Culture, Parks and Recreation Commission Meeting - 09/23/2013
Culture, Parks, and Recreation Commission
Special Meeting
Monday, September 23, 2013 at 6 p.m. at Memorial Park, near pool building
DRAFT MINUTES
Call to Order
The meeting was called to order at 6:15 p.m. by Chairman David Bush. Other present C., P. & R. Commission members included Marc Lubetkin, Harry Ryan, Kelly Kearney, and Steve Spalla. The
C., P. & R. Director Gerry Toner, and selectman Sean Askham, also attended.
Minutes from Last Meeting
Mr. Lubetkin made a motion to approve the July 2013 draft minutes. Mr. Ryan seconded the motion. All were in favor. The motion passed.
Memorial Pool Study
This special meeting took place on-site near the Memorial pool building. Mr. Lubetkin made a presentation based on the Memorial Pool Study completed in 2010 by the Simsbury Farms Complex Committee (SFCC). An 8-page report was distributed to C., P. & R. commission members.
Mr. Lubetkin explained that the 2010 plan envisioned the Memorial Pool Complex as a multi-use, multi-generational facility with an indoor play scape, an outdoor water spout area, a teen center; shuffleboard, bocce, tetherball and horseshoe courts, and a snack shack. Renovations to the Simsbury Farms Complex in the past couple of years had eclipsed the Memorial Pool plan. Mr. Lubetkin felt it was a good time to revisit the study. Within the last three years, a couple of things had changed. The structural cracks in Memorial Pool had been repaired, giving the pool another 8-10 years of usable life, and plans for the town’s senior center were focused elsewhere and were competing for the same town funds. While these new developments changed the current discussion, several facts about the Memorial Pool Complex remained relevant: 1. The pool is essential for one of the C., P. & R.’s most profitable summer camps, Camp Stuff-to-Do, held annually at Central School. 2. It is located in a desirable spot, within walking distance to the center of town. 3. Its facilities are getting old and need renovation. 4. It is one of many other C., P. & R. sites, such as the Apple Barn, that need to be updated and prioritized under a master plan.
Commission members talked first about what to do with the pool. They came up with several possible alternatives for Camp Stuff-to-Do: 1. Bussing campers to the Westminster School pool, 2. Holding Camp Stuff-to-Do at the high school or the middle school, and constructing a pool at either of those sites, or 3. Creating an indoor pool at Memorial. They discussed how a walking path—which would extend from the Memorial Pool Complex to town hall—could more intimately connect the complex with the downtown. Mr. Askham noted that town funding would not be available for at least 6 years. Mr. Lubetkin suggested that a private/public partnership could be considered in renovation plans, and that a new pilot study could be useful. Since all of these ideas will require more careful consideration and planning, Mr. Lubetkin recommended that a subcommittee of the C., P. & R. commission be formed to work on a long-term vision for the Memorial Park Complex. Mr. Bush thanked Mr. Lubetkin and the SFCC for their time and research, and offered to list this new subcommittee as an agenda item for the next meeting.
Summer Program / Facility Report
Mr. Toner distributed a spreadsheet reviewing the annual income and rounds for the Simsbury Farms Golf Course from 2000 through 2013. Rounds and income were high in June and August 2013 and low in March and April 2013. An updated aquatics report will be provided at the next meeting.
Other Business
Mr. Lubetkin suggested that the town might consider charging rental or usage fees to a local tour company that stores its canoes on a rack near the public boat ramp.
Adjournment
No motion was made, but the meeting was adjourned at 7:00 p.m.
Next Meeting
The C., P. & R. Commission’s next regular meeting will take place on Thursday, October 24, 2013 at 7:30 p.m. in the Town Hall Main Meeting Room.
Respectfully submitted,
Lorrie McElligott
Commission Clerk