Mohegan Park Improvement & Development Advisory Committee - Disbanded Feb 01, 2025

MOHEGAN PARK IMPROVEMENT & DEVELOPMENT ADVISORY COMMITTEE Thursday, May 12th, 2016 – 5:30 P.M. Mohegan Park – Lakeside Pavilion Regular Meeting MINUTES 1. CALL TO ORDER The meeting was called to order by Tim Smith at 5:40. Committee Members Present: Tim Smith, Judy Magnano, Kerry Bilda, Joanne Philbrick, Beryl Fishbone, Ryan Thompson (Ex-Officio) Committee Members Absent: Brandon Hyde, Bill Barbuto 2. APPROVAL OF MINUTES Upon a motion by Beryl Fishbone, seconded by Joanne Philbrick, the committee unanimously approved the minutes of the regular meeting held on March 10th, 2016 3. FINANCIAL REPORT Upon a motion by Joanne Philbrick, seconded by Beryl Fishbone, the committee unanimously approved the financial report, which shows a balance of $112,584 in the Mohegan Park Development Fund. 4. OLD BUSINESS a. Former Dog Pound Building: Ryan Thompson reported that the building has been demolished. Fence is still in place. Working on getting a fence in place from new dog pound for a dog run. b. Concession Stand: Ryan Thompson reported that there is no capital investment funding for the concession stand. Joanne Philbrick stated there has been shuffling of program funding but it does not appear that concession stand demolition would fare well. There was discussion about the moving forward with demolition and picnic area roof replacement. The group discussed using committee funds to aid in getting the project funded. Upon a motion by Beryl Fishbone, seconded by Joanne Philbrick, the committee voted unanimously to allocate ½ of the cost up to $25K for the concession stand project as Public Works examines the options. c. Highway sign: All highway signs have been installed by the state. No progress on signs on the local roads to be made by Public Works. d. Trails map app: No update. Kerry Bilda to contact David Poore to see if he has mapped the trails. e. Kiosks and park signage: Sign is in final prep before printing. Judy Magnano to incorporate cleaner photographs. Will send to Benoit to make three signs at $225 per sign. f. Tri-fold brochure: Judy Magnano showed version after incorporating comments. The group discussed costs and places that the brochures could be displayed. Upon a motion by Joanne Phibrick, seconded by Kerry Bilda, the committee voted unanimously to authorize $366 to print 1,000 brochures. g. Expansion of park boundary: a) Joanne Philbrick reported that the nine parcels adjacent to the Northeast part of the park are now owned by an estate and being handled by a local attorney. Joanne contacted the attorney’s office on a couple of occasions but did not  receive a return call. No further action at this time. b) Tim Smith reported that he did not receive any feedback from the city on the committee’s letter requesting incorporating city owned parcels into park property. Joanne recommended drafting a resolution that she can sponsor. Tim to draft resolution. h. Bioblitz project information: No update on coordination with Norwich Free Academy. The group discussed possible alignment with Moriarty which is now a STEM school. i. Chelsea Gardens: No update on the current status of the Chelsea Gardens project. The group discussed use of the property leased by Chelsea Gardens. Upon a motion by Beryl Fishbone, seconded by Judy Magnano, the group voted in favor of requesting a clarification from the City of Norwich on the public use of the pre-existing trail system on the parcel leased by Chelsea Gardens. The motion passed with Smith, Magnano, Fishbone, and Philbrick voting in favor, and Bilda abstaining. Tim to draft letter. 5. NEW BUSINESS a. Nature Walks: Beryl Fishbone reported that other towns have scheduled nature walks. One held in Willimantic is run by Nature Conservancy. The group agreed that this is something that should be considered for Mohegan Park. Beryl to research further. 6. CITIZEN COMMENT a. None 7. OTHER BUSINESS a. Tim Smith asked if there is a periodic survey conducted on the several pedestrian bridges in the park to access their condition. Ryan Thompson was not aware of a survey. 8. ADJOURNMENT Upon a motion by Joanne Philbrick, seconded by Kerry Bilda, and voted unanimously, the meeting adjourned at 7:10 P.M