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 AUGUST 20, 2024 A meeting of the Salem Parks and Recreation Commission was held on August 20, 2024, at 6:45 p.m., in person at 401 Bridge Street. Present were Chair Johnel Roberts; Members: Deborah Amaral, Bob Callahan, Amy Everitt, and James Shea; Trish O’Brien, Superintendent and Commission Clerk Joanne Roomey. Mr. Roberts called the meeting to order at 6:45 p.m. 1. Approval of Park and Recreation Commission Meeting Minutes of June 18, 2024 Ms. Everitt made a motion to approve the Park and Recreation Commission Minutes meeting of June 18, 2024. Mr. Callahan seconded the motion. The motion carried unanimously. 2. Visitors and Requests: a. Jeremy Fiske appeared from the City of Salem for approval of one additional Haunted Happenings Event on the Salem Common for the Magic Wheelchair Event run by Dassault Systems SOLIDWORK. Also, Sara Zuckerman appeared from Dassault Systems and said the event is a costume reveal for a magic wheelchair recipient. They are a nonprofit group and select a child in a wheelchair to dress them up in it. They will have music and a PA system to reveal the costume. It will be held on October 3rd from 11:00 a.m. until noon. There being no further questions or comments regarding this matter, Mr. Shea made a motion to approve the use of Salem Willows to have a Magic Wheelchair Costume Reveal event. Ms. Amaral seconded the motion. The motion carried unanimously. b. Ashley Steeves appeared from B+S Fitness for approval to use the Willows Field to have the Annual Wicked Half Marathon through Salem and Marblehead on September 22, 2024, from 7:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. They estimate 800 attendees. They will have amplification from 8:00 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. They are also having a Beer Garden and will set up three 10 x 10 tents, same as last year. Notch Brewing Company will take care of the permitting at the Licensing Board meeting. There are no changes from the past year and there were no issues. They will also have a Police detail. There being no further questions or comments regarding this matter, Mr. Callahan made a motion to approve the use of Salem Willows Field to have a Wicked Half Marathon event. Mr. Shea seconded the motion. The motion carried unanimously. 1 3. Old Business: None 4. New Business: a. RFP for Lower Gallows: Ms. O’Brien gave an update regarding the emergency response and removal program for Mansell Field at Gallows Hill site. She also spoke about the Project Schedule prepared for United States Environmental Protection Agency by Environmental Restoration, LLC. The invitation for bids to hire a general contractor to complete the cleanup and restoration of Mansell Field has been issued with bids due September 4. Contractor mobilization is anticipated in October. The removal and disposal of remaining contaminated materials is expected to be completed by January 2025 with the final park restoration by June 2025. The City of Salem is maintaining a project webpage at: https://www.salemma.gov/planning-and-community-development/pages/mansell-field. b. Upcoming Park and Recreation Golf Tournament – September 14, 2024 Ms. O’Brien said there is an opening for a foursome and if anyone knows someone interested to please direct them to her. They raised $16,000 last year that went towards scholarships for anyone who could not afford programs offered. She thinks we are on target this year to raise another $16,000 that could be used for free programs and field trips. Kyle Medeiros, the Assistant Program Coordinator, is looking into chartering a bus and taking a field trip to a Red Sox game. 5. 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 Ms. Everett. The meeting was adjourned at 7:15 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 2