HomeMy WebLinkAbout2009-12-16-REC-min `o' MOgk'Y
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Town of Lexington
tigym le =W, Recreation Committee
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Frederick DeAngelis, Chairman Tel. (781) 862-0500 x262
Richard Thuma, Vice Chairman Fax. (781) 861-2747
Wend\ Rudner
Sandra Shaw
Howard Vogel
RECREATION COMMITTEE MEETING
December 16, 2009
Town Office Building Room 207
Members Present: Rick DeAngelis (Chairman), Wendy Rudner, Sandra Shaw Howard Vogel, and Dick
Thuma(Vice Chairman)
Staff Present: Karen Simmons,Peter Coleman and Sheila Butts
The meeting of the Recreation Committee came to order at 7.04 PM. The following items were topics of
discussion.
1. Citizens and Other Boards:
No citizens or other boards were present.
2. Meeting Minutes from November 17,2009•
Rick DeAngelis made, and Sandra Shaw seconded a motion to approve the Meeting Minutes of
November 17 2009 as written. There was no discussion. The motion was approved (4—0- 1).
Dick Thuma, who was absent from the November meeting, expressed his concern and displeasure
that the Recreation Committee had revisited, reconsidered and voted to resubmit Park
Improvement/Athletic Field Capital Article requesting $50 000 to address the athletic field at the
Hastings School in FY2011 Mr Thuma voiced his opinion that the Committee reconsidered the
Article without an new information provided at the November meeting or indicated in the minutes of
said meeting. Mr DeAngelis and Ms Shaw both indicated that additional information regarding the
Article was provided at the November meeting, and is noted in the November meeting minutes
3. Center Field Drainage:
A full discussion of the Center Field Drainage is postponed until the Januar\ meeting at which time
representatives from Stantec will be in attendance to address an concerns and answer an questions
the Recreation Committee might have
Members of the Recreation Committee did have a livel` discussion of the proposed project, and
posed questions about the costs, ADA compliance and the manner in which non-budgeted items were
listed in the Stantec proposal. Mr Thuma asked where in the budget the mone` for the camera
investigation of the existing drainage lines would be shown. He also inquired as to what mone` was
budgeted for bringing the fields into ADA compliance') He indicated that both would certaml` affect
the budget for the project. Ms Simmons explained that the Stantec report lists both CPC and non-
CPC items, but a close review will show that there is no dollar amount listed for the non-CPC items,
as the\ would be a separate Capital Article request. Mr Thuma suggested that the Department ask
1625 MASSACHUSETTS AVENUE•LEXINGTON MASSACHUSETTS 02420
Stantec to provide cost estimates for ADA upgrades and all other non-CPC items listed in the final
report.
4. Weekend Field Closure Survey Results:
Peter Coleman provided the Recreation Committee with the results of the Weekend Field Closure
Surve` the\ had requested at the October 2009 meeting. Mr Coleman had contacted 15
communities about their polic` for determining field closures on weekends A cops of the surve`
and the results are attached.
5. Proposed Changes to Field Permit Policy
Peter Coleman distributed a cops of the current Field Permit polic` including recommended
changes for 2010 Included in the recommendations is information about weekend closures of all
grass fields and the Lincoln fields Rick DeAngelis asked. What is a significant ramstorm9' He
suggested that the word significant be deleted if criteria are not included. Field users could
potentiall` be left to determine mdividuall` what significant means Other questions posed and
discussed b` Mr DeAngelis and members of the Recreation Committee were
• If it rains overnight, what would occur regarding field closures')
• What is the mechanism for permit holders contacting the Department to check on the status
of a field on weekends')
• If fields are closed due to weather conditions, does the closure appl\ to the Lexington
Schools')
• What happens if the fields are not closed, and there is a heav` rainstorm during a weekend
da`
Sandra Shaw suggested that the information included in the Field Permit polic` relative to the
Department Cancellation Line be highlighted in red and listed more than once within the document.
Rick DeAngelis suggested that the closure information be more specific, and agreed that the
Cancellation number be highlighted throughout the document. Dick Thuma noted that the polic`
should include a statement indicating that the Department can close the Lincoln synthetic turf fields
as well as the natural grass fields throughout the Town. Members of the Recreation Committee
concurred with this
Karen Simmons told the Recreation Committee that the Department would incorporate their
suggestions and recommendations into the revised Field Permit Polio. Once revisions are
completed the document will be distributed to all previous field permit holders Peter Coleman told
the Committee that the deadline for spring field permit requests is Januar\ 8 2010 Rick DeAngelis
noted that some of the users might not be able to submit all of the required information b` the
deadline Mr Coleman explained that the additional information (rosters, CORI's, and insurance
certificates) can be submitted after the initial requests,but before the start of the season.
6. Lincoln Turf Concerns
Karen Simmons reported to the Recreation Committee that concerns have been raised b` Lexington
United Soccer Club about the condition of the synthetic turf on Lincoln Field# 1 Peter Coleman and
Dave Pinsonneault walked the fields to determine if there were an areas of inconsistent wear Dave
Pmsonneault is arranging a meeting with Pat Maguire of Stantec (formerl\ Geller Sport) who
designed the park. Ms Simmons reported that the Town has a 10 year warrant` and the substantial
completion date was in earl` 2003 The warrant` would onl` cover materials
Dick Thuma suggested that pla\ on the fields be rotated so that one field is not impacted b` continual
use Field 1 has traditionall` been used b` Lexington High School for varsrt` soccer and lacrosse
practices and games, in addition to LUSC and Lexington Youth lacrosse
Mr DeAngelis and Mr Thuma suggested that the Department revisit the warrant` on the fields Mr
Thuma also suggested that the Department confirm that the warrant` owner is still in business Ms
Simmons indicated that she will review both the existing warrant` and the viabilrt` of the compan`
She also noted that Northeast Turf is on contract with the Town to inspect the fields and do minor
maintenance on the fields twice a year The Town also has a G-Max test done annuall` b` a different
compan`
7 Parks Report
Dave Pmsonneault was unable to attend the meeting. His monthl` Parks Report is attached.
8. Recreation Report
Karen Simmons told the Recreation Committee that the annual summer staff recruitment has begun
and letters would be mailed to 2009 staff before Christmas The deadline for returning staff to
commit to summer employment with the town is Januar\ 26 2010
The numbers for both the Thursda` afternoon and Freda` evening Ski Programs are greatl` increased
over past years The Department has added a third bus on Thursda` afternoons and a fifth bus for
Freda` evenings to accommodate all of the participants
Ms Simmons distributed a cops of the Recreation Department s FY2011operating budget. The
recommended budget was presented to the Board of Selectmen on December 2, 2009 The budget
request was for a level service and reflects an increase of 14%. Ms Simmons briefl` reviewed and
explained different elements of the recommended budget, which reflects a rise in bank charges for the
new credit card machine usage at Pine Meadows, and an increase in the contractual vendor fees for
programs Ms Simmons also noted that the Indirect Charges to the Recreation Department have
increased $15 000 for FY 2011 Mr Thuma inquired as to whether the revenues were up or down
based upon projected numbers Ms Simmons told the Committee that the revenue numbers were in
line with projections and ended FY2009 with a small surplus Mr Thuma congratulated Ms
Simmons on a great job
9 New Business
Sandra Shaw who is the Recreation Liaison to the Bicycle Advisors Committee, submitted a report
to Karen Simmons regarding the BAC concerns about problem intersections along the Minuteman
Bikewa`
The next meeting of the Recreation Committee is scheduled for 7 PM in Room 207 of the
Town Office Building on Tuesday, January 12, 2010
Sandra Shaw moved and Howard Vogel seconded adjournment of the meeting. The Recreation Committee voted
—0 to adjourn the December 16 2009 meeting of the Recreation Committee at 8 31 PM.