Parks & Recreation Commission

LACONIA PARKS AND RECREATION COMMISSION MEETING Monday, July 17, 2023 Laconia Community Center 6:00 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 Hamel called the roll with the following Commissioners in attendance: Rodney Roy, Deanna Guyer, Arthur Kirk, and Laura Ringer. PARKS AND RECREATION STAFF PRESENT: Director of Recreation and Facilities Amy Lovisek, Asst. Director of Recreation and Facilities Matt Mansur and Secretary Liza Kelleher. ADOPTION OF MINUTES OF PREVIOUS MEETINGS: 1. Regular meeting minutes of June 19, 2023 Commissioner Rodney Roy moved to adopt the minutes from the June 19, 2023, meeting. Seconded by Commissioner Arthur Kirk. All were in favor. I. FACILITY USE REQUEST FORM: A. Laconia School District-Bobotas, Memorial field, Robbie Mills soccer field & trail, Opechee field and Smithfield- Fall 2023, August 14 to October 31, 2023, and Spring 2024 starting March 25th to June 6, 2024, for inter scholastic athletic events. Commissioner Roy motioned to accept the request with all the requirements listed in the application. Commissioner Kirk seconded. All were in favor. II. OLD BUSINESS: A. Robbie Mills Fencing- no update. III. ADMINISTRATIVE APPROVALS-ROTARY PARK, BEACHES, WEIRS AMPHITHEATER & PAVILION A. Prime Time Lacrosse- Bobotas Field- July 8 & 9, 2023, Saturday and Sunday from 8:00am to 7:00pm for NH Invitational Lacrosse Tournament. IV. NEW BUSINESS: A. Life Jacket Policy- The current Parks & Recreation rules and regulations for all beaches do not allow any life jackets or floatation devices. We are receiving complaints from upset patrons about our life jacket policy. Asst. Director Mansur did research into industry standards and found that the no life jacket rule is no longer being used.  Commissioner Roy motioned to accept a change to this rule with the actual wording to be emailed to the Commissioners. This new rule will not allow anything inflatable but will allow US Coast Guard approved gear as well as pool noodles. Commissioner Kirk seconded. All were in favor. B. Storage rental- The Laconia Youth Soccer organization found that most of their equipment they store in our garage bay at Leavitt Park was damaged due to water getting into the building. This water was not from a leak in the roof. The city’s insurance company will not be covering these items as they don’t belong to the city. The current Facility Use Request that the organization signed states that the city is not liable for any item not belonging to the city. LYS is asking the city to help on the cost to replace the items they have lost due to this situation. Director Lovisek will be working with the City Manager to see what can be done. To try to elevate this type of situation in the future our department will be adding a couple of items to the FUR. Commissioner Roy motioned that renters should provide rental insurance and will be responsible for checking their storage on a regular basis. Commissioner Ringer seconded. 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. Assistant Director’s Report submitted by Matt Mansur Beaches The beaches have been running pretty smoothly. Our team at the Weirs has been very strong and “Carry-In/Carry-Out” has been very successful. We’ve had a few parties that seem to trash their specific location between the hours of 8pm and 8am, but our team has worked hard to clean that up before the day gets started. They understand that the optics of messy Weirs could lead people to questioning the “Carry-In/Carry-Out”. I think it is helpful also having some Laconia residents up there working. I think they are taking pride in the location and that is very exciting. Bond Beach has been getting bombarded with upset patrons concerning our Lifejacket policy. Our current policy is that we do not allow any lifejackets or floatation devices. This causes frustration and frequent requests to explain our rationale. As of right now our rationale is that this is a realtively common rule for aquatics facilities throughout the industry… that being said, it looks like many industry leaders are backing off of the lifejacket policy and I am curious if we should as well. I am hoping we can discuss this at our upcoming meeting. Opechee Day Camp This is a very young camper group mixed with a very young staff. I think some additional coaching will be needed throughout the summer. I am going to begin weekly meetings with the team, on top of my frequent visits to the camp, and I am hoping we can keep talking on specifics… e.g. scanning, awareness, and transitions. With the exception of some growing pains, I believe the team is doing very well. Laconia residents Maddie and Ashlynn are doing a great job connecting with the campers and building what we call “relational equity” with them. Community Center Programs Our volunteer Line Dancing instructor, Jean, has left us. She has moved down to Florida full-time. Fortunately, Carolyn is willing to step in, but she does not want to use our gym in the summer as it has no AC. They will be returning to us in September. Leavitt Park Concession & Storage Laconia Youth Soccer contacted us on the 10th about water damage in the Leavitt Park Concession and Storage building. They believe it is due to a leak in the roof, but Dane did not find any evidence of a leaky roof. LYS asked for our insurance to cover the damage to their property. Primex came out to inspect the building and they did not find a leak and did not find the City at fault for the damage and therefore won’t pay for the property damage. They did, however, find water damage to the building itself and recommended we contact a restoration specialist to remediate the water damage. Allbrite was out Wednesday morning to begin the process. Laconia Youth Soccer is not in agreement with Primex’s findings and is working with Gina, our Purchasing Specialist, to report a claim through the city – a process that I am not familiar with. It is my hope that we can find a solution here that does not create friction between our department and one of the city’s largest and oldest youth sports organizations. B. Foreman’s Report submitted by Dane Anderson Parks, Recreation and Facilities Maintenance MONTHLY REPORT 6/16/2023-7/14/2023 COMPLETED  Location Project Additional Notes Opechee Daycamp- restroom floor water damage repairs Gale Library Furniture- Picked up donated furniture piece and delivered. Gale Library Furniture- Removal and replacement of furniture for floor refinishing project Gale Library Electrical- Lighting- Bulb replacements and checks. Gale Library Brush Removal Gale Library Furniture- assembly of bookcase. Sports Fields- ALB Game Preps Robbie Mills Memorial Sports Fields- LACS Game Preps Parks and Facilities Mowing Ops Cemeteries and Rights of Way Mowing Ops Rotory Forestry- Downed limbs from storms removed City Hall Plumbing- Employee Men’s Room- Urinal Repair. City Hall Plumbing- Public Women’s Room- Faucet Replaced City Hall Plumbing- Employee Women’s Room- Faucet Repair Weirs Bike Week Event Prep and Cleanup operations. Opechee Sports Fields- LMS field day event prep and clean up Weirs Beach 4th of July- Event prep and clean up Opechee 4th of July- Event prep and clean up Training NEPA Training in Exeter All full timers attended Opechee Sports Fields- LLL Tournaments X2 Department Wide Seasonal Plumbing- Meter readings and Backflow checks with Water Dept. Irrigation IQ System- Subscription renewal. Rain sensor and clock battery replacements. Forestry Plant health investigation- requested for trees at Beacon/Water St intersection Opechee Gaga Ball Pit Installation Assistance Kiwanis volunteers completed Leavitt Sports Fields- Soccer Camp  Bobotas Sports Fields- Primetime Lacrosse tournament prep and clean up Memorial Electrical- Power restored to HB Concession building ERP/RM/Banking Agronomic Program- Fertility application Sports Fields Agronomic Program- 2nd round fertility application Bartlett Vandalism- Women’s restroom door broken into. Lock repairs. Wow Trail Brush Removal Sanborn Brush Removal Flagpole- POW flag installation Vets Square Equipment Mower Modifications- Chute blocking systems installed Tardif Forestry- Downed limb removal. Weirs CP Events - Amphitheater and Pavilion prep and clean up Rotory Events - prep and clean up DPW Mowing Ops Bartlett Plumbing- Toilets unclogged Downtown New tree and shrub beds weeded and additional mulching where needed. LFD Weirs Carpentry- Damaged/missing flashing reinstalled Weirs CC Brush overhanging walkways removed. ERP Plumbing- Bathhouse flushometer rebuild IN PROGRESS Location Project Additional Notes Mowing Seasonal mowing operations of Parks, Sports Fields, Cemeteries, Facilities, Rights of Way Horticulture New tree and plant watering. Beaches Sand grooming and water’s edge cleanup operations Horticulture Plant Beds- clean up, weed, fertilize, mulch Department Wide Trash- Routine trash and ground litter removal. Seasonal Restrooms Janitorial/Maintenance- Routine checks for cleanliness and repairs  Department Wide Dog Bags- Checking and filling dog bag dispensers Development of 5S standards- Cleaning and Reorganization of maintenance garage to improve safety, better utilization of Each staff member had been Maintenance space, and create a more organized and productive work space. designated a section of Shop and Office maintenance garage. City Hall Botanicals- City Council Chambers- Plant replacements requested Memorial Sports Fields- Infield mix project, addition of 150 tons of infield mix. Grade and level. Opechee Sports Fields- Infield mix project, addition of 100 tons of infield mix. Grade and level. Robbie Mills Sports- ALB game preps Sports-LACS game prep Memorial Rotory Events- Clean up and prep work Irrigation System charge ups, repairs and continued maintenance needs Facilities Electrical- Lighting timer adjustments as needed Vandalism Graffiti- continual monitoring and removal throughout parks and facilities. Opechee Daycamp- restroom floor water damage repairs Leavitt Concession Building Restrooms- Painting Leavitt Concession Building - Flood Mitigation ERP Plumbing- Bathhouse- Damaged toilet replacement. LFD Central Server Room- Temp alerts- a/c possibly too small for newly installed server UPCOMING/TBD Location Project Additional Notes Leavitt Playground- Damaged place piece LFD Central Carpentry- Cosmetic cracks in platoon/pantry and admin areas LFD Weirs Electrical- Install Exit sign coming out of back bedroom. LFD Weirs Carpentry- Cosmetic cracks in laundry/gym door ceiling, apparatus area walls, stairway ceiling Electrical- Random wires/cables protruding from sheetrock (walls/ceiling), Patch holes in walls after removing wiring. LFD Weirs City Hall Janitor closet- 1st floor slop sink drain repairs ERP Parking Lot- Entry gate modifications to allow ease of operation. Electrical- Lighting- Replace light between public restroom with broken/missing lens City Hall cover. LCC Electrical- Gym Lights - Bulb/Ballasts replacements needed Gym closure and Scaffolding set up required. Roof/Gutter- Requested to have gutter moved out to better collect rain. debris in Consider snow fall prevention over front door, continual problem Goss corners removed and safety concern in winter. Goss Carpentry- Seal hole around oil fill pipe. Electrical- Lighting- Light fixture replacement (front door exterior), Bulb Goss replacement needed (side building exterior) Office Create additional PM work orders to assist with maintenance schedule Maintenance Garage Waste Removal- Electronic and hazardous waste removal. tube light bulbs, ballasts, batteries, old liquid fert.,  Maintenance Garage Keys- go through and organize. Weirs CP Electrical- Replace lighting timer for park/paths/pavilion. All Facilities Plumbing- Shut Offs - Update/Tag/Label/Location List Electrical- Mark and label circuits to be shut off/turned on with seasonal opening Seasonal Facilities and winterization Plumbing- Plum in washing machine in decontamination room. Connect to existing LFD Central plumbing for utility sink. Bond Beach Plumbing- Pump System reconfiguration/solution to restore water supply. Paint- Complete repainting of restrooms, including drywall repairs and cove basin Robbie Mills replacement Carpentry- Door to furnace room not operating properly, badly sticking in door Hinge repair/replacement or shimming, squaring frame possibly City Hall jamb. needed. LCC Carpentry- Windows- Foreman Office window into gym broken. Gale Memorial Library Electrical- Lighting- Move and update occupancy sensor in Family restroom. Gale Memorial Library Electrical- Lighting failed fixture replacements Wyatt Plumbing/Irr- Failed backflow. Repair/replacement needed. Weirs CC Door repair projects and ADA compliance updates Robbie Mills Electrical- Transient surge protector damaged. Replacement needed XII. PRESENTATIONS XIII. ADJOURNMENT: Commissioner Guyer motioned to adjourn at 6:58pm. Seconded by Commissioner Ringer. All were in favor. Respectfully submitted, Liza Kelleher Mitch Hamel Secretary Chair Commissioner