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Antrim Parks & Recreation Commission
Minutes
February 8, 2018
The meeting was called to order at 7:02 pm.
Attendance
Parks & Rec Commissioners: Isaac Lombard, Mike Genest, Joan Gorga and Robert Wood
Recreation Director: Celeste Lunetta
ConVal School Board: Jim Fredrickson
Minutes
The minutes from the January 11, 2018 meeting were approved as written.
Town Gym
ConVal agreement. Jim Fredrickson presented issues and concerns from the School District and the School Board.
- Access to the Rec Office and the gym. Jim said it is a problem for Tim Grossi to have to come to give people access to the gym. He would like to have access cards for people who need them, and would like to know how many are needed. Celeste explained that Tim does not have to personally come to AES; he controls the locking and unlocking of the AES doors from his office. Since the list of people who need access constantly changes with the seasons, we keep a key at the police station for people to check out. However, being unable to unlock the doors or lock the school when leaving causes problems. Discussions ensued concerning installing a new door or new key access to allow Antrim access to the lobby, restrooms, Rec Office and gym. Celeste and Donna will work on revising the card permission form to make it more applicable to people using the
Town Gym for Rec Dept programs.
- Custodial maintenance. The agreement allows for sharing the costs of gym maintenance. Jim appeared to be under the impression that ConVal does all the maintenance. Celeste explained that Antrim Rec does its own custodial work on the weekends and in the summer.
- Floor “normal” maintenance. ConVal and Antrim differ on what constitutes normal floor maintenance regarding periodic finish buffing and recoating. Antrim considers the current condition of the floor to be below our standards.
- Longer-term plans. Antrim’s plan to fully sand, coat and line the floor last summer was blocked by ConVal, even though Antrim was prepared to pay the full cost. ConVal’s position was that the floor is in failure and should be replaced rather than sanded, coated and painted, but neither ConVal nor Antrim has accumulated the funds to replace the floor. The floor does not appear to be further deteriorating at this time, but it is difficult to predict when it will deteriorate to the point at which it will have to be replaced.
- Shared utilities cost. ConVal would like Antrim to share the cost of heat and electrical utilities for the gym. Antrim has said in the past that it would be glad to do so. Separate meters would have to be installed, which would be relatively simple for the electricity, but more difficult for the heat. Antrim has made estimates of heating costs based on power usage of the heating and cooling systems. Estimates made by Tim Grossi in the past have been much higher, and Antrim will not accept them without backup data.
Shea Field
ConVal agreement. Jim Fredrickson questioned the amount ConVal contributed for Shea Field maintenance last year, which included $4000 for the field and $500 for a portable toilet. As Tim Grossi has emphasized in the past, he does not spend that much money on the field at SMS. Celeste explained that ConVal has never contributed any funds towards field maintenance in the past, and reminded Jim that the $4000 came from a ConVal community relations fund, and not Tim Grossi’s budget. Antrim has assumed all responsibility for mowing, fertilization and weed control, turf repair, and lining for Antrim Rec events. Celeste will provide Jim with the maintenance costs spent in the past year on Shea Field. Jim pointed out that the agreement states that “Yearly maintenance includes over seeding, fertility and weed control applications.”
Jim said that does not include other field maintenance. Celeste explained that each year other essential field maintenance is performed that is not required every year. Last year the infield was leveled and turf damage was repaired where trucks drove on the field. This year, drainage will be improved on the slope leading down from AES and the playground. Celeste distributed documentation that $9487 was spent on Shea Field maintenance in 2017. This figure does not include Rec Dept or Highway Dept salaries. Celeste will send documentation of maintenance costs to Jim Fredrickson.
Tree Removal. The large tree that damaged the fence has been removed. Three dead pines have been taken down and left in place. Students will now be able to view a hawk nest in this area. Fence repair will wait until spring.
Ice Skating, Snowshoeing, Nordic Skiing. We’ve had two weekends of under-the-lights skating. Celeste hopes to be able to hold one more night. People have come, but turnout has not been heavy. Celeste laid out a new snowshoe track, but conditions have not been good for Nordic skiing.
Other. JT has now been thoroughly trained in field maintenance by Peter Lamb. Celeste will ask JT to set a regular schedule for mowing and she will see if James Stacy can fill in for jobs such as over seeding. Celeste will coordinate with Jim Plourde, but some of the work will have to be outsourced.
Budget
CIP. The Budget Hearing is coming up on Monday. We still have $25,000 for the gym floor and Memorial Park improvements in the CIP budget. There will also be a warrant article for moving the old wooden bridge to replace the footbridge in Memorial Park. Mike will speak to this at Town Meeting.
Rec Dept.
Policy Reviews. Celeste made updates to the Gym Usage Request Form and the Memorial Gym Guide, for which she requested comments. She is working on documents on coaching requirements for baseball and softball that are Antrim-specific, not league-specific. She will check with Donna to ensure the legality of a coach discount that would be applied in the following season.
Senior Center Collaboration. Celeste is going to run movies again. She’s planning to start with musicals and then see if people are willing to come out for something new. Seniors have been lukewarm to walking in the gym; they would prefer to walk around inside the school, but there are many obstacles to school access in the morning. She is looking into a bus trip to the Boston Flower Show.
Other Updates. League meetings are underway. Celeste has started a job search for beach attendants, and hopes for better success this year. She is working on the Lake Host grant, and is beginning to schedule Antrim In The Evening events. Since turnout has been much higher at family events, she will aim for four family events and two music events.
General.
Invasives program. The program on invasive plants to be jointly sponsored by the Conservation Commission, the Parks & Rec Commission and Antrim Grange is scheduled for April 4 in Town Hall.
Watershed Plan. The Gregg Lake Watershed Management Plan Committee has prepared and posted a request for qualifications for a consultant to advise them in the process of developing the Gregg Lake watershed management plan.
Fishing Derby. On February 3, the Bennington Fire Department held a fishing derby to raise money for a scholarship fund on five lakes, one of which was Gregg Lake. The only site posted on the NH Fish & Game website was Sunset Pond. Turnout was light, but in the early afternoon Joan received a report that a fire had been built on the beach. Joan found that the fire was in a portable barbecue pit and would cause no beach damage, but was accosted by the owner of the pit, who tried to claim that the beach and boat launch were federal property, that the Town had no jurisdiction and that they could build a fire wherever they wanted. We should work to clarify that this is not the case, and that the town should be notified regarding fishing derbies to be held at Gregg Lake.
The next regularly scheduled Parks & Recreation Commission Meeting will be Thursday, March 8th at 7:00 pm at the Rec Office.
The meeting was adjourned at 8:40 pm.
-Joan Gorga, Chair and Secretary
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