Parks & Recreation Commission

LACONIA PARKS AND RECREATION COMMISSION MEETING November 18, 2019 Laconia Community Center- Parks & Recreation Office 7:00 P.M. CALL TO ORDER: Commissioner Mitch Hamel called the meeting to order at the above date and time. RECORDING SECRETARY: Secretary Liza Kelleher recorded this meeting. ROLL CALL: Commissioner Chair Mitch Hamel called the roll with the following Commissioners in attendance: Tony Pederzani, Rodney Roy and Arthur Kirk. Absent- Deanna Guyer. PARKS AND RECREATION STAFF PRESENT: Director of Recreation and Facilities Amy Lovisek, Asst. Director of Recreation and Facilities Matthew Mansur and Secretary Liza Kelleher. ADOPTION OF MINUTES OF PREVIOUS MEETINGS: 1. Regular meeting minutes of October 21, 2019 Commissioner Rodney Roy moved to adopt the minutes from October 21, 2019. Seconded by Commissioner Arthur Kirk. The motioned pass unanimously. I. FACILITY USE REQUEST FORM: A. Anthony Santagate – Weirs Beach – Friday June 5 from 6:pm to 12pm for set up and Saturday June 6, 2020 from 7:00am to 12:00am for Laconia Music Festival. Commissioner Roy motioned to table the request due to no representation. Seconded by Commissioner Kirk. All were in favor. B. Laconia Youth Soccer- Opechee, Leavitt, Robbie Mills, Woodland Heights and Elm St. School- August 3, 2020 through October 20, 2020, Monday through Fridays from 5:30pm to 8:00pm and Saturdays 7:00am to 5:00pm. Commissioner Kirk motioned to accept the request pending upon the payment of non-resident users’ fees, storage fees, lighting fees and submission of the certificate of insurance. Seconded by Commissioner Pederzani. All were in favor. C. Laconia Frozen Diamond co-ed softball tournament- Memorial Baseball & Softball Field- January 25 & 26, 2020 Saturday & Sunday 8:00am until dark for Baseball Field and 8:00am to 11:00pm for softball field for co-ed softball tournament. Andy Emmons mentioned that this is the first time they will offer this tournament in Laconia and will donate 100% of the proceeds to Carey House in Laconia. They will be using wooden bats, no vendors and no amplified sound required. Commissioner Roy motioned to accept the request pending upon the payment of light fees, porta potty is recommended, certificate of insurance and final approval from the City Council for making money in the City property. Tournament fee has been waived since it’s their first year and all proceeds will be donated to Carey house. Seconded by Commissioner Kirk. All were in favor. II. OLD BUSINESS: A. Holbrook Insurance & JG Realty- Opechee Park Field – September 19, 2020, Saturday from 9:00am to 5:00pm for the first annual Boggin N Braggin Cornhole Championship. Commissioner Roy motioned to table the request due to no representation. Seconded by Commissioner Pederzani. All were in favor. B. Muskrats Contract- Amy Lovisek spoke with Mike Smith and explain some of the new language the Commission would like to see on the new contract. The Commission would like to go over the contract before the final say of the City Council. The Muskrats have a whole new line up of staff with a new GM and new coaches. Owners are relatively new and more than willing to work with the Commissioner. C. Memorial Baseball Field Foul Ball- Director Amy Lovisek suggested to put up new netting along the fence line across the street where we maintain the grass. We will put the poles and the net across the street to prevent the balls that bounce into their property from reaching that destination. There is no way to get all of them, but this would eliminate 95% of the problem. Old netting from the softball field will be used for netting and Director Lovisek will check the size of the net and may need to double up to reach a certain height. Commissioner Hamel suggested that whoever using the field will be responsible and respectful to the home owners surrounding the area III. ADMINISTRATIVE APPROVALS-ROTARY PARK, BEACHES, WEIRS AMPHITHEATER & PAVILION The following request have been approved administratively: A. Jonathan Werner Wedding- Rotary Park Gazebo- Saturday, October 24, 2020 from 12:00pm to 3:00pm for a wedding ceremony. B. Amanda Stikeman & Tony Messina Wedding- Rotary Park Gazebo- Saturday, May 22, 2021 from 1:00pm to 6:00pm for a wedding ceremony. C. Faith Trammell Wedding- Rotary Park Gazebo- Saturday, July 18, 2020 from 12:30pm to 3:30pm for a wedding ceremony. D. Ashlie Roche & Damien Bonneville- Rotary Park Gazebo- Saturday, June 13, 2020 from 1:00pm to 4:00pm for a wedding ceremony. E. Tammie Willis & Kaylee Willis- Rotary Park Gazebo- Saturday, June 5, 2021 from 10:30 to 4:30pm for a wedding ceremony. F. Nicole Comeau & Ryan Nihill- Rotary Park Gazebo- Saturday, October 3, 2020 from 12:00pm for a wedding ceremony IV. NEW BUSINESS: A. Budget- Director Lovisek presented the new budget for 2020-2021. Utilities went up across the board for most buildings budgets 1.7% as that is the amount our budget may increase. Two accounts went down, two accounts went up and one account was formed to show the tree program. This budget is due until Dec 2nd. Director Lovisek told the Commissioners by January we need to make some decisions when it comes to hiring lifeguards for our beaches. Asst. Director Matt Mansur recommended to put lifeguard in  Bond Beach, Opechee Point and Bartlett Beach if we can get some applicants. Matt also mentioned to hire a Community Resource Officer rather than parking attendant to enforce the Rules and Regulations at Weirs Beach. B. Graphic wrap on electrical box at Torrey Park- The Commission would like to see the sketch of what is proposed before acting on the idea. C. Updated Rules & Regulations: Added to our Rules and Regulation 28. Laconia Police Department is authorized to enforce all Parks and Recreation Rules and Regulations in all Parks and Recreation Facilities. 29. After 5 summons’ issued by LPD, LPD can prohibit an individual from a Parks and Recreation Facility. The ban is in effect for one year from the date the ban is issued. The individual can appeal to get written permission from the Parks and Recreation Commission to return to any Parks and Recreation Facility. Taken out /change from our Rules and Regulation 1. Changing clothes is permitted only in building approved for that purpose. (taken out) 2. Park personnel will not assume responsibility of children under 13 left unattended by their parents or guardians. (change to / minor) 3. Employees are not permitted to receive tips or gifts. (taken out) 4. State regulations for boats, water skiing and any propelled water craft (150ft. from all land or swimming ropes) will be enforced in all waters. (taken out) 5. Only authorized parks personnel are permitted under the “boardwalk” at Weirs beach. (taken out) 6. There will be no overnight camping or parking in any park except by special permit. (change to by Commission approval) Commissioner Roy motioned to accept the changes in Parks and Recreation Rules and Regulations. Seconded by Commissioner Pederzani. All were in favor. Commissioner Roy motioned to cancel the December Parks and Recreation Commission meeting, the next Parks and Recreation Commission meeting will be Tuesday, January 21, 2020. Seconded by Commissioner Kirk. 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. Directors Report submitted by Amy Lovisek The maintenance crew have been hard at work cleaning up leaves as the weather seems to be turning toward winter quickly. We are trying to get most of it cleaned to make spring that much easier for us. They are also aware that Christmas Village is starting and they will need to be available to help set up for the event. I have been working on the budget which will be presented to you at the meeting. I have been asked to remain within the 1.7% increase, if possible. I have accomplished that task. Under the Capital Outlay in the current budget, our department was given permission to purchase 2 new trucks for our fleet. One of the trucks is an F350 4x4 with a plow and DPW is in possession of the truck now and they are just putting some finishing touches on it. We will probably get the truck next week. The other truck has been ordered and is an F350 4x2 dump truck. We should receive that truck in the spring. This truck will replace truck #312. I was approached by someone looking into the Belknap County Farm Cemetery. It is located behind Aavid. The person is hoping that Parks & Recreation can start taking care of the property. I am looking into the steps that need to be taken to make this happen, if it can happen. Our department has been asked to help with the Light Up Laconia Festival, which is new this year. We will be having a booth at the event and we are preparing for the lights on the tree as well as other areas. I have even been asked to be a judge for the Light Up Laconia decorations! The City Council voted to not allow Sanborn Park to be used as a parking lot as a developer had requested. The developer has been looking at many options and this was just one idea. I attended the Laconia Talks with Tim Ford on 11/13/19 to discuss issues around accessibility around the city. As this is a focus of mine, I wanted to hear what the speaker had to say. It was a very informative session and I am happy to have heard him speak. Matt and I attended at training at Primex on Mental Health First Aid in youth, which is geared toward Parks & Rec professionals. It trained us in how to spot an issue and how to respond to it and the child. Well worth my time. Bond Beach Renovation Project: A portion of the project has been completed. The contractor was able to get the parking lot drainage done as well as the line across the access road and some of the Coir Logs nearer the beach area. The rest of the project will be finished in the spring. The engineering company has submitted a change in the design to the NHDES for approval. This would be a change for the wetland permit. Bartlett Beach Renovation Project: This project will hopefully happen this spring. The wetland permit is about to be submitted and once that process is complete we can go out to bid for the project. Perley Pond Project: Our maintenance crew removed a couple of downed trees and have cut back the vegetation along the pond. The area looks nice. Weirs Community Center Walkway: The walkway is complete. Belknap Landscaping did the project and they did a great job adding additional drainage to the project to prevent the heaving from happening again in the future. We are looking into light fixtures for the walkway now for safety. The conduit was placed for this purpose. Downtown Banner Poles: No Update. Centralized Irrigation System: We got a late start on this project. We have begun and will get as much of this project done this fall and spring as possible. B. Assistant Director’s Report submitted by Matt Mansur Hi all, there is a lot going on with Christmas Village starting up along with our minds starting to turn toward the summer. I have broken the report up into two sections Summer 2020 Preparations and Additional Projects. Summer 2020 Preparations Lifeguards 2020 – I am leaning towards recommending that we staff our In-Town Beaches with Lifeguards and keep Weirs Beach as a “Swim at Your Own Risk” beach. I would recommend we provide guards at Bond Beach and Opechee Point. I would also love guards at Bartlett – provided we are able to make a few more upgrades there (more on the Bartlett Blitz below). I do not know that we need to provide guards at Opechee Cove – I have wondered if we even want to have a beach there. Summer Staff – If we guarded those three beaches, I would aim to bring in close to twelve guards. A recent conversation with Lt. Noyes of the LPD brought up the similarities between our Parking Lot Attendant position and the Community Resource Officer (CRO) position through the LPD, I am currently trying to see if it would be possible for us to get a CRO at the Weirs. We would also look to hire five staff for the Opechee Day Camp. I am also looking into hiring another three or four staff for a program that is still in its infancy called the Laconia Youth Corps. We would still need an evening “closer” to close up all the parks and beaches. Possible Laconia Youth Corps – There is a large demand for a Day Camp-type program for middle school students during the summer. They are too old for Day Camp, but too young to work, and they tend to drive their parents crazy. The Laconia Youth Corps would be a small group, roughly 10, of Laconia middle-school students, who tackle work projects around the city each week. A portion of their day would be focused on the work project while the rest of their day would be spent doing camp-like activities (i.e. visiting Laconia parks, beaches, etc). The LYC would be based out of the basement of the community center and be mobile – so we would need to rent a vehicle and make sure we had staff who can drive it. Students would need to fill out an application - the goal is that LYC looks good on a resume/college application. The next steps here are making sure the basement is ready for kiddos, securing transportation, and making sure we have the correct policies in place for transporting underage participants. Please let me know if you have any questions, suggestions, or ideas! Making the Basement a Year-Round Facility – Fortunately, the Ladies of the Lake have donated their time and expertise to paint wonderful murals on the walls in the basement downstairs for Christmas Village… unfortunately the year-round Christmas Village theme is a little much for possible renters and a possible LYC. It gets tricky trying to find a solution to make the space a more palatable environment for the community while maintaining the works of love and charity that were donated so many years ago. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Possible Bartlett Blitz – I think most of our community are aware that Bartlett Beach is facing the brunt of the issues that are plaguing much of Laconia at the moment. We have been playing with the idea of filling Bartlett Beach up with programming from 9-5 everyday throughout the summer so as to re- establish its community. This could be a high-risk/high-reward type of campaign. If not done correctly, it could fail and be demoralizing or create more of a divide between sectors of our population. If done correctly, this could be a big win for our community. Additional Projects Christmas Village – Setup for Christmas Village began on Friday… there is a lot of excitement brewing up in a lot of people around here. It will be exciting to be a part of this. Budget Process and Program Numbers – I have learned a little more about our budgeting process. During this process we compile our program numbers throughout the past year. In 2019, we provided programming for 25907 participant-sessions. Light Up Laconia Event – We may be running a Hot Cocoa Bar at the Light Up Laconia event on Sunday Dec 1st! C. Foreman’s Report submitted by Tim Ford Final cleaning of all bathrooms Winterize bathrooms with help from Huot Tech students Winterize irrigation systems Leaf clean up Remove goals / nets from fields Install snow fence at Endicott Rock Park Remove tennis nets and posts Start winterizing equipment Mow fields as needed Line athletic fields as needed Fertilize and overseed specific areas Drag Opechee Cove beach for penguin plunge Spread compost on Smith Cover bathroom doors for winter Clean up flower beds Pick up / clean trash cans Clean gutters at Tardif and Reading Room Install holiday light on spruce at Stewart Water leak at City Hall Election set up and take down Repair toilet at Memorial softball Re-install toilets at Opechee Day Camp Repair toilet clog at Gale Library Replace window at Weirs Community Center Remove sand volleyball posts and net Picnic table repair and painting Replace elevator lights at Gale Library Clean graffiti at Tardif Ecological Landscape Alliance seasons end conference ADA meeting XII. PRESENTATIONS XIII. ADJOURNMENT: Commissioner Roy motioned to adjourned at 8:27pm. Seconded by Commissioner Pederzani. 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 Cheryl Hebert, 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.