Greenfield Recreation & Facilities Committee
April 2009
DRAFT Minutes
Committee Members Present: Conrad Dumas, MaryAnn Grant, Melissa Champagne, Lori Weeks, Lee LeBlanc, David Buchanan,
Absent: Lisa Hall, Rhonda Cilley
Meeting called to order at 6:05 pm
1. Chairmanship
The Rec Committee designated Lori Weeks to be the point person, representing the Rec Committee as a delegation. Until a Recreational Coordinator is hired, it remains unclear how the Rec Committee will be utilized in the future.
2. Monadnock Mountaineer’s Proposal for Oak Park
Having the Monadnock Mountaineers upgrade the grounds of Oak Park and bring in revenue through town concessions could be a positive contribution to the town, the Rec Committee does have some concerns.
It was agreed that in order to advocate for a balanced agreement, the following recommendations would be suggested at the upcoming public hearing:
The final contract should not include any language regarding concessions.
- In the past, many were concerned about the cost of building the concession stand; it was agreed to (by a close vote) with the expectation that it would generate funds for the town – that expectation hasn’t been met well
- Upon the BOS’s agreement, the Rec Committee aims to organize a volunteer-based concessions operations – this is a top priority among committee members
Depending on parent volunteers to ensure orderly conduct would be insufficient considering past incidents reported by community members; an off-duty police officer could ensure order and clear out crowds after game time
- Complaints have included vandalism of the playground and flower plantings as well as older siblings using foul language and preventing younger children from safely using the playground equipment
- Considering the crowd size on game nights (estimates range from 100-200 people), it is unrealistic to expect one or two parents to supervise and enforce proper behavior
The Town Administrator should oversee an official calendar consisting of all Oak Park events to ensure that football games do not hinder other recreational activities
- There is concern that other sports activities (i.e. overlap of soccer and football seasons) as well as annual town events may find field use difficult if the Mountaineers have precedent over field use, especially considering the proposal asks for a majority of Oak Park’s space to available to the football teams
- Maintaining a community calendar can ensure equal access to all recreational activities and events
Meeting adjourned at 7:15 p.m.
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