HomeMy WebLinkAbout2011-10-11 Recreation Committee Minutes OFRF9di,�, Town of Reading
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m 16 Lowell Street
a Reading, MA 01867-2685
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FAX: (781) 942 - 5441 RECREATION DIVISION: (781) 942 -9075
READING RECREATION COMMITTEE MINUTES
October 11, 2011 Town Hall Conference Room
Attendance: Mary Ellen Stolecki, Recreation Committee, Frank Driscoll, Chair, Rec. Committee,
Kate Kaminer, Vice Chair,Nancy-Linn Swain, Rec. Committee, Mike DiPietro, Rec. Committee,
Joe Rossetti, Rec. Committee, John Feudo, Recreation Administrator
Guest: Charlie Ehl, RYB Commissioner
F. Driscoll called the meeting to order at 7:11 PM.
M. Stolecki entered the meeting at 7:12 PM.
K. Kammer made a motion to accept the minutes as proposed for the June 14`h and September 13`h
meetings. N. Swain seconded the motion. Motion passed in favor of acceptance of the as proposed
for the June 14`h and September 13`h meetings by a vote of 5-0-0.
RCASA UPDATE:
N. Swain gave an update about the happenings of RCASA. She spoke about the annual meeting
recently conducted. She stated at the meeting Erica McNamara and Tom Zaya did a nice job
presenting the information and then gave an example using the statistics to paint a real life picture
of what that would look like in a class of 20 students. Very Powerful. She also pointed out that a
mother and daughter combination got up and told their story of how the daughters addiction tore a
family apart and what lead up to it.
J. Feudo spoke of a grant possibility from the US Soccer foundation. They are offering grants to
promote projects such as synthetic fields, irrigation, lighting and programming. He stated there
were some process challenges involved with applying for the grant as the funding is in-kind service
funding, therefore you must use the vendor providing the in-kind service. However, MA
procurement laws require a bid to be done for any project larger $25,000, therefore the process is
somewhat difficult to follow in MA. He also stated he is working with the DPW procurement
officer to help get a determination as to whether or not the Town should apply.
If applying, the two projects most likely to be applied for would be a sport court off of the Field
House parking or synthetic turf field at Coolidge Middle School.
Administrator's Report
J. Feudo gave an overview of the 2012 Spring Schedule. The schedule is virtually the same as the
previous season. There are two parts that will be filled in April approaches, the use of the new
lighted multipurpose area and the Sat and Sun schedules in which are saved for games. The game
schedules typically come out in early March.
Last year, fields went very well with increased communication amongst the organizations. J. Feudo
stated he hopes the Town is over the bumps and field scheduling will continue to work well.
READING RECREATION COMMITTEE MINUTES October 11, 2011 con't
The Halloween Parade is scheduled for October 30th. If anyone is available to help out, please
contact Jim Sullivan in the office.
Travel Basketball Tryouts are next week and the week after. Volunteer evaluators are needed.
J. Feudo gave an update regarding Fall programming.
Sub-Committees
K. Kaminer updated the committee regarding the progress of the Ad Hoc Amplified Sound
Committee. The Committee has recently reviewed neighborhoods and the 500 ft buffer around the
parker. They will be working on a draft policy as well as a survey. The committee will also be
taking independent site walks during the HS game and RPW games.
RYB —Proposed Changes to Tennis Court Field
J. Feudo introduced Charlie Ehl of Reading Youth Baseball. Mr. Ehl stated it was his third time
before the committee. He discussed the issue of 12 year olds growing out of Hunt. The field has
become too small due to the new bat technology. They are looking to convert Tennis Court Field
into the new showcase field for RYB. He felt the infrastructure is there and RYB could raise the
money in two years to cover the expenses of the proposal.
The following are items on the organizations wish list:
• Score board
• Lights
• More Bleachers
• Protection netting for tennis courts
• Snack Shack area
M. Stolecki was concerned with the proximity of the tennis courts and having older kids hitting the
ball. It is a safety concern.
The committee as a whole felt the plan needed more development and specifics before they could
make an informed recommendation to the Board of Selectmen. They asked Mr. Ehl to put together
a proposal of what RYB was looking to do and present it formally at their earliest convenience.
M. Stolecki made a motion to adjourn. K. Kaminer seconded the motion. Motion passed in favor
of adjournment by a vote of 5-0-0.
Meeting adjourned at 8:35 PM.
Respectfully submitted by:
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