Town of Holden 1204 Main Street, Holden, MA 01520
Recreation Committee Meeting Minutes
March 9, 2010
Starbard Building
Members Present: Susan Serewicz, Richard Anderson, Carmelo Bazzano, Erin O'Neil Bradbury, Lisa Post
Members Absent: None
Others Present: Denise Morano, Recreation Director, Dee Anne Grebinar, Recording Secretary
The Recreation Committee meeting was called to order at 7:00pm.
MINUTES: A motion was made by Erin and seconded by Lisa to accept the minutes of the January 12, 2010 meeting.
The Recreation Committee minutes for January 12, 2010 have been accepted as written.
A motion was made by Erin and seconded by Sue to accept the minutes of the February 9, 2010 meeting.
The Recreation Committee minutes for February 9, 2010 have been accepted as written.
DIRECTOR'S REPORT
Programs: Denise went over the current number of participants in the adult programs. 3CPYo begins a new session on March 16th; Firm What You "Gut" has 17 participants; a Zumba class on Thursdays has 27 participants and was 'closed' due to numbers, a new Tuesday Zumba class begins March 30th; evening Yoga class has 18 people; Self defense on March 15th has 2 registered; Tuesday & Thursday morning Yoga begins a new session at the end of March. Scrapbook class on Thursday March 25th has 3 registered. Denise commented that this next session of adult classes will probably be the last for the year - they should end some time at the end of May.
The current enrollment figures for the Before & After School Program:
Davis Hill - 90; Dawson - 84; Mayo - 48.
Summer:
Denise commented that the Summer Brochure will be going to the printer next week. At this point there is no leeway in the schedule for any more snow days. School ends on Friday and the first session starts on the following Monday.
Recreation passes go on sale Thursday, April 1st at 9:00 a.m. We have 400 non-resident passes available for $75.00 each, and an unlimited number of resident passes for $25.00 each or $90.00 for a family. Richard asked where they get purchased on April 1st and Denise said at the Recreation Office.
Press releases have been sent to the Landmark and Holden Cable listing summer staff positions. Denise commented that we have an enormous number of kids returning to work this summer from last year. Lisa asked what age the children have to be and Denise said she prefers them to be at least 16. She feels she wants leadership from the staff and doesn't want them too young, because she feels the younger ones sometimes get intimidated by the adults at the pool. Carmelo asked about the procedure for hiring. Denise said the kids fill out applications and drop them off at the office around this time of year; she then checks out the needs of the program and has interviews during the April vacation. Decisions are normally made by the end of April. She looks for knowledge, experience and most especially enthusiasm for the kids.
Richard asked what the rate of pay was for the kids and Denise gave him a few examples. Lisa asked where the application could be found on the web and Denise told her we have a link to one on the Recreation Department page. Carmelo asked for some details on the CIT program. Denise said she usually has 15 kids per session, they will learn a lot about the program and many of them eventually get a job working in the summer program.
Denise went over the Registration dates for the summer programs. Registration for Holden residents is Saturday, May 8th from 9 - noon at the Senior Center. A second registration, open to all, is Sunday, May 16 from 11-1 also at the Senior Center.
Denise went over the pool schedule. It is scheduled to open weekends only, weather permitting, beginning June 5 from noon - 5pm. They will also open the last week of school June 14th through June 18th from 3:15 - 7:15pm, except for Wednesday, June 16th. The pool will be closed to the public that day to accommodate 5th grade graduation parties.
Denise said letters will be sent home with the children in the Before and After School Program to see if they are interested in signing up for the All Day Program in the summer. They get to sign up early as a way of thanking them for participating all year in our program.
Carmelo asked if everything is in working order at the pool. Denise said she won't know until the covers are off sometime at the end of April, beginning of May. At this moment, the pump to the mushroom is at Beigelow Electric being repaired. It had broken at the end of the summer last year. She chose to get it repaired for $6,000 as opposed to buying a new one for $11,000. She feels it's only a matter of time until some of the other pumps start to break, especially the ones that are used more often than the mushroom one. Denise commented that we should be able to learn more about the water problem (usage doubling last year) after the pool is open. She said that the calibration of the pump was checked and it was only off 10% and ONLY when the water was turned on full force. It would not account for double the amount of water usage. Also, the
chlorine used was the same amount as last year, so it would be reasonable to think that the problem was not with water in the pool. They hope to investigate it further in the spring. Richard commented that damage in the irrigation system may be the problem.
Miscellaneous:
Denise gave the details of a $5,000 Pepsi grant that she and Louise Charbonneau, Senior Center Director, wrote. The proposal was for a Senior Outdoor Fitness Training Stations project. If successful, 5 steel fitness components will be installed at the Senior Center where the former playground was. The aim is to create a safe and comfortable place where seniors (and others) can work out comfortably in an outdoor environment. A second phase is to establish an area adjacent to the Park where a community garden can be planted. The target poplulation would be seniors. Denise thanked Erin for her idea and information regarding a community garden. Erin said a place in Belmont is assigning plots at this time and they already have 80 people on a waiting list, so she feels the desire for these gardens is growing. Richard commented on the ones he's
seen in Bolton.
Many comments were made by Denise and the Committee regarding how wonderful the Rail Trail is for walking.
Denise mentioned the Skateboard meeting tonight (held prior to the Recreation Committee Meeting) and Sue reported that they have narrowed the site choice to the CRA or Mountview. The CRA is deciding what to do with their facility and the Skateboard Committee has been talking to Bill Long and the CRA Committee about working with them. Drafts were drawn up for what the Skateboard Committee would like on site and they plan on getting cost estimates.
The meeting adjourned at 7:40pm.
The next Recreation Committee meeting will be held on April 13, 2010 @ 7:00 p.m. at the Starbard Building.
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