Antrim Parks & Recreation Commission
Minutes
April 14, 2016
The meeting was called to order at 7:00 pm.
Attendance
Parks & Rec Commissioners: Joan Gorga, Peter Lamb, Isaac Lombard and Mike Genest
Recreation Director: Celeste Lunetta
Minutes
The minutes from the March 3, 2016 meeting were approved as written.
Shea Field
Maintenance. The tower pads arrived, but were too big and will have to be replaced. In order to expedite the process, they will not have Antrim printed on them. Peter will repair areas damaged by machinery soon so the field will be in good shape for the spring sports season. The field will be opened to GBS after vacation. Sports teams have already been practicing. A combo lock has been placed on the shed door, as too many keys had been distributed for the old lock. Sam will install a valve to separate the water system in the shed from the sprinkler system.
ConVal Agreement. David Martz has agreed to try to move forward on the agreement.
Lights. Pete got a quote from MUSCO, which includes LED lights on the back of the new posts (A1 & A2) to light the playground area. These lights add $3700 to the cost, and bring the total to $33,775. These lights should be included at this time, as power will run inside the pole, and they are an important safety feature for the playground area, which receives heavy use during games. Peter will ask for a quote to include 2 LED 96 fixtures on pole A2, will get a PO and take the materials to Donna to get a Selectboard signature. The LED lights will be paid for out of the revolving account. The electrical service needs to be upgraded to 400 A to allow all lights to be used at once. This will require installation of 2 3” conduits ($1700) and a new panel ($800), and work by Francestown Sand and Gravel ($1500). It will
also cost $1500 for Eversource to run an additional 94 feet across the field. Installation of the towers will be done by USI at a cost of approximately $5400 and should take only half a day. The electrical work will take about 2 days, and is targeted for the week of June 20.
Town Gym
Update. Different types of dividers for the Town Gym were discussed. Celeste will look into some of the suggestions. Shared use of the gym with GBS is working fairly well. Gym use by the GBS Running Club is light, and the Before School Club would like to share the gym at that time. The programs being run in conjunction with the Before and After School Clubs are also bringing in kids from the community. The “Family Skate” roller skating run by the Roller Girls has been popular, with 40-45 people attending. The Recreation Department skates have wheels in good shape and no floor damage seems to occur. Since the locksmith said that the key chamber on the door is proprietary, Celeste is waiting for Tim Grossi to get the malfunctioning lock replaced.
Goodell Park
Eagle Scout Project. Joan is working with Ian Johnson to get the informational kiosk completed.
Life Scout Project. The Boy Scout who proposed building a picnic table for Goodell Park has agreed to build it for Memorial Park instead.
Memorial Park
Avenue A Club cleanup. The Avenue A Club was unable to perform a planned Earth Day cleanup project at Memorial Park as Coordinator Arlene Soule had some behavioral concerns. She and Joan will continue to keep options open for a suitable project.
Other. Celeste has ordered wood chips to spread under the swings and has set up the tennis net. The Youth Fishing Derby is scheduled for May 7. Peter will ask the mowers not to blow grass clippings toward the bandstand and the tennis court and will remove the bent bench, as it is a potential hazard. Celeste will bring proposals for benches, Joan for plantings around the bandstand, possibly blueberries and daylilies. Celeste is putting together the Antrim in the Evening schedule, which will run from July 6 to August 10, with four adult bands and 3 kid/family-oriented shows. The Antrim in the Evening flyer will once again be prepared to go out in the June Limrik, which means it will need to be printed by about May 26. The Limrik staff would appreciate help in stuffing the Limriks.
Recreation Department
Update. Spring sports are under way, and Celeste is working on summer programs, which will run from the week after school lets out until the week before school starts. These will include three independent camps (circus, dance and arts) not run through the Rec Department. Celeste will keep track of how many Antrim kids use the outside programs, so we can assess offering them in the future. Other programs will include mixed sports, field games, hikes, soccer and many trips to Gregg Lake. Through the Rec Dept., Bob Holmes and Nick Duffy have started a hiking group which will meet every other Saturday to hike local peaks and then move on to some of the Whites. The beach will open on June 18. Celeste has received lots of applications for lifeguarding and beach attendants.
Gregg Lake
Nesting Loons. A pair of loons has again been spotted on Gregg Lake. If they nest again this year, the Loon Preservation Committee suggested asking that the lake level be slightly lowered in advance if there are forecasts of heavy rain to avoid flooding the nest. Joan will see if Steve Schacht would be receptive to the idea.
Fishing Tournament May 14. The Mohawk Bassmasters are planning a fishing tournament on May 14. They have listed that we have parking for 15 boats. We will contact them to say that we have parking for only 6 boats.
Beach/Boat Launch Issues. Celeste has not heard whether we will receive the Lake Host grant. Joan will look into the costs and training needed to do additional water testing. Celeste will look into getting bathhouse repairs done, perhaps by Steve Schacht. Celeste and Isaac are working on new signs for Memorial Park and the beach. Celeste also suggested having a mural painted on the back of the beach house to present a welcoming face as people approach the beach.
The next regularly scheduled Parks & Recreation Commission Meeting will be Thursday, May 12th at 7:00 pm at the Rec Office.
The meeting was adjourned at 8:15 pm.
-Joan Gorga, Chair and Secretary
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