Park & Recreation Commission

CITY OF SALEM, MASSACHUSETTS JEAN A. LEVESQUE COMMUNITY LIFE CENTER 401 Bridge Street, Salem MA 01970 Tel. (978) 744-0180/(978) 744-0924 Dominick Pangallo Fax (978) 219-1665 MAYOR Trish O’Brien Superintendent MINUTES OF THE SALEM PARK AND RECREATION COMMISSION MAY 16, 2023 A meeting of the Salem Parks and Recreation Commission was held on May 16, 2023, at 6:45 p.m., in person at 401 Bridge Street and via remote participation in accordance with Chapter 2 of the Acts of 2023. Present were members: Deborah Amaral, Bob Callahan, Johnel Roberts and James Shea; Trish O’Brien, Superintendent and Commission Clerk Joanne Roomey. Absent was Amy Everitt, Chair. Mr. Shea called the meeting to order at 6:45 p.m. 1. Approval of Park and Recreation Commission Minutes April 18, 2023 Mr. Shea made a motion to approve the Park and Recreation Commission Minutes meeting of April 18, 2023. Mr. Roberts seconded the motion. The motion carried unanimously. 2. Visitors and Requests: a. Thomas Granitsas, Sage’s Fusion Kitchen, Live Music and Food Event, Willows Shell, June 17, 2023 from 3:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. No one was present for the application. b. Leblily Makor appeared for an approval to use the Willows Field to set up a bouncy house on June 3, 2023 from 3:00 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. for approximately 30 people to celebrate her son Rubin’s 13th birthday and give him a great welcome into his teenage years. Rubin has cerebral palsy and she has a foundation in his name. She wants to have it in front of the hat shell so she can use the electrical outlets. Mr. Shea explained the shell cost money but the field is free. Ms. Makor said she would have it at the field. Mr. Shea said the bouncy house will have to provide insurance and Ms. Makor said that is not a problem. There being no further questions or comments regarding this matter, Mr. Shea moved to approve the use of the Willows Field. Mr. Roberts seconded the motion. The motion carried unanimously. c. Jordan Rabb from BN Events appeared for approval to use the Willows Shell for a Halloween Family Pizza Festival on October 28, 2023, from 10:00 am to 7:00 pm for approximately 3,000 people. Mr. Rabb said he will have pizza vendors and beer and wine. He understands there are no fences and would probably use wrist bands. Mr. Shea 1  asked him, since they have done this before, if he could get references. He said it was not a problem. Ms. Amaral asked who gets the money for the vendors. Mr. Shea said the city gets a vendor fee of $25.00 each. They will have to go through the Licensing Board for the beer and wine piece. Mr. Callahan explained that Halloween is a very busy time in Salem and there would be no parking available at the Willows since they bus folks to the downtown area. Also, there are no bathrooms. Mr. Shea said convince him why this is good for the Salem community. Mr. Rabb thinks it is a great way to bring money into Salem. Mr. Callahan said if you could bring people to the willows, it would be great. The commission suggested that they have this Family Pizza Festival at another time other than October and referred them to Ellen Talkowsky who is the city’s activities coordinator and could point them in the right direction. Mr. Rabb agreed and will come back in front of the board with different dates. d. Mike Crounse, City of Salem - Updated Salem Common Tree Planting Plan Mr. Crounse said the tree planting plan bid for the common went out last June and July and it was put on hold until they got additional funds in and was rebid early this year. They are relocating larger trees and adding eight new trees as a result of the new bid. The contractor shall supply all plant material, they will verify all existing conditions in the field and report any discrepancies to the Landscape Architect for design prior to commencing planting. Mr. Callahan asked if the plan is the same as previously and Mr. Crounse said yes except for the additional eight trees and relocating the floating trees. Naomi Cottrell, the landscape architect, was also present and she said they added an Elm tree because one died around the arch. She also said the best practices species was to change the four trees to flowering Dogwoods not the Ashburton trees. Tree donations to date: (2) from a bank; (1) from Friends of Salem Common; and (1) from the Twomey family in memory of Jerome Twomey. Mr. Crounse and Ms. Cottrell believe this plan should start by the end of May, beginning of June. Mr. Crounse will coordinate with Darleen Melis to send thank you notes. Mr. Shea made a motion to approve the Salem Common Tree Planting Plan. Ms. Amaral seconded the motion. The motion carried unanimously. e. Louis Aquino, FEPAU Inc., Community/Church Event, Salem Common 8:00am to 5:00pm No one was present for the application. f. Julie Barry, Senior Planner, Arts & Culture of the City of Salem wanted approval to install a sculpture at Pickman Park. This was previously approved for installation at Leslie’s Retreat but the artist was unable to drive stakes deep enough to anchor the work. She said this is a lovely piece to bring to the neighborhood. It would be displayed for one year. Some of the neighbors had questions regarding the length of the sculpture and the materials that are used. They said this is a playground and it would be appealing to children to climb or jump on it and was not sure it would be safe. They said the commission should be aware of the decibel level considering where they want to put it is 2  right outside their window. There is a large number of families that are new to the neighborhood, 75 family that will be coming down there. They need more open space; it looks very dangerous. The commission is very concerned about safety as well. Ms. Barry said it is 9’ in diameter with straight planks of wood that are sealed and would be secured into the ground. The artist is aware it is where children play and believes it is built soundly and this piece is made to be seen and interactive. Ms. Barry said safety is their first priority and if folks are not welcoming to have the sculpture installed into their neighborhood, then she is not looking to force anything. Mr. Callahan suggested installing it at a pocket park, maybe at Dalton Parkway, Highland Avenue to Park Street. Ms. O’Brien will look into it since it is an interactive piece. g. Lisa Mansfield, Salem High School, Senior Recognition Night, Salem Common, May 31, 2023 from 7:00 pm to 9:30 pm No one was present for the application. h. Lisa Mansfield, Salem High School, Senior Game Show Night, Salem Common, June 1, 2023 from 7:00 pm to 9:30 pm No one was present for the application. 3. Superintendent Report Ms. O’Brien said there are no financial updates from the Finance Department. 4. Old Business: None 5. New Business: Communication from City Solicitor relative to naming process Ms. O’Brien discussed the Memorandum from Solicitor Rennard regarding Naming Ways and Structures within Parks. In the memorandum, Solicitor Rennard recommended that the Commission vote to name one or two of its members to serve on an advisory committee to consist of the named Commission member(s), the Superintendent of Parks and Recreation or her designee and the City Solicitor. This committee, if formed, would then meet to work on a recommendation to the full Commission for review. She also suggested that any request for naming a way or installation of a monument or plaque include an application requiring the applicant to provide the history of a particular way or structure, justification for a naming, and other relevant information necessary for the Commission to act on a request. Mr. Roberts is interested in being a part of the advisory committee. Previously, Ms. Everitt said she would be too. The commission will form a subcommittee and will come back to the full commission regarding the naming process for ways and structures within the parks. 3 6. Adjournment: There being no further business to come before the Salem Park and Recreation Commission this evening, Ms. Amaral moved to adjourn the meeting. Seconded by Mr. Roberts. The meeting was adjourned at 7:45 p.m. Respectfully submitted, Joanne M. Roomey Commission Clerk Know your rights under the Open Meeting Law M.G.L. c. 30A §18-25 and City Ordinance Sections 2-2028 through 2-2033 4