Recreation & Community Services Commission

RECREATION & COMMUNITY SERVICES COMMISSION February 21, 2019 MEETING 6:00 P.M. MINUTES RECREATION & COMMUNITY SERVICES COMMISSION – In attendance: Mary Bartolotta (arrived at 6:03), Ed Dypa, Sue Laribee, Winn Lee, Phil Pessina, Lincoln Everest (arrived at 6:04pm), Salvatore Uccello, Matt Fraulino Absent: Anthony Jaskot, Akbar Coffy Staff: Cathy Lechowicz, Director Members of the Public: Santiago Gonzalez, Mia Kriksciun, Wesleyan student (name not audible) AGENDA: Call Meeting to Order: Meeting called to order at 6:01pm. Approval of the Minutes: Ed Dypa made a motion to approve the minutes; seconded by Winn Lee. Unanimously approved. Public Hearing: No Comments. Department Reports: Written report distributed (see below) OLD BUSINESS: NEW BUSINESS: Dates for March and April Meetings March will meet on 3/13 at 6pm April will meet on 4/10 at 6pm Sports Grants Interviews – each applicant presented their grant and the committee asked questions 6:05pm withdrew application 6:15pm Ahern Whalen – Greg Brooks presented the application 6:25pm Middletown Youth Soccer, Inc. – Frank Marchese and Steve Crouch presented 6:35pm Middletown Youth Lacrosse – Pete Susi presented 6:45pm Prof. Gallitto Girls Basketball – Harold Panciera presented 6:55pm Prof. Gallitto Boys Basketball – Jeremy Wilson presented 7:05pm Little League – Russ Cormier presented 7:15pm Middletown Jr. Dragons Youth Football & Cheerleading – Jason LaRosa presented Ed Dypa made a motion to adjourn, Sal Uccello seconded. Meeting adjourned at 7:43pm. -------------------------------------------------- Director’s Report Building After the heavy rains in January, we had significant water infiltration throughout the building. Specifically, there was water in the billiards room, kitchen pantry, electrical closet, library, south stairwell and the attic. We needed to engage Belfor to bring industrial size dehumidifiers to dry out the spaces, which took several days. Kronenberger Restoration came out and recommended engaging with an ‘envelope specialist’ to ensure we are identifying and addressing any issue that may be causing the water to come in. On a happy note, water did not come in the North side of the building and the work to restore the damaged office should resume very soon – the contract was finalized and we are working on scheduling a date for the work to be complete. Program Senior: Interest continues to be high for the senior programming. There is a diverse offering of programs and new programs being added for the spring including Pilates. Please mark your calendar – the Senior Expo is Tuesday May 7, 2019. Recreation: The skating rink continues to do well, our numbers have had a slight dip but there is still demand so we will remain open at least through March. We will have a Mardi Gras theme night on Saturday February 23. Some major events that are coming up include Easter Egg Hunt on 4/13 and the Fishing Derby on 4/27. Registration is open for summer camp. Budget The mayor has asked all departments to submit a zero increase budget, which we did. Our finalized budget has been submitted and we typically meet with the mayor in March to discuss. Last year we had the major gain of having our clerk moved from part-time to full-time but over the last 2 years we were also cut $27,000 in programming funds. In addition to this, we took on the new expense of running the Skating Rink. While we do have revenue at the rink, it is not able to cover the cost of operations. We continue to look for efficiencies in an effort to maintain services while budgets are tight.