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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2005-11-16 Recreation Committee MinutesTown of Reading 16 Lowell Street Reading, MA 01867-2685 FAX: (781) 942 - 5441 RECREATION DIVISION: (781) i@2 - ,0 ft" READING RECREATION COMMITTEE MINUTES -0 November 16, 2005 at Town Hall Conference Room T7 Attendance: Nancy-Linn Swain, Recreation Committee Chair, Frank Driscoll, Rees0omrnittee Member, Bernie Winne, Recreation Committee Member, Jack Downing, Rec. Comn eMIT e Member, Mary Ellen Stolecki, Rec. Committee Member, Bernie Winne, Rec. Committee Member, Mary Ann Kozlowski, School Committee Rep., Dan McGrath, Program Coordinator, John Feudo, Recreation Administrator. N. Swain called the meeting to order at 7:05 PM. The Committee was asked to review the minutes from the September 14th, 2005 meeting. J. Feudo reminded the Committee that there were no minutes for the October meeting due to the fact that the Committee did not meet. M. Stolecki made a motion to accept the minutes from the September 14th Recreation Committee meeting. B. Winne seconded the motion. Motion passed in favor of acceptance of the minutes 6-0-0. Fencing Classes in Reading J. Feudo presented a new fencing program he was hoping to offer from Reading Recreation beginning in the Winter. The program will be coached by Michael Tarascio. Mr. Tarascio coaches - at many- different venues in-the area including Salem and Joshua Eaton Elementary-School here Reading. He has coached at the Olympic level and has come highly recommended by a parent of one of our middle school students. This would be a 10-week program in which all equipment will be provided. The program would be offered to 5th - 8th Graders. The fee for the class would be $150. The Recreation Committee seemed to like the idea of offering a fencing program. They also asked if it was possible to extend the opportunity to adults. J. Feudo stated he would see if the instructor could fit it in the schedule. Master Plan Advisory Committee Town Planner, Chris Reilly asked J. Feudo, to have the Recreation Committee review the presentation put together by the MPAC. A long discussion ensued. The Committee decided by consensus to send the following comments back to MPAC: The Recreation Committee would support any and all initiatives to acquire more land for the purpose of playing fields, family picnic areas and pocket parks. There is a tremendous need for playing fields in Reading, therefore developing new sources of recreation funding is critical to improving the field and open space situation. The Recreation Committee would also support the Community Preservation Act. READING RECREATION COMMITTEE MINUTES NOV 16th 2005 Con't Extended Day Middle School Grant The Recreation Committee had a brief discussion on the Extended Day Middle School Grant. J. Feudo stated he was asked to serve on the Committee. He stated the Committee would be evaluating all aspects of the extended school day concept. If anything this is a good exercise to go through to find out more about our own schools and ways to make it better, extending the day or not. B. Winne brought up the subject of peanut allergies and whether or not a policy should be developed for when it comes up. M. Stolecki mentioned there is a group in Town that educated parents on the issue of peanuts and it might be wise to contact them. She also recommended talking with Jane Fiore from the Health Division to see if she had any suggestions. Administrators Report J. Feudo gave an update regarding the travel basketball program. The Recreation Division will offer Boys teams at 6th, 7th and Stn grade and Girls teams at 6th and 8th grade. There was a very small amount of interest at the 7th grade level overall this year for basketball. J. Feudo said he would continue to look for ways to enhance the program by utilizing the Recreation Hoops program. D. McGrath and J. Feudo discussed the possibility of running T-Ball through the Recreation Division next year. The Recreation Committee seemed to think it was a good idea. The program would have to be ready to take the place of the current program. J. Feudo stated that he would like to let the T-ball program run as usual this year due to the fact that they have already done registration. The program could be ready for implementation as early as Spring of 2007. Fall numbers were very strong this year. Some of the highlights included Once Upon a Time Drama, which had 42 participants and Jr. and Sr. Volleyball that also had 42 participants. Both of these programswere new and really worked out well. The-boys and girls-basketball clinics -were - also well attended. Sunday Basketball numbers are a bit slow, but steadily increasing. The Nashoba ski numbers are exactly where they were the prior year. Skiing seems to be a declining sport due to the large expense. The Recreation Division will hold its 3rd multi-generation game night on November 22nd at the Senior Center beginning at 6:30 PM. If anyone is interested in attending to help out please stop by. The Recreation Division has changed the look of its website. The website can be viewed at www.ci.reading.ma.us/recreation. J. Feudo has been trained on how to update the web page and will be making it a user-friendly site complete with program listings, news and event and directions to fields. J. Feudo updated the Recreation Committee on the Memorial Park Playground project. Originally the playground was to be installed in November to take advantage of a free installation promotion. Unfortunately there was a delay on shipping therefore the installation would most likely take place in the Spring, although there was an outside chance that the project could be installed in early December. The Committee advised that it might be best to hold off until the spring for installation at this point. It would save a winter of wear and tear. The installation in the spring would still be free. READING RECREATION COMMITTEE MINUTES NOV 16th 2005 Con't Finally, J. Feudo will be meeting with the Reading Youth Sports Organizations November 30th at the Police Station at 7:00 PM. They will be discussing sportsmanship and educational forums that can be presented to parents and coaches of the community. It should also be noted the RYB has offered to fund youth sport specialist Bob Bigelow to speak in Reading. This event will be scheduled for some time in February. F. Driscoll made a motion to adjourn the meeting. M. Stolecki seconded the motion. Motion passes in favor of adjournment 6-0-0. Meeting adjourned at 9:15 PM