Recreation & Community Services Commission

RECREATION & COMMUNITY SERVICES COMMISSION May 23, 2024 MEETING 5:30 PM MINUTES RECREATION & COMMUNITY SERVICES COMMISSION – In attendance: Jeanette Blackwell, Leslie Spatola, Harold Panciera, Andrea Dallas, Kristen Jensen, Sowgol Zakarian, Lincoln Everest, Dan DeConti Absent: Rogers Pylant Staff: Cathy Lechowicz, Director AGENDA: Call Meeting to Order: Meeting called to order at 5:32pm Public Hearing: No members of public in attendance. Approval of the Minutes: Leslie Spatola made a motion to approve minutes from April 18th, 2024. Kristen Jensen seconded. Approved unanimously. Department Reports: Recreation and Senior Department Report- Busy season for both Recreation and Senior Center! Many more programs at Senior Center, night events, early bird dinners, bus trips, etc. Rec center is gearing up for camp, opening veteran’s pool and splash pad. Hired about 150-160 young people as counselors, lifeguards, etc. OLD BUSINESS: Commissioner Recommendations Please welcome Betsy Bielefield and Tammy Kapacziewski, they will be going before the common council in June to become commissioners for the Recreation & Community Service Commission. Budget Updates We were able to get everything that was requested. It helps that the rec center is fully open, so a lot of cost is offset by incoming revenue. NEW BUSINESS: Sports Grant Recommendations Director Lechowicz shares a table detailing the requested amount, the number of youth served, and two options for funding. All options can be changed and modified based on feedback. No decision has to be made today, but it does need to be finalized by next meeting to go before the council in July. Recreation staff discussed proposals, and feels strongly about fully funding Middletown Youth Football & Cheer, and Middletown Youth Lacrosse. Football serves a diverse population, and is typically more expensive due to safety regulations and equipment. Also incredibly community oriented, they try to reach out to other leagues to encourage involvement. Staff brought up concerns with Middletown Youth Soccer, Baseball, and Softball. Discussion ensued. Harold Panciera made a motion to disqualify Middletown Youth Soccer from receiving a grant for the 24-25 year. Lincoln Everest seconded. Blackwell, nay. Jensen, nay. Spatola, nay. DeConti, nay. Dallas, nay. Zakarian, nay. Motion fails 2-6. More discussion ensued. Will revisit at next meeting. ARPA Project Updates Recreation & Community Services received a grant from CT legislation for COVID recovery, could be used for infrastructure or programs. We are meeting in June to figure out final decisions on funds. We will discuss updates in either June or September’s meeting. MISCELLANEOUS: If anyone has any specific question about sports grants to help with making the determination for June, Director Lechowicz welcomes questions via email. ADJOURNMENT Lincoln Everest made a motion to adjourn, Dan DeConti seconded. Approved unanimously. Meeting adjourned at 6:20 pm.