New Durham Parks and Recreation Commission Minutes September 9th, 2008
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PARKS AND RECREATION COMMISSION
PUBLIC MEETING MINUTES
September 9th, 2008
A business meeting of the New Durham Parks and Recreation Commission was called to
order at 6:07 PM at the New Durham Elementary School in the teacher’s lounge located
on Main Street.
Present:
Sheri Joy, Chairperson
Kristyn Bernier, Commissioner
Lucinda Erwin, Commissioner
Marcia Berry, Treasurer
Wendi Fenderson, Commissioner
Also Present:
Jessica Bailey, Director
April Whittaker, Town Administrator
Peter Rhoades, Selectman
Excused Absence:
Dwight Jones, Commissioner
April Whittaker came to the meeting to discuss when the commission would like to hold
a non-public meeting. The commission will hold a non-public meeting at 6:00 PM on
September 24, 2008 at the New Durham Elementary School in the teacher’s lounge
located on Main Street.
April Whittaker left the meeting at 6:20 PM.
Daycare Program:
Laura McCarthy is happy with her new computer. She needs a wireless card for it.
Motion Kristyn Bernier, second Marcia Berry to purchase a wireless card for $60
for Laura McCarthy’s daycare computer. The vote was unanimous.
Laura McCarthy reported the summer went well. She also reported that the daycare had
8 children enrolled in the pre-school daycare program.
Ms. McCarthy would like to hold a garage sale to sell some of the older toys and other
items from the daycare on September 20th at the school. The commission was in favor of
this.
Director’s Report:
Jessica Bailey told the commission that the daycare director’s contract was completed
and ready to be signed by the commission. The commission said they would review the
contract in the non-public meeting scheduled for September 24th .
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Jessica then explained to the commissioners the expenses that needed to be signed off.
Jessica told the commission that the uniforms were in. She has also asked for petty cash
to be made available for the volunteer’s refund. She asked the commission to sign a
purchase order for 3 separate payments of $100 each. The commission agreed to this and
signed the purchase order.
Jessica Bailey told the commissioners she will not be able to be at the field on opening
day and that Al Kohler had agreed to fill in for her. She said she would meet with Al to
go over everything with him. Sheri Joy said she would go down that morning and open
the concession stand and would go back later in the day to close up.
The commission asked Jessica about trash cans at the beach. Jessica said the girls
brought out trash bags during there shifts. The commission said that they felt a trash can
was needed. Marsha Berry is going to check into the cost of a trash can for the beach.
Approval of Minutes:
Motion Wendi Fenderson, second Kristyn Bernier to approve the minutes of August
12th, 2008 as written. Vote was unanimous.
Water Pump:
Sheri Joy said the pump at the concession stand is still not fixed. They have still not been
able to get the pump out of the well. They are going to have to contact Mark Fuller to see
about digging it up. Wendi Fenderson said her father works for a well company and if it
becomes necessary she will ask him to come out and look at. This means there is still no
water at the concession stand. Jessica pointed out to the commission that there is a $1000
deductible if it is covered under insurance. The commission has asked Jessica to buy 10
gallons of water for the concession stand and Sheri Joy said she would drop off the water
left over from the Luau.
Water Testing:
The commission had discussed having the Health Officer of the Town take over the water
testing twice a year. Jessica stated that April Whittaker informed her that the commission
would have to vote to approve the transfer to the Health Officer and once that was done
she could go forward with it. Peter Rhoades informed the commission that Bill Griggs
will no longer be the Health Officer. That position is going to be taken over by Arthur
Capello. Motion by Sheri Joy, second Kristyn Bernier to empower the Code
Enforcement/Health Officer to take the water samples in May and July and send to
the State. Vote was unanimous.
Volleyball:
Jessica Bailey told the commissioners she had talked to Tom McKay about his donation
of sand for the volleyball equipment and he indicated he would donate however much
sand was needed. He also indicated an interest in giving a quote on the job of building
the court. Jessica has requested a meeting with the commissioners down at the ball field
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to decide where to put a volley ball court. Lucinda Erwin asked if it was necessary to
build a volley ball court down at the park. Wendi Fenderson asked if it was something
that was indicated in a survey that was sent out to the residents of the town. Jessica said
it came about because the survey indicated a desire for more adult activities. Sheri Joy
asked if the equipment could be put on grass instead of sand. Jessica said it could be set
up anywhere. The suggestion was made that maybe the commission could ask the school
if it would be possible to set it up in the lower field. The commission is going to wait for
an estimate on what it will cost to put in a court at the ball field to determine where the
best place to put it will be. Jessica has also set up to have volley ball at the school on
Sunday nights.
Fees:
Kristyn Bernier brought up that she has been approached by parents who want to know
why the fees for residence is as high if not higher than other towns who use our fields.
Sheri explained that the fees are as high as they are because they no longer fund raise to
defray the costs and the NDAA no longer contributes. The Suncook Valley League fees
paid by the commission cover referees for tournaments, trophies, etc. Jessica said she
would bring a break down of what is covered to the next meeting. Sheri Joy stated that
the commission may have to come up with a fee for the use of the field next year. Wendi
asked what was included in the maintenance line of the budget. She pointed out they are
over budget. Jessica explained that the lime, paint, fertilizer, etc. for the fields was put in
the wrong place on the budget. Wendi asked for a breakdown of what has been taken
care of from the maintenance account. Jessica said she would provide a breakdown at the
next meeting.
Walkie-Talkies:
Dwight Jones was not present with the information. Discussion of the walkie-talkies is
tabled until the next meeting.
Senior Dinner:
The senior dance will be held on the Sunday following the craft fair.
Motion Marsha Berry, second Kristyn Bernier to hire a band to play at the senior
dinner in December. Vote was unanimous.
Replacement of Steel Doors:
The doors need to be discussed with Chief Varney to make sure the replacement doors
meet the fire code.
AED:
Jessica asked where the commission would like her to put the AED. After some
discussion, it was decided that for now it should be placed on a shelf in the concession
stand and signs posted.
Peter Rhoades left the meeting at 7:45 PM.
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Concert:
Jessica explained to the commission that Chris Bacon did not have a demo tape. Wendi
Fenderson said she had him play at her house and he was very good. He plays 70’s and
80’s type music. Sheri suggested that maybe next year they could have the concert at the
beach. The commission asked Jessica to talk to an electrician to find out what it would
cost to put electricity in down at the beach. Wendi Fenderson said her son works for an
electrician and will have him check into it. Marcia Berry asked Wendi if her son could
also look into what it would cost to install a light for the flag pole at the ball field.
Resignation:
Motion Wendi Fenderson, second Sheri Joy to accept Paula Gehl’s resignation with
regret. Vote was unanimous.
Luau:
Sheri Joy said the luau went well. They had about 50-60 people that came to it. She said
the pictures from the luau are available for viewing at the library. She said she would
like to put it on the schedule for next year.
Port-O-Potties:
Jessica apologized to the commission for the port-o-potties not being cleaned before the
luau. Sheri told Jessica that the port-o-potties at the ball field need cleaning and had no
hand sanitizer in them. Jessica said she will call the company and speak to them about it.
She told the commission she has called to have the port-o-potties removed from the
beach.
Movie License:
Sheri said she has talked to Max about the movie license and he has indicated he is
willing to pay the extra to have the movies showed at two locations instead of just one.
Marsh Berry will talk to the PTO at their next meeting.
Retaining Wall:
Sheri said the retaining wall looks great and work on the next section will hopefully take
place soon. The work on the stairs to the bleachers will also be starting soon. Jessica
explained to the commission that Cameron Quigley was shorted some wood for the stairs
and still needed some bolts. The commission signed the purchase order to cover these
items.
Hot Chocolate Machine:
Sheri checked into the cost of a hot chocolate machine. The cost would be $300 for a
used one and $800 for a new one. The commission decided they would not be
purchasing one.
Request:
Sheri said she had been approached by Celeste Chasse to be able to take two players
when it does not conflict with their other schedules. Jessica suggested a reduced rate for
the two players because they would not be playing every game. The commission felt this
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would cause controversy with the other parents. After some discussion, it was agreed
that Celeste could pull fourth grade players to fill in when her team was short. Marsha
Berry told Jessica that Celeste went to Chichester to play a game and when she got there
it was an all girls team. She has a co-ed team. The other coach told her that Jessica had
told her it would be a girl’s team. Also the Chichester team was an 8 player team and
Celeste’s team is 11. Jessica said that she had told the coach that it would be a co-ed
team against an all girls team.
Web Site:
Sheri asked Jessica why a late fee was posted on the web site. The commission had
agreed they would not charge a late registration fee. Jessica explained that it was an error
on her part and she would remove it. Also, Lucinda Erwin stated the printer-friendly
version of the application on line was not printer-friendly. The font is very small and it
prints all the pages, not just the application. Marsha said she felt they should go back to
having a registration night. The rest of the commissioners felt this was a good idea.
After some discussion, the commission decided to hold a registration for the basketball
season on the two days of parent conferences. They could do two hours during the day
on one day and two hours in the evening on the next day.
Halloween:
It is time to start getting sponsors for Halloween Night which will be on October 31st at
the elementary school form 6:00 PM – 7:00 PM. They asked Jessica to post it on the web
site and include it in the school news letter. Sheri said she would also post it in the
Merrymeeting Lake Association news letter. Marsh Berry will be the person to contact to
sign up for a door.
Athletic Season Checklist:
Kristyn Bernier presented the commission with an athletic events schedule. She put the
date that things should be done by for the different things required to get ready for the
sports seasons. It would be a schedule to help them all stay on track to get things done.
An inventory list has also been requested for the end of each season so that the
commission will know ahead of time if something needs to be replaced before the start of
the new season.
Senior Trip:
Kristyn Bernier said she had seen a bus that had “RENT ME” written on the side of it. It
was a company out of Fremont, NH. Jessica is going to try to find out more information.
CPR/First Aid/AED Class:
Kristyn Bernier told the commission that the class maximum is 12 – 15 people. The fire
academy requires the roster 15 days in advance. Terry Jarvis has said she would do a
class for seniors. It was suggested that the VNA be contacted to see if they would come
and do a first aid class at the same time. The commission is looking in to possibly setting
up something for the month of November.
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Work Session:
Sheri Joy would like to schedule a work session for the weekend of the 20th-21st at the
ball field with the equipment to do the walking path. This would include digging,
leveling, laying stone dust and brush cutting. The commission signed a purchase order
for the rental of the equipment. Marsha said she had someone ask her if the brick they
had purchased was going to be used in the near future. The bricks will be placed at the
beginning of the walking path. Also Leon needs to be contacted to go down to the ball
field and remove wood from the old stairs.
Criminal Background Policy:
Kristyn Bernier presented a draft of the criminal background check policy for the
commission to review. It still needs to be reviewed by town counsel.
Soccer:
Jessica told the commission that the nets were up and the fields were done.
Lucinda Erwin asked Jessica why new nets needed to be purchased. Jessica explained
that the some of the nets were being held on with twist ties. The commission had already
approved the purchase. Lucinda asked Jessica when the nets were ordered. She stated
they were ordered last week. Lucinda then asked her why it was not done sooner.
Jessica said it was an oversight on her part and she apologized.
The commission will meet again on September 24th, 2008 for a non-public meeting at
6:00 PM at the New Durham Elementary School in the teacher’s lounge.
The next public meeting will be on October 14th, 2008 at 6:00 PM at the New Durham
Elementary School in the teacher’s lounge.
Motion by Sherri Joy, second Lucinda Erwin to adjourn. Vote was unanimous.
The meeting was adjourned at 8:53 PM.
Respectfully Submitted,
Laura Zuzgo
THE NEXT PUBLIC MEETING WILL BE HELD
ON OCTOBER 14TH, 2008 AT THE
NEW DURHAM ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
AT 6 PM
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