Loading...
HomeMy WebLinkAbout2018-12-19-REC-min lOvs MOBp�'Y pQ IT]5 G x Town of Lexington Recreation Committee ,s b APPIL19 S FX INC, Frederick DeAngelis, Chairman Tel: (781) 698-4800 Lisah Rhodes, Vice Chair Fax: (781) 861-2747 Lisa O'Brien Ruixi(Ray) Yuan Francesca Pftommer Recreation Committee Minutes of Meeting December 19, 2018 A meeting of the Recreation Committee was held on Wednesday, December 19,2018 at 8:05pm in the Room 237 of the Lexington Community Center, 39 Marrett Road, Lexington. Members Present: Rick DeAngelis, Lisah Rhodes, Lisa O'Brien, Francesca Pfrommer, and Ruixi Yuan Staff Present: Melissa Battite, Director of Recreation and Community Programs,Peter Coleman, Assistant Director of Recreation, Christine Dean, Community Center Director, and Chris Filadoro, DPW Superintendent of Public Grounds Others Present: Mark Andersen(2 Thoreau Road, Lexington), Suzie Barry(Board of Selectmen Chairman), Ellen Cameron(Council on Aging liaison), Tim Clackson (14 Winthrop Road, Lexington), Eileen Jay(School Committee liaison), Steve McKenna(9 Hancock Street, Lexington), Beth Sager(2 Whittier Road, Lexington), and Tom Shiple (18 Phinney Road, Lexington) 1. Meeting Minutes from November 28,2018 Francesca Pftommer moved and Rick DeAngelis seconded approval of the Recreation Committee Minutes of November 28, 2018. The Recreation Committee voted 4-0-1 to approve the minutes of November 28,2018. 2. Citizens and other Boards Beth Sager,resident of 2 Whittier Road, and Mark Andersen,resident of 2 Thoreau Road, spoke on behalf of LexSwim. Ms. Sager made a presentation at the September Recreation Committee meeting on behalf of LexSwim during which she expressed the importance of having a public indoor swimming pool in Lexington and encouraged the Recreation Committee to include the indoor swimming pool in its 5-year capital plan. Ms. Sager provided an update to the Recreation Committee. Over the course of the fall,LexSwim collected 1,000 signatures from residents who are interested in having an indoor pool in Lexington and LexSwim drafted a citizen's article to be submitted by the December 20t'deadline. Ms. Sager read the article and it is included as an attachment to the meeting minutes. Some members of the Committee were surprised to hear about the citizen's article as they were under the impression that it would be in the Recreation Community Needs Assessment that is scheduled for FY2020,pending approval at Town Meeting. Suzie Barry, Board of Selectmen Chairman, explained that if LexSwim is looking for a committee approach, then the Board of Selectmen could form an ad hoc committee to complete the necessary research prior to requesting funding at Town Meeting. Mr. Andersen stated that if the Recreation Committee wants LexSwim to approach the Board of Selectmen about forming an ad hoc committee, then they will proceed in that manner. Members of the Recreation Committee agreed that this would be the best course of action. Melissa Battite, Director of Recreation and Community Programs, 2 said that a working meeting could be held in early January with an update at the January Recreation Committee meeting. Ellen Cameron, liaison from the Council on Aging (COA),reported that the COA has been busy recently,programs are at their maximum capacity, and the participants are happy. 3. Liaison Reports A copy of the various liaison reports are included as an attachment to the meeting minutes. Lisa O'Brien stated that the next Lincoln Park Sub-Committee (LPSC) meeting will be held on Thursday, January 3rd at 4:30pm. The LPSC has a few vacancies and will be finalizing its committee members in the near future. Lisah Rhodes reported that the Community Preservation Committee (CPC)is in the process of making recommendations based on all of the project proposals that it received and indicated that proposed projects may not be fully funded through the CPA due to the number of requests that were submitted this year. Suzie Barry added that a citizen's article has been submitted that calls for the CPA surcharge to be reduced from 3% to 1%. This will be voted on at the 2019 Annual Town Meeting in the spring. Eileen Jay, liaison from the School Committee,reported that the later school start time for Lexington High School has been approved and will be implemented for the 2020-2021 school year. A liaison to the Bicycle Advisory Committee (BAC)will be determined at the Recreation Committee meeting in January 11, 2019 4. Capital Article—Feasibility Study Tom Shiple,resident of 18 Phinney Road,presented a proposal for a feasibility study to be completed on the athletic fields in Town. The underlying question posed by Mr. Shiple is what is the back-up plan if the Inter Municipal Agreement(IMA)with the Minuteman High School is not approved. Mr. Shiple recently met with Town staff and members of the Recreation Committee to discuss how the feasibility study should be shaped. The ultimate goal is to maximize the Town's investment in the athletic fields and prioritize the needs going forward. Under the proposal,the Recreation Committee would seek funding for the feasibility study in FY2021. In working with the Town's architect,it was determined that 14 Town properties would be included in the study and the cost for this comprehensive study would be approximately $90,000. Members of the Recreation Committee expressed their appreciation to Mr. Shiple for the time and effort he had put into this initiative and agreed that establishing a road map for the future is a proactive approach to this issue. After a brief discussion, Ruixi Yuan made the following motion: The Recreation Committee resolves to seek funding for a feasibility study by the 2020 Annual Town Meeting, such study will determine the feasibility of expanding the capacity of Town-owned athletic fields and other recreational facilities by determining which fields/facilities could be improved, including but not limited to, by adding synthetic turf or lights, or reorienting fields; if such funding is secured, then the study will be completed by November 1, 2020, and improvements will be prioritized, and then added to the capital plan as the need for more field capacity arises. Lisah Rhodes seconded the motion. The Recreation Committee voted 5-0 to approve. 5. Inter Municipal Agreement with Minuteman High School Update Melissa Battite provided an update on the proposed Inter Municipal Agreement(IMA)with the Minuteman High School. The working group reviewed a draft of the memo of understanding (MOU) at its fourth meeting on December 13th. The next working group meeting is scheduled for January 8th. Minuteman uses the same bond counsel as the Town. While the process is moving along, Ms. Battite stated that the biggest remaining component that needs to be finalized is the financing. Minuteman has indicated that it will be sending over the cost breakdown for the project within the next week. 39 MARRETT ROAD,LEXINGTON,MASSACHUSETTS 02421 3 6. Recreation, Community Programs, and Parks Reports Melissa Battite, Christine Dean, Community Center Director, and Peter Coleman, Assistant Director of Recreation provided the Committee with their monthly update. The December 2018 Recreation and Community Programs Report is included as an attachment to the minutes. No Parks Report was given. The next meeting of the Recreation Committee is scheduled to take place on Wednesday,January 16"at 7:00pm in Room 237 of the Lexington Community Center. The December 19`" 2018 meeting of the Recreation Committee adjourned at 8:5 7pm. Respectfully submitted, Peter Coleman Assistant Director of Recreation The following documents/exhibits distributed at the meeting are attached: • LexSwim Indoor Swimming Pool Citizen's Article • Recreation Committee Liaison Reports • Proposed Feasibility Study Article by Tom Shiple • December 2018 Recreation & Community Programs Report 39 MARRETT ROAD,LEXINGTON,MASSACHUSETTS 02421