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HomeMy WebLinkAbout1993-09-08 Recreation Committee MinutesRecreation Minutes September 8, 1993 The meeting of the Recreation Committee came to order at 7:30pm, Wed., Sept. 8, 1993 in the Conference Room at Town Hall. Present at the meeting were members K. Kaminer, J. Pacino, F. Conover, G. Richards, S. Cavicchi, C. Campbell, E. Hanley, L. Salter, new member John McGrath, Rec. Supervisor S. Kajander and associate members T. Zaya and Bill Buckley (also new). Also present at the meeting were Lynn Mahoney, Jerry Pothier, Rene Dion, Steve Hines, Robin D'Antona, and Drew Bililies. Approval of the minutes of July meeting was motioned by Pacino and seconded by Cavicchi, The vote 8-0-1 in favor with new mem- ber John McGrath abstaining. The first issue under New Business to be discussed was Lynn Mahoney and her proposal for a Special Needs Basketball program for the Fall. Lynn explained her involvement in the Challenger Baseball Program, its success and the need to carry over our in- volvement with these children throughout the year. Jerry Pothier was in attendence to support the idea of basketball for Special Needs Kids. The program would run Friday nights between 6:30- 7:30 at Barrows school for children ages 8-18. Kate stipulated that the program had to be self-providing, ie: pay for itself, and Gordon suggested a fee for the program would be a good idea. Fred added that if there appeared to be a problem raising the money needed (approx. $350. for program) maybe Friends of Reading Recreation could help out. Jerry Pothier thought that money would not be a problem. Conover motioned to approve the program and have it be included with other programs offered by Reading Recreation. Salter seconded the motion. Vote 9-0-0 in favor. Next up a discussion concerning the relationship between Read- ing Recreation and R.E.A.P.. Steve Hine, A REAP Committee Mem- ber, talked briefly about his hope that REAP and Reading Recrea- tion could continue to support one another, iron out some of the problems and generally work together toward a stronger, better overall relationship. Rene Dion added support and understanding, also explaining the importence of a continued care program for the Town of Reading. Steve Kajander commented on some ad- ministrative problems and Robin D'Antona summarized what she felt REAP meant to the community. After continued dialogue, everyone agreed that there were two issues.. The first issue included holding spots for our summer camps open for REAP parents to enroll there children in: ie: should we guarantee x number of spots; is this fair to everyone in the Town of Reading with children etc. The second issue would 1 be one sign up at a date to be determined with advance mailing, ie: the Rec Dept would handle the enrollment of camp kids, paper work, waiting lists etc. which would eliminate all administrative problems of past years. At this point Pacino made the following motion. The Recreation Dept. would continue to reserve x numbers of slots for REAP parents, with the limit set at 25 per session, but REAP would have to go through regular registration process the same as any other Reading Resident. If REAP did not fill these quotas, then those slots would be open to anyone. Conover seconded the mo- tion. The vote was as follows: 3 in favor,5 opposed and 1 abstained. Motion rejected. After additional discussion debating the pros and cons of both issues, Salter motioned as follows: Summer Camp registration would take place in March with a two week mail in, all slots open to Reading Residents with everyone having an equal chance to sign up for camp sessions of their choice. Campbell seconded the mo- tion and the vote was as follows: 3 in favor, 4 opposed and 2 abstained. The motion rejected. All agreed to put the issue on the Oct. agenda. Drew Bililies made a presentation describing his Spinning Wheels program, offered through Reading Recreation for the Town of Read- ing and outside areas. It consists of various activities for Special Needs children. Salter made a motion that the Recrea- tion Committee continues to endorse Spinning Wheels. Hanley seconded the motion. All were in favor 9-0-0. Open Recreation fees, different ways of payment and increases were discussed . It was generally felt that cash payment at the door was more likely to accomodate young and old and that our non-resident price of $4 should be raised to $5. Richards mo- tioned to raise the rate for out of town players to $5.00 and keep Reading Residents rate $2. McGrath seconded the motion. All in favor 9-0-0. Susan Cavicchi introduced general discussion about field respon- sibilities and a review of the agreement between the School Com- mittee and the Town Manager regarding maintenance and use of recreational facilities. It was decided that the Rec Supervisor, along with Lois Savage, could handle all problems in regard to field usage and permits. Also, that the agreement mostly con- cerned the schools and DPW. Pacino presented his Recreation Park Planning Report and ex- plained what went into the report as well as what Peter Hechenbleikner suggested might be added or improved upon. Pacino and Richards spent a lot of hours producing the report and all agreed it should be studied and taken seriously. Some of the 2 major points would be in projecting what groups would need in the way of fields and facilities in the future. Also, adding more recent maps would help the quality of the project. All members concurred on the excellence of the report, one which should help the town in improving all facilities and fields for the future. Pacino aso gave a brief overview of our Sunday Concert series. With exceptional weather, all 8 events were held to good crowds. We need to add sponsors and more good groups, and maybe look toward creating or turning the bandstand into a shell. Pacino noted that the people that attend the concerts are generous; we need the rest of Reading to become involved with the series. ie: more donations from different residents. Old Business: The final reports of our summer programs will be reviewed in our next meeting, Oct. 93. The Fall Tennis Tournament needs some more publicity. Chris Campbell, who works for the Woburn Chronicle, offered to help get a press release on the front page of the Reading Chronicle. Salter offered to talk about the tour- nament this coming weekend to the local private tennis club. Respectfully submitted, Steve Kajander Recreation Supervisor 3