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

MOHEGAN PARK IMPROVEMENT & DEVELOPMENT ADVISORY COMMITTEE Thursday, November 8, 2018 – 7:30 P.M. Norwich Public Works Conference Room 50 Clinton Avenue, Norwich, CT Regular Meeting MINUTES 1. CALL TO ORDER The meeting was called to order by Beryl Fishbone at 7:35 P.M. Committee members present: Beryl Fishbone, Judy Magnano, Kyle Seitz, Alderman Sam Browning, Samantha Venturo, Ryan Thompson (Ex-Officio) Absent: Bill Barbuto, Rebecca Meluccci 2. APPROVAL OF MINUTES Upon a motion by Samantha Venturo, seconded by Kyle Seitz, the committee unanimously approved the minutes of the regular meeting held on September 13, 2018. 3. FINANCIAL REPORT The financial report was provided by Ryan Thompson. Interest was earned and there were no expenditures. 4. OFFICIAL CORRESPONDENCE 5. OLD BUSINESS a. Handicap parking spaces: Ryan Thompson said work on handicapped parking spaces is scheduled to begin next month with an end of February deadline. b. Treatment of invasive plant in Spaulding Pond: Ryan Thompson said the lowering of the pond water began this week. It will be lowered 6 feet over the next 4 to 6 weeks. c. Replacement of wisteria over Spaulding Pond dam: Ryan Thompson said this project is on the back burner. d. Presentation to City Council noting MPIDAC programs and accomplishments: Judy Magnano has created a presentation to be reviewed by Beryl Fishbone MOTION by Sam Browning: To move to address citizen comments and concerns regarding disc golf. Motion seconded by Samantha Venturo and voted unanimously in favor. 6. CITIZEN COMMENT  a. Charles Evans of Butternut Drive expressed concern that disc golf would change the character and nature of the park. He asked why we are pushing disc golf and if there is a comprehensive plan. He also asked what research has been done and how we will address bathrooms. He said that vernal pools had been filled in by Chelsea Botanical Gardens and trails hadn’t been maintained. Sam Browning stated that disc golf is a low impact sport with no cost to taxpayers. Ryan Thompson gave a chronology of the progress of the project and stated that the point is to be out in nature. Kyle Seitz explained that these are very early stages and nothing has been decided and City Council approval will be needed to advance. Charles Evans also spoke with Patsy at the Recreation Dept. in September. She said they have pitched the disc golf idea and received little interest. Kyle Seitz stated that Recreation Director Cheryl Hancin had attended our meetings and was supportive. b. Judith Brown of Butternut Drive is concerned about parking spaces for disc golf and stressed the value of open space. She would like to see a reputable survey and said that nothing gets done for the handicapped. She also expressed concern about the condition of shrubs and bushes around the old Chelsea Botanical Gardens sign. Ryan Thompson said he would take care of the bushes. c. John Oldfield of Lawler Lane also expressed concern that there would be costs to the city mainly in the removal of stumps in the area. He also stated that the intention of the original park donors was to leave the area pristine. He wanted to know who is going to build the course. Kyle Seitz explained that volunteers would place the baskets and the course would retain the park’s natural state. d. Roberta Clapper of Butternut Drive is concerned with the safety of disc golf in the Chelsea Botanical Gardens area. She said the rocks, ledges and stumps would present safety issues. 7. OLD BUSINESS (cont’d) e. Disc Golf: Samantha Venturo and Kyle Seitz have created a preliminary prospectus regarding the financing of a disc golf course. Beryl suggested a sub-committee be established f. Election of Officers: It was unanimously decided to nominate and elect officers at the January 10th meeting. 8. OTHER BUSINESS a. Water Tower: Ryan Thompson provided an update on completion of the water tower. Landscaping will be completed in the spring. NPU’s contractor will need to replace the rock in the parking area since it is not structurally sound. NPW will construct a barrier. 9. OTHER ATTENDEES:  a. Charles Evans, 49 Butternut Dr., Norwich b. John Oldfield, 185 Lawler Lane, Norwich c. Roberta Clapper 49 Butternut Dr., Norwich d. Judith Brown, 55 Butternut Dr., Norwich 10. ADJOURNMENT Motion was made to adjourn by Kyle Seitz, seconded by Sam Browning and voted unanimously by the committee. The meeting adjourned at 8:53 P.M. Distribution: Bill Barbuto billsuebarbuto@hotmail.com, Beryl Fishbone berylfishbone@yahoo.com, Judy Magnano jmagnano12@gmail.com, Sam Browning tappingreeve@aol.com, Ryan Thompson rthompson@cityofnorwich.org, Rebecca Melucci beckimelucci614@gmail.com, Samantha Venturo stillwaters37@gmail.com, Kyle Seitz seitzk22@yahoo.com, Betsy Barrett bbarrett@cityofnorwich.org, Angela Fuller AFuller@cityofnorwich.org,