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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2002-02-25 Aquatic Advisory Board MinutesAQUATICS ADVISORY BOARD Date: Location: Attendance: February 25, 2002 Burbank YMCA, Reading, MA Board David Bryant Ken Holbrook Klaus Kubierschky Mary Ellen O'Neill Tom O'Rourke Cam Townsend Staff Dan Berry Donna Griffith Amy Vendt of, P, ro~u Tom O'Rourke explained to the Board that he and Klaus Kubierschky will work out chairing the meetings with Tom chairing the meeting this evening. It was agreed that the minutes of the previous meeting will be sent with the agenda for the subsequent meeting one week prior to the day of that meeting. Donna Griffith and Amy Vendt gave a report on February pool usage. Statistics for open recreation and lap swim were not yet available and will be brought to the March meeting. A chart of the winter swim classes, the number of classes held, and the number of participants in each, was distributed. The total number of classes held was 135, the number of participants, 791. Any said the figures were a little lower than had been hoped for and were a little lower than last year's. Dan Berry noted that growth for the winter session is flat. The spring session update provided by Donna and Amy showed that as of 3:15 p.m. today there are 98 adult registrants, 340 youth, and 692 preschoolers for the spring classes. Corresponding target numbers are 127 adults, 408 youth, and 811 preschoolers. It is expected that these goals will be met. Fifty percent of the classes are already full. Ken Holbrook reported that the Reading/Lynnfield high school team finished yesterday at the girls'state meet at Northeastern University and the team did fairly well. Ken thanked the Burbank Y for all its help throughout the season. He told the Board that he would like to hold the same number of home meets next season as were held this year - five. He would also like to have more Friday night meets and will know by Wednesday, the 27th what weeks the league meets will be held. Dan did confirm that the shutdown schedule for the 2002 Christmas vacation will be the same as this year's. Ken wanted to continue the discussion concerning the possibility of having the boys' sectional meet at the Burbank Y. A block of approximately three hours is needed - one possible scenario is a 5 o'clock warm-up with a finish by 8 p.m. Another program Ken would like to start is a swim clinic for 7th and 8th grade boys to show them what participation on the high school swim team would be like and to develop greater interest in Reading for the high school team. In response to a question, Ken said this clinic could be incorporated into the team's practice schedule, the earlier in the year the better. Donna and Ken will meet and talk about these issues. Ken discussed the future of the Reading/Lynnfield co-op arrangement, indicating that some Middlesex League members are not happy with it. The agreement is signed and in place through next year, but might not go past that. This year the team had 15 Lynnfield members, six of whom are girls, and six Reading members. The potential is there for a 30-member team next year. An influx of Reading boys is needed. The possible ramifications of a Lynnfield/Reading arrangement, such as the charging of rental fees, were discussed. Cam Townsend reported that the Burbank Bluefins' season is winding down. The US championship meet for ages 9-12 will take place this coming weekend, for 13 and over, the meeting will be the weekend of March 16, and the Y New England meet, to which the Bluefins will send 12 children, will be March 23 and 24. At the mini-meet that was held for five teams last weekend, the new meet software was used for the first time, two times through and all went well. Between fifty and sixty children participated. Dan told the Board that the Austin Prep team finished using the pool for the season in mid-February. He has heard from the athletic director there that they were pleased with the facility, particularly for the three meets held at the Y. No agreement has been reached yet on what the Y will received in return for Austin Prep's use of the pool. Several proposals from Dan have been turned down. The school will not allow, the Y to use any of the outdoor space on its campus. Dan would rather continue, for the time being,. to work on the exchange of space agreement than to charge for the pool. Tom O'Rourke stated that this must be resolved before Austin Prep uses the pool again. Dan and Donna met with Mark Hyson, Recreation Director for the town of Reading, last week regarding the summer schedule. Mark told them that the Y is going above and beyond the contract with regard to Reading Recreation's use of the pool. Detailed summer pool schedules were distributed to the Board for consideration. Amy stated that additional open rec time was put in, especially in the 9:30 a.m. -12:00 noon slot. Reading Recreation camp will have exclusive access to the small pool from noon to 2:30 p.m. Monday through Friday and to the large pool on a shared basis for the same time period. In response to a question Amy said that there is no adult lap swim in the summer. Mary Ellen O'Neill mentioned some concerns with regard to the fragmented nature of summer open recreation times in the past and raised a question concerning the extent to which open recreation shares time with other groups in the large pool. She emphasized her wish to have the summer schedule be more user friendly and also asked if the revenues from the open recreation fees could be identified separately. Reading Recreation will be putting information of a general nature regarding the open recreation schedule in its summer brochure. It was agreed that since there was a lot of material on this subject to be reviewed it would be best to continue this discussion at the next meeting. Dan reported to the Board that he is still working on the pool acoustics matter and needs to make some calls to the manufacturers. Amy said she might be able to make some site visits during spring vacation to places in New Jersey and Pennsylvania where these products are already in use. Tom remarked that the Y Board's two major concerns with pool have been cleanliness, now addressed by the new vacuum, and acoustics. The men's locker room now has additional vents and there are new ones in the women's locker room which had had none. The next meeting will be Monday, March 25, 6:30 p.m. at the Burbank YMCA. Respectfully submitted, c ~)z- Mary Ellen O'Neill Please note: Copies of material distributed at the meeting will be attached to the official copy of the minutes and to the minutes sent to the Town Manager.