Parks & Recreation Commission

LACONIA PARKS AND RECREATION COMMISSION MEETING April 17, 2017 Laconia Community Center- Parks & Recreation Office 7:00 P.M. CALL TO ORDER: Commissioner Deanna Guyer called the meeting to order at the above date and time. RECORDING SECRETARY: Secretary Liza Kelleher recorded this meeting. ROLL CALL: Commissioner Deanna Guyer called the roll with the following Commissioners in attendance: Tony Pederzani and Arthur Kirk. Absent: Mitch Hamel. Rodney Roy arrived at 7:06pm. 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 March 20, 2017 Commissioner Tony Pederzani moved to adopt the minutes from March 20, 2017. Seconded by Commissioner Arthur Kirk. The motion passed unanimously. I. OLD BUSINESS: A. Review of rule against use of Coast Guard approved life jackets. Kevin Dunleavy said that we are looking for any action on this request so the Department can plan accordingly. Kevin said that inspection of vests would not be able to occur particularly at Weirs Beach because additional staff would be required. Kevin said the City’s insurance provider Primex is basing their position of not recommending life jacket use on liability and risk based on research. Kevin said that some other communities do allow them and it is a local policy decision. Kevin said that Parks and Recreation prefers people to be in the water with their child if the child cannot swim. Kevin also said that many parents likely understand that importance of monitoring their children with or without a life jacket, but the Department has concerns about some beach goers thinking that life jackets are a substitute for supervision of children while they are in the water. Commissioner Roy said that no matter what the Commission decides he would not want to see lifeguards be responsible for checking life jackets at any of our beaches. Kevin said that if the Commission can always revisit the issue in the future if more information becomes available or if trends change. Commissioner Roy asked if no motion is made to change the rule, is there a need to do anything further. Kevin said that he did not believe that the Commission needed to act if none of the Commissioners were proposing changes. Kevin said that it may need a motion to remove from the agenda but would get clarification. The Commission took no action on this request. B. Winnipesaukee Warriors NH Special Olympics Team- Smith Track & Field- Sundays, April 23 through May 25, 2017 from 10am to 12pm for track & field practice. Commissioner  Tony Pederzani motioned to accept the request subject to the submission of a certificate of insurance. Seconded by Commissioner Kirk. All were in favor. II. FACILITY USE REQUESTS: A. Holy Trinity School- Sanborn Park or other available soccer field- September 5 through October 10, 2017 from 3:00pm to 6:00pm for soccer practices and games. Kevin Dunleavy said that he was notified by Holy Trinity School that they have found another location and the request can be withdrawn. Commissioner Kirk motioned to remove the request from the agenda. Seconded by Commissioner Guyer. All were in favor. B. The Belknap Mill Society- Rotary Park- July 14, 2017 from 6pm to 8pm for a Summer Soiree event. Commissioner Guyer motioned to accept the request for the Summer Soiree conditioned upon submission of a certificate of insurance and approval from the City Council for fundraising and alcohol on City property. Seconded by Commissioner Pederzani. All were in favor. C. The Belknap Mill Society- Rotary Park- June 16 & 30, July 7 and 20, August 11 and 25, 2017 for the Music By the River Concert Series of 2017. Commissioner Pederzani motioned to accept the request for a summer concert series subject to submission of a certificate of insurance. Seconded by Commissioner Kirk. All were in favor. D. Laconia Chiefs Football and Spirit- Smith Field – May 8 through June 28, 2017 Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday from 5pm to 8pm for flag football. Commissioner Roy, representing the Laconia Chiefs asked that this request be withdrawn. Commissioner Guyer motioned to remove the request from the agenda. Seconded by Commissioner Pederzani. All were in favor. E. Laconia Adult Slow Pitch Softball- Memorial Softball Field- April 20 through December 1, 2017 Monday to Friday from 6pm to 11pm, Saturday and Sunday from 8am to 11pm for slow pitch softball practices and games. Commissioner Kirk motioned to accept the request conditioned upon the submission of a certificate of insurance, rosters, pre-payment for lights, non-resident users’ fee and storage unit fee. Seconded by Commissioner Guyer. All were in favor. F. American Cancer Society- Opechee Park and Bathhouse- October 18 through 21, 2017 Wednesday to Saturday from 5pm to 8pm for set up time and Sunday October 22, 2017 from 7am to 4pm for the Making Strides Against Breast Cancer walk. Commissioner Pederzani motioned to accept the request conditioned upon submission of a certificate of insurance, payment of $100.00 special event fee and approval from the City Council for the annual fundraising walk event. Seconded by Commissioner Kirk. All were in favor. G. Laconia Kiwanis- Opechee Park south parking lot - May 20, 2017 from 10am to 2pm for the Annual Bike Rodeo/Safety Day. Commissioner Kirk motioned to accept the request for the Annual Bike Rodeo/safety day conditioned upon the submission of a certificate of insurance. Seconded by Commissioner Guyer. All were in favor. H. Ladies of the Lakes (Laconia) American Foundation for Suicide Prevention- Opechee Park- September 10, 2017 Sunday from 8:30am to 1:00pm for the Out of the Darkness walk. Commissioner Guyer motioned to accept the request conditioned upon submission of a certificate of insurance, and final approval from the City Council for fundraising on City property. Seconded by Commissioner Pederzani. All were in favor.  I. Laconia Motorcycle Week Assoc. - Opechee Park- Friday, June 16, 2017 from 7:00am to 3:00pm for the Annual Bike Show and Swap Meet. Commissioner Guyer motioned to accept the request conditioned upon submission of a certificate of insurance. Seconded by Commissioner Kirk. All were in favor. J. Laconia Motorcycle Week Assoc. - Weirs Beach- June 14, 2017 Wednesday, from 9am to midnight for Laconia Motorcycle Week Fireworks. Commissioner Pederzani motioned to accept the request conditioned upon the submission of a certificate of insurance by Atlas Fireworks. Seconded by Commissioner Guyer. All were in favor. K. Lakes Region Vineyard Church – Opechee Point beach and bathroom- Sunday, August 6, 2017 (rain date August 13) from 12pm to 6pm for an annual church picnic. Commissioner Kirk motioned to accept the request conditioned upon certificate of insurance, payment of $100.00 special event fee. Seconded by Commissioner Guyer. All were in favor. L. Lakes Region Vineyard Church: Love 146 Volunteer Team- Opechee Park, WOW Trail- Saturday July 8 (rain date of July 15, 2017) from 10am. Commissioner Guyer motioned to accept the request conditioned upon submission of a certificate of insurance and City Council approval for the fundraising event. Seconded by Commissioner Guyer. All were in favor. M. Under his Wings Preschool- Leavitt Park Basketball Court- Sunday, May 21, 2017 from 9am to 5pm for 3 on 3 Basketball Tournament. Commissioner Pederzani motioned to table the request due to no representation. Seconded by Commissioner Kirk. All were in favor. N. Wilkins-Smith Post 1 American Legion- Memorial Park Baseball field- May 1 through August 1, 2017 Sunday through Saturday at various times. Commissioner Kirk motioned to accept the request conditioned upon submission of a certificate of insurance, payment of non- residents users’ fee, storage bay fee, and the lights fee. Seconded by Commissioner Guyer. All were in favor. O. AJL Babe Ruth- Memorial Park Baseball field- May 1 through August 1, 2017 from Sunday through Saturday at various times. Joe Dee said that the concession stand does not make much money and is more of a convenience for the players and fans. Commissioner Pederzani motioned to accept the request conditioned upon the submission of a certificate of insurance, rosters, payment of non-resident users’ fee, light fees and waiver of the concession stand fee. Seconded by Commissioner Guyer. All were in favor. III. ADMINISTRATIVE APPROVALS-ROTARY PARK, BEACHES, WEIRS AMPHITHEATER & PAVILION IV. NEW BUSINESS: A. Request for funds from user fee revenue account for the following: • Rotary Park plantings for 2017 - $1000 • Fencing for Bobotas Field for 2017 - $1500 Commissioner Pederzani motioned to accept the request to use the users’ revenue account for Rotary Park plantings and safety fencing at Bobotas Field. Seconded by Commissioner Guyer. All were in favor. B. Request by Laconia DPW to use Leavitt Park for recycling drop off location – Ann Saltmarsh explained that the drop off site on Elm Street behind the Lakeport Fire Station has been sold to a private party and the City is looking for another location in Lakeport. Ann asked the  Commission if they can relocate the recycling drop off to Leavitt Park in the basketball court parking lot area. Ann said pick up of the dumpster runs from May through September 30 and will be emptied 3x a week (M, W, F) and during the winter months it would be emptied twice a week (Monday & Friday). Ann further explained that DPW will monitor and will install a camera in this location. Commissioner Guyer expressed concern about the parking spaces that is limited and will be a problem when the soccer season starts. Commission Pederzani said that the proposed location is close to the entrance and could be an issue as cars try to enter the lot. Commissioner Pederzani suggested a location in the parking lot away from the entrance. Kevin Dunleavy recommended that the abutters in this area be notified of this proposal about any concerns they may have. Ann Saltmarsh said she would reach out to them. Commissioner Guyer motioned to accept the request to put a recycle dumpster on a trial basis with a fence enclosure be placed around the dumpster and to reach out to the abutters with the condition that the Commission can revisit the use in the fall. Seconded by Commissioner Pederzani. All were in favor. V. ANNOUNCEMENTS: VI. NOMINATIONS, APPOINTMENTS & ELECTIONS: VII. PUBLIC COMMENT: VIII. COMMUNICATIONS: IX. OTHER REQUESTS REQUIRING COMMISSION ACTION: X. PARK ASSOCIATION REPORTS: A. Leavitt Park Association –No report. 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 has been a big planning month for the summer season. I have been planning for the new Weirs Parking lot employee. This is going to be a big learning curve for everyone involved and the entire job is changing as well as the age. We have been working on the new job description for this position and getting everything set for the summer for applicants. This will change the Bond Beach Attendant job to be solely that position. Before we would share that job with the Weirs Collector. That will not happen now. We have been working to get our playgrounds back up to snuff. Unfortunately, the parts are all very expensive and we have to pick and choose the best bang for our bucks. We have decided to get the parts for the swings at Opechee Park and the tire swings at Leavitt and Tardif. If we are able to do more we will. The Adopt-A-Spot program has a few people interested, but not nearly enough. I will be putting this into the paper and the Links to try to draw more attention to the program. The Summer Program Brochure is now complete and in your packet. Take a look and let me know what you think. I would be happy to add programs so if you have any ideas for something new, let me know and we will do our best to see it happen. Tim Ford and I have learn a possible new way to use the Facility Dude. This new method, if it will work, will save a lot of time for us on the imputing side of things. The city’s new website is coming along. This is a very exciting process and I can’t wait to see the finished product. We have the design finished and our parks page is ready to be transferred onto the new site when it’s ready! Summer is coming and we are ready! Enjoy the spring! 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 Spring cleanups-raking Trash removal Pet waste bag restocking Brush cutting, tree clearing (Bartlett Beach, Bond Beach, others) Equipment preparation for season Placement of trash containers Smith Track cleanup • The spring season has arrived on the heels of some late winter weather. With the quick and late change in the weather, maintenance staff is tasked with completing many projects in a short period of time. We are scrambling to get bathrooms open, prepare athletic fields and perform spring cleanups. We are starting to bring in seasonal help and hoped to get caught up by Memorial Day. Interscholastic sports and youth sports have cleared to use most athletic fields. Conditions on the fields are springlike, and our maintenance staff will continue to work on the fields to get them in better condition. •Happy Tails Dog Park – We are awaiting for the completion of the archeological study report before proceeding further with the project. The late winter has delayed the archeological field work but we anticipate having this effort completed by the end of the month by our consultant. •Memorial Park- Gilford Well will be finishing the installation of the irrigation tie in and will perform a start up of the system starting this week. I also met with a potential donor to discuss a sitting park area near the baseball parking lot. •Normandin Square Park Area – Parks and Recreation will be seeking quotes for hardscaped elements for this area. Parks and Recreation staff will install the planting areas that will grace this new addition to our  park system. This area is slated to be completed by Memorial Day. • Weirs Beach Restoration – Awaiting a response from NHDES to set up another pre permit meeting in the near future. • Weirs Beach Water Quality – Due to delays with the wetlands approval, archeological survey, funding and the need to use the parking lot for Lakeside Avenue improvement project, the installation of pervious materials for an area of the parking lot has been put on hold until the project can be further evaluated. • Meetings that I have attended the last month include City Staff meetings, City Council meeting, Weirs Community Park Association representatives, Weirs Action Committee representatives, potential donor for Memorial Park improvements, Special Events Committee, and Fourth of July Committee. • Laconia Little League Concession – Laconia Little League is installing a new hood and fire suppression system for their concession area. The project is expected to be completed by their opening day on April 22, 2017. • Weirs Beach Water Quality – Due to delays with the wetlands approval, archeological survey, funding and the need to use the parking lot for Lakeside Avenue improvement project, the installation of pervious materials for an area of the parking lot has been put on hold until the project can be further evaluated. • WOW Trail – the WOW Trail is now open for use for the season. Parks and Recreation is planning an increased effort to enhance the long disrespected Bartlett Beach area considering the trail will be introducing many people to this nice facility. We have started brush cleanup and other enhancements to make this park and beach a gem for the community. I encourage everyone to take a walk down the new section of the trail and see what it has to offer. • Leavitt Park Tennis Courts – Proposals for the reconstruction of the tennis courts were received last Thursday. The proposals will be reviewed and a contractor will be selected next week. Work is expected to be completed near the end of spring depending on contractor availability. XII. PRESENTATIONS XIII. ADJOURNMENT: Commissioner Pederzani motioned to adjourn at 8:38. Seconded by Commissioner Kirk. All were in favor. Respectfully submitted, Liza Kelleher Mitch Hamel Secretary Commissioner Chair This meeting facility is ADA accessible. Any person with a disability who wishes to attend this public meeting and needs additional accommodations, please contact Mary Reynolds, meeting ADA coordinator, at City Hall by calling (603) 527-1265 at least 72 hours in advance so that the City can make any necessary arrangements.