[NOTE: These minutes are made available to the public prior to Parks and Recreation Advisory Board acceptance.]
The meeting was called to order at 7:00 p.m. by acting Chairperson Charles Wood in conference room #1 at Town Hall. Members present were Charles Wood, Daniel Silbo and Kevin Rogers. Also present were Kathleen Bagley, Director of Parks and Recreation Department and Council Liaison, Jeff Kotkin.
No public comments.
Daniel Silbo moved to approve the minutes. The motion was seconded by Kevin Rogers and voted unanimously.
Monthly report was reviewed by members.
Ms. Bagley distributed a copy of a letter received from another resident concerning the Robbins House Bed and Breakfast application to the Planning and Zoning Commission. This letter is a copy of previous letters sent to the board regarding this issue. Ms. Bagley explained that at the October Parks and Recreation Board meeting, the Board felt that the Planning and Zoning Commission should address the issue. Board members at this meeting concurred with that suggestion.
The Carol Sing will be held on December 8th at 6:30 p.m. at the Solomon Welles House.
The breakfast will be held on December 6th at the Community Center from 8:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.
Charles Wood reported that he had visited the new Little League field in Mill Woods Park. He thought the field looked good. He noticed they were finishing the painting of the dugouts and they looked very well-built. Other board members had visited the field and were pleased with the progress to date. They are looking forward to using the field in the spring. The new field is almost complete.
Ms. Bagley reported that the building committee had identified remaining items that have not been funded yet. These items included the bleacher pads and bleachers, new flagpole, batting cage, and the press box. The building committee has prioritized these items and will use some of the remaining contingency funds to complete these items. Their priority order is as follows:
Ms. Bagley explained that she hopes to work with Little League and volunteers to build the press box as a volunteer project. She will be setting up a meeting in early December to begin this process. Hopefully, some funds will still be in contingency to help purchase materials for the press box. At the Building Committee meeting, members discussed the use of the field in the spring and will await the architect's evaluation of the field for the OK to use it. The contractor will have some items to finish in the spring and everyone wants to make sure the field is used at the appropriate time. Also, discussions will take place over the winter on how to schedule the field and not over use it.
Board members discussed items they would like to see submitted as part of the Capital Budget for 2009-2010. Committee members suggested looking at parking in Mill Woods Park particularly with the construction of the new Little League field. Dan Silbo also suggested looking at the Cove Park Soccer field. He has seen a lot of use on the field and it may need some improvements. Charles Wood suggested looking at the parking lot at the Solomon Welles House. This parking lot should be paved and the Board has been requesting this project for many years.
Charlie Wood asked Ms. Bagley to give Park Board members an overview of this issue. Ms. Bagley reported that the Town Manager had asked all departments to prepare a list of their core services and programs for use by the Town Council. The Town Council is reviewing these reports to identify core services for the town as they begin a difficult budget process. She brought this issue to the Board's attention so they could review the core services of the department and provide any input as the department goes through the budget process. Dan Silbo discussed that at his job they had identified their core services. He will share that report on their process with Ms. Bagley. Dan Silbo explained that the collection of revenue was very important in their core services report. He suggested that the Parks and Recreation Department should look at revenue more closely. Board members also suggested explaining why the services identified by the Parks and Recreation Department are core services. Councilor Jeff Kotkin explained to Board Members that the Town Council has held two meetings on core services for the town and it will be very important to get the Board's input regarding these core services. The Town Council is concerned that the state may cut aid to the town in the future. If that happens, the town will need to determine the level of taxes and the amount of services offered by the town. Therefore, it will be important to get input on how the town should prepare their budget.
Ms. Bagley explained that this past summer, some households were abusing the number of people placed on their season pool pass. The department is looking at ways to resolve this issue. She distributed a survey done by the Parks and Recreation Department of area towns that looked at this issue and others surrounding the aquatics program. Currently, families can place on the pool pass all people living in their household. Recently people have been adding more adults to the pool pass that probably are not living in their house. Board members suggested having all adults show proof of residency for the pool pass. She will discuss their suggestion with staff and get back to them at the December meeting. They asked Ms. Bagley if the number of children were an issue on the pool pass. She did not think it was as big a problem as the adults.
Daniel Silbo moved to adjourn the meeting at 7:50 p.m. The motion was seconded by Kevin Rogers and voted unanimously.
Respectfully submitted,
Kathleen A. Bagley, Director
Parks and Recreation Department