Town Of Redding
REDDING, CONNECTICUT 06875
Redding Park and Recreation – Meeting Minutes
Date: September 27, 2004
Town of Redding, Connecticut
PRESENT: Chairperson-Siobhan Streams, Paul Degener; Joe Ventricelli, Charlie Fields, Dan Carter,
Joe Dolan, Steve di Costanzo.
STAFF: Rob Blick, Director; Debbie Clark, Administrative Assistant.
The meeting was called to order at 7:35 p.m.
The minutes from July 26th were approved.
There were no minutes from August due to not having a quorum.
PUBLIC COMMENT/LETTERS/CORRESPONDENCE:
· Mary Lancaster spoke with Ms Streams about space for their Girl Scout meetings. They are currently using the RES gym and would like a smaller space. Mr. Blick said that there is no other space available at 3:00 p.m. on Wednesdays. The teacher’s lounge at RES is only available after 4:00 p.m. Mr. Blick has forwarded their pleas to school administration.
· Dan Carter received a positive comment from a resident commending our brochure and the variety of activities. She had received a brochure from a nearby town and felt Redding’s was far superior. Laura Anderson does a great job with it.
· Mr. Blick received a complaint in regard to the Meadow Ridge pool pass. A resident felt that it was unfair to only offer family time. A number of people are interested in lap time for adults. In response Mr. Blick added one hour on Saturdays from 11:30 to 12:30 for laps prior to family time at 12:30 pm.
· Ms. Streams received a letter from an organization that is surveying the trails in Redding and surrounding towns. They are trying to find links to trails between towns. They enclosed a map and asked if they can be informed of any trails that are not on it. Mr. Degener will look over the map.
DIRECTORS REPORT: Mr. Ventricelli asked about swim lessons at Meadow Ridge. Mr. Blick would like to offer them but right now there are staffing issues and a few other things that would need to be worked out. Mr. Ventricelli suggested that Mr. Blick maybe get in touch with a group like Swim America in Norwalk. Perhaps we will be able to offer them down the road.
JBHS BUILDING COMMITTEE: Ms. Streams reiterated that there are lots of problems with the project. The High School is in danger of losing their accreditation if the building does not get finished soon. It appears that the only solution is to go to the town for more money.
COMMUNITY CENTER STEERING COMMITTEE: Mr. Blick suggested that this be taken off future agendas.
FINANCE COMMITTEE/BUDGET: Mr. Fields shared some of the highlights. Mr. Blick is to be commended for getting the budget $12,000.00 better than anticipated. This was in spite of the fact that money was taken out of the Park and Rec. budget toward a new truck as well as field drainage remedying which had not been anticipated.
PROGRAM DEVELOPMENT AND EVALUATION COMMITTEE: There was nothing new to share. It was agreed that Park and Rec. is already offering a great amount and variety of programs.
TOPSTONE PARK ENHANCEMENT COMMITTEE: Mr. di Costanzo wanted to be sure that enough money was budgeted so that more improvements could be made on the basketball court. Mr. Blick assured him that some improvements will be made on the court prior to us opening next Spring.
ORGANIZATION/PERSONNEL COMMITTEE: There was nothing new to share.
ATHLETIC FIELDS COMMITTEE: Mr. Degener and Mr. Dolan presented the updated study of field needs to the Board of Selectmen. There was a feeling that the Selectmen are hesitant to take further action until it is presented to the Planning Commission. Mr. Dolan suggested we go ahead and go before the Planning Commission before we spend money on getting new fields designed. It was reemphasized that the Granskog Property had been purchased by the town with no exemptions or promises as to how the property would be used. The next Athletic Fields Committee meeting is on Tuesday, October 5th at 8:00 pm at Town Hall.
GYM FLOOR COVERING COMMITTEE: The Commission expressed thanks to this committee for all their efforts in getting the gym floor covering. Mr. Blick will figure out a fee structure for renting out the gym with use of the floor covering. It will be taken case by case and presented to the Commission before each approval. The Gym Floor Committee will now be disbanded.
There was much discussion about storage issues. It remains to be a major problem at the RCC.
COMMUNITY CENTER GROUNDS COMMITTEE: Mr. di Costanzo feels that we are seeing fairly good results on the fields. Field 1 has had the best grow in, whereas Fields 2 and 3 have taken a little more abuse due to topsoil issues and heavy use. In terms of what has been done so far, the town can be proud of the fields and the remedying that has been done.
WEBSITE COMMITTEE: Tabled to next month.
NEW BUSINESS - Conservation issues/RES field renovation: Mr. Blick discussed the RES field project. Due to a high price to actually renovate the RES field, it has been decided to do what can be done to improve the quality. This would require pesticides as well as fertilization. Zoning Enforcement Officer Tom Gormley has said that neither pesticides nor fertilization can be used until a plan is presented to Conservation. This of course presents a huge problem. There will be a Conservation meeting on Tuesday October 5th in which a decision will be made regarding Fall fertilization. There is a tentative Special Park and Rec. Meeting set for Thursday, October 7th pending the outcome of the decision regarding fertilizers being used on the athletic fields. A separate application will be filed regarding pesticides.
Mr. Dolan would like to get in touch with surrounding towns to find out how many fields they have. Mr. Blick will get him the contact numbers.
Ms. Streams announced that she will be resigning from the Park and Rec. Commission. If there is a special Park and Rec meeting on October 7th, that will be her last meeting. Otherwise, tonight is her last meeting. The Commission is sorry to see her leave. Mr. Ventricelli will chair next month’s regular scheduled meeting. A vote will be taken then to elect a new chairperson.
Meeting adjourned at 10:00 p.m. Recording Secretary: Debbie Clark
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