Parks & Recreation Commission

LACONIA PARKS AND RECREATION COMMISSION MEETING Monday, March 18, 2024 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: Deanna Guyer, Rodney Roy, 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 February 20, 2024 Commissioner Rodney Roy moved to adopt the minutes from February 20, 2024, meeting. Seconded by Commissioner Laura Ringer. All were in favor. I. FACILITY USE REQUEST FORM: A. The Senior Muskrats-Robbie Mills- Sundays, April 21and 28th, May 5 and 19th, June 23 and 30th, July 21 and 28th, Saturdays and Sundays, August 3, 4, 10, 11, 17 and 18th 2024 from 9:00am to 5:00pm, Saturdays after 3:00pm for Granite State Baseball League Games. Commissioner Roy motioned to accept the request with all the requirements and changes listed in the application. Commissioner Guyer seconded the motion. All were in favor. B. Living Hope Lakeport-Leavitt Park- June 24th through June 29, 2024, from 8:00am to 4:00pm for on goal soccer camp. Commissioner Guyer motioned to accept the request with all the requirements and changes listed in the application. Commissioner Roy seconded the motion. All were in favor. C. Weare Post 65 American Legion Baseball- Robbie Mills- Thursday, July11, 2024 from 4:00pm to 10:00pm for Wear vs Berlin Junior Legion Double Header. Commissioner Kirk motioned to accept the request with all the requirements and changes listed in the application. Commissioner Ringer seconded the motion. All were in favor. D. Advantage Kids- Memorial Park Tennis court- Mondays and Wednesdays, June 24th through August 5, 2024, from 6:00pm to 8:00pm for Advantage kids Free Tennis, Yoga & Mentorship. Commissioner Roy motioned to table the request due to lack of representation. Commissioner Guyer seconded the motion. All were in favor. E. Newfound Regional High School- Robbie Mills- Friday, May 24, 2024, from 7:00pm for Battle of the Bears Baseball game. Commissioner Roy motioned to accept the request with  all the requirements and changes listed in the application. Commissioner Guyer seconded the motion. All were in favor. F. The 3905 Century Club, Inc.- Hank Risley or Leavitt parking lot- September 7, Saturday from 9:00am to 12:00pm for the 3905 Century Annual Eyeball meeting. Commissioner Ringer motioned to accept the request with all the requirements and changes listed in the application. Commissioner Kirk seconded the motion. All were in favor. G. The Belknap Mill- Rotary Park- Wednesday and Friday from July 3 through August 2, 2024, from 9:30am to 12:30pm for Kids in the Park. Commissioner Guyer motioned to accept the request with all the requirements and changes listed in the application. Commissioner Roy seconded the motion. All were in favor. H. Laconia Kiwanis-Skate Park and Opechee Park parking lot- Saturday, May 18, 2024, from 6:00am to 2:00pm for Laconia Kiwanis Bike n’ Board. Commissioner Kirk motioned to table the request due to lack of representation. Commissioner Guyer seconded the motion. All were in favor. I. Granite State Baseball League- Robbie Mills Baseball and Soccer field, Memorial Baseball Field- Saturday, July 6, 2024, from 8:00am to 10:00pm, October 11 through 13th Friday & Saturday from 7:00pm and Sunday from 4:00pm for Granite State Baseball All Star Event. Commissioner Roy motioned to accept the July 6th request and table the October request with all the requirements and changes listed in the application. Commissioner Ringer seconded the motion. All were in favor. II. OLD BUSINESS: A.603 Bandits- Robbie Mills & Memorial Field- May 1, 2024, through August 10, 2024, Friday from 6:00pm to 9:00pm, Saturday and Sunday 9:00am to 9:00pm for 603 Bandits 13U Baseball. Commissioner Kirk motioned to accept the request for July 5th only at Memorial Park with all the requirements and changes listed in the application. Commissioner Roy seconded the motion. All were in favor. B. Robbie Mills Fencing- No update. III. ADMINISTRATIVE APPROVALS-ROTARY PARK, BEACHES, WEIRS AMPHITHEATER & PAVILION A. Laconia Little League- Opechee Field A, B, C and Colby Field- Monday through Friday 5:00pm to 8:00pm and Saturday 8:00am to 3:00pm, April 6 through June 9, 2024, for Laconia Little League 2024 season. Commissioner Kirk motioned to accept the request with all the requirements and changes listed in the application. Commissioner Roy seconded the motion. All were in favor. IV. NEW BUSINESS: 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- March minutes of the meeting. B. Weirs Community Park Association- No report C. Tardif Park Association- No report XI. DEPARTMENT REPORTS: A. Director’s Report submitted by Amy Lovisek This beautiful month of March has forced this department to open a number of facilities early! We have opened Smith track, Leavitt tennis, Memorial tennis, Sanborn basketball, Wyatt basketball and Tardif basketball. We have never opened these this early. The good news is that it will make April that much easier for us. This month I have been working on the Sportskey software. We have received the sole source request from the City Manager and have got the page up and running. I plan to give you all an overview of the system so that you can see what is happening. I have inputted all the current Facility Use Requests into the system already and once approved the FURs from the meeting we will import the new ones. This has taken a bit of time but is well worth it for the future of the department. This cloud-based software will take our users time to be comfortable with and we will work hard to make it a little easier for them. The WOW board is diligently working on the Opechee Loop and they are now working on the promenade at the Lakeport square. I will show the pictures during the meeting to go over them with you. Also, the expansion for Elm Street in the Loop is coming along. The engineers are looking to bring the trail into our park to provide more access to the area. This will be a great addition to the park. The City Manager asked all department heads to work down their budgets due to the fact that he and the Council are working diligently to get raises for city employees across the board. This is going to eat up most of the tax cap and asked us to help him with our budgets. I have decreased where I increased this year to do my part in that process. We had a number of applicants for the open position this time around. We had 4 interviews and have decided on a new hire. I will not be giving out his name yet as he has not yet been offered the position. I hope to be at full strength for the spring. The Bond Beach bath house is completely gone!! It looks very strange down there now. The construction is damaging the road even further with the weight and the water. We will need to move the reclaiming of the road higher up on the capital plans next year. Leavitt Park has new energy efficient lighting now and the flooring has been chosen. We are waiting to see about the date for installation due to time to receive the product. The week of April 1st we will be removing all playground mulch and equipment from the playground. DPW will be helping us with the removal process. Once completed we will do some earthwork and the playground will arrive at the end of May. The gazebo plans have been a process to get, but we should have them ready to go out to bid at the beginning of April. B. Assistant Director’s Report submitted by Matt Mansur The Spring Squeeze The Spring “SQUEEZE” has hit us a month earlier than usual. Which is squeezing Dane and his crew a lot more than usual as they are wrapping up winter projects. As usual most spring sports are ready to go and kicking down the door, but we are holding them back because the fields aren’t quite ready yet. The soil temp is still in the 30’s while recovery growth and new seed germination doesn’t occur until the soil temp reaches the 50’s. So any damage done now will not recover for this season. There is a reason we have the best fields in the state. We have opened basketball courts and tennis courts. The pickleball nets have been brought out to Memorial and many will be happy. Additionally, we are beginning to get Adopt-A-Spot locations going. One of our Adopt-A-Spot locations has been a little needy the last few years as it is right at a traffic stop. We are asking the Volunteer to keep their plants below 18 inches this year to avoid all confusion and possibility of obstructing views. They pushed back a little, but it has been made clear that it is a non-negotiable. Community Center Programs With the opening of the outdoor courts, our community center indoor season will slow down immensely. We had a good season bringing in over $2k/month (except for Christmas Village months). I believe we should be able to move forward with replacing our bleachers from our gym account. We have replaced the water bubbler in the gym as well. Programs were very smooth this year. Compared to where we were a few years ago, it is nice to get through a winter without having to deal with big pickleball issues. Opechee Day Camp Not much to report for ODC. I will be going to the ACA Conference on the 21st and 22nd. I am locking in our Field Trips. Our registration opens on Monday, April 1st. Easter Egg Hunt Easter Egg Hunt on Saturday, March 30th at 11am at Leavitt Park! Come and enjoy! I think this will really be a kick off to an incredible summer season. C. Foreman’s Report submitted by Dane Anderson Parks, Recreation and Facilities Maintenance MONTHLY REPORT 2/16/2024-3/6/2024  COMPLETED Column2 Project Additional Notes Bond Forestry- New bath house location and along access road. City Hall Locks- Old server room door handle replacement. City Hall Furniture- Assembly of council mail boxes. City Hall Plumbing- Public Men's Restroom- Faucet replacement. City Hall Electrical- Ceiling Fans- Repairs and checks City Hall Carpentry/Paint - Lobby renovation. Phase 1 completed. City Hall Furniture- Hanging of painting/pictures. City Hall Furniture- Purchasing- Removal and disposal of plastic. City Hall Carpentry- Lobby renovation project- Phase 1 completed. City Hall Grounds- Staged brush removal. Equipment JD Tractor- Tires swapped to turf tires for growing season. ERP Beach- Safety snow fencing repairs. Facilities Daylight savings- Adjustment of clocks and timers Gale Library Electrical- Lighting- Lighting ballast replacement. Gale Library Electrical - Lighting - Emergency lighting ballast replacement Gale Library Carpentry- Damaged drawer repair. Gale Library Plumbing- Leaking exterior frost free spigot replaced. Gold St Islands Grounds- Brush and tree and invasives removal project. LCC Plumbing- Shower drain unclogged. LCC Plumbing- Gym- Water fountain replacement. LCC Electrical- Lighting- Gym - Damaged Egress sign/light replaced. Protective cage installed. Leavitt Electrical- Lighting- Sports field light pole repair Leavitt Basketball Court- Gates open, cleaned fence lines, court blown off. Leavitt Tennis Courts- Gates opened, cleaned fence lines, courts blow off, posts and nets installed. LPD Plumbing- Clogged sink drains repaired. LPD Plumbing- Sticking flushometer handle rebuild. LPD Grounds- Walk Ways- Excess sand and treat removed. Maintenance Garage Plumbing- Plumbed in replacement slop sink and installed. Memorial Gates/Fencing- HB dugout gate repairs. Memorial Ice Rink- Closed for season and disassembled. 2/26/2024 Memorial Tennis Courts- Gates opened, cleaned fence lines, courts blow off, posts and nets installed, installed pickleball net storage box. Memorial Electrical- Lighting- Baseball concession restrooms- Failed fluorescents fixtures replaced with LED fixtures. Opechee Gates/Fencing- Playground/Beach access gate repairs Opechee Gates/Fences- E. Access Road repaired and reinstalled. Opechee Electrical- Lighting- Walkway light pole repair Opechee Smith Track- blown off and gates opened. Robbie Mills Egress Lighting- Damaged light repaired Robbie Mills Janitorial- Concessions/Press Box- Deep cleaning of facility from prior user group. Rotary Electrical- Lighting- Walkway light pole repair Sanborn Basketball Court- Gates open, cleaned fence lines, court blown off. Snow Removal Snow Removal Operations- Lots and walkways cleared and treated 2/16/2024 Snow Removal Snow Removal Operations- Lots and walkways cleared and treated 2/23/2024 Sports Fields Field Closure signs installed Staffing Parks Tech Interviews Stewart Electrical- Lighting- Walkway light pole repair Tardif Basketball Court- Gates open, cleaned fence lines, court blown off. Training NERTF Annual Conference- 2 staff members attended Training ELA Annual Conference- 1 staff member attended. WCC Electrical- Lighting- Egress light and men's restroom light replacement. Wind Storm Storm Damage- downed limb clean up and infrastructure damage assessments. 2/29/2024 Wyatt Basketball Court- Gates open, cleaned fence lines, court blown off. IN PROGRESS Location Project Additional Notes Adopt a Spots Assessing, planning and development for 2024 growing season. Bond Beach Site prep work and tree removal for new bathhouse and septic construction. City Hall Plumbing Faucet replacements Department Wide Dog Bags- Checking and filling dog bag dispensers Facilities Winter temperature and fuel level, plumbing, building locked and secure, 1-2 times per week. Facilities Electrical- Lighting timers adjustments as needed Gold St. Grounds- Brush and tree clearing. Gordon Lawerence Forestry- Down limb removal Cemetery Grounds RFP- 2024 Grounds RFP development Grounds Annual Beds- Prep work. LCC Plumbing- Faucet replacements Memorial Electrical- Baseball scoreboard repairs. Opechee Electrical- Smith field scoreboard troubleshooting. Opechee Electrical- Lighting- Cove Restroom- failed lighting replacements. Paint Paint standards, colors, and procedures project. Parking Lots Parking bumper log replacements. Robbie Mills Janitorial- Deep cleaning of concession, utilities rooms, upper and lower press boxes. Robbie Mills Carpentry/Electrical- Deferred maintenance repair work in preparation of 2024 season. Rotary Sun Dial repairs Shop Carpentry/Plumbing- Paint/Cleaning Room Phase 2 reorganization, painting, plumbing fixture repairs/moving. Shop Carpentry- Tool Room Phase 2 reorganization. Sledding Hill Monitor conditions, trash, jump removal, lighting Snow Removal Daily walkway checks and treating for snow/ice. Sports Fields Scheduling- 2024 Field use, projects and needs assessment development. Vandalism Graffiti- continual monitoring and removal throughout parks and facilities. Vets Sq Power to Irrigation/Fountains and Lights shut off due to misuse. Winter Trash Services Trash- Routine trash can servicing and ground litter removal. XII. PRESENTATIONS XIII. ADJOURNMENT: Commissioner Roy motioned to adjourn at 8:49pm. Seconded by Commissioner Kirk. All were in favor. Respectfully submitted, Liza Kelleher Mitch Hamel Secretary Chair Commissioner