Parks & Recreation Commission Minutes 10/25/2012

Culture, Parks, and Recreation Commission

Regular Meeting

Thursday, October 25, 2012 at 7:30 p.m. in the Town Hall Main Meeting Room

MINUTES

I. Call to Order
The meeting was called to order at 7:30 p.m. by chairman, David Bush. Other present commission members included Harry Ryan, Bill Mullen, Gerry Wetjen, Frank Salls and Marc Lubetkin. Gerry Toner, C. P. & R. Director, was also present.

II. Minutes from Last Meeting
Mr. Wetjen made a motion to approve the October 4, 2012 C, P, & R meeting minutes. The motion was seconded by Mr. Mullen, and was unanimously approved.

III. Curtiss Park Memorial Bench Project
Mr. and Mrs. Tom Tanski presented a plan for landscaping around the bench that the soccer club donated in memory of their son, Tommy Tanski. The bench is located at Curtiss Park, overlooking
fields B & C. The plan includes landscaping and plantings, crushed brownstone, and a single
12” x 12” brownstone beside the bench. The brownstone will include a memorial photograph plaque of Tommy with his soccer team. Orange flowers will plentiful, to honor Tommy’s preference for wearing orange sweatshirts. Mr. Toner acknowledged that the project would be suitable and appropriate for the site; would not be impacted by future construction, and would not require ongoing maintenance. Mr. Ryan made a motion to approve the Curtiss Park Memorial Bench Project, as presented by Mr. and Mrs. Tanski. The motion was seconded by Mr. Lubetkin. Mr. Bush abstained from voting for professional reasons. All others were in favor. The motion was approved. Work will begin tomorrow.

IV. Old Business

Golf Course Restaurant RFP. The Request for Proposal for a golf course concessionaire has been posted and distributed. The deadline is November 15. There has been interest. A walk-through is scheduled for next week.

Golf Course Improvements. Mr. Toner reported that the work on the golf course continues to be on or under budget. Some invoices are still outstanding, but about a $50,000 balance remains. He presented the final 2012 Revised Report of Renovations. This report will be posted on the golf course web site, along with before and after pictures of the renovations. Construction will begin again in the spring. The focus at that time will be on holes 15 and 16, as well as 12 and 13. Mr. Toner and commission members noted that the feedback on course renovations has been overwhelmingly positive. The reconstructed bunkers blend in well. Mr. Toner praised Mike Wallace, golf course superintendent, and Doug Beach, golf course designer, for their successful partnership and leadership.

Youth Sports Subcommittee Report. Mr. Toner reported that since the last C., P. & R. Commission meeting on October 4, all town teams have responded to the safety questionnaire. The subcommittee will continue to meet with youth teams to discuss safety issues and the possibility of AED use.
The Simsbury Youth Lacrosse team has already purchased two AED units—for use on two fields—
and has made it mandatory for their coaches to be AED trained.

Town Field Use Policy. Mary Glassman asked Mr. Toner to put together a field use policy to be endorsed by the C., P. & R. Commission. She and Mr. Toner discussed creating a dedicated fund in the town budget for operational and routine field maintenance costs. This fund will most likely be in place by July 2013. Mr. Toner presented a draft form of Simsbury’s policy to the commission. Mr. Kearney researched field use policies in about 5 other towns to use as references. Commission members were asked to email their comments about the policy to Mr. Toner. Ultimately, signs will be created and posted on all town sports fields, including the high school and junior high school fields. The signs will state that all teams using the fields must receive written permission from the C. P. & R. Department. It was suggested that the signs be posted next to field number signs.

Simsbury Celebrates. Linda Johnson spoke. A little less than $20,000 has been raised for this year’s event. She noted that her committee is well prepared for this November’s celebration, but still needs event volunteers. Each present C. P. & R. Commission member signed up for a volunteer slot. One notable change for this year: The cookie-decorating venue will be moved from the basement of Eno Hall to Palmer Hall at First Church of Christ. This will allow greater accessibility for strollers. The Simsbury Celebrates Committee is actively looking for 9 separate volunteer committee heads for its 2013 event. While the town provides Taryn Rea, its recreation supervisor, to help organize the event, as well as free mailings, trash pick-up, and maintenance staff support, everything else depends on volunteers. Mr. Bush agreed to meet with the Simsbury Celebrates Committee in January to see how the C. P. & R. Commission can help.

V. New Business

Golf Course Master Plan. Mr. Toner sent a draft RFP to commission members a couple of days before this meeting. Since then, several additions were made to item #3 in the “Scope of Services” section: The need for safety, equipment, inventory and operating expense analyses, and the possibility of on-course restroom facilities. A master plan is necessary for the golf course because it was excluded from the Simsbury Farms Complex Committee’s overall master plan. Discussion focused on creating a golf course mission statement; designing a new questionnaire to get user feedback on the renovated course, as well as developing a timetable and a main objective. The commission agreed to table a vote on approval of the Golf Course Master Plan Draft RFP. They wanted to have one more informal group meeting before the next meeting in November.

Memorial Pool Study. Marc Lubetkin presented an updated 9-page report titled, “Memorial Pool Study: Results.” It was originally created by the Simsbury Farms Complex Committee in the summer of 2010. He explained that this report was tabled for two years so that renovations to the main pool could take place. In the interest of saving time at this meeting, Mr. Lubetkin requested that the commission give him a little extra time at a winter meeting for a full presentation and discussion.

Proposed Melanson Family Ice Rink Improvement Donation. Mr. Toner reported that about a year ago, the Melanson family offered to do something in their father’s memory that would improve the Simsbury Farms ice rink. Al Melanson was one of the founders of Simsbury Youth Hockey.
To commemorate this, they decided to build benches and stick racks for the team rooms, and donate all the materials and installation. The commission felt it was a lovely gesture by the Melanson family. Mr. Bush made a motion to have a plaque honoring Mr. Melanson installed outside the ice rink team rooms, subject to approval from the C., P. & R. Department. All were in favor. The motion passed.

VI. Other Business

Simsbury Farms Complex Committee. Mr. Post mentioned that there are 2 openings on the 9-member Simsbury Farms Complex Committee. Since most of the objectives of the committee have been fulfilled, Mr. Post felt that the committee could now operate well with fewer members. Mr. Post made a motion to recommend to the Board of Selectman that the Simsbury Farms Complex Committee be reduced to 7 members instead of 9. Mr. Wetjen seconded the motion. All were in favor. The motion passed.

VII. Adjournment

Mr. Bush made a motion to adjourn the meeting. Mr. Ryan seconded the motion. All were in favor.
The motion passed. The meeting was adjourned at 9:05 p.m.

VIII. Next Meeting
The next Special Meeting of the C. P. & R. Commission will take place on
Thursday, November 29, 2012 at 7 p.m. Venue to be decided.

Respectfully submitted,


Lorrie McElligott
Commission Clerk