Antrim Parks & Recreation Commission
Minutes
February 12, 2015
The meeting was called to order at 7:00 pm.
Attendance
Parks & Rec Commissioners: Mike Genest, Joan Gorga, Peter Lamb, and Isaac Lombard
Recreation Director: Celeste Lunetta
Visitors: Henry Johnson, Ian Johnson
Minutes
The minutes from the January 9, 2015 meeting were approved as written.
Shea Field
Lighting Plans. At the informational meeting held for Shea Field neighbors on January 29, it was suggested that we float balloons in the proposed positions of the Shea Field lights to demonstrate how high the lights would be. Weather balloons 3 feet in diameter can be ordered online, and Peter will investigate sources of helium. We will plan to use one balloon for each of the lower towers and possibly two for each of the taller towers. We will try for Saturday and Sunday, February 21 and 22, aiming to leave the balloons up from 9 am to 4 pm, if weather permits. We will use strong twine, and hold them down with cinder blocks or sandbags where they can’t be tied to the dugouts or goals. March 7 and 8 will be the backup dates. Announcements will be placed in the Villager, the Messenger, and
the Ledger-Transcript, and posted on the town website.
Mike checked with Diane Chauncey and reported that there do not appear to be applicable zoning ordinances governing height restrictions. He also said that we would receive the 1¢/kwh rebate the town will receive as a result of installing solar panels at the sewage treatment facility, as long as the lights are run through the town.
We will check into the possibility of putting a fence on top of the storage shed or the school building to block the view of the towers. In the winter, for lighting the infield, only the shorter towers, which have fewer light bulbs will be used.
Peter will send the mock-up photo and diagram showing the locations of the lights to Fire Chief Marshall Gale.
Celeste has not managed to make contact with two of the Shea Field neighbors. Joan offered to look up contact information for those residents.
ConVal Agreement. We are still waiting for David Martz and the School Board to get back to us regarding the draft agreement.
Goodell Park
Eagle Scout Project. Henry Johnson presented his proposal to build an informational kiosk at Goodell Park as an Eagle Scout Project. The Commission voted to accept the project as presented, with the recommendation that Henry add a timeline to the presentation indicating that the project will be completed in time for unveiling at the Home and Harvest Festival in September, and a recommendation that the text be brought before the Parks and Rec Commission and the Historical Society Board for final proofreading before completion of the kiosk. Joan agreed to write a letter of support from the Parks and Rec Commission, which will also be sent to the Selectboard, and to act as a liaison to the Antrim Historical Society Board.
Budget
Budget hearing follow-up. We have been asked by the Trustees of the Trust Funds to draw all the income from the Richardson Fund and put it into the Revolving Account to make administration of the fund easier, since income not used is not added to the principal.
Recreation Department
Personnel. The ad for the position of Recreation Department Assistant has been placed in the newspapers and on Facebook and the town website. While several people have expressed interest, no applications have been received yet. Lisa Hennessey is still helping out some in the office. Summer beach job opportunities have also been posted. At least one of the summer camp counselors is returning.
Update. Basketball tournaments, skiing and toddler programs were all successful and busy. A shortage of youth sports officials is a problem throughout the area. We are collaborating with Peterborough and ConVal for lacrosse this season. There are two new reps to the baseball board, Joe Montano and Jenny Colby. Rick Davis is starting a pitching program. The group playing pickleball indoors is looking to moving out to Memorial Park in the spring.
Gregg Lake
Beach/boat launch issues. The sign has been taken down. Two new heavy grills have been received and are in storage until they can be installed at the point. The aluminum seam around the edge of the dock is cracking. Celeste will look into replacing the dock.
Town Gym
Shared use. Compliance with carrying gym shoes over from GBS has improved slightly. The situation still needs to be monitored closely.
Due to a conflict with Town Meeting, we will change the next scheduled Parks & Rec meeting to Thursday, March 5.
The next regularly scheduled Parks & Recreation Commission Meeting will be held on Thursday, March 5th at 7:00 pm at the Rec Office.
The meeting was adjourned at 8:51 pm.
-Joan Gorga, Chair and Secretary
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