Parks & Recreation Commission

LACONIA PARKS AND RECREATION COMMISSION MEETING February 21, 2017 Laconia Community Center- Parks & Recreation Office 7:00 P.M. CALL TO ORDER: Commission Chair Mitch Hamel called the meeting to order at the above date and time. RECORDING SECRETARY: Secretary Liza Kelleher will be recording this meeting. ROLL CALL: Commission Chair Mitch Hamel called the roll with the following Commissioners in attendance: Tony Pederzani, Rodney Roy, Arthur Kirk and Deanna Guyer. Parks & Recreation staff in attendance: Recreation & Facilities Director Kevin Dunleavy and Parks & Recreation Secretary Liza Kelleher. ADOPTION OF MINUTES OF PREVIOUS MEETINGS: 1. Regular meeting minutes of January 17, 2017 Commissioner Rodney Roy moved to adopt the minutes from January 17, 2017. Seconded by Commissioner Deanna Guyer. The motion passed unanimously. I. OLD BUSINESS: A. Review of rule against use of Coast Guard approved life jackets. Kevin Dunleavy reviewed some of the past documentation relating to the rule. Kevin also reviewed portions of the correspondence from Primex and the recommendations that Primex provided. Commissioners asked Kevin to get more of a sample size on what other towns are doing with lifejackets and what their policies are. Commissioner Mitch Hamel asked if we can find out if there are any implications to insurance costs if the City were to allow lifejackets. Several Commissioners raised concerns about how lifejackets would be monitored and inspected, particularly at Weirs Beach when the beach can be very busy. Commissioner Hamel wondered how City staff could keep track of which lifejackets were inspected and which ones were not with so many people swimming. Kevin said he would obtain the information requested and would have it available for the next meeting. B. Laconia Kiwanis- Rotary Park- Sunday, August 27, 2017 from 8:00am to 3:00pm for Rogers Ride. Commissioner Roy motioned to accept the request for Rogers Ride subject to submission of a certificate of insurance and a waiver for the use of 20lbs propane tanks for the cookout. Seconded by Commissioner Pederzani. All were in favor. C. National MS Society- Opechee Park & north parking lot- September 16, 2017, Saturday from 7:30am to 2:00pm for Walk MS Laconia. Commissioner Kirk motioned to accept the request conditioned upon payment of the $100.00 special event fee, submission of a certificate of insurance, City Council approval for fundraising on City property and key deposit of $25.00 if needed. Seconded by Commissioner Guyer. All were in favor.  D. NHIAA – Robbie Mills Baseball Field – June 7, 2017 from 4:00pm to 7:00pm (June 8th rain date), for NHIAA Division 4 Baseball semi-finals. Commissioner Roy motioned to table the request due to no representation. Seconded by Commissioner Kirk. All were in favor. II. FACILITY USE REQUESTS: A. Holy Trinity School- Opechee Field- Tuesday, June 13, 2017 for school field day. Commissioner Pederzani motioned to accept the request conditioned upon submission of a certificate of insurance. Seconded by Commissioner Kirk. All were in favor. B. Laconia Lacrosse Club- Bobotas Field and Leavitt Park Field, March 20 through June 19, 2017 Monday thru Friday from 5:00pm to 8:00pm for Lacrosse practices. Commissioner Guyer motioned to accept the request conditioned upon submission of rosters prior to the start of the season, payment for non-resident users’ fee and a certificate of insurance. Seconded by Commissioner Kirk. Commissioner Roy abstained. All were in favor. C. Lakes Region Girls Softball- Opechee A,B,C,D & Woodland Heights- June 30 through July 2, 2017, Friday from 3:00pm to 8:00pm, Saturday & Sunday from 7:00am to 8:00pm for the Northern NH State Tournament. Commissioner Roy motioned to accept the request conditioned upon payment of the tournament fee. Seconded by Commissioner Pederzani. All were in favor. D. Weirs Action Committee- Endicott Park & Beach- July 3 to September 3, 2017 every Friday at 10:00pm (rain date Saturday) Monday July 3 12: am and Sunday September 4, 2017, for Weirs Beach 2017 Fireworks. Commissioner Pederzani motioned to table the request due to no representation. Seconded by Commissioner Kirk. All were in favor. E. NH Humane Society- WOW Trail- June 3, 2017, Saturday from 8:00am to 1:00pm for Bow Wow Fest. Commissioner Guyer motioned to table the request due to no representation. Seconded by Commissioner Roy. All were in favor. F. Mark Dadian- Hillside Cemetery- February 22 through April 15, 2017 to tap maple trees. Commissioner Roy motioned accept the request on the condition that the Commission would need to revisit the approval if other requests for this activity arise. Seconded by Commissioner Guyer. All were in favor. III. ADMINISTRATIVE APPROVALS-ROTARY PARK, BEACHES, WEIRS AMPHITHEATER & PAVILION The following birthday party and wedding requests have been approved administratively: A. Shelby Frantz- Rotary Gazebo- Saturday, April 29, 2017 from 10am to 4pm for a wedding ceremony. IV. NEW BUSINESS: V. ANNOUNCEMENTS:  VI. NOMINATIONS, APPOINTMENTS & ELECTIONS: VII. PUBLIC COMMENT: VIII. COMMUNICATIONS: IX. OTHER REQUESTS REQUIRING COMMISSION ACTION: A. Tritanum Sports- Opechee Park, Beach and Smith Field- August 9 through 14, 2017 from 7am to 5pm Saturday and Sunday, with setup days on Wednesday through Friday and a cleanup day on Monday. Jan Buitendag of Tritanium Sports gave the Commissioners an update on further details of the request. This event will include a sprint triathlon (swim, bike and run) and half Ironman triathlon. The event is intended to replace the Timberman Triathlon that no longer exists and provide a new event in its place that will be good for the community. Commissioner Hamel asked what type of banners they are looking to utilize. Jan stated that they are looking at a banner along the fence at the south end of the park and banners along the finish area. Kevin Dunleavy said that the new banner policy would apply and he would provide that. Kevin Dunleavy recommended that conditional approval be granted so they can start with further planning of the event. Kevin also said that Special Events Committee approval and City Council approval will also be needed. Jan said he would get together with Kevin once the snow melts to look at the site and discuss further details. Commissioner Roy motioned to accept the request conditioned upon submission of a special event fee of $480.00, a certificate of insurance, loudspeaker permit Special Events approval, the right for the Commission to review and major changes in the event and City Council approval for the City of the Lakes Tri Festival event. Seconded by Commissioner Kirk. All were in favor. X. PARK ASSOCIATION REPORTS: A. Leavitt Park Association –Minutes of the meeting (January & February 2017) B. Weirs Community Park Association- No Report C. Tardif Park Association- No report XI. DEPARTMENT REPORTS: A. Asst. Directors Report submitted by Amy Lovisek This month has been a planning month. I have been working on this year’s Adopt-A-Spot program. We are working together with the Belknap County Conservation District to try to get some grant money to provide each adopt-a-spot some pollinator’s plants to attract the bees and butterflies. They are also looking to get us some more grant money for new trees in our parks. We are always having to take some down for safety reasons and this will give us the opportunity to put more up than we usually do. I will be sending out inquiries out soon to see who is interested in adopting the spots again this year. Then I will do an article in the paper to ask for more interest. We’ll see what we get. This can only help our department as it takes some of our burden off our shoulders. I have been working with a team throughout the city to get a new website going for the city. This is a huge endeavor and will see great results. The new website will be much more user friendly and informative. I was asked by Chief Erikson to help with the new hazardous planning. I have been working on this with others from the city and should be finished soon. This is something that is required by Homeland Security every 5 years. It is quite eye opening. I have been in touch with the US Wildlife in regards to the troublesome geese. I have been given a lot of information and we are waiting for their department freeze to be lifted to get even more info. This past week I did the General Safety Checklist that the city requires us to do for all city department buildings. The only thing on our list that needed attention was to have an emergency evacuation plan. The deputy fire chief came over and helped me set one up. We are all set on this now and the plan is posted throughout the building. B. Directors Reports submitted by Kevin Dunleavy Department Updates: • Recent maintenance projects and activities include: Work orders/repairs at City Hall, Library, park houses, LFD and LPD Winter maintenance- snow removal - deicing City Hall City Clerk area modifications Trash removal Pet waste bag restocking Brush cutting Ice Rink maintenance DPW plowing support Community Center painting in main office Maintenance shop cleaning and organization • With the recent influx of winter weather, maintenance staff has been busy plowing, clearing walks, salting, sanding and removing snow from parking areas. We have also provide support to plowing operations for DPW when needed. •Happy Tails Dog Park – The City has advertised for Request for Proposals for archeological services for archeological survey to determine the level of sensitivity of the proposed dog park site, if any. Proposals were received this week and are currently being reviewed by City staff. Once a consultant is selected, the archeological survey/review will occur. Some site related survey may need to wait under winter conditions subside. •Memorial Park- Parks and Recreation has received a quote from Adel Signs for a new park sign with granite posts. This project is proposed to be funded in part through a donation from the NH House Finance Committee in honor of Jeff Pattison. It is expected that the sign can be installed in the spring. Additional funding can occur through operating funds and/or reserve accounts. I have spoken with Jeff Pattison and he is aware of the sign idea and was positive about the project. •Normandin Square Park Area – Parks and Recreation staff is working on a proposed design for the small park area at Busy Corner. • WOW Trail – I recently met with Allan Beetle of the WOW Trail organization and had preliminary discussions  about the idea of an Adopt-A-Trail program for the WOW Trail. Original thoughts include designating certain sections of trail as sections that could be adopted by various groups for trial maintenance and beautification. The group could be recognized through signage along the trail. Further details will be discussed to determine how this might move forward and be managed. • Weirs Beach Restoration – I recently met with NHDES representatives, DPW and Woods Hole Group to discuss the Weirs Beach restoration project. The purpose of the meeting was to discuss permitting requirements, expectations of NHDES, review of the sand migration study and timeline. Further meetings are planned in the near future with NHDES as we work through this unique project. • Lakeside Avenue Improvements – I have been working with DPW and the Weirs TIF Advisory Board on various elements of the Lakeside Avenue improvement project. The improvements will help improve the aesthetics and experience in this area. Parking kiosks are replacing parking meters along Lakeside Avenue. Very recent discussion has arisen on how the parking at the Weirs Beach parking lot is structured. I anticipate that further discussion and evaluation will occur on this topic in the very near future as we look to efficiencies and the overall visitor experience. • Meetings that I have attended the last month include City Staff meetings, Special Events Committee, NHDES, and Weirs TIF Advisory Board. I also attended a workshop at Primex that focused on tools to better manage your time in world of cell phones, email, texting and various disruptions. XII. PRESENTATIONS XIII. ADJOURNMENT: Commissioner Roy motioned to adjourn at 8:45. Seconded by Commissioner Pederzani. All were in favor. Respectfully submitted, Liza Kelleher Mitch Hamel Secretary Commissioner Chair