018. The Community Center Program Advisory Committee voted 5-0 to approve the minutes of January 11,2018. 3. Capital 5 Year Plan a) Community Center Campus Expansion Melissa Battite,Director of Recreation and Community Programs, gave a brief presentation to the Recreation Committee and Community Center Program Advisory Committee(CCPAC) on the Community Center campus expansion. The slides of the presentation are included as an attachment to the minutes. A request for$250,000 to complete a feasibility study of the proposed expansion will be presented at Town Meeting. Ms. Battite gave an overview of the process that has been involved with the Phase II renovation to date,which was part of the initial study back in 2012. The expansion would include a regulation-size gymnasium, locker rooms,multi-purpose space and a commercial kitchen, to date. Peter Coleman,Assistant Director of Recreation and Christine Dean, Community Center Director, explained the current space needs and restrictions 2 that are being experienced by the Recreation Division and Community Center Division, respectively. Mr. Coleman highlighted the need for more gym space due to the growth of the youth basketball programs as well as increased demand for adult programs (volleyball, badminton, pickleball)that are offered by the department as well as the gym demands for other non-school groups, such as the Lexington Youth Basketball Association(LYBA). Ms. Dean noted that additional gym and program space is needed to accommodate the many activities that are held at the Community Center, including OWLL classes,ping pong,vacation week and summer programs, and senior fitness programs, many of which are at capacity. The request for the feasibility study would be funded out of the Recreation Enterprise Fund. Rick DeAngelis, Chairman of the Recreation Committee, stated that the Recreation and Community Programs Department is alive and well and as a result,there is a clear need for more space for all constituents. In his opinion, this is a simple request to determine the needs of the community going forward. Lisah Rhodes,Vice Chairman of the Recreation Committee, expressed a concern that the Capital Expenditures Committee (CEC) does not support this request for approval due to the other significant capital investments that are needed throughout the community in the near future. Ms. Rhodes strongly encouraged members of the Recreation Committee and CCPAC to contact Town Meeting members in the coming weeks to advocate for this article prior to the start of Town Meeting since it is critical to have buy-in from both the Board of Selectmen and CEC and to ensure the community, municipal use of the Pelham Road property is not lost. Members of both Committees emphasized that the need for and the financial sustainability of the campus expansion must be demonstrated and asked what the feasibility study will include. Ms. Battite indicated that the feasibility will use much of the work that has already been completed by the architect(DiNisco)to determine what concepts are truly feasible and which option to proceed with. Nancy Adler,member of the CCPAC,noted that this is like a political campaign and it will be important to know who the individuals are that need to be influenced and how to influence them. After a lengthy discussion, the last point that was made by members of both Committees is that the approach needs to communicate that not the Recreation Committee,but rather the Lexington community needs the Community Center campus expansion and is in support of the project moving forward. b) Town Meeting Ms. Battite reported that the 2018 Annual Town Meeting will begin on Monday, March 26'. There will be a total of five capital improvement projects presented at Town Meeting. In addition to the Community Center campus expansion,the other requests include an athletic facility lighting upgrade at the Center Recreation Complex,the reconstruction of the Center Track and Field, a feasibility study for the renovation of the Old Reservoir bathhouse, and equipment for the Pine Meadows Golf Club. Given that the two projects at the Center Recreation Complex will be greater than $4 million,it is important for members of the Recreation Committee to reach out to Town Meeting members ahead of time. 4. Committee Goals Ms. Battite read the Recreation Committee and CCPAC goals. With the term of several committee members coming to an end,the goals will need to be reviewed and emphasized moving forward. For those members whose term will be ending, it would be appreciated for them to let the Department know ahead of time if they would like to continue serving on their respective committee. 5. Reports a) Recreation and Community Programs Melissa Battite provided the Committees with her monthly update. The February 2018 Recreation and Community Programs Report is included as an attachment to the minutes. The 39 MARRETT ROAD,LEXINGTON,MASSACHUSETTS 02421 3 Town Pool renovation project is on schedule and a"Save the Date"is for the Town Pool grand re-opening, which is scheduled for Saturday,June 16th. Ms. Battite also reported that the Engineering Department will be overseeing a renovation project of the dam at the Old Reservoir this summer. b) Parks Report Chris Filadoro,DPW Superintendent of Public Grounds,provided this month's Parks Report. Given the weather has been nice over the past few weeks, staff has gotten a head-start on spring preparations. Staff will be painting the lacrosse lines on the fields at Lincoln Park on Thursday, March 1 st. Staff also completed their annual playground inspections recently. The next meeting of the Recreation Committee is scheduled to take place on Wednesday,March 21St,2018 at 6:00pm in the Reed Room of the Lexington Town Office Building, 1625 Massachusetts Avenue. The next meeting of the Community Center Program Advisory Committee is scheduled to take place on Thursday,April 12t", 2018 at 7:00pm in Room 242 of the Lexington Community Center. The February 28, 2018 meeting of the Recreation Committee adjourned at 8:1 Spm. Respectfully submitted, Peter Coleman Assistant Director of Recreation The following documents/exhibits distributed at the meeting are attached: • Community Center Campus Expansion Presentation • February 2018 Recreation & Community Programs Report 39 MARRETT ROAD,LEXINGTON,MASSACHUSETTS 02421