Antrim Parks & Recreation Commission
Minutes
August 15, 2013
The meeting was called to order at 7:00 pm.
Attendance
Parks & Rec Commissioners: Mike Genest (Selectboard ex-officio), Joan Gorga, Sam Harding, Peter Lamb, Isaac Lombard, and Tim Smith
Recreation Director: Celeste Lunetta
Additional: Peter Beblowski, Priscilla Shook
Minutes
The minutes from the July 11, 2013 meeting were approved without changes.
Additional field space
Acquisition of additional land. Priscilla Shook, owner of the 5-acre property for sale on Smith Road, presented her hopes and concerns regarding selling the property for town recreational use. As the Parks and Rec Commission acknowledged when we first began discussions of possibly purchasing the property, the primary concern is buy-in from the abutters and close neighbors. Priscilla commented that it seemed like an odd place for an athletic field. The neighbors who have been contacted thus far, including Parks and Rec Commissioner Isaac Lombard, would want a guarantee that the park would be really well done, that it should look more like a park and less like a bare athletic field, and be fully completed, not left halfway done. That is, it should be something that would attract people to the
neighborhood. They would envision gardens and landscaping, with a park-like feel and not a hang-out place.
Peter Beblowski, Chair of the Antrim Conservation Commission, explained some potential issues and possible sources of funding. Peter said that, since this property is not in the portion of town targeted for conservation, and there are people who do not consider athletic fields to be open space, it is unlikely that money available to the Conservation Commission would be approved for the purchase of the property. He suggested that we might be able to apply for state funding through an LCHIP grant, which could cover up to half the cost. He also suggested that plantings could be included that would enhance the conservation value of the property, and said the state nursery offers a good deal on wildlife vegetation packages. He invited Peter Lamb to attend the next Conservation Commission meeting at the end of September
to discuss possible use of CIP funds for open space.
Discussion led to the following: The Parks and Rec Commissioners believe it to be a prime location for an athletic field. It is both close to downtown and close to a water source, and is located on a relatively quiet road, although the sidewalk ends a some distance away. Shea Field is heavily used, especially in the spring and fall sports seasons. The five acres of this property is likely large enough to accommodate one full-sized field and a softball field or two smaller fields, along with a tennis court and a walking path, situated in a picturesque manner with attractive landscaping. The land is relatively flat, but there is some slope, and fields may need to be located on two levels. There are also some drainage issues, with water running into the area from at least two spots on Smith Road. A
small pond in the southwest corner could provide a pleasant destination for a walking path. Parking would need to accommodate an estimated 30 to 50 cars. The timeline to completion would probably be five to ten years from land acquisition to finished park. Peter Lamb will investigate the conditions for writing an LCHIP grant and try to speak to more of the neighbors. Celeste will put together a list of what we’d be looking to include in the park. We will try to obtain from the town office approximately $5,000 for an engineering consultant to draw up a conceptual plan that will combine the recreational needs of the town with the desires of the neighbors for a pleasant, park-like space that will be an enhancement to the area. The consultant will need to access the property in October or November, before snow sets in.
Shea Field
Scoreboard. The new scoreboard has been inspected to ensure that all parts were received in good condition. Pete will need at least three people to help with setting it up, and will try to get to it before soccer season starts.
Turf management. A broadleaf herbicide was applied, hopefully in time to allow reseeding before the field begins to be heavily used once again.
Dead ash trees on west end. Several dead ash trees have started dropping large branches onto the west end of Shea Field. No power lines are involved, but it is a safety issue since people walk in that area. To access the trees, trucks will have to drive behind the dugout. Celeste will speak to Galen about the issue.
Nets. Pete solicited a quote for additional netting to be installed on the north and west sides of Shea Field to keep balls from going into the rough vegetation on both slopes, down West Street or into the water. The posts alone will cost $1600. Approximately 120 feet of netting on each side will cost about $400. The commission voted to approve spending up to $2500 from the revolving account for this purpose.
ConVal Agreement
Survey and legal counsel. Dennis McKenney will complete the property survey by the end of the month, and all paperwork has been forwarded to the town’s attorney.
School board activity. The new ConVal superintendent will be coming to the Selectboard meeting on August 19 for what is billed as a brief introductory meeting. It was suggested that it might be worthwhile to mention that we do have some issues with the gym floor and the gym agreement that we would like to resolve. Tim Grossi has said the school will take care of resealing the gym floor this December, but they will use their own contractors, not the contractors Antrim has used for the past five years (O’Sullivan Flooring). We are unsure how this will affect the warranty on the floor, especially if the town might be left to handle the issue of the buckling floor. It appears that ConVal retained all the records concerning the gym renovation. Eckman Construction was the general contractor. Architect Dennis Mires should have all the specs, but we will draft a letter to the School Board asking to have copies of all relevant information forwarded to the town. Further discussion of
the Antrim agreement appears to have been deferred from the August 27 Budget and Property meeting to the September meeting.
Gregg Lake
Parking lot. The holes in the parking lot were filled in shortly after Mike took the issue to Galen last month.
Volleyball. The lifeguards report that the police have been a little more assertive in enforcing the rules, and the Sunday afternoon volleyball group has been more cooperative. We will look to establish this level of control by the lifeguards starting at the beginning of the season next year.
Memorial Park
General conditions. Most of the poison ivy has been weeded out from around the footbridge, and several accessible wasp nests have been sprayed. Several invasive plant species, including bittersweet, multiflora rose, and Japanese barberry should also be removed from the area.
Skate Park
Pyramid reconstruction. The volunteers are still building the new pyramid, but should be moving it over in the next couple of weeks. The ramps are currently all holding up, but there are some issues with the incoming coping. The skate park has been getting a lot of use recently, possibly due to the Hopkinton skate park shutting down. We have some worries that the smaller ramps are being moved around, even though they are quite heavy, and our intention is to either phase out that kind of equipment or anchor all pieces, hopefully within the next month.
Skatepark subcommittee. The skate park subcommittee raised more than $200 selling refreshments at Antrim in the Evening events.
10-Year Plan
Survey. More than 80 completed surveys have been returned. We will begin collating results and recording comments. Celeste will scan and email the surveys to all.
Plans for September Parks & Rec meeting. Since we’ve invited the public to bring ideas for Memorial Park to the September 12 meeting, we should be prepared with a general synopsis of what we’re thinking.
Limrik Article. Joan submitted the final draft of the article describing the history and evolution of Memorial Park to the Limrik for publication in the September 1 issue.
Rec Department Staff and Programs
Capital Improvement Projects. Earlier in the day, Celeste received the CIP budget, which asked for changes no later than September 9. Since we have not had time to consider changes to the budget, we will request an extension until the September 12th meeting. CIP projects now cover items having value in excess of $10,000.
The next regularly scheduled Parks & Recreation Commission Meeting will be held on Thursday, September 12th at 7:00 pm at the Rec Office.
The meeting was adjourned at 8:54 pm.
-Joan Gorga, Chair and Secretary
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