Recreation Committee Meeting Minutes
November 8, 2011
Starbard Building
Members Present:
Richard Anderson, Carmelo Bazzano, Erin O’Neil Bradbury, Melissa Staiti
Members Absent:
Lisa Post
Others Present:
Denise Morano, Recreation Director
Dee Anne Grebinar, Recording Secretary
Erin called the Recreation Committee meeting to order at 7:00 p.m.
MINUTES: A motion was made by Richard and seconded by Carmelo to accept
the minutes of the October 11, 2011 meeting.
The minutes of the October 11, 2011 were approved unanimously.
DIRECTOR’S REPORT:
Programs:
Before/After School Programs
Denise went over the numbers for the Before & After School Programs. We currently have 238 children enrolled on a daily basis.
Davis Hill – 52 AM (maximum capacity) and 39 PM
Mayo - 36 AM and 46 PM
Dawson – 33 AM and 32 PM
Denise commented that she has had a change in staff and was able to hire two more adults for the programs at Dawson. One new staff member does a short yoga activity with the children in the morning ~ it helps start their day with a positive attitude and helps them stay focused and they seem to enjoy it. Denise may have her do a training session for the staff at the other schools.
Adult Programs
Denise went over the numbers for the Adult Programs. She commented that the numbers remain strong. Hatha Yoga on Tuesday and Thursday mornings has 31 participants. She is a dynamic instructor and has a group of regulars who participate. She will also be offering a 3 hour workshop on December 7th titled “The Healing Power of Yoga”. Currently 7 are enrolled and it has yet to be advertised. KOGA (8 participants), Zumba (23 participants), Yoga for Every “Body” (10 participants), Kettlebell (8 registered), Zumba with Sculpting (22 enrolled), Flip it for Fat Loss (9 participants), 3CPYo (23 enrolled). The 3CPYo class remains one of our strongest classes. Men’s basketball and Women’s volleyball are still attracting strong numbers each week.
New York City
Fox Bus Lines has cancelled our bus to New York City for December 3 due to a lack of registrations. We had 22 registrations, but they said that was not enough to have a bus come to Holden, even though we had confirmation in June that there was a bus available. They said 15 of our people could go to Millbury and take seats on a bus that had a group from Acton on it, but not our full 22 people. Denise said due to the negative experience this year, she will not be using Fox Bus Lines in the future. We called our participants with apologies and refunded their money.
Ski/Snowboard lessons are being offered at Ward Hill beginning Monday, January 9.
Carmelo asked if we could get another night for basketball. Denise said that the schools are very accommodating, but there are no extra nights available for us because many sports need access to the basketball courts.
Richard mentioned a digital photography class he and his wife had taken on learning to use their digital camera. He raved about it and thought it might be something Denise would like to offer. He will get her the information.
Melissa asked how we determine what classes to offer. Denise said when she hears about something new she’ll do some research, and she tries to keep up with what’s current. She likes to offer something new each year and will sometimes change things up a bit. We are sometimes limited with what we can offer because of space constraints.
Miscellaneous:
Santa is scheduled to arrive at Town Hall on Saturday, December 3 at 5:00p.m. Police, fire, DPW, light department and Santa have been notified. Popcorn, hot chocolate and goodies for the goodie bags have been purchased. Lisa has gotten confirmation from the First Congregational Church to use their hall for our festivities. Please be at the Church at 3:30 to assist with setting up and preparing for Santa’s arrival. This is a Recreation Committee program and we need all the help you can offer.
The Skateboard Park Committee met prior to the Recreation Committee meeting this evening. The committee is re-energized and there seems to be renewed interest. They will continue to pursue fund raising ~ no tax dollars are available at this time for this project.
Denise received only 1 estimate for the painting of the pool buildings. That estimate came in at $10,900. She would like to get this project done while the covers are still on the pools ~ if not this fall, definitely in the spring.
Carmelo asked about the skating rink in front of the Senior Center. Denise said that it is not maintained by the Recreation Department ~ it is done by volunteers.
Erin asked about the dog park. Denise said the committee is still pursuing the land share with WTAG. Trout Brook is still a back-up site.
Erin asked about an Earth Day clean-up. Denise said we maintain the fields and the pool area, but the parking lots at the schools are not our responsibility. Erin asked Denise if she feels there’s enough word out about all that the Recreation Department offers and that we do so without using any tax payer dollars. Erin thinks a positive letter to the editor is a good idea. She was wondering if we should try to get more people on the Committee ~ Denise said we can have seven members.
The meeting was adjourned at 8:05 p.m.
The next Recreation Committee meeting will be held on January 10, 2012 @ 7:00 p.m.
at the Starbard Building.
Holden Recreation Committee November 9, 2011
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