Burlington Recreation Commission Meeting April 10, 2017 Commissioners in Attendance: Chair Kristine Brown, David Norden, and Paul Raymond Commissioners Absent: Vice Chair Kevin Sullivan, Thomas Murphy Staff in Attendance: Parks & Recreation Director Brendan Egan, Parks Superintendent Richard Cote, and Programs Coordinator Kelly Lehman Meeting called to order at 7:00pm in the School Committee Room of the Burlington High School, 123 Cambridge Street. Recreation Commission congratulated Commissioner Sullivan on his reappointment. Minutes Commissioner Norden proposed the Recreation Commissioners vote in approval of the March 27, 2017 Recreation Commission Minutes; seconded by Commissioner Raymond. Public Participation None. Director of Parks and Recreation Report Lahey Health will be sponsoring SPF 30 sunscreen dispensers throughout our parks. On April 7 th, we received confirmation from Michelle Snyder of Lahey Health for 20 permanent and 4 portable dispensers. The Recreation staff will place the order in the coming weeks and the dispensers are expected to be available at the start of the summer. The Dog Park Committee met with the Morin-Cameron Group last week. Minor changes to the plan included: composition of the surface, reducing the number of trees, and widening the service gate. P & R Director Egan received the final plans with the revision today, and the Morin-Cameron Group submitted the Notice of Intent application to the Conservation Commission. At the next Recreation Commission meeting, the plans will be distributed for review. The expectation is to have this completed by next month, and submitted to the Stanton Foundation. Next Meeting: Plans for the Dog Park Recreation Commission Minutes April 10, 2017 - Page 1
Sherman Williams contacted the Parks and Recreation office about doing some community service projects for Burlington. EJ, manager of Sherman Williams, and staff is considering painting the block buildings at each little league field, the retaining wall at the upper field, and the Town Common gazebo floor, ceiling, and stairs. P & R Director Egan noted the other businesses that will be performing community service projects, such as Oracle, and Salesforce. The Parks and Recreation Department is scheduled to appear before the full Ways and Means Committee on Wednesday, April 12 at 7pm to discuss the FY18 Capital Budget requests. P & R Director Egan recommended Commissioners attend, and requested, if a Commissioner plans to attend, to contact him. The East Middlesex & Suffolk County Mosquito Control Project is requesting permission to land their helicopter for refueling at Mary P.C. Cummings Park. This activity will last about a half hour and is expected to occur late next week or the following week. Staff is concerned that the fields may be too wet. Commissioner Raymond recommended the helicopter use Lahey Clinic s helipad on Kimball Avenue. P & R Director Egan announced that youth players/coaches should not use the fields until the league wide email goes out giving the okay. P & R Director Egan will post the position of Lead Working Foreman for the Parks and Recreation. He hopes to conduct interviews the week of April 24-28. If Recreation Commissioners would like to attend, let P & R Director Egan know. Parks Superintendent Report Preparing the fields has been slow due to the recent rain and snow fall Field layouts have resumed for spring sports, and will continue, weather dependent Water meters and back flow valves are being installed at the town s irrigated properties Back stop at Regan Park repair will occur end of this week; should not interfere with school spring break A temporary fence at Simonds Park has been completed and we are working on the Francis Wyman fence o Francis Wyman is expected to take longer, because the coaches want to move the fence further out, which requires digging new holes Trash and recycling are being addressed daily Blue light shades were installed on the Town Common for Light It Up Blue Water has been turned on at the Rahanis and Simonds Park bathroom facilities o Simonds Park had a broken pipe that was fixed Bucket Truck was decommissioned, and staff has rented a bucket truck for removing the remaining holiday lights and removing some branches from the parks Staff meeting was held on April 6 to go over the plans for the spring season Recreation Commission Minutes April 10, 2017 Page 2
Programming Report Upcoming events: Saturday, May 20 Family Fishing Festival Friday, May 19 Burlington Open Golf Tournament Thursday, June 15 Farmers Market Opening Day The Light it Up Blue, Slice the Ice, Easter Egg Hunt, and Sneaker Prom events were well attended. The Youth and Family Services Day was not as well attended as we would have liked. There were a number of other events that day as well, including the Pine Glen Carnival. Family Fishing Festival will be cosponsored by L.L. Bean and Mass Wildlife. This event will include a BBQ, and a fishing competition. Pre-registration is required and it costs $25/family. Burlington Open Golf Tournament will occur at the Billerica Country Club. Registration is required, and its $75/person or $250/foursome. As part of the 50 th anniversary promotions, if you are a resident of Burlington turning 50 this year, and you show your license at the Parks and Recreation Department office, you can receive a free 50 th anniversary T-shirt. Parks and Recreation Department are accepting submissions for a time capsule at Celebrate Burlington. The final items will be determined by staff. It will be buried in Simonds Park. Staff is working on juggling the crew around for the summer; there are still open summer positions including director positions at both Club Simonds and Tennis. Also, staff orientation is being held on June 23-28. Chairman Brown requested lots of BCAT coverage for all these events. Chairman s Report Baseball has their opening parade on April 22 Last Master Plan Steering Committee was cancelled, and will be rescheduled. Subcommittee Report None New Business 61 Center Street Update Recreation Commission Minutes April 10, 2017 Page 3
P & R Director Egan attended the pre-construction meeting on March 28 to go over the phases of construction. The plan is to start on 33 Center Street in April 2017 and complete it in October 2017; then begin work on 61 Center Street in October 2017 and complete it in May 2018. There will be small amount of exterior work on 61 Center Street, in the plaza area, but otherwise all the construction will be interior. For this construction project, there will be temporary room reassignments. P & R Director Egan would like to put together a Building Use Committee to discuss room assignments. Simonds Park Commuter Parking Chairman Brown requested fliers be put on cars at Simonds Park reminding people that commuter parking is not allowed during the summer. Old Business Briarwood Lane Easement The appraisal is scheduled for Wednesday April 12, and staff expects to get the cost back by the end of the month. That amount will be in the backup material for the warrant article. Chairman Brown requested that when the cost comes back to forward it to the Commission. Photo / Videotaping policy P & R Director took the feedback from the last meeting and condensed into one policy. Chairman Brown read the policy into the record. Commissioner Raymond proposed the Recreation Commissioners vote in approval of the photo/videotaping policy as written; seconded by Commissioner Norden. Dog Park Fund Raiser Friends of the Burlington Dog Park are doing a fund raiser in April for the most valuable pup, for more details visit: http://burlingtondogpark.com. P & R Director Egan will email the schedule to the Commissioners. Executive Session Not required Adjournment Recreation Commission Minutes April 10, 2017 Page 4
Motion to adjourn was made by Commissioner Norden and seconded by Commissioner Raymond. Meeting adjourned at 7:57 PM. Respectfully submitted, Noelle Judd Recording Clerk Next meeting is tentatively scheduled for April 24, 2017 Recreation Commission Minutes April 10, 2017 Page 5