Town of Holden 1204 Main Street, Holden, MA 01520
Recreation Committee Meeting Minutes
May 13, 2014
Starbard Building
Members Present:
Lisa Post, Erin O’Neil Bradbury, Melissa Staiti, Robin Grady, Nancy Owens
Members Absent:
None
Others Present:
Denise Morano, Recreation Director
Dee Anne Grebinar, Recording Secretary
Lisa called the Recreation Committee meeting to order at 7:00 p.m.
MINUTES: A motion was made by Lisa and seconded by Robin to accept
the minutes of the March 11, 2014 meeting.
The minutes of March 11, 2014 were approved unanimously.
DIRECTOR’S REPORT:
PROGRAMS:
Before/After School Progams
Denise went over the numbers for the Before & After School Programs. We currently care for 273 children on a daily basis.
Davis Hill – 52 AM and 52 PM
Mayo - 51 AM and 52 PM
Dawson – 24 AM and 42 PM
Denise commented that the numbers have remained high all year and that is a testament to the high quality programs and the dedicated staff.
Adult Programs
Denise went over the numbers for the adult classes. Hatha Yoga classes (for March and April) had 30 participants. A four-week session began today (Tuesday, May 13th) with 12 participants and Thursday’s class has 12 registered. Re-Shape has 11 registered; Yoga for Every Body - 8 registered; Boot/Yo has 14 participants; Beginner Running has 7. Another 8-week morning running class will begin May 27th, and an 8-week evening class is scheduled to begin May 19th. The goal for these classes is to get participants to run or walk/run a 5 K race; the current class will be doing a race in early June. Registrations for this next session seem to be slow coming in. The timing may not be right with June festivities and vacations
keeping people busy. The class is run by a personal trainer who is First Aid and CPR certified. Men’s basketball and Women’s volleyball continue to be well-attended programs. Robin asked if Denise has ever considered other sports for drop-in programs. Denise said she has done women’s basketball and co-ed softball in the past and now has soccer on Sunday nights during the summer for families.
Melissa asked about doing programs for younger children (under the age of 5). Denise said there is a lack of field space. Erin and Nancy mentioned that the Y and the JCC have blocks of activities for younger children. Denise commented that she does do the Pee Wee tennis, swim and arts & crafts classes during the summer for 4 year olds. If the recreation department moves to the old police station, Denise does have a few classes “in mind” for younger children, such as a sing and sign class or music and movement class.
SUMMER:
Summer brochures were distributed to the three elementary schools.
Recreation passes went on sale Tuesday, April 1. The 400 non-resident passes were sold out by noon on Wednesday, April 2nd.
An early registration for the All Day Summer Program for children currently enrolled in the Before and After School Programs was very well received. Of the 520 slots available during the 8 week program, 351 were taken.
Interviews for the summer staff were held during the April vacation. 14 new staff people were hired to cover open positions. Nancy asked if the new staff were formally CITs, and Denise said that many of them were.
Registration for summer activities began Saturday, May 10th for Holden residents and Sunday May 11th for non-residents. We registered 597 children in the classes and the All Day Program filled all weeks, except for week 2. There are 65 children enrolled per week. The revenue totaled $43,366 from classes and recreation passes from Saturday and Sunday, May 10th/11th.
The pool is scheduled to open the first Saturday in June (weather permitting) from noon – 5:00 p.m. The pool will open for the season on June 20th at 1:00 p.m. Dawson will have their 5th grade graduation party.
The covers were removed on Thursday, May 8th.
MISCELLANEOUS:
A broken valve at the pool required extensive and expensive repair. Everything is buried, so the cement needed to be dug up and the valve had rotted because it was not stainless steel. Weston & Sampson originally gave a quote of $12,000 - $15,000 to fix the problem. With the talented gentlemen from buildings and grounds and the water department this repair was done successfully for less than $2,300. Many thanks are sent to the guys from those divisions. The toys have not been turned on yet. Denise assumes they will work fine.
Denise released the fields for play on Tuesday, April 22nd. Weather conditions had delayed the opening until that time. Many volunteers from the youth sports leagues helped out preparing the fields and getting them ready for safe play.
The Town Meeting is Monday, May 19th at 7:00 p.m. at Wachusett. The warrant includes an article seeking voter approval to sell a portion of the property at 175 Highland Street, current home to the Recreation Department.
The meeting was adjourned at 7:45 p.m.
The next Recreation Committee meeting will be held on September 9, 2014 @ 7:00 p.m.
at the Starbard Building.
Holden Recreation Committee May 13, 2014
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