Parks & Recreation Commission

LACONIA PARKS AND RECREATION COMMISSION MEETING January 21, 2020 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: Arthur Kirk and Deanna Guyer. Absent- Rodney Roy and Tony Pederzani. 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 November 18, 2019 Commissioner Guyer moved to adopt the minutes from November 18, 2019. Seconded by Commissioner Kirk. The motioned pass unanimously. I. FACILITY USE REQUEST FORM: A. Laconia Motorcycle Week Assoc.- Opechee Park parking area. Friday, June 19th from 7:00am to 2:00pm for City Motorcycle Show. Commissioner Guyer motioned to accept the request for the Motorcycle show and Swap meet and the use of electrical source for the event. Seconded by Commissioner Kirk. All were in favor. B. Laconia Motorcycle Week Assoc.- Weirs Beach-Wednesday, June 17th (rain date June 18th or 19th) from 6:00pm to 11:00pm for the fireworks show. Commissioner Guyer motioned to accept the request pending upon the submission of the certificate of insurance and require that the fireworks debris will be cleaned after the event. Seconded by Commissioner Kirk. All were in favor. C. Belknap Mill Society- Rotary Park- Every other Friday starting May 22, 2020 through August 28th from 5:30pm to 8:30pm and September 11, 2020 from 3:00pm to 9:00pm for Arts in the Park and M, W, F from July 1, 2020 through July 31, 2020 from 10:00am to 12:00pm for Kids in the Park. Commissioner Guyer motioned to table the request due to no representation. Seconded by Commissioner Kirk. All were in favor. D. Holy Trinity School- Opechee Field- June 5, 2020 Friday from 7:30 to 2:30 for a Field Day. Commissioner Kirk motioned to table the request due to no representation. Seconded by Commissioner Guyer. All were in favor. E. Weirs Action Committee- Weirs Beach- July through September (July 3, 18, 25, August 1, 8, 15 and August 22 is the rain date for any cancellation) from 6:00pm to 12am except for July 3rd from 5:00pm to 3:00am. Tentative shows July 11th, September 6th and 12th from 6:00pm to 12am will only occur if sufficient funds are raised for fireworks at Weirs Beach.  Commissioner Guyer motioned to accept the request pending upon submission of the certificate of insurance and that the firework debris will be cleaned after the show. Seconded by Commissioner Kirk. All were in favor. F. Weirs Action Committee- Weirs Beach parking lot-July through September (July 3, 18, 25, August 1, 8, 15 and August 22 is the rain date for any cancellation) from 7:30pm to 10:30pm except for July 3rd from 9:00pm to 12:30am. Tentative shows July 11th, September 6th and 12th from 7:30pm to 10:30pm will only occur if sufficient funds are raised for fireworks at Weirs Beach. Commissioner Guyer motioned to accept the request for fireworks Parking Fundraiser at Weirs Beach pending upon submission of the certificate of insurance and final approval from the City Council for raising money on City property. Weirs Action Committee will not charge any cars already parked in the lot and arriving cars with beach stickers. Signage describing the parking hours and fee will be posted 3 hours before the event and will remove after the event. Seconded by Commissioner Kirk. All were in favor. G. Lakes Region Sled Dog Club- Pumphouse Field at Old North Main St. and 106 intersection- February 14 to 16, 2020 from 9:00am to 4:00pm for 91st World Championship Sled Dog Derby. Commissioner Kirk motioned to accept the request for the 91st World Championship Sled Dog Derby. Seconded by Commissioner Guyer. All were in favor. H. Christmas Village- Community Center- November 13 through December 13, 2020 for 2020 Christmas Village Festivities. Commissioner Guyer motioned to accept the request for the Annual Christmas Village event. 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 Guyer motioned to table the request due to no representation. Seconded by Commissioner Kirk. All were in favor. B. Anthony Santagate – Weirs Beach – Friday, September18th from 6:00pm to 12:00am for set up, Saturday, September 19th from 7:00am to 12:00am and Sunday, September 20th clean-up for Laconia Music Festival event. Commissioner Kirk motioned to accept the request pending upon submission of the certificate of insurance, approval from special event committee, loudspeaker permit, vendors and alcohol permit, special event fee and final approval from the City Council for raising money on City property. Signage for swimming area will need to be posted as well as a Swim at Your Own Risk sign. Seconded by Commissioner Guyer. All were in favor. C. Muskrats Contract- Mike Smith is co-owner of the Winnipesauke Muskrats and sent Amy the revised contract. The contract will be reviewed by the Commissioners and a couple of things that need to be revised. Councilor Hamel asked if they pay anything for the maintenance of the field. Amy explained that they only pay the overtime and the lights. Commissioner Hamel suggested to list how much we are spending to maintain the field (labor and materials) for the season. Councilor Bob Hamel was surprised that they have not seen the contract, suggested to put what we wanted in the contract and present the maintenance expenses and ask for some reimbursement if possible. Commissioners will be reviewing the contract and finalizing the Muskrats wordings if possible. Commissioner Hamel suggested to review the revised contract when all the Commissioners are present in our next Commission meeting. Amy will send the Commissioners a list of all revisions for review prior to that meeting. III. ADMINISTRATIVE APPROVALS-ROTARY PARK, BEACHES, WEIRS AMPHITHEATER & PAVILION The following request have been approved administratively: A. Jessica Stanley & Jeremy Whitcomb- Rotary Park- Saturday, October 31, 2020 from 1:00-5:00pm for a wedding ceremony. B. Eric Beisecker- Rotary Park- Sunday, October 11, 2020 from 1:30pm-4:30pm for a wedding ceremony. C. Natasha Martin- Saturday, September 5, 2020 from 12:00pm-4:00pm for a wedding ceremony. D. Melissa Miles- Saturday, October 23, 2021 from 11:00am to 3:00pm for a wedding ceremony. IV. NEW BUSINESS: A. Reallocation of Funds- Amy Lovisek explained that the Capital Improvement plan that was in the budget for the Opechee walkway from the parking lot along the track to the school for $20, 000.00 will not be enough because it is a low area and need to be modified. Commissioner Hamel suggested to re-allocate some money for netting for Memorial if the old netting will not work out. Commissioner Guyer motioned to re- allocate the intended walkway of $20,000.00: $13,000.00 for Robbie Mills netting, $2,000.00 for Pearly Oak Pond project and $5,000.00 for Memorial Park netting if necessary. If the Memorial Park does not require all funds the Commission would like to revisit and place the funds elsewhere. Seconded by Commissioner Kirk. All were in favor. B. Community Center Rental Agreement- Matt Mansur presented the rental agreement form for the Laconia Community Center because of many request and inquiry we are getting to use the facility. Commissioner Guyer motioned to accept the rental agreement form for the Community Center usage after removing the statement about the heating being in their control. Seconded by Commissioner Kirk. All were in favor. C. Proposed Plan for A New Veterans Memorial- The American Legion Post 1 Laconia and Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 1670 of Laconia is proposing a plan for a new Veterans Memorial at Veterans Square. The new memorial would cover involving the United States military from the end of the Vietnam War to present. It would be made of granite similar color to the existing monument. Commissioner Kirk motioned to accept the request to put up a new memorial monument on site #2 that they presented and suggested for Laconia residents only. Seconded by Commissioner Guyer. All were in favor. D. Weirs Trash Receptacles- Parks and Recreation department was approached by Robert Ames of WAC asking if we can use the money from parking revenue to buy waste receptacle. The old waste receptacles are still in good shape. Commissioners agree not to spend the beach money for a new waste receptacle for the lakeside area. E. Bond Beach Renovation- The engineer’s original plan for Bond Beach renovation was not ADA accessible. They revisited the plan and were able to make a switchback walkway to be ADA compliant. Amy Lovisek asked to use the beach parking sticker sales money for  this necessary improvement to the park. All agreed and Amy will provide a firm number for this project once it has been provided. V. ANNOUNCEMENTS: VI. NOMINATIONS, APPOINTMENTS & ELECTIONS: VII. PUBLIC COMMENT: VIII. COMMUNICATIONS: IX. OTHER REQUESTS REQUIRING COMMISSION ACTION: A. Rules and Regulations- Matt Mansur informed the Commission the need to remove the following 2 recently approved rules as our department does not have authority over the Police Department. #28. Laconia Police Department is authorized to enforce all Parks and Recreation Rules and Regulations in all Parks #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. Commissioner Guyer motioned to remove the Rules and Regulations in the list, with the intention to be altered and reinstated later. Seconded by Commissioner Kirk. All were in favor. 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 This has been a busy 2 months since we had our last meeting. I truly hope everyone enjoyed their holidays and are geared up for the year 2020! I had a sales call from a company in California asking if we would be interested in a fitness playground. A portion of it would be paid by them if it was in a predominant place in our city. It would still cost us close to $150,000 all said and done. I will pursue this is the Commission wishes. As mentioned in the past I was on the planning committee for the Light Up Laconia Festival and a decoration judge. The weather for the event was a bit chilly, but a great day including the snow that fell just as Santa was lighting the tree. With all of the businesses participating in the Light up Laconia the entire downtown was beautiful. After being a part of the planning of the above event Celebrate Laconia has asked me to be on their board of directors. I have accepted and will begin in March. Christmas Village has come and gone for the year. We had a larger hand in the set up and tear down for the village and the department will be participating with the committee as well. It seems they are looking to the P&R department to help take over some portion of the village if not all at some point. They are their own 501C-3 organization and we would join under that umbrella. We have started our ADA Self-Assessment for the parks and facilities. This is certainly no easy feet and will not be done overnight. Once completed we will then go to the city and ask to hire a consultant to help us with a priority list, pricing and timelines. Once complete we will start asking the city for money to make our city accessible. The Laconia Little League sent us some plans to redesign the dugouts and pitching mounds. Commissioner Pederzani has stated he is in favor of the plans as they make that field ADA compliant. Please let me know if you have any concerns. I have been appointed by the City Council to be the WOW Trail Maintenance Advisor. I am also on the WOW Board so this will flow nicely. There are now co-presidents for the WOW Board. Allan Beetle is stepping back a bit and Scott Davis is stepping up to help out. FYI Matt and I attended the Northern New England Recreation & Parks Conference in North Conway last week. I took some classes on ADA and some on park planning. It was a great conference. The mayoral inauguration was last week as well. It was standing room only and I was moved greatly by some of the speeches. Mayor Hosmer even mentioned that our recreation facilities are some of the best in the state. High praise indeed. I have been helping the DPW department with interviews for their Foreman position. As the two departments work so closely it made sense to get an “outsiders” point of view. It also gave me a chance to learn more about their department. We have also been approached by the Community Action Program to house the Senior Center temporarily. They will need accommodations from March through June. We are discussing the use of Tardif Park. They are checking other options, but we are trying to help. Bond Beach Renovation Project: Bond Beach went out for re-engineering for ADA accessibility purposes. The plans came back and needed to be approved by the state for the Wetland permits as a revision. They have since come back as approved. We are now working with the contractor to do some change orders. Bartlett Beach Renovation Project: We have received the approved permits from the state to do this project. Our next step is to put out the RFP. This may have to wait for spring so prospective contractors can see the current conditions. Perley Pond Project: The NHDES wetland/shoreland permit has been completed by RFS and the concerned parties are reviewing it before the City Manager signs the document. Weirs Community Center Walkway: This is a completed project except for the lighting. I have emailed the association to find out if they are willing to pay for the lighting. Centralized Irrigation System: Our crew have been working on the areas they can get to in the winter. This project is moving forward and will be a great asset once complete. B. Assistant Director’s Report submitted by Matt Mansur It has been a busy two months since our last meeting, with Christmas Village, holiday parties, vacations, conferences, and snow storms. Now is the time that we “round the corner” into summer 2020! Parks and Regulation Rules & Regulations – First and foremost, the additions that were added to the Parks and Recreation Rules & Regulations (#28 & #29) ought to be removed from the Rules & Regulations for the time being. After the rules were voted on, it was recommended to me that we bring them to the City Attorney’s office. That meeting occurred on 1/15. Naomi Butterfield, the representative of our City Attorney (Mitchell Group), said that someone with more authority/governance than Parks and Rec needs to grant authority to the LPD to enforce Parks and Rec Rules (on top of City Ordinances). Additionally, not all Elements of Criminal Trespassing would be met in this scenario. Naomi then asked for us to “go higher up the food chain” and bring Scott Myers into the conversation. Community Center Rental Agreement – As we continue to get more groups in to use the Community Center, the need for an updated Rental Agreement became apparent. The proposed Rental Agreement was based off of the Tardiff Park Rental Agreement and the old Jazzercise Rental Agreement with the Community Center. We’ve had two rentals ready to go before this meeting, so we used this document for “Treat ‘em Right, LLC” a dog-training company which uses our basement on Wednesday Evenings and “Laconia Lacrosse Club” which uses our gym on Sunday evenings after ArtsFest. Upon your approval, we will rent out the Gym on Thursday and Friday evenings to the Laconia Chiefs for cheerleading. 2020 Lifeguards – Primex Please keep in mind that Primex recommends that if we can’t Lifeguard correctly, that we don’t Lifeguard at all. If we do not have lifeguards on duty, then we must POST IT CONSPICUOUSLY. Ratios I spoke with the American Red Cross “Northeast Regional” representative at the Northern New England Parks and Rec Conference (NNEPRC). She referred me to the NH State Bather Code and the Model Aquatic Health Code (MAHC) which was created by the CDC. I have combed through the NH State Bather Code and there is not a Swimmer-to-Lifeguard Ratio. I have not found anything in the MAHC. I have called the CDC and they reached out to “the program” in order to reach back out to me. Most places use their own created “Zones of Coverage.” Gilford uses zones and cover a swimming area that is slightly larger than the Weirs, with more hazards such as a jumping dock and deeper water, but they don’t have the same congestion that we see. They use the same insurer that we do, but I get the sense that they are able to be a little more flexible because of that lack of congestion. Whereas the NH State Beaches, both on the ocean and at lakes like Ellacoya, will use zones that will often see the same congestion, but they are self-insured. I have also reached out again to Burlington, VT to ask about the congestion in their zones – I am awaiting their response. It’s becoming clear that we will not be given a ratio to use. We will be told to use zones that our guards are able to get to in a certain amount of time – however I have been told that there is a “too much” that can be in a zone, but I have not been told what that number is. Herb Greene said that if they are particularly swamped they will put two guards to cover a zone in Gilford – I will need to wait until the Spring to find out what our zones could be and see if we can go 2 guards to a zone on the weekends/busy times. Staffing During the NNEPRC’s Aquatics workshop, it became apparent that all departments were struggling finding quality staff. It seemed the departments that were the most successful were the ones that had access to Lifeguard Instructors who could train their staff AT COST. We are fortunate to be in that position so perhaps that can help us this summer. The American Red Cross did not have any examples of someone doing something successfully. If we were lifeguarding all of our beaches this summer in a perfect world, we would need 2 guards at each of our in-town beaches, which would equal 8 on at a time, but we would need to account for breaks, weekends, days off, etc. I would estimate possibly 12-15 guards for the in-town beaches alone. As for the weirs, I am estimating that we will need 4 guards on at time (but we will know more when I can officially identify the zones). On weekends and busy days, we may need to double up those zones, which could be as many as 8 on at a time. Accounting for breaks, weekends, days off, etc. we could estimate possibly 12-15 guards as well. Creating a possible need for 24-30 lifeguards to hire. We had three applicants last summer and, this year, I have had one 16-year old’s mother call me to let me know that she was interested in getting her daughter lifeguard certified. Training We have begun reaching out to local indoor pools to get a sense of how much it will cost to rent a couple of lanes for Lifeguard Training. The Gunstock Inn will rent for $35 per lane per hour. We will probably need two lanes and may need it for 8 hours, which could cost up to $560. If we need to train 24-30 guards, that will probably mean 3 trainings (courses shouldn’t be over 10 participants). We could be looking at $1680 for pool space and $912 - $1140 for at-cost certifications for a total of $2592 - $2820 just to get our guards into position that does not include payroll or training wages – if we offer that. 2020 Weirs Beach Enforcement – We have learned recently that the LPD has seasonal Community Resource Officers (CRO’s) who write parking tickets, enforce any rules, and maintain a presence at a facility. Amy and I are currently trying to communicate with Lt. Gary Hubbard about getting a CRO at the Weirs instead of, or in conjunction with, our Beach Enforcement person. We have offered to pay for this position. We may need to clarify the above Rules & Regulations aspect before we can have the CRO on the Park. It seems silly that we wouldn’t be able to have police enforce our rules though and I have to believe that we can make this work before the summer of 2020. Additionally, Jen Bennert our Beach Supervisor from last year has expressed interest in returning. Her excitement and pride in Weirs Beach is the kind of thing we want to build around. 2020 Day Camp Prep – I am about to extend offers to Kathleen Grenier and Alex Connell to be our Camp Supervisors again this next summer. I have already spoken to Kathleen and she has introduced many good ideas. For instance, instead of having the library come to read books to our campers each week, we get different people in the community (ex. Police, fire, city councilors, etc). We will begin to schedule out the summer as I am hoping to raise the energy and activity of the camp this year. We will also begin an aggressive recruitment of Camp Counselors. Making Parks and Rec Digital - Calendar I am working with our IT Department to digitize our facility calendar. As it turns out, our current City website already has the capability house calendars for each facility and our Facility Use Requests make it easy to plug them into the program. I am hoping to get all of our 2020 Facility Use Requests into the website soon. Once they are there, one can subscribe to the website’s calendar and see events on whatever digital calendar you use. Our website’s host company also offers a Parks and Recreation component that would make calendaring simpler and may help us digitize more of our registrations. Nick from IT is gathering info as to what that would cost annually – in the meantime Amy and I are keeping a close eye on whether this would be a worthwhile maneuver and something we want to do. Data and Registration gathering While at NNEPRC’s Data Analysis workshop, it was pointed out that paper registrations are not really used all that much anymore (I was the only one in the crowded room that raised my hand to say we still use paper). It might be possible that we can simplify some processes - like drop-in programs (pickleball, basketball, etc), special events, signing waivers, long term program registrations, summer camp drop-off and pick-up – by making the process online. This would also grant us access to some data points that we, theoretically, could use to guide our program creation. Once again, it is all very early in the process and we will need to learn more before committing to anything. Memorial Field Nets – I met with Craig Kozens about the Field Goal nets at the football field. Unfortunately, they were put up when the field was created and he doesn’t know how much they would cost on their own. Additionally, he’s not thrilled with them because kids still kick over them and into neighbors’ yards. When I told him of the issues at Memorial Field, he recommended moving the backstop and/or Homeplate as it may be more effective. Sidenote: It was nice meeting with Craig, he struck me as an individual who has a lot of pride in the city and is compelled to be a part of its growth. Christmas Village – Christmas Village was very successful as they had over 1200 kids from the area come visit. I really enjoyed working with Bob, Ernie, and our facilities guys Wayne, Jay, and Joe. Bob, Ernie, and the rest of the Christmas Village board was very appreciative of the work that Wayne, Jay, and Joe did. I went to the Christmas Village Board meeting on Saturday the 11th, and it was very informative. Bob Hamel was re-nominated to head up the construction of Christmas Village and the Board approved a budget for 2020. This combined with the fact that they are requesting the Community Center at the same time next year at this very commission meeting is a good sign that Christmas Village will in fact continue and be run by volunteers. Given that Christmas Village is entirely dependent upon gifts and donations, it must be run by the non- profit organization. If it were to “become” Parks & Rec’s, we would not be able to solicit those gifts and donations. C. Foreman’s Report submitted by Tim Ford Hang lights in trees at Stewart and Gateway Set up Christmas Village Remove broken urinals at the Point Remove broken bench at Stewart Clear snow from walks, steps and parking lots Twice a week oil check at Tardif, Leavitt, and LCC Daily walk check for ice and snow Install gates on Smith track for the season Install temporary barricade at Gale Library for snow fall from roofs Install “Thin ice” signs at Opechee Cove Put out and pick up trash barrels for tree lighting Install snow fence at Endicott Rock Park Install tree and lights at Rotary gazebo Twice a week empty trash cans at Stewart, Rotary, City Hall, Gale, and Leavitt Empty recycle in LCC every three weeks Check sand and salt supply weekly at LPD, LFD, City Hall, Gale, and park houses Take soil samples from parks and athletic fields, send out for testing Clean up Christmas Village Leaf clean up as allowed by Mother Nature Set up and clean up for city x-mas party Clean up graffiti on transformer at Gale Playground safety inspection – measure equipment, sizes and accessibility Set up and clean up for inauguration Check and repair snow fence at Endicott Rock Park Remove lights from Gateway trees, Rotary tree, and Stewart light poles Remove snow from parking lot piles at LCC, Opechee, Tardiff, Leavitt and Lucerne parking lot Prune trees at Lucerne parking lot Start making ice at Memorial Park Install signs in playgrounds – “Closed for season” Lock gates to fields and courts where possible Make, install, remove wreath at Stewart Park Close gates on WOW Trail for season Finish up any winterization in parks / bathrooms Start IQ irrigation upgrades – install new clocks and rain sensors where able Open up sledding hill City Hall – Replace light covers in Planning Move file cabinets – Code  Repair filter for heat register – Welfare Repair toilet in Women’s Restroom (Employee) Replace light cover – Main Foyer Replace ceiling tiles where stained Touch up paint main hallways and stairwells Touch up paint – Amin Asst. office Touch up paint – Assessing main office Touch up paint – Council Chambers Touch up paint – Basement hallway Remove and re-install Mayor and Council sign in main foyer Repair chain on front door Remove old computers from IT Building Inspection with Laconia Fire Install new voter checklist box at Laconia Middle School Replace battery in emergency exit lights Replace light bulbs in City Manager’s office Replace light bulbs and ballast – Planning Replace light bulbs in basement Replace electric light switch in basement Check door lock – 1st floor hallway Laconia Community Center – Replace emergency exit batteries Repair door adjuster in back basement foyer Re-caulk shower stalls Touch up paint – main bathrooms and shower room Paint stairwell to Director’s office Paint top half of Director’s office Remount TV mount in main office Gale Library – Repair wood chair and wood table Repair door sweep – front doors Patch concrete in main walkway ramp Re-adjust outside lights at Goss Reading Room Dry out carpet in basement Remove and replace cove base by computers Replace batteries in emergency exit doors Re-glue trim on shelves Replace light bulbs in Friction area Opechee Parkhouse – Replace door handles on Camp bathroom doors Laconia Police Dept. – Replace stair treads where needed Paint rusting exterior doors and frames Replace broken toilet seat Leavitt Park – Replace hinges on main door XII. PRESENTATIONS XIII. ADJOURNMENT:  Commissioner Guyer motioned to adjourned at 9:17pm. 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 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.