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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2020-11-23-REC-min (includes attachments) Town of Lexington Recreation Committee 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 November 23, 2020 A virtual meeting of the Recreation Committee was held on Monday, November 23, 2020 at 5:00pm 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 Director, Chris Filadoro, DPW Superintendent of Public Grounds, Katharine Labrecque, Management Fellow, and Melinda Spencer, Administrative Manager Others Present: Sandy Beebee (Capital Expenditures Committee liaison), Ellen Cameron (Council on Aging liaison), Eileen Jay (School Committee liaison), Kathryn Johnson (7 Cutler Farm Road, Lexington), Susan London (7 Carville Avenue, Lexington), Cynthia Pfeiffer (298 Marrett Road, Lexington), Diane Pursley (21 Turning Mill Road, Lexington), and Beth Randall (41 Woodcliffe Road, Lexington) 1. October 13, 2020 Minutes Lisah Rhodes moved and Francesca Pfrommer seconded the approval of the minutes from the October 13th meeting. The Recreation Committee voted 5-0 to approve the October 13 minutes. 2. Public Comment During this portion of the meeting, four residents expressed their interest in the Town acquiring the Boston Sports Club property on Bedford Street. Diane Pursley, 21 Turning Mill Road, voiced her support for the Recreation Committee and Town to pursue use of the Boston Sports Club, which ceased its operations in October. The club has both and indoor and outdoor swimming pool along with many indoor recreation opportunities and Ms. Pursley added that there is a huge need for indoor recreation spaces in town. Susan London, 7 Carville Avenue, stated that many Lexington families are driving great distances to take their children to a pool and it would be good to explore this possibility and keep these resources available to the Town. Cynthia Pfeiffer, 298 Marrett Road, added that the COVID-19 pandemic is making it harder to access indoor pools as the public pool at the Hanscom Air Force Base is currently closed. Kathryn Johnson, 7 Cutler Farm Road, supported the comments made by Ms. London, and Ms. Pfeiffer and expressed her desire for there to be more access to swimming. Christian Boutwell acknowledged that the lack of an indoor swimming pool and indoor recreation spaces is a known deficit in Town based on the key findings from the Community Needs Assessment. Mr. Boutwell added that it will be challenging as the owner of the property has indicated his initial interest is to redevelop the site into a commercial property. 2 39 MARRETT ROAD, LEXINGTON, MASSACHUSETTS 02421 3. Update – Path to RECovery – Restoration of Services Melissa Battite, Director of Recreation and Community Programs, reviewed the updated version of the Path to RECovery – Restoration of Services and a copy is attached to the meeting minutes. Phase E is set to run from early October through January 1, 2021. The Community Center is listed under the open to the public section during Phase E as limited curbside services, organized outdoor programs, and 1:1 appointments have been allowed this fall, staffing increased to 50% in person/50% remote in early October, and Town events such as the election, flu clinics, and police assessments have been held at the Community Center this fall. The public restrooms at the Center Recreation Complex, Lincoln Park, and the Community Center (for program participants) also opened this fall. Phase F is tentatively scheduled to last from January 1-March 27, 2021, which covers the duration of the winter program session. The Community Center will remain closed on nights and weekends through March 27th. While the athletic fields are typically closed in the winter, Ms. Battite indicated that having a hybrid Fall 2 season from February 22-April 25, 2021 continues to be discussed with the Lexington Public Schools administration. Members of the Committee expressed their appreciation for the work that went into developing this document and praised the appearance and formatting of the revised version. Lisa O’Brien asked if the Committee needed to do anything to help facilitate the approval of indoor program space at the Lexington Public Schools this winter. Ms. Battite reiterated that the Department’s use must be consistent with how the spaces are being used by physical education classes and LHS Athletics and thought it would be beneficial for the Committee to share their support for the community to participate in healthy activities this winter with the School Committee. Eileen Jay, liaison from the School Committee, communicated that the Massachusetts Interscholastic Athletic Association (MIAA) is allowing many modified winter sports and school districts are in the decision-making process now. Ms. Jay added that whatever the school system determines as allowable, Recreation will be able to do those activities. Members of the Committee were in favor of submitting a memo to the School Committee and after a brief discussion, Francesca Pfrommer made the following motion: “The Recreation Committee moves to have Christian Boutwell, with the assistance of Rick DeAngelis and/or Lisah Rhodes, draft a letter to the Lexington Public Schools administration outlining the Recreation Committee’s support for Recreation and Community Programs-sponsored classes and activities to be held at the Lexington Public Schools facilities this winter. All programs will adhere to and must be deemed safe by the COVID-19 guidelines and will be consistent with how the schools are using these spaces (gymnasiums, classrooms).” Christian Boutwell seconded the motion. The Recreation Committee voted 5-0 to approve this motion. This was followed by Rick DeAngelis, Chairman of the Recreation Committee, making the following motion: “The Recreation Committee moves to approve the modifications to the Path to RECovery as presented this evening.” Lisah O’Brien seconded the motion. The Recreation Committee voted 5-0 to approve this motion. 4. Community Needs Assessment – Discussion & Next Steps Christine Dean, Community Center Director, and Katharine Labrecque, Management Fellow, provided a summary of the recently completed Community Needs Assessment (CNA) and indicated that the next steps would involve creating a road map for how to implement the CNA. Ms. Dean referenced the LexRecNeeds webpage and reviewed the project timeline (February- October 2020). The key recommendations are broken down into seven (7) categories: Programming, Facilities, Maintenance, Community Marketing, System Funding, Park Classifications, and Business Planning. Melissa Battite stated that a needs assessment has a shelf life and staff and the Committee need to start acting on it and moving it forward. Ms. Battite added that cost recovery will be important, especially given the financial status of the Enterprise Fund. 3 39 MARRETT ROAD, LEXINGTON, MASSACHUSETTS 02421 Through the conversation, three buckets were prioritized: Financial/Business, Programming, and Facilities. It was determined that a working group would be developed for each of the three buckets and the working groups would report back to the Committee throughout the course of the upcoming year. These are the working groups that the members were assigned to: o Financial/Business – Rick DeAngelis, Francesca Pfrommer, and Melissa Battite o Programming – Lisa O’Brien and Christine Dean o Facilities – Christian Boutwell, Lisah Rhodes, and Peter Coleman Each working group will meet once in December as an introduction and to determine what its mission will be and then meet again January. 5. 5-Year Capital: FY22 – FY26 Priorities Peter Coleman, Assistant Director of Recreation, reviewed the Recreation FY2022-FY2026 5- Year Capital Plan that the Committee approved at its October meeting and the summary sheet is attached to the meeting minutes. Mr. Coleman indicated the exercise the Committee needed to complete was to rank the twelve (12) project categories based on their priority, with 1 as the top priority and 12 as the lowest priority. After a lengthy discussion, the Committee reached a consensus and Rick DeAngelis made the following motion: “The Recreation Committee moves to approve the prioritization of the Recreation FY2022-FY2026 5-Year Capital Plan as outlined below: 1. DPF-22-4: Center Recreation Complex Bathrooms/Maintenance Building Renovation 2. Rec-CPA-6: Community Center Mansion Sidewalk & Patio 3. 6201: Pine Meadows Improvements 4. 6203: Pine Meadows Equipment 5. Rec-CPA-2: Park Improvements – Athletic Fields 6. Rec-CPA-1: Park and Playground Improvements 7. Rec-22-1: Pine Meadows Clubhouse Renovation 8. Rec-22-3: Community Center Expansion 9. Rec-22-2: Lincoln Park Field Improvements 10. Rec-CPA-3: Park Improvements – Hard Court Resurfacing 11. Rec-22-4: Town Pool Water Heater Replacement 12. Rec-CPA-5: Cricket Field Construction” Lisah O’Brien seconded the motion. The Recreation Committee voted 5-0 to approve this motion. 6. Community Preservation – Conservation Report, Lisah Rhodes Lisah Rhodes, liaison to the Community Preservation Committee (CPC), shared a copy of the Recreation Community Preservation Plan and a copy of the plan is attached to the meeting minutes. The four identified buckets that CPA funding can go towards are open space, community housing, historic resources, and recreation. The CPC recommended that a section of the plan be edited, but members of the Committee believed it was premature to change one of the buckets, so the decision was made to keep the plan as it was. 7. Outdoor Lighting Policy Melissa Battite reviewed the Outdoor Recreation Area Lighting Policy and a copy of the policy is attached to the meeting minutes. Ms. Battite also mentioned the possibility of having a pilot program for the lights at the Center Track as residents have been inquiring about turning the lights on due to the reduced hours of daylight. After a brief discussion, Francesca Pfrommer made the following motion: “The Recreation Committee moves to approve the Outdoor 4 39 MARRETT ROAD, LEXINGTON, MASSACHUSETTS 02421 Recreation Area Lighting Policy and pilot the lights at the Center Track between now and January 31, 2021 as determined by the Recreation and Community Programs Department staff.” Rick DeAngelis seconded the motion. The Recreation Committee voted 5-0 to approve this motion. The November 2020 Recreation & Community Programs Report and the November 2020 Liaison Reports are attached to the meeting minutes. The next virtual meeting of the Recreation Committee is scheduled to take place on Wednesday, December 16th at 7:00pm through the Zoom platform. The November 23rd, 2020 meeting of the Recreation Committee adjourned at 7:52pm. Respectfully submitted, Peter Coleman Assistant Director of Recreation The following documents distributed at the meeting are attached: • Path to RECovery: Restoration of Services • FY2022-FY2026 Recreation 5-Year Capital Plan Summary Sheet • Community Preservation Plan – Reservation • Outdoor Recreation Area Lighting Policy • November 2020 Recreation & Community Programs Report • November 2020 Liaison Reports