Redding Park and Recreation -Meeting Minutes
Date: December 18, 2003
Town of Redding, Connecticut
PRESENT: Chairperson-Siobhan Streams; Charles Fields, Paul Degener, Joe Ventricelli, Steve di Costanza, Tushar Shah.
STAFF: Rob Blick, Director; Debbie Clark, Administrative Assistant.
The meeting began at 7:40 p.m.
The minutes from November 20th were approved.
The Commission welcomed new Commission members Joe Ventricel1i and Tushar Shah.
PUBLlC COMMENT /LETTERS/CORRESPONDENCE:
· Mr. Blick received a call from a former resident. She was upset that she could not buy a non-resident gym pass for her son who has friends here. The Commission asked Mr. Blick to look into what neighboring towns are doing and perhaps set up a fee structure for passes for non-residents.
· Someone contacted Steve di Costanza about property at Meadow Ridge being used for fields. Mr. Degener and Mr. di Costanza will look into it further.
· Ms. Streams received a call from Margo Robinson. She expressed how unhappy the Boys and Girls Club is with the allotment of time and space that has been given them in the gym. It was reiterated to Ms. Robinson that Park and Rec is adequately meeting the Boys and Girls Club's needs. Mr. Blick and the Commission feel strongly about getting the high school non-athletes involved in recreation that they would be interested in. Therefore they are willing to experiment with different ideas that involve gym use. The goal is to have a balanced approach with gym time to accommodate all residents. Park and Rec has offered The Boys and Girls Club time in the gym when the
building is not normally open. This would involve them having to pay someone to open the building and so far they are not willing to do so.
DIRECTORS REPORT:
Mr. Shah expressed his concern about the condition of the fields. He's afraid that they are too soft. Much discussion ensued about who is responsible to fix the fields. The Commission wants Mr. Blick to be involved in choosing the experts that will actually do the work to insure that it is done properly. Mr. Blick shared with the Commission ten points that were gone over in a meeting between him, Ms. Ketcham, Bruce Sanford, and Mike Cardillo. The Commission asked that Ms. Streams send an update of the letter she wrote about their concerns to Ms. Ketcham. She will also make known that we need to have the" As Builds".
Mr. di Costanza agreed to be part of a Community Center Grounds Committee. The committee will work along with Mr. Blick to oversee the remedial condition of the fields. They will meet Friday morning on December 19th.
JBHS BUILDING COMMITTEE LIAISON: There was no discussion.
COMMUNITY CENTER STEERING COMMITTEE: Mr. Degener suggested that Park and Rec put pictures of children and others enjoying the programs on the walls in the RCC. Everyone was in agreement that this was a great idea.
FINANCE COMMITTEE/BUDGET: Mr. Blick passed out packets and gave an overview of what will be submitted to the town. The main point of the Executive Summary is this -Factoring out the cost of athletic field maintenance, the budget reflects no net increase vs. last year. Total revenue increases offset increases in expenses. The Commission was pleased with the clear concise Executive Summary.
PROGRAM DEVELOPMENT AND EVALUATION COMMITTEE: There was no discussion.
TOPSTONE PARK ENHANCEMENT COMMITTEE: Ms. Streams announced that John Anderson, who was part of this committee, has resigned from the Commission. New member Joe Ventricelli will take his place on this committee.
ORGANIZATION/PERSONNEL COMMITTEE: There was no discussion.
ATHLETIC FIELDS COMMITTEE: There will be a meeting January 9th pending field design bids that the committee is anticipating to get. JBHS fields will not be ready for spring due to construction. This will cause a severe shortage of fields for the spring and fall.
GYM FLOOR COVERING COMMITTEE/MARK TWAIN BOOK FAIR: Mr. Carter, Mr. di Costanza and Sam Calloway have been in touch with a group from Chicago. They will meet again the first week in January. Storage for the covering continues to be a problem. The trailer behind the RCC could possibly be used but first we need to have in writing the range of temperature for storing the covering. It was recommended that we get the motorized handle that would make set-up and break-down easier.
BUSES FROM JRMS: At this time, the idea of using the existing JRMS bus framework to transport children from JRMS to the RCC was turned down. Tom Jokubaitis was told by the Board of Ed's attorney that they could not separate the public Community Center uses from other organizations that may also want transportation. A letter will be sent to the Board of Ed requesting that this be looked into further.
Meeting ended at 9:47 pm. Recording Secretary: Debbie Clark
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