Parks & Recreation Commission

+ LACONIA PARKS AND RECREATION COMMISSION MEETING MINUTES 1. CALL TO ORDER: Monday, April 21, 2014 at 7:00pm at the Community Center 2. COMMISSION MEMBERS ATTENDANCE: Jeff Pattison (Chair), Mitch Hamel (Clerk), Dave Plourde, Rodney Roy, George Hawkins and Kevin Dunleavy. 3. INTRODUCTION OF GUESTS: Tom Scribner, Lori Gardiner, Beth SanSoucie, Patricia Woolsey, Randy Brough, Craig Kozens, Joe Dee, Patrick McKenna, Andrew & Kim Emmons, Meredith Horton, Doreen Richards, Tylaine Guarriello, Shelley Mandigo, Tony Felch, City Councilors Bob Hamel and Armand Bolduc. 4. ACCEPTANCE OF MINUTES: Dave Plourde motioned to accept the last month’s meeting minutes. George Hawkins seconded. All were in favor. 5. OLD BUSINESS:  Knapp and Tibbetts Wedding- Rotary Park Gazebo- May 10, 2014 Saturday from 4pm to 5pm for a wedding ceremony. Tabled due to no representation.  Patricia Woolsey- Rotary Park Gazebo- August 9, 2014 Saturday from 4pm to 10pm for wedding pictures and place for the guest to mingle. Mitch Hamel motioned to accept the request for the use of Rotary Park subject to $100.00 non-resident fee. George Hawkins seconded. All were in favor.  Proposed Changes to Parks Rules and Regulations- Kevin presented proposed changes to the Rules and Regulation. Dave Plourde motioned to accept the changes with the addition of including all basketball court hours being 8am to 8pm in Laconia Parks & Recreation Rules and Regulations. George Hawkins seconded. All were in favor. LACONIA PARKS AND RECREATION RULES AND REGULATIONS IN ACCORDANCE with the provisions of RSA Chapter 31, Chapter 44 and Chapter 216 of the City of Laconia Public Ordinances, the Laconia Parks and Recreation Commission hereby adopts the following rules and regulations for the care, protection, preservation and use of the City parks: 1. Inflatables, life jackets, swim fin, snorkels and tubes are not permitted in the water. 2. Permits are required for fires, except in park grills or portable grills. For facilities under the jurisdiction of the Parks and Recreation Commission, propane tanks in excess of 5lbs. are prohibited, unless a waiver is granted by the Parks and Recreation Commission. 3. Removal of or damage to any structure, plant, turf or natural feature within the City's park areas is prohibited. 4. Changing clothes is permitted only in buildings approved for that purpose. 5. All waste, charcoal and trash must be placed in the containers provided by the City. 6. Animals are not allowed in the water or on the beach. Animals walked on park property shall be leashed, and owners are responsible to remove all animal feces. 7. Firearms shall not be used or carried in any manner on park property. 8. Ball playing, horseshoes, and other similar games are not allowed except in designated areas. Beach balls and other soft rubber balls may be used on the beach at the discretion of the park personnel in charge of the area. 9. In matters of safety and orderliness, persons shall obey all reasonable requests made by park personnel.  10. Persons giving false information or false alarms about swimming, help, and other emergency situations will be subject to prosecution. 11. Missing persons shall be immediately reported to the lifeguard or other park personnel on duty. 12. Park personnel will not assume responsibility of children under 13 left unattended by their parents or guardians. 13. Employees are not permitted to receive tips or gifts. 14. Automobiles, mini bikes, RV's and all types of motor vehicles are restricted to designated roads and parking areas except by written permit from Parks and Recreation. 15. State regulations for boats, water skiing and any propelled water craft (150 ft. from all land or swimming ropes) will be enforced in all waters. 16. There will be no overnight camping or parking in any park except by special permit. 17. Hockey shall be played only at specified times and places. 18. All parks and beaches shall open at 7:00a.m. and close at 10:00p.m. with the exception of Weirs Beach (midnight), Courts from 8am to 8pm and scheduled events approved by the Commission or City Council. 19. Vending and soliciting in the parks, playgrounds or on beaches without a special permit from the Parks and Recreation Commission is prohibited. 20. Only authorized parks personnel are permitted under the "boardwalk" at Weirs Beach. 21. The use or possession of a chemical substance is prohibited except where authorized by permit. 22. Public swimming is prohibited during swim lesson instruction. 23. There is absolutely no launching of boats, jet skis, or any other water apparatus from a City beach or park except in designated areas. 24. Swimming will only be allowed in designated areas. 25. Admittance to any City beach or park can only be made through a public roadway or walkway. 26. Endicott Rock Park Capacity: At no time shall there be more than 2200 people in the park. 27. Offensive behavior: No person shall act to endanger others, be intoxicated or engage in any indecent act/language or loud noise which would be offensive to any reasonable person or engage in any disorderly conduct or behavior tending to breach the public peace. Such behavior can result in expulsion. 28. The use of Tobacco products is prohibited in any City recreation area and facility. Approved by the Laconia Parks & Recreation Commissions April 21, 2014. 6. FACILITY USE REQUESTS:  Winnipesaukee Warriors Special Olympics New Hampshire Team- Smith Track- Sundays, April 27, May 4, 11, 18, and 25, 2014, from 9:45am to 12pm for team practice. George Hawkins motioned to accept the request, waive the users’ fee and the key deposit of $25.00 is required if needed. Dave Plourde seconded. All were in favor.  Lakes Region Christian School- Memorial Park Tennis Courts- April through May 2014, Monday to Saturday from 3pm to 5pm or 6pm to 7:30pm, Tennis practice for School Tennis Team. Tabled due to no representation.  Laconia Kiwanis Club- Opechee Park House parking lot- Saturday, May 17, 2014 from 10:00am to 2:00pm for annual bike rodeo/safety day. Dave Plourde motioned to accept the request conditioned upon submission of the certificate of insurance. George Hawkins seconded.  Laconia Kiwanis Club- Colby Field- Sunday, June 8, 2014 from 10am to 2pm for a home run derby fundraiser event. Mitch Hamel motioned to accept the request conditioned upon submission of a certificate of insurance and final approval from the City Council for the fundraising event. Rodney Roy seconded. All were in favor.  Belknap Mill Society- Rotary Park- Wednesdays, June 4, 11, 18, 25, July 2, 9, 16, 23, 30, August 6, 13, 20, 27 from 5 pm ~ 8pm; Fridays July 11, 18, 25, August 1, 8, 15, 22 from 12pm to 1:30pm and Thursday August 28, 2014. Rodney Roy motioned to  accept the request for the series of concerts at the park with the understanding that the daytime Friday concerts may conflict with the construction going on at the Main Street bridge. George Hawkins seconded. All were in favor.  Lakes Region Community Services – Opechee Park- Saturday, June 7, 2014 from 11:00am~2:00pm for a free Fathers/ Father Figure fishing day. Dave Plourde motioned to accept the request with a 20lb propane gas tank waiver. Rodney Roy seconded. All were in favor.  New Hampshire Interscholastic Athletic Assoc.- Robbie Mills Baseball field- Tuesday June 10, 2014 (rain date Wednesday June 11, 2014) from 3pm to 9pm for a high school-semifinal competition. Dave Plourde motioned to accept the request conditioned upon a $300.00 tournament fee and the field light charge. George Hawkins seconded. All were in favor.  Laconia Public Library- Wow Trail- Saturday, May 17, 2014 from 10:00~12:00pm for a public awareness walk. Rodney Roy motioned to accept the request. Dave Plourde seconded. All were in favor.  Laconia Slow Pitch Softball- Memorial Softball field and Concession stand- May 1st through November 31, 2014 Monday through Sunday from 6:00pm~11:00pm for softball league play. Dave Plourde motioned to accept the request conditioned upon prepayment for the lights submission of rosters, certificate of insurance, concession stand fee, non- resident users’ fees, storage bay fee, and conditioned upon final approval from the City Council for raising money on the City property. Mitch Hamel seconded. All were in favor.  Lakes Region Water Ski Enthusiasts- Opechee Point- Sunday, August 10, 2014 from 10am to 4pm for a classic/vintage boat gathering. George Hawkins motioned to accept the request conditioned upon the understanding that the park is still open to the public, the submission of certificate of insurance, a $100.00 special event fee and a $25.00 key deposit if needed. Mitch Hamel seconded. All were in favor.  AJL Babe Ruth- Memorial Field - May 2, 2014 from 6~10pm (tryout), May 17, 2014 from 8am~10pm (opening day), May 10th~ June 30, 2014 Monday through Thursday from 6pm~10pm for Baseball League for 13~15 years old. Mitch Hamel motioned to accept the request conditioned upon submission of certificate of insurance, field light fees, the use of 4x8 banners for the sponsors (will be removed at the end of the season), and approval from the City Council for the use of concession stand for fundraising. The Commission voted to waive the concession stand fee, storage fee and non-resident users’ fees with the understanding of a donation at the end of the season if the league is in the position to do so. Rodney Roy seconded. All were in favor.  Laconia Middle School Class of 2018- Smith Track, Smith Field and Memorial Park- April 30, May 2, 5, 6, 7, 12, 15, 19, 2014 from 2:45~6:00pm for fundraising bake/food sales for the Class of 2018. Mitch Hamel motioned to accept the request conditioned upon final approval from the City Council for fundraising on City property. Rodney Roy seconded. All were in favor. 7. OTHER REQUESTS REQUIRING COMMISSION ACTION: 8. NEW BUSINESS: 9. PUBLIC COMMENT: 10. COMMUNICATIONS: 11. PARK ASSOCIATION REPORTS: Leavitt Park Association –Minutes of the Meeting (March & April)  Opechee Park Association- Income & Expense Report Tardif Park Association- No Report Weirs Community Park Association- No report Wyatt Park Association- No report 12. DEPARTMENT REPORTS: Director of Recreation and Facilities Report Submitted by Kevin Dunleavy Department Updates: • Recent maintenance projects and activities include: Maintenance Shop cleanup and reorganization Heating Oil Checks Snow and ice removal, salting and sanding. Various work orders at City Hall, Library, park houses, LFD and LPD Painting and repair of Rotary Park gazebo Skating Rink breakdown Trash removal Pet waste bag restocking Spring Cleanups Tennis court preparation Seeding bare spots Take out trash/recycle barrels Bathroom startups Remove broken slide at Wyatt Park Smith Track cleanup and preparation Graffiti removal Flag installation Equipment/mower preparation • Parks maintenance staff is now racing to get our facilities up and running for the spring season. Our athletic fields have been slow to defrost and dry out due to cold and extended winter season. We have been evaluating the fields on a daily basis and we have been providing frequent updates on the conditions. • Some seasonal maintenance staff have returned to help with the spring season. •Weirs Community Park – Work continues on the bathroom/amphitheater building. Delivery and fabrication of the timber frame pavilion has started on site. Due to the wet conditions, the remaining site work will not take place for another week or so. We are anticipating a formal grand opening of the park sometime in July. • Wyatt Park – The contractor is preparing to complete the work at Wyatt Park. Some electrical work has occurred this spring. Work is slated to begin in the next two weeks. • Skating Rinks/Sledding Hill – the sledding hill and all skating rinks have been closed for the season. It was a long and successful sledding and skating season due to the winter conditions Mother Nature provided. • Stewart Park/Main Street Bridge project – Paving and cleanup of the areas relating to the underground electrical upgrades adjacent to Stewart Park have recently occurred. We anticipate the installation of a transformer at the easterly end of the park to occur in the next few weeks. The Main Street Bridge project is now in full swing. We do not expect this  project to interfere with events at the neighboring park areas. • Community Center Gym Floor – since the last meeting, the City Council has appropriated money for the replacement of the gym floor at the Community Center. We have received requests for proposals, and it anticipated that the floor will be replaced during the month of May. • Parks and Recreation Budget Presentation – on April 14th, I presented the proposed Parks and Recreation budget to the City Council. The proposed budget is available online, and includes CIP items requested by the City Manager. •Meetings that I have attended the last month include City Staff meetings,, WOW Trail Board, Main Street Bridge construction meetings, City Council, Special Events Committee, Downtown TIF Advisory Board, Safety Board, Weirs Community Park construction meeting, meetings with various stakeholders relating to the Riverwalk, Union Avenue construction meeting and meeting with DPW and Dubois King Engineers to discuss erosion at Weirs Beach swale. Assistant Recreation & Facilities Directors Report Submitted by Amy Lovisek Spring had officially sprung and then diverted back to winter and now we are working our way back to spring. This being said we have started our spring programs. Our summer program brochure is now out to the public. We have mailed out a grouping, it is on our webpage and there is a link to it on our facebook page. We are doing our best to get the word out to the public. We had our annual Easter Egg Hunt last Sunday at Leavitt Park. We had a small showing of kids. The weather was cold and a bit rainy. I will be speaking with the Weirs Community Park Association about having the hunt at their new park next year. Thank you Rod for helping us spread the eggs. A big thank you to the Leavitt Park Association for all they did for the hunt as well. We are currently hiring for summer seasonal positions. One of those positions will cover my job on the weekends! After 15 years, I truly appreciate the opportunity to be with my family on weekends during the summer! Thank you. We just received our 24th year of Tree City USA participation award. Congratulations! As one part of that we do a yearly Arbor Day Celebration. This year’s event will take place at Leavitt Park near the playground on April 25th at 1:30pm. Feel free to come by to celebrate. The gym floor is being replaced this spring. Therefore, the gym will be closed from May 1st through June 6th. As of June 7th our programs will resume. We will be adding a new service to the community. We will be open on Saturdays from 10 – 5pm. We have different times for different events. With the Senior/Senior Prom in this time frame of the gym floor we are going to be moving over to the Huot Culinary Arts restaurant. We will be limiting the amount of people who can come, but it should work out for this year. The Opechee Day Camp building is getting a facelift. We are putting in new kitchen cabinets, a new stove and hood, opened the wall above the sink for light and to be able to see the kids on that side of the wall. We also removed the wall between the 2 storage rooms. The last thing that we are going is to install a water bubbler/bottle filling station near the handicap ramp outside the building for all to use. It will be installed the week after April vacation. All of the work being done has been donated through the Huot Tech Building Trades and Plumbing Trades. We are just purchasing materials for the entire project. Thank you to them. Have a nice spring!  13. DATE OF NEXT MEETING AND ADJOURNMENT: The meeting was adjourned at 8:25pm and the next meeting is scheduled for Monday, May 19, 2014 at 7:00pm at the Community Center.