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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2020-10-13-REC-min `ops MORNS o� 1775 m Town of Lexington 4 oW Recreation Committee x z APRIL 19T" �FXIN(iT Frederick DeAngelis, Chairman Tel: (781) 698-4800 Lisah Rhodes, Vice Chair Fax: (781) 861-2747 Lisa O'Brien Francesca Pfrommer Christian Boutwell Recreation Committee Minutes of Meeting October 13, 2020 A virtual meeting of the Recreation Committee was held on Tuesday, October 13, 2020 at 6:30pm through the Zoom platform. Members Present: Rick DeAngelis,Lisah Rhodes, Christian Boutwell,Lisa O'Brien, and Francesca Pfrommer Staff Present: Melissa Battite,Director of Recreation and Community Programs,Peter Coleman, Assistant Director of Recreation, Christine Dean, Community Center Directors, Thomas Romano,Youth and Family Program Coordinator,Melinda Spencer, Administrative Manager, and Hayato Tsurumaki,Recreation Supervisor Others Present: Sandy Beebee(Capital Expenditures Committee liaison),Ellen Cameron (Council on Aging liaison), Eileen Jay(School Committee liaison), Karen Mullins, Conservation Administrator, and members of the Conservation Commission: Phil Hamilton(chair), Kevin Beuttell, Duke Bitsko, Alex Dohan, Ruth Ladd, David Langseth, and Holly Samuels 1. September 23,2020 Minutes Lisah Rhodes moved and Francesca Pfrommer seconded the approval of the minutes from the September 23rd meeting. The Recreation Committee voted 5-0 to approve the September 23 minutes. 2. Athletic Field and Court Use Policy A copy of the Athletic Field and Court Use Policy is attached to the meeting minutes. Melissa Battite, Director of Recreation and Community Programs, indicated to the Committee that the basketball and tennis/pickleball courts are now incorporated into the policy. Members of the Committee commended staff for the time they spent working on and editing various reiterations of the policy and the revised policy will serve the community well going forward. One suggestion was made to rearrange the order of two items in one particular section,but no other edits were recommended. After a brief discussion, Francesca Pfrommer made the following motion: "The Recreation Committee moves to accept the Town of Lexington Athletic Field and Court Use Policy,pending the minor edits that were discussed for consistency purposes, and the implementation of the policy going forward." Lisah Rhodes seconded the motion. The Recreation Committee voted 5-0 to approve this motion. 3. Five Year Capital Planning Prior to the beginning of the capital planning discussion, Melissa Battite informed the Committee that the Town is interested in pursuing alternative funding models for the Recreation Enterprise Fund going forward. A working group comprised of Town staff and members of various boards and committees is being formed to review the capital stabilization fund, Other Post-Employment Benefits (OPEBs), and the Recreation Enterprise Fund and a member of the Committee has been 2 invited to join the working group. While the exact time commitment has not been specified, it is anticipated that it will be a quick turnaround with regular meetings over the next few months. Francesca Pfrommer expressed her interest in serving on the working group and Rick DeAngelis, Chairman of the Recreation Committee made the following motion: "The Recreation Committee moves to select Francesca Pfrommer to serve on the Town Manager's Working Group that will review the various funding models for the Recreation Enterprise Fund." Lisah Rhodes seconded the motion. The Recreation Committee voted 5-0 to approve this motion. a. Conservation&Recreation Projects At this point of the meeting,the Conservation Commission joined the meeting for a discussion on the upcoming Conservation and Recreation capital improvement projects. Melissa Battite explained that there are several properties that are owned by Conservation that overlap park properties,making them of mutual interest for both departments. Ms. Battite added that through the Town's Comprehensive Plan, Community Needs Assessment, and upcoming Open Space and Recreation Plan(OSRP)Update, Recreation and Conservation will be collaborating on joint projects going forward. Karen Mullins, Conservation Administrator, stated the OSRP was last updated in 2015 and needs to be updated every seven years. This means that the OSRP is due to be updated during FY2022. Once the update has been completed, the Town will be eligible to receive specific grants. Phil Hamilton, Chairman of the Conservation Commission, indicated that in preparation of the OSRP Update, two Commission members and two Conservation stewards worked together to come up with a revised schedule of the Conservation capital improvement projects for the next five years. A copy of the Conservation 5-Year Capital Plan is attached to the meeting minutes. When there are joint interests, staff from both departments will look to bid out and mobilize projects simultaneously and members from both the Conservation Commission and the Recreation Committee expressed their interest in this reasonable, coordinated approach. During the conversation, it was recommended that a working group consisting of two members from the Conservation Commission,two members from the Recreation Committee, and the director of each department form a working group that would meet a predetermined number of times per year(to be determined by Ms. Mullins and Ms. Battite). It was suggested that the Commission on Disability be involved as well. The working group would review the upcoming capital improvement projects for each department as well as address programmatic and educational enhancements and opportunities. The discussion concluded with Ms. Mullins and Ms. Battite agreeing to draft a charge for the working group that will be reviewed and voted on by the Conservation Commission and Recreation Committee during the respective meetings in December. The Conservation Commission adjourned its meeting at 7:3 6pm. b. Recreation FY22—FY26 Capital Peter Coleman,Assistant Director of Recreation, provided the Committee with an overview of the Recreation FY2022-FY2026 5-Year Capital Plan and a copy of the plan is attached to the meeting minutes. In all,there are seven capital improvement projects scheduled for FY2022 for a total of$1,547,000. Members of the Committee questioned whether to leave the design/engineering phase of the Pine Meadows clubhouse renovation in FY2022 or move it to FY2023 since the actual construction is scheduled for FY2026. Ultimately,the decision was to not make any adjustments to the proposed timelines for any of the projects. After a brief discussion, Lisah Rhodes made the following motion: "The Recreation Committee moves to accept the Recreation FY2022-FY2026 5-Year Capital Plan." Francesca Pfrommer seconded the motion. The Recreation Committee voted 5-0 to approve this motion. 39 MARRETT ROAD,LEXINGTON,MASSACHUSETTS 02421 3 After the vote was taken,Melissa Battite indicated to the Committee that the priorities for each of the projects will be reviewed during the Recreation Committee meeting in November. Before the meeting concluded, Melissa Battite reminded the Committee about the monthly Liaison Report and Recreation and Community Programs Report that were distributed prior to the meeting. A copy of both reports, along with the Department's FY2020 annual report and the Committee's FY2020 annual report and photo, are attached to the meeting minutes. Ms. Battite added that the department was denied access to the school gymnasiums this fall. This is something that staff will continue to discuss with the Lexington Public Schools administration and Facilities Department as the winter months are quickly approaching. An update on this, as well as feedback from the community and the Select Board on the Community Needs Assessment,will be provided during the November meeting. The next virtual meeting of the Recreation Committee is scheduled to take place on Monday, November 23rd at 5:00pm through the Zoom platform. The October 13th, 2020 meeting of the Recreation Committee adjourned at 8:43pm. Respectfully submitted, Peter Coleman Assistant Director of Recreation The following documents distributed at the meeting are attached: • Town of Lexington Athletic Field and Court Use Policy • Conservation Commission 5-Year Capital Plan • Recreation FY2022-FY2026 5-Year Capital Plan • October 2020 Liaison Reports • October 2020 Recreation & Community Programs Report • FY2020 Recreation and Community Programs Annual Report • FY2020 Recreation Committee Annual Report • Recreation Committee Annual Photo 39 MARRETT ROAD,LEXINGTON,MASSACHUSETTS 02421