Culture, Parks and Recreation Commission Meeting Minutes - 4/28/2016

TOWN OF SIMSBURY – CULTURE, PARKS AND RECREATION COMMISSION –

Subject to Vote of Approval – Regular Meeting Minutes – Thursday, April 28, 2016 – 2.5 pages

Call to Order

The meeting was called to order at 7:33 p.m. by David Bush, chairman, in the main meeting room of town hall. Commission members who were present included Kelly Kearney, Gerry Wetjen, Dennis Fallon, Frank Salls, and Steve Spalla. Gerry Toner, the C. P. & R. Director, was also present.

Approval of Minutes

There were no changes made to the March 24, 2016 Regular Meeting Minutes. Mr. Bush declared the minutes approved, and requested that they be put on record.

Presentation – Tariffville Water Storage Tank Replacement

Mr. Jay G. Sheehan, an engineer with Woodard & Curran, made a presentation to the commission about replacing the 80 year old concrete water storage tank on Laurel Hill. He explained that the new tank will be the same size and material as the old tank, but will be adjacent to it. Water mains to the tank will be located on existing and proposed easements. The old tank will be demolished. While the Fire District will allocate state funds to pay for the project, it will be publically bidded. It will go out to bid in May, be constructed in July, and be ready before the first snowfall. Mr. Wetjen made a motion to approve the replacement of the Tariffville water storage tank. Mr. Fallon seconded the motion. All were in favor. The motion passed unanimously.

Eagle Scout Presentations from Troop 76

Dan Hsu proposed rebuilding a deteriorating retaining wall at Simsbury Farms as his Eagle Scout project. This wall is located near his home on Fox Den, and borders the fitness trail and hole #3 of the golf course. He built a test section at the site 5 months ago. When he checked on it last week, it was still level. He estimates that the total cost for supplies will be $1,000, and plans to raise funds from his neighbors, family and friends through a “Buy a Tie for $25” campaign. Each tie used in the construction will have a plaque engraved with the contributor’s name. The new wall will be the same length as the existing wall, but will include a simple irrigation system. A June build date is planned. Mr. Toner suggested that Mr. Hsu run his plans by the town engineer and building official before beginning his project. Mr. Wetjen made a motion to approve Dan Hsu’s Eagle Scout project, pending approval from town officials. Mr. Fallon seconded the motion. All were in favor. The motion passed unanimously.

Tyrus Perdue proposed making several improvements to Tariffville Park as his Eagle Scout project. He wants to repair, paint, and shingle the vandalized pavilion, as well as fix existing picnic tables and build 2 new ones. Mr. Perdue expects the project to cost about $1,150, and plans to raise funds through bake sales, car washes, and a “GoFundMe” page. Fund raising will take place May through June, with a project start date of late June to early July. Mr. Toner offered to have a maintenance representative from the P&R Department be present during the project. He also encouraged Mr. Perdue to pass his plans by the Building Official. Mr. Salls told Mr. Perdue about the Tariffville Village Association (TVA), and suggested that he speak with them for their blessing and possible support. Mr. Salls made a motion to approve Tyrus Perdue’s Eagle Scout project, pending meetings with the Building Committee and the TVA. Mr. Wetjen seconded the motion. All were in favor. The motion passed unanimously.

Friends of Simsbury Farms – Report

Mr. Wetjen reported that the official kick-off weekend for promoting the new “Friends of Simsbury Farms” 501(c)(3) organization will take place July 15 to 17 at Simsbury Farms. It will include golf and tennis tournaments, a “Fun Run/Walk” around the fitness trail, inflatables, and an auction. In addition to Mr. Salls’ gift of a free septic cleaning as an auction item, Mr. Bush offered to donate his services to write a set of wills for a young family. Mr. Kearney will help Mr. Wetjen polish all the marketing and promotional pieces for the Friends organization and its events.

Mr. Wetjen distributed a list of potential donation projects for Simsbury Farms, recommended by the P & R Department. Modifications or additions to the original list were noted in red ink. He and the commission talked about the process and procedures that will be followed. After much discussion, they agreed that: 1. Mr. Wetjen will further research the town’s codes and ordinances; 2. Mr. Toner will informally present the list to the First Selectman, 3. All checks for projects will be written by the Friends; 4. The C. P. & R. Commission will need to approve projects; 5. Projects will follow existing town regulations based on total dollar amounts (i.e. – Projects in the $500 to $2,000 price range will require verbal quotes. Those in the $2,000 to $5,000 range will require written quotes. Higher priced projects will go out to public bid); 6. Donors will be encouraged to fund projects from the list. If they want to fund a project not on the list, the project will have to be approved by the C. P. & R. Commission. If it is approved by the commission, and the donor fully funds or funds a large percentage of the project, then the project could possibly move up the list, and 7. This topic needs to be discussed further. It will be an agenda item for the next meeting.

Golf Course - Report

Mr. Toner distributed a 1-page spreadsheet comparing 16 years of greens fees and rounds from March to December of 2000 through 2016. The numbers were collected through the end of March 2016. Mr. Toner reported that the course did very well in April, despite the snow early in the month. Mr. Wetjen noted that the newly planted flowering shrubs are starting to bloom, and the renovated #2 green is now open. Sales of season passes have been brisk, with 33 more season passes purchased this year, compared to the same time last year.

Mr. Toner also reported that the Simsbury Farms Golf Course was 1 of 6 publically accessible golf courses in the country to be selected by the United States Golf Association (USGA) and the American Society of Golf Course Architects Foundation (ASGCA) for a pro-bono site evaluation program in 2016. It is a brand new program that recognizes golf courses which have demonstrated an ongoing effort to make improvements and upgrades. SF Golf Course Superintendent Mike Wallace prepared and submitted the application. Agronomists and architects will visit the SF Golf Course to make recommendations in course design, agronomics and maintenance practices, as well as operations.

Capital Projects - Update

Tennis Courts. The SF Tennis Courts are currently under construction. Change orders were necessary for the soil and subgrade. Mr. Toner thanked Jeff Shea, the town engineer, for his thoroughness and excellent oversight of the project. The nearby playground and parking have been closed during construction for safety. Mr. Toner expects them to be re-opened, at least on the weekend, in about 2 weeks when the heavy equipment is moved off the site.

SF Ice Rink. The bid to construct the new outside rink warming room has gone out. The Public Building Committee is currently vetting all incoming applications. The project is roughly within budget, and will start on time. The original rink engineer came out to evaluate its mechanics. He gave a very positive report. Because the rink equipment has been so well maintained, a wholesale replacement of equipment is not necessary. He did, however, prioritize the list of projects to keep the rink in prime operating condition.

SF Pool Complex. The final plans and documents are being collected. Pool work will go out to bid in June. Construction will start September 1.

Old Business. None.

New Business.

Mr. Bush praised the idea of having a “Snack Bucks” debit card for season pool pass holders. He felt it was a great cash-free solution for parents with children. It made their lives easier because money could be digitally loaded and refunded to the card, and snack bar purchases could be tracked.

On his travels last summer, Mr. Kearney told the commission about the beautiful hanging flower baskets he found in the downtowns he visited. He felt that it was something that would work well in Simsbury center. Simsbury already hangs banners off light posts. He suggested that flower baskets might be a nice addition. In order for the P & R Department not to take on the maintenance of this project, he proposed creating partnerships between the Chamber of Commerce, the Economic Development Commission, merchants, and the Simsbury Beautification Committee. Mr. Toner noted that a project like this may be challenging to set up and maintain, since most of these organizations are run by volunteers and are already working to capacity.

Adjournment

Mr. Wetjen made a motion to adjourn the meeting. Mr. Kearney seconded the motion. All were in favor. The meeting was adjourned at 8:55 p.m.

Next Meeting
The next Regular Meeting of the C. P. & R. Commission will take place on Thursday, May 26, 2016 at 7:30 p.m. in the main meeting room of town hall.

Respectfully submitted,

Lorrie McElligott,

Commission Clerk