Park & Recreation Commission

FINAL MINUTES Salem Parks and Recreation Commission Minutes of Meeting Date and Time: Tuesday. June 19, 2018, 6:45 P.M. Meeting Location: Dining Room, 5 Broad St. Members Present: James Shea, Bob Callahan, Amy Everitt, Deb Amaral Member Absent: Chris Burke Also Present: Trish O’Brien Clerk: Kathleen Fitzgerald Meeting Called to Order James Shea calls the meeting to order at 6:45 P.M. Approval of Minutes of the meeting on May 15, 2018. Bob Callahan moves to approve, seconded by Amy Everitt and unanimously passes. First on the Agenda: Ian Cannon – Salem Jazz and Soul Fest. This event will take place on August 19, 2018. There was discussion regarding the break down time change. The permit stated that breakdown be finished by 10:00 P.M. It has taken the sound company until approximately 11:00 P.M. and they would like the permit updated to 11:00 P.M. James Shea advised there was a problem with this as the neighbors can be impacted and that moving equipment around can be disruptive. He informed Mr. Cannon that there were a lot of events at the Willows and they didn’t want to push it too much with the neighbors. Mr. Cannon stated that other than the sound system, they were out by 9:00 P.M. with the music ending at 7:00 P.M. Trish O’Brien advised that the lights were now on a timer and would go out at 10:00 P.M. and James Shea suggested that if they could not get the equipment out by then, they might think about adjusting the end time for the event or recruiting more volunteers or even coming back the next morning to complete the break down. Ian Cannon said he would take on that challenge. Bob Callahan stated that life is a challenge and what the Salem Jazz and Soul Fest does is excellent for the community but that being sensitive to the neighbors was a priority. Maureen Fisher – Youth Football. This request is for a pep rally and cook out for the families of Salem football on August 26, 2018 at The Willows. There will be a DJ and Maureen stated that she knew the speakers had to facing the water. Trish O’Brien advised that this event was held last year with no complaints. -1- Bob Callahan makes a motion to approve, seconded by Amy Everitt and passes unanimously. Nick Linear - Mansell Basketball Tournament Fundraiser – This request is for an event on August 11, 2018 at Mansell Park. It is the third annual tournament to raise awareness for addiction and is a fundraiser for Brian Murphy and provides scholarships in his name. The name of the event is “Sweat for Sweat” and is in partnership with Rec Fitness. The funds raised will be administered by Magnolia New Beginnings, Inc. where Brian Murphy’s mother works. The event would start at 8:00 A.M. and end at 5:00 P.M. There will be twelve teams paying a fee of $250.00 per team, He advised they would have free bagels in the morning and that friends would be donating food during the event. There would also be a raffle with items donated by friends and stated that 100% of the funds raised would go to the scholarships. There will be port-a-potties on site. TO advised that he would be responsible for telling Dave Septic when to drop them off and when to pick them up. She also advised that he may need to talk with licensing about the lottery. There was some discussion about insurance and Nick was advised to check to see if can do this as an add-on with New Beginnings. Amy Everitt makes a motion to approve the event, seconded by Bob Callahan and passes unanimously. April Cordair – Running Dead Zombie Race – This is for an event on September 29, 2018. This event has run for six years incident free. The event will take place from 12:00 P.M. to 6:00 P.M. at Gallows Hill Park. They expected approximately 120 people to participate in the event. She stated that there would be a police detail and a nurse would be present. Also 5% of the registration fees would go to Salem Park & Rec. They will obtain a Certificate of Insurance once they have approval of the date for the event. Bob Callahan asked if there have been any issues in the past and TO advised that there have not been. Trish also requested that people be encouraged to car pool due to parking issues. Bob Callahan makes a motion to approve the event, seconded by Amy Everitt and unanimously passes. John Snow – Bagong-Kulturang Pindy – This is a request to use Salem Willows on September 1, 2018 for a fiesta and picnic by the Filipino-American Group. They want to showcase the Filipino culture and traditions and will have native dancers, music, and native food. James Shea stated that this event would be during Labor Day weekend and asked Trish if that was a problem. She advised that there were no conflicts with other events. James also asked about the issue of competing with the food vendors at the Willows. Dante stated that only native food would be sold. Deb Amaral motions to approve the event, seconded by Bob Callahan and passes unanimously. Juan (“Cito”) Espinal – Salem Summer Jam – This request is for an event on July 29, 2018 at the Willows. This is the 5th year and is an event is for families and friends. The event will include a bouncy house, face painting, light show and performances. -2- James Shea asked if there were any problems in the past and Trish O’Brien advised that there were not. There was some discussion about partnerships/working with local charities and The Boys and Girls Club might be a good contact. Cito advised that he had a meeting scheduled the following week with the YMCA. Bob Callahan motions to approve the event, seconded by Deb Amaral and passes unanimously. New Business: Jenna Ide, Director of Capital Projects is working with Trish O’Brien regarding the Skate Park. Jenna presented the final design and came before the Board for input before construction. Jenna stated that at this point there is only enough money for the park, but they are going to apply for a grant and asking for approval of the bowl in case grant money is received. If the grant money is received, the bowl can be put in later. It was advised that if and when the bowl is added, drainage will be needed. Chris Long, civil engineer, has been working with Jenna and Trish for over a year on the skate park. There was discussion about making sure the playground and the skate park are separate. James Shea asked how much the bowl would cost and was advised that it would be approximately $80,000.00 for the bowl and $8,000.00 for drainage, Jenna then spoke about the family’s wishes for memorializing the skate park. The family wanted something more protected so trees for shade will be added. Jenna is working with DPW to do watering for the first year. James Shea asked if there were any skate boarders in the room. Jake Cassevoy and Paul Wright stood up. Mr. Shea asked for their opinions on the park and wanted to know if they saw any flaws in the plan. Mr. Wright stated that overall he felt very positive about it. Mr. Cassevoy stated that he thought it was awesome because it included all levels. James Shea asked if we didn’t get the bowl would that be a problem. Jake stated he wanted the bowl and if there was one in the park it would attract a good amount of people and a lot of older people. Paul then stated that a bowl would attract people from other parts of the state. Jenna then advised that grant proposal application is due in July, with a decision in December. Bob Callahan asked how confident Jenna was about the grant and Jenna said they were very confident and stated that one of the key areas was the open space. Amy Everitt makes a motion to approve, seconded by Deb Amaral and unanimously passes. Next there was a lengthy discussion on Forest River. Jenna stated this project is the closing of the pool this summer. They hired a company to design a new Forest River complex. There was discussion about pulling out of the flood zone, possibly moving or renovation the bath house. James Shea asked about the cost and was advised that it would probably cost $5,000,000.0-$6,000,000.00. Trish O’Brien asked if there were a lot of grants and Jenna advised that there were. Bob Callahan said he was 100% behind the pool, but that we only have a ten week season and that looking at the size of the expense for ten weeks it was almost difficult to justify. He was advised that technically this was doable and Trish -3- O’Brien talked about how to extend the season and that the deck could be a potential for revenues. Bob Callahan asked if a bubble could be put over the pool to make it a year round pool and was advised that that would be too expensive. Bob Callahan asked for a best estimate of when this could be completed and Jenna advised everything would probably take three years so either the summer of 2021 or 2022. James Shea asked about the cost to start applying for permitted and Jenna advised that they would start this July. Superintendent’s Report: Trish O’Brien advised that funding approved for $150,000.00 toward the cart path. Revenue Report: Witch House doing very well. Amy Everitt asked about the condition of the Witch House and if there were any anticipated repairs. Trish O’Brien stated that it was in pretty good condition and advised that Elizabeth does a good job keeping it up. Pioneer Village to Naumkeag would be on the Trolley path. Revolving Account for Park & Rec will go down with the free programs. Winter Island Store just now gearing up and with online booking it was pretty much booking to capacity. Winter Island General Fund down a little bit, but gearing up. Salem Willows Meters looking weak. Pioneer Village will definitely take a hit due to renovations. Old Business – None Not on the Agenda but present were Kelly Allan and Craig Beauregard. They wanted to discuss using a portion of the Willows for their wedding. They want to use the Trolley to bring people to the Willows to eliminate traffic and parking problems and they want to erect a tent for the event. They expect about 110 people to attend. Bob Callahan asked when they were planning on having this and Kelly advised June 2019. She made a strong case for wanting to hold the wedding in her “back yard” since they reside in the Willows and since most of the guests would be coming from out of town, they wanted to show off Salem to them. Bob Callahan stated that he was all for doing different things at the Willows but that a solid plan was needed with a solid proposal; i.e. music time, date, number of people, etc. He suggested that they come back to the September meeting where the Board could review the plan and vote on it. Trish O’Brien -4- stated that the neighborhood needed to be considered along with parking. James Shea asked about alcohol at the event and what they would be willing to pay to hold their wedding there and Nick and Kelly advised there would only be beer and wine served and had no answer about what they expected to pay. There was then discussion about renting the gazebo to generate money. Trish O’Brien advised that they started renting the smaller gazebo this year and that there were only 2-3 dates left this summer, but more money could be generated if the large gazebo was rented. Bob Callahan said in his opinion the Salem Parks are for Salem residents and Deb Amaral stated that it would be a benefit to Salem residents to be able to rent the pavilion. There was discussion about eventually hiring a weekend park foreman to oversee the Willows and possibly keep an eye on the meters. James Shea sated that they would look into that Trish O’Brien advised that there would be an info session on June 27th on Gallows Hill at the Witchcraft School and ribbon cutting at McGlew Park on June 28th. There will be no meeting in July due to vacation schedules. The next meeting will be August 21, 2018. A motion to adjourn is made by Bob Callahan and seconded by Amy Everitt and unanimously passes. The meeting ended at 8:55 P.M. Respectfully Submitted, Kathleen Fitzgerald, Clerk -5-