Parks and Recreation Meeting Minutes of April 4, 2011
Room 5, Town Hall
Attendance:
Committee Members: Sergio Coviello (SC), Rita Mullin (RM), Patricia Fillmore (PF), Mike Fitzpatrick (MF)
Staff: Maureen Stevens (MS), Marty Tilton (MT), Sheila Sturdevant (SS)
Tardy: Billie Luker (BL)
Absent: Lauren McMullen (LM), Lynne Clemens (LC),
Call to order: 6:39pm; Quorum, called by Mike Fitzpatrick
Audience of Citizens: Warren Pearce, 4th of July Committee
Acceptance of Minutes: 3/21/11 meeting minutes
(PF) Pat Fillmore made a motion to accept minutes from 3/21/11 meeting as is.
(SC) Sergio Coviello seconds the motion.
Accept: 4 Opposed: 0 Abstained: 0
Motion Accepted
Billie Luker arrived at 6:42pm
Mike Fitzpatrick turned the meeting over to Billie Luker.
New Business
• 4th of July Celebration Committee-Warren Pearce
Warren is asking Parks & Recreation if they have any interest in running the fourth of July Carnival and celebration. He has someone who is willing to donate $10k for start up monies, but he does not have anyone for a committee to do the volunteer work. Warren will list all reason abilities for everything and contacts for P&R there are always a lot of non profit groups interested in participating. He said it is late in the game for the carnival but if we do take it over now he can probably pull some strings and get the carnival there but he needs to know now. The town keeps 20% of the take from a carnival. The carnival would want a Friday through Monday commitment. Warren said he has the electrician that would come and do all the electrical work P&R has portable lights now so they would
not have to rent them so it would lessen the cost. Warren said he will still handle the fireworks on the night of. He said total it would cost around $43k for the entire event, but probably could down scale and run at $23k and he has $10k committed already. We could do a single show and not tonight. If P&R decides they would like to try he can get his people together for support he just has no one to take charge. We also need fire and police security.
(PF) Pat explained that she has been involved before and it is quite a bit of work. The committee sells the tickets and the carnival gets a certain percent. We pay them. Usually in the past had non profit groups come and have booths, but we could have local business come as well and it would be good for them. To get it started we need $20k up front. As a group we do not have enough time before this Fourth of July to fundraise.
(RM) Rita asked if Warren has a group of people that would pay for the fireworks. Rita is concerned that it is a lot of work and it is very last minute. She also would like to know if the event is all a fundraiser or does the town get any proceeds. Rita asked Warren to get a list of all responsibilities together with all contacts and bring it back to us. Maybe Friends of North Reading Parks & Recreation would be willing to take on the event.
Page 2
Fourth of July continued
(BL) Reading does one day and Wilmington has a huge celebration, does that have any negative feedback?
Maybe we should not have a fourth of July celebration but move it to a later date and fundraise and do a business appreciation celebration and intertwine it or maybe even for the 911 anniversary celebration with a campaign to “Bring back the Fourth of July celebration”. Billie was wondering why the committee dissolved. Billie also asked Warren to get all the information together and bring it back to the committee.
(MT) Marty is worried about reaching out to local businesses again and asking for more. Marty is worried because we already have so much on our plate with responsibilities and special projects.
Warren left the meeting at 7:20pm
Old Business
• Parks Director Updates (MT)
o Banners at Arthur Kenney Field: Marty started hanging the banners today.
o Pavilion at IRP: The pavilion was delivered today. We will be coordinating on the concrete pad. The company who manufactured the pavilion will be installing it. The DPW guys are going to prepare the bed and the structure will be up very soon. Maureen informed everyone that we are in good shape with the monies for the pavilion. P&R agreed that if we needed to anything over $80k for expense on the pavilion we would supplement with the monies brought in from the wine & food social.
o Fields: Marty is waiting for the good weather to open the fields.
o Clarke Park Wood Structure: Janet Nicosia is getting quotes on replacing the wooden structures at Clarke Park.
• Recreation Director Updates (LC)-Absent
o Spring Summer Brochure: Maureen updated that the brochure is up online and will be coming out in print soon. They are still working on scholarship criteria.
• Operations Director Updates (MS)
o BOS Meeting: Maureen reminded everyone that the BOS meeting is tonight and she is all set with back up information. Maureen believes that we will get asked about wanting to go to an Enterprise Fund from the Selectman. Enterprise fund is a house keeping measure because of the Town Tax Levy which affects out expending.
o Wine & Food: She has the wine & Food social finance report. She is just waiting for the advertising bill from the Transcript. Last years revenues from the social were $14k. This year is $10k. Maureen is concerned that the wine bill is incorrect so Lauren is checking on it with Bryan McDonald so payment is on hold for the wine. Lauren told her that the wines can not be sold back to the company this year.
o Skate Park: it would be $5k alone for the wood to repair the skate park at IRP. Rita would like Marty to get quotes for repairs. Rita is asking if LUC doesn’t need wine & Food monies for Pavilion can we use for Skate Park.
o Practice field at High School: the field is a mess and the school is supposed to be maintaining but they are not. Marty has tried to talk to the grounds staff at the school but it is still not being care for properly. Rita and Billie want Marty to make a list of responsibilities and how to care for the field because the school staff is supposes to be caring for at the turf and practice field. Billie wants to ask for a meeting with Kathy Willis the superintendent to go over everything. Rita stated that if the school can not care for it properly then P&R will do it on overtime and bill back the school. Sergio asked if Marty has put the requests in writing to the school staff and Marty has in years past. Rita wants this issue to go on the School
Committees agenda to be addressed.
• LUC Updates (RM)
o Meditation Garden at IRP: Rita has a meeting with Con Com tomorrow on garden. The garden will probably be cut back to 15 feet. Will groom the area, make a path and install a couple benches with engraved plaque for Carol Smith. His family wants to replant hosta from his home into the garden area. We are waiting for permission from the ConCom agent to continue.
• FONRPRC, Inc Updates-No update
o Walk of Fame: up to $19400 in sales on bricks.
Page 3
Other Business
• Next Meeting date (SS)
April 20th in Room 14 at Town Hall at 7:00pm
• Agenda Items for next meeting (SS)
Adjournment
(MF) Mike Fitzpatrick made a motion to adjourn meeting at 7:59 pm so everyone can attend the BOS meeting.
(PF) Patricia Fillmore seconds the motion.
Approved: 5 Opposed: 0 Abstained: 0
Motion Passed
| 
