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Home My WebLink About2012-04-18-REC-min (includes attachments)%3S Mole 0 1775 v A Town of f Lexington s Recreation Committee APRIL 19 " � FX I NG Frederick DeAngelis, Chairman Tel: (781) 862 -0500 x 262 Howard Vogel, Vice Chairman Fax: (781) 862 -2747 Wendy Rudner Sandra Shaw Lisah Rhodes Recreation Committee Minutes of Meeting of April 18, 2012 Members Present: Lisah Rhodes, Wendy Rudner, Sandra Shaw and Howard Vogel Absent: Rick DeAngelis Staff Present: Karen Simmons, Director of Recreation, and Chris Filadoro, DPW Superintendent of Public Grounds Others Present: Bob Pressman The Recreation Committee meeting began at 7:00 p.m. The meeting acted on the following items: 1. Citizens and Other Boards: Mr. Pressman will speak under the Wright Farm agenda item 2. Meeting Minutes from March 28,2012: Lisah Rhodes moved and Wendy Rudner seconded acceptance of the Recreation Committee minutes of March 28, 2012. The motion was approved by a vote of 4 — 0. 3. Wright Farm: The Town of Lexington is considering purchasing the Wright Farm for Conservation. The Recreation Committee reviewed the parcel and after much discussion determined that it is not an appropriate location for athletic fields due to the topography and the wetlands. Mr. Pressman expressed his frustration that the Town is spending a lot of money on more land and recreation is not getting anything. He believes the Recreation Committee should approach the Board of Selectmen and request a plan for new athletic fields. He further notes that the current Open Space and Recreation Plan recommends creating an oversight committee that will oversee the progress in the plan and coordinate the actions and priorities of various groups with competing interests. The Recreation Committee would not take a position if the land should be purchased by the Town. Lisah Rhodes will make a statement for the Recreation Committee at Town Meeting when the article is brought before Town Meeting. Howie Vogel moved the following motion: The Recreation Committee does not feel the Wright Farm would be appropriate for active recreation. It was seconded by Lisah Rhodes and passed 4 -0. 1625 MASSACHUSETTS AVENUE • LEXINGTON, MASSACHUSETTS 02420 4. Idylewilde Conservation Area: Selectmen Peter Kelley requested that Karen Simmons, Director of Recreation, present his plan to the Recreation Committee. A copy was provided to each member. He would like to pursue removing the conservation restriction from the Idylewilde Conservation Area. Mr. Kelley worked with a local landscape architect to draw a full size multi - purpose field and a parking lot off of Lincoln Street and one off of Middle Street. Mrs. Shaw questioned the reality of this because Lexington residents love conservation land and it is currently being used for community gardening and other passive recreation. The Conservation Commission /Town of Lexington acquired the land in 1977 and received a Self Help grant from the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. The Conservation Commission would have to support the transfer, Town Meeting would have to approve the change and then the State Legislature would have to approve. the change. Based on this information, it may or may not be possible. Section 5 and 6 of the Self Help Program Project Agreement may open the door if the Town provided conservation with other property of equal value....... As much as this looks appealing to meet recreation needs, the Recreation Committee questions the practicality and feasibility of this happening. After much discussion, the Recreation Committee decided not to proceed forward with Mr. Kelly's plan at this time. 5. Lincoln Park Sub - committee (LPSC): Karen Simmons, Director of Recreation, provided the committee with a copy of the final charge of the Lincoln Park Sub - Committee, The Recreation Committee requested that Ms. Simmons begin the recruitment of members for the LPSC. Mrs. Shaw asked Mr. Pressman if he would like to serve on the LPSC and he will consider it. 6 Recreation's 5 -Year Capital Plan: The Recreation Capital Articles were approved by Town Meeting. Howie Vogel did a great job! 7 Recreation Report Karen Simmons, Director of Recreation, reported the following: • The golf course opened on March 16` and is off to a great start this year. The mild weather is bringing out golfers earlier then normal. • The Irving H. Mabee Pool Complex renovation is on schedule. The roof singles are very brittle and received a great deal of damage when the skylights were replaced last fall. We may have to replace the roof shingles sooner then anticipated. Lisah Rhodes recommended that we consider solar panels at that time. • So far, we have hired about 130 staff to staff the aquatic facilities and run spring and summer programs. 8 Parks Reports Chris Filadoro, Superintendent of Public Grounds, reported the following: • The current scheduled date for reopening Center 1 and Center 2 fields is May 7th. Rick DeAngelis purchased the temporary fence that is currently being installed. It matches the permanent fencing in right field. The Parks staff will put it up in March /early April and remove the fencing at the end of August each year. Mr. Filadoro asked if the Recreation Committee planned on having a ribbon cutting and they said no, it is a renovation, not a new facility. • The Highway Division of DPW worked with Minuteman Technical High School to dig the area for the tennis pavilion footings. The Lexington Little League Board paid to have all Little League fields laser - graded. Mr. Filadoro ran a Field Maintenance & Mound Building Clinic for Little League coaches a couple of weeks ago. The culvert project at Pine Meadows is complete. Reviewed the recommended Estabrook School athletic field plans. The Recreation Committee unanimously supports the recommendation of Mrs. Simmons and Mr. Filadoro to have a crown on the athletic field between 3 /a %, not to exceed 1% and to have sod as and alternate. The next meeting of the Recreation Committee will take place on Wednesday, May 16, 2012 at 7:00 p.m. in Room G -15 of the Town Office Building. The April 18, 2012 meeting adjourned at 9:10 p.m. The following documents /exhibits distributed or discussed at the meeting are attached: 1. Idylwilde Community Garden Parcel map 2. Lincoln Park Sub - Committee Charge 3. Article 9 & 10 Wright Farm Land Acquisition Information Sheet Respectfully Submitted, Karen Simmons J w r , /�� A4 ii I 1� A! Lincoln Park Sub - Committee Committee Charge Members: 7 -9 Appointed by: Recreation Committee Length of term: 3 years Appointments made: June 30 Meeting times: Monthly and other times, as needed Description: The Lincoln Park Sub - Committee (LPSC) is responsible for the oversight and advocacy of the facilities at Lincoln Park, encompassing passive and active recreation. The LPSC reports to the Recreation Committee. Lincoln Park is a 39.8 acre comprehensive, recreational facility comprised of athletic fields, walking /jogging paths, fitness stations, tot lot, meadows, a sensory garden and open space. In pursuit of these duties and responsibilities the sub - committee shall: Submit meeting minutes to the Recreation Committee. Report to the Recreation Committee 2 times per year, including an annual, joint Recreation/Lincoln Park Sub - Committee meeting at the park each May. Present all projects and financial transactions to the Recreation Committee for approval. Membership: Members should have an interest in recreation and open space. The committee will be comprised of equal representation of active and passive recreation, an abutter, and a representative from Hayden Recreation Centre. Prior to serving as a member of this committee, appointees are required to: 1. Acknowledge receipt of the Summary of the Conflict of Interest Statute. Further, to continue to serve on the Sub - Committee, the members must acknowledge annual receipt of the Summary of the Conflict of Interest Statute. Said summary will be provided by and acknowledged to the Town Clerk 2. Provide evidence to the Town Clerk that the appointee has completed the on -line training requirement required by the Conflict of Interest statute. Approved 3/28/12 Lexington Board of Selectmen & Conservation Commission A R T I C L E S 9 & 1 0 WRIGHT FARM L A N D A C Q U I S I T I O N INFORMATION SHEET April 2012 T H E P R O J E C T �r The Lexington Board of Selectmen and Conservation Commission are jointly filing a request with the Community Preservation Com- mittee for the Town to acquire the Wright Farm, an approximately 13 acre area on Grove Street in the northwest corner of Lexing- ton, for conservation purposes. Negotiations are still underway, and the purchase price is to be determined. The Wright Farm, with its sweeping views of a historic farm, has long provided an attractive gateway to Lexington for travelers coming from Bedford. The view of the Wright Farm along Grove Street features a farmhouse, barn, and a well- tended field, all bordered by woodland in the back. The dry upland area here could easily be used for residential development, which would greatly alter what is now a well - preserved historic landscape. The woodland behind the field contains a large area of wetland. The entire property is approximately 14 acres, of which 13 will be acquired for conservation purposes. 1 Submitted by Joyce Miller on behalf of the Conservation Commission, April 1 1, 2012 j 1 77 5 ly c E r x w z:2 p n w s Z APRIL 19' View of the Wright Farm from Grove Street in Lexington. In addition to its scenic beauty, the Wright Farm property has great value both as wildlife habitat and as a site for woodland recrea- tion. It adjoins a narrow strip of wooded Lexington conservation land, which itself adjoins the Burlington Landlocked Forest, a large area of mostly wooded open space in Burlington. Together, these open spaces provide an important wildlife corridor. The Burlington Landlocked Forest also contains several long trails that are regularly used by hikers and bicyclists. Hikers from Lexington can now enter that trail network from Paint Mine Conservation Area, by way of the open powerline easement off Turning Mill Road. The ac- quisition of the Wright Farm would provide Lexington with another entrance to—and additions to —this trail system. It would also enable a trail connection (across Grove Street /Page Road) to the open space surrounding Bedford's Old Reservoir. H I S T O R Y The Conservation Commission's interest in the Wright Farm is longstanding. In November 1990, the Town, at the Commission's request, had an appraisal of the property prepared. At that time, the owners decided to postpone any decision on a sale due to differences of opinion within the family. In 1996, the property was included in the Commission's Land Acquisition Planning Report and placed near the top of the list of private properties considered to be highly desirable for acquisition. This report was incorporated into the Town's Open Space and Recreation Plan in 1996 and its 2009 update. Over time, the Commission has continued to check in with the Wright Farm owners to ascertain their interest in selling the property, but the family continued to disagree about conveyance of the property until recently, when the family approached the Town about selling the property. 1021MAKSM If the Wright Farm is not acquired for conservation purposes, a scenic historic farm landscape and attractive gateway to Lexington will be lost to residential development. Development of this site will adversely impact the town's ability to create open space connec- tions, trail networks, and wildlife corridors. A buy right subdivision proof plan included in this packet shows that this site can be subdi- vided into 1 1 buildable lots. A C C O M PAN Y I N G MA P S • Location View: indicates the Wright Farm's location in Lexington and in relation to neighboring towns. • Landscape View: indicates the Wright Farm's location in relation to other nearby open spaces. • Parcel View: indicates the layout of the Wright Farm parcel, including wetland areas and 10 -foot contours. • By Right Subdivision Proof Plan: indicates potential development lots on the Wright Farm. View of the Wright Farm, including barn, from Grove Street in Lexington. 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