Minutes of Park Commission Meeting
Held on Thursday, November 29, 2018
Town Hall- Selectmen’s Room at 8:00am
1. Call Meeting to Order:
Mr. Bowen called the meeting to order at 8:10am. Members present were Mr. Bowen and Mr. Wood. Also present, Mr. Santos, Mr. Hannon and Mr. Aponte.
2. Minutes to Approve:
A. Public Session – October 29, 2018
Mr. Wood motioned to accept the minutes as written, seconded by Mr. Bowen and carried…
Vote: 2 - 0, in favor
3. Citizens Issues / Special Interest Groups:
A. None
4. Personnel:
A. Park Commission to consider Part-Time Fall/Winter 2018-2019 Seasonal Staff
Mr. Bowen motioned to approve the individuals recommended for employment, with the exception of Jeffrey Wood, and requested that the list be submitted to the Board of Selectmen for confirmation. Seconded by Mr. Wood and carried…
Vote: 2 – 0, in favor
Mr. Bowen suggested that the Park Commission consider Jeffrey Wood at their next meeting when a vote by way of quorum can be ascertained.
5. Director’s Report:
A. None
6. New Business:
A. Park Commission to review current maintenance procedures with DPW Director in effort to support DPW with future maintenance at various fields, parks and recreation facilities.
Mr. Santos thanked Mr. Ryder for attending the meeting and explained that it was his hope that after the discussion the Park Commission would have a better understanding of what tasks DPW currently performs, what tasks are not being performed and how the Park Commission/Recreation Department can assist DPW in the future with maintenance, upkeep and improvements of various park facilities and athletic fields.
Mr. Wood stated that he was aware of most of the tasks DPW park division performs on a regular basis and is thankful for the work that that do. He also stated that as a board member of HYBS, he and his fellow board members are also looking to find out how they can assist with some of the maintenance items that are not currently being performed.
Mr. Ryder stated that the community has changed a lot in the few years he has been working in town. He stated that in his 3-4 years as Director, more responsibilities have continually been added to his parks division yet unfortunately, the number of staff in that division has not increased. He stated further that he has been able to purchase some new equipment in the last two years, which has increased efficiency of that task they perform regularly.
Mr. Ryder stated that park division staff members spend a considerable amount of time at the fields surrounding HHS preparing those sites for the HS athletic activities during both the spring and fall seasons. And that when this occurs it decreases the available manpower to perform other maintenance tasks across town at other facilities.
Mr. Ryder stated that the lack of man power, added responsibilities in the parks division over the last fifteen plus years and limited funds all contribute to the issues and concerns that may have been brought to the attention of the Recreation Department in the recent past. He stated that adding another employee in the parks division would be beneficial given the current workload. However, long term improvement to athletic fields would also require additional funding.
In closing Mr. Ryder stated that the Park Commission and DPW should work together to identify clear expectations for facility maintenance procures and general conditions. And further that if a user group or resident’s expectation is that every field in town be maintained as a tournament ready field, then much more manpower and funding will needed.
Mr. Wood stated that that Recreation Department should reach out to the primary facility user groups requesting that they submit information on what their facility expectations are, list how they feel they can help as primary user groups to improve facilities and provide a list of their top 5 concerns related to facility maintenance and existing conditions.
Mr. Bowen agreed with Mr. Wood’s comments and stated that it is important to ensure the primary user groups gain a better understanding of current maintenance procedures and be made aware of the limitations of both DPW and the Recreation Department.
Mr. Santos stated that he and his staff had recently discussed coordinating a meeting with the primary facility user groups and would request that prior to meeting with them, that they provide the Recreation Department with the items Mr. Wood identified. Mr. Ryder stated that he would be willing to participate in the meeting, if needed.
Mr. Santos stated that that his goal was to assess the primary user group’s needs vs. wants and work with DPW to put together a comprehensive maintenance plan for all facilities. And when completed, identify any maintenance items that may not be currently performed, decide whether those particular items needed to be performed and determine how to fund any such new maintenance items.
Mr. Santos also stated that many, if not all, surrounding cities and towns charged user groups a facility use fee and that the Commission may want to explore restructuring their existing facility use guidelines to genereate revenue in order to help offset any future maintenance costs specific to tasks that not currently being completed.
7. Old Business:
A. None
8. Communications and/or Correspondence to be noted by Commissioners:
A. None
Announcements/Adjournment
Mr. Bowen motioned to adjourn the meeting at 9:46am, seconded by Mr. Wood and carried...
Vote: 2-0, in favor
Motion to Adopt: Mr. Chaves
Second: Mr. Bowen
Vote: 3 – 0, in favor
Date: December 27, 2018
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