Minutes of the Parks and Recreation Commission Meeting
Thursday, June 14, 2007
Present: Steve Slozak, Barry Cady, and Dave Braskie
Also Present: Timothy Pascale, Director; Jeanne Guertin, Secretary; Steve O’Shea
Barry made a motion to begin the meeting at 5:26 p.m. and Steve seconded. All in favor and the motion passed.
Barry made a motion for the April meeting minutes to be accepted and Steve seconded. All in favor and the motion passed.
Steve welcomed Jeanne to the Parks and Recreation Department.
It was commented that June 30 is the end of the fiscal year.
Moriarty Field: The sprinkler system is up and running. A tractor and aerator is being dropped off tomorrow morning, and the field will be aerated tomorrow.
Steve commented that the fence line has been moved at Constantino Field. Parks and Rec has been trimming closer to the rock wall at Quarry Hill field and has been complimented for that, and the same should be done at the baseball field.
A reminder will be sent to Dr. Nabel for the trailer.
Skate Park: Steve asked about the Skate Park and Tim said there is a list of people who have volunteered to close the park in the evening. We have five people to do this.
Trucks: The grey truck died on Monday. The alternator was the problem and it’s being fixed. Dave said that two years ago he thought it had the same problem. Steve asked about the blue truck and Tim said everything is fine. There was a minor problem with a light being left on, and they had to “jump” it.
Mower: Everything is up and running with the mower. The sprayer is fixed. Steve (Hutchinson) is still doing repairs. The weed cutter hasn’t been fixed.
Dave said the drainage at Lower Rogers has to be cleared up. Steve has this on his “to do” list, and will be done after July 1.
Steve got a phone a call about the tree cutting at Rogers Field. They are planting trees at Peaked Mountain and we are cutting them down at Rogers. Did we have permission from the Selectmen and the Conservation Commission to do this? He talked to Leslie (Duthie) and she said it’s out of her jurisdiction. It was suggested not to put grass down and that something should be put down that doesn’t need mowing. Because the drain isn’t working we could lose the field. Cushman has been lost already. Standing water for “so many” years becomes a wetland. Steve talked to other people and they said it could come to the state level if there are any problems. Dave asked if we can have trees taken away that are already down, and Steve said he is
taking care of it and wants it done by 4th of July.
Baseball: Steve asked if baseball season is over. Tim said that the spring season ends next week and has gone well, except for the normal problems.
Summer Programs: The flyers are out for all programs. Sign-ups are slow, but they have been the past two years. Dave asked about on-line sign-ups. Tim said you can download registration forms on-line. The town does not accept debit or charge cards so it’s difficult to have on-line sign-ups/registrations. The flyers are at the Parks and Rec offce, at the Library, or available on-line. We can’t tell how many “hits” the website gets, but can check with Gretchen.
Summer Theatre: “Guys and Dolls” is this year’s production, and auditions start Monday. Tim met with Dr. Nabel to discuss the air conditioning. They (School Committee) are looking for more ways to raise money. The air conditioning bill has been $3,000 and the Parks and Rec has been paying $500. We don’t have to pay more next year, and don’t know about next year. Dave asked how often the air conditioning is on. Tim said it’s on during set building and rehearsals. Danny Tassinari said he’s being hurt by a “demand charge”. Ticket prices went up the year before last. We could look into raising ticket prices in the future to help pay for the air conditioning. Barry asked about asking for donations.
They already collect money for a Travel Fund for college students who come back for Summer Theatre, and scholarships. Granite Valley Middle School gets $400 for rental (dance recitals).
Summerfest: There will be a batting cage at Veterans Park. Steve O’Shea has five to eight people to help man the batting cage, and could get some kids to volunteer, if needed. They will start after the parade, which ends between 11:15 .m. and 11:30 a.m. Most activities don’t start until after the parade. They will charge $1 for 10 swings. The Palmer batting cages charge $1 for 15 swings, but they will stay with $1/10 swings since this is a fund raiser. Steve O’Shea will be first and last person to man the batting cage, and they’ll have it open from 11:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. They will use the smaller pitching machine. Tim asked who is doing food for the Boosters Club; maybe they can do some advertising. Bob Maggi has the trailer.
“To Do” List/ Project Board: Steve asked if this was working out, and Tim said yes. There was discussion about the projects on the board. Loam is needed at the JV soccer field. Dave thought the field should be sodded in the fall (October). The goal mouth for Rogers hasn’t been done yet. Tim will see how big it is.
Dave thought we should wait to add sprinklers at Rogers. He also said Courtney has gotten some nice compliments.
Steve commented on the trees encroaching on the sidewalks of Dave Grieve Park. Tim will look into this.
Dave asked about the baseball trips. Tim said the May trip to the Paw Sox game didn’t work out. He offered the tickets to coaches as a “thank you” and everyone thought that was a good idea. The Yankees trip was successful.
The chain link fence near the street at Lower Rogers field is knocked down. Need to use the brush cutter.
There was discussion about the tracks made by a tractor trailer on the field on Washington Street. These need to be fixed so it’s easier to mow. There is some sod that was cleared from the ball field that can be used, but the tracks need to be scraped down first. Someone could talk to Hub (John Morrell) to see if he can take care of it. Summerfest was going to take care of it.
Dave motioned for expenditures in excess of $200 be approved by the Commission. Projects or purchases which exceed $200 should be brought to the Commission to be discussed and voted upon. The amount is currently at $1,000, but Dave wants this lowered to $200. Dave discussed various projects which he felt were not discussed and approved by the Commission before they were done. Some of these projects were the shed at Veterans Field, which cost $1,000, and the goal posts and nets at the JV field, which were $3,000. There was no second to this motion; therefore, there was no vote.
There was discussion of when the next meeting should be and on what day of the week. It was decided that the Commission will meet on Fridays on a trial basis, and the meetings will be at 4:30 p.m.
The next Parks and Recreation Commission Meeting will be Friday, July 20, 2007, at 4:30 p.m. Barry made a motion to end the meeting at 6:56 p.m. and Dave seconded. All in favor and the motion passed.
Respectfully submitted,
Jeanne Guertin
Secretary
Timothy J Pascale
Director/Program Coordinator
Monson Parks and Recreation
110 Main Street
Monson, MA 01057
1-413-267-4105 ( phone )
1-413-267-0327 ( fax )
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