Chatham Parks & Recreation Commission
January 26, 2010 at 5:30 p.m.
Community Center Conference Room
Members Present: Michael Seidewand, Chairman; Joyce Reynolds, Vice Chair; Commissioners: Meredith Fry, and Ira Seldin
Staff: Dan Tobin
Others: Agnes Galop, Georgia Farrell, Sharon Powell, Sue Winkfield
Due to the anticipated late arrival of Chair Mike Seidewand, Joyce Reynolds opened the meeting at 5:35 p.m.
Item 1: Permission to Use
A. Creative Arts Center – request to use Chase Park for its 39th annual Festival of the Arts in August.
Discussion: Joyce Reynolds expressed concern about shuttle pick-ups at the Oyster Pond parking lot. Dan Tobin agreed to include a condition that the parking lot not be used as a Festival shuttle stop.
B. Veterans Field
Dan Tobin indicated that requests are expected soon from several baseball leagues (men’s league and Junior and Senior Babe Ruth leagues).
Discussion: Joyce Reynolds expressed concern about participation by Chatham residents. She suggested that involvement of Chatham players be encouraged.
Dan Tobin noted that the leagues are paying approximately $40 per game or a seasonal fee of $400.
Ira Seldin asked about proof of insurance. Dan Tobin agreed to check with Town council regarding this issue.
C. Other expected requests:
Chatham High School Hockey will be requesting use of a conference room to discuss an upcoming fund-raising event.
Oyster Pond Condominiums will be requesting use of a meeting room for its association meeting.
UUMH will be holding a dinner on February 19 in the upstairs room. They will also be requesting permission to serve alcohol (wine). This is similar to a dinner recently held by the same organization.
Meredith Fry noted that the Chamber of Commerce will be requesting permission to us the art room to make valentines in an after-school activity. These will be used to decorate the trees in Kate Gould Park for Valentine’s Day. Dan Tobin indicated that they will be making a request to decorate the trees, but this request has not yet been received.
Item 2: Annual Report
Dan Tobin indicated that he prepared a draft of the Parks & Recreation Annual Report for Mike Seidewand to edit.
Other items suggested for inclusion in the report:
• Skateboard park fund raising event
• Staff reduction
• New programs of the Department of Parks and Recreation
• Summer program listing/information, including number of participants
• Chase Park Windmill plans with specific mention of the Chatham Historic Commission
• Parking and permit income comparison from last year
• Note that the Veterans Field restoration was accomplished “with a significant grant from the Yawkey Foundation.”
• Fitness room information, i.e., number of members and income from memberships
• Thank you to First Night Chatham for assistance with the brick walk changes
Dan Tobin will make the suggested additions/changes to the report and send it to all Commission members for review. The report is due ASAP.
Item 3: Minutes
Because not all members had received the minutes, it was agreed to review minutes of the January 5, 2010 meeting at the next meeting.
Item 4: Bill Bondurak’s resume
Bill Bondurak’s resume was distributed. Dan Tobin reported that he is a bidder for the golf course operation contract and so was asked not to appear before the Golf Advisory Committee to discuss his teaching proposals. Future discussion of golf lessons will depend upon who wins the contract to operate the golf course.
Item 5: Other Business
Beach Signs – Ira Seldin asked about the status of the beach signs discussed at the last meeting. Dan Tobin indicated that there will be a joint meeting with Stuart Smith, Ted Keon, Bob Duncanson and himself to discuss signage. Meredith Fry noted that there are no signs on the beach at present and this should be remedied. Ira Seldin reiterated the importance of having a uniform message and asked that the Commission be informed of who will make the signs, where they will be placed, what they will say, and when they will be installed.
Ira Seldin also asked about the possibility of imposing a fine for swimming in dangerous areas. Dan Tobin responded that this can be done and he agreed to check with Bruce Gilmore about details. He added that imposition of such a fine would require a public hearing and an official amendment to the Parks & Recreation Regulations.
Movie Afternoon – Ira Seldin said that he had attended the recent movie scheduled for Sunday afternoon and no one else attended. There was discussion about advertising such events in the Chronicle and via email blasts.
Letters to Ferry Operators and the Golf Advisory Committee – Joyce Reynolds asked about the proposed letters that were discussed at the last meeting. Mike Seidewand indicated that he has prepared the letter to the Golf Advisory Committee but it has not yet been sent as he is awaiting the opening of the RFP bids for Seaside Links operation. The letter to Ferry Operators is to be sent by the Board of Health.
Chamber of Commerce Meeting – Ira Seldin informed the Commission that the COC is holding an informational meeting about beach issues on Friday at 8 a.m. Meredith Fry indicated that information about beach safety and closures should be included in the summer information book.
CP&RC Information Brochure – There was brief review of the new Community Center program brochure. Joyce Reynolds asked for an update about which programs are not well attended. Mike Seidewand added that there have been public comments about the “under-utilized” Community Center. Dan Tobin indicated that the usage numbers are increasing. He also reported that the brochures are being printed in-house. Meredith Fry suggested a sign in the lobby area encouraging visitors to check the website for updates and information re. Community Center activities.
Seaside Links – Dan Tobin said that at least ten individuals/organizations have picked up the RFP for the golf course operation.
Item 5: North Beach Operations
There was brief discussion about staff uniforms for the beach patrol. It was generally agreed that bright (neon) yellow should be worn by beach staff with shirts printed with BEACH PATROL in bold lettering.
Dan Tobin said that he will be meeting with the Town Manager, Fire Chief, Harbormaster and Director of Health to discuss issues related to beach safety. He will report to the commission about this meeting. Joyce Reynolds asked who will be the final decision maker regarding beach-related issues. Dan Tobin responded that the Board of Selectmen and Board of Health are responsible. Meredith Fry asked that the Commission have input in these decisions by participating in the meeting or being allowed to review proposals.
As a reminder to the Board of Health that they have agreed to send a letter to ferry operators regarding safety issues, Dan Tobin will forward a draft copy of the minutes to the January 5, 2010 meeting.
Item 6: Robert Dow Resignation
Robert Dow is now a member of the Town Finance Committee and will be resigning from the Parks & Recreation Commission. Mike Seidewand will contact Bob to request a formal resignation letter.
Item 7: Future Meeting Date: The next meeting will be held on Tuesday, February 23 at 5:30 p.m.
Item 8: Staff Reduction
Dan Tobin reviewed the situation regarding staff reduction. He was requested by the Town Manager to cut 20 hours of staff time. He added that the budget will be presented to the Finance Committee on Thursday. The Board of Selectmen will also discuss budget issues in February.
There was discussion of how to oppose these cuts in staff hours. Ira Seldin said that individuals can make specific amendment proposals to amend the budget at Town Meeting. Several Commissioners requested specific information about what programs would be eliminated or reduced due to the proposed cut in staff hours.
Dan Tobin provided a schedule grid showing the hours for the three programmers whose hours will be reduced. The three staff involved were invited to the meeting to discuss their work. Sharon Powell reported that there would be a loss of consistence in programming with the children and also a loss of long-term, community projects such as the Relay for Life participation that was organized last year. Other programs in jeopardy include the Turkey Hunt, Family Dodge Ball, and community games with members of the Police and Fire Departments.
Sharon Powell works cooperatively with the schools and indicated that 90% of the students who are performing community service work do so through the Community Center.
Sue Winkfield indicated that it is difficult to identify specific programs that would be cut. Dan Tobin added that the programmers work with flexible schedules and tasks and that their work changes significantly from season to season.
There was additional discussion about front desk work, customer service, scheduling, hours of operation, and the work of the program specialists at the community Center.
MOTION: Joyce Reynolds made the following motion, seconded by Ira Seldin: That the Chatham Parks & Recreation Commission request that all hours be restored to the FY 2011 budget.
The motion passed by unanimous vote.
There was discussion of how to make the presentation to the Finance Committee. Dan Tobin agreed to prepare talking points and email his proposed presentation to the Commissioners. Of special interest:
• Participation in the Relay for Life and its fund-raising aspects
• Friday night activities for kids
• Current programs are encouraging kids to act as part of the community
• Programs are offering exposure to new experiences (ex. Boston trip and T rides in Boston)
• Close proximity of many age groups at the Community Center
• New programs are beginning to gather momentum and should not be cancelled.
• Popularity and fiscal contribution of the Fitness Room.
It was suggested that, regardless of the outcome of the budget debate, the program specialists should have a great presence in the center during the afternoon and evening hours. Dan Tobin agreed to look at scheduling to achieve this.
Mike Seidewand mentioned concerns from the Board of Selectmen and others regarding staffing issues. He also expressed concerns that staff members may need to try to find employment elsewhere if their hours are reduced.
Mike Seidewand asked about the possibility of having the Fitness Room open at 7:00 or 7:15 a.m. Dan Tobin will consider how this can be done with current staff.
Dan Tobin indicated that the Board of Selectmen and Finance Committee will have met and finalized their budget presentations by late February as the printing deadline for the Town Warrant is April 1.
Ira Seldin suggested meeting with staff from the Harwich Community Center to compare operations, costs, staffing, etc.
Adjournment: The meeting was adjourned at 8:05 p.m.
Notes by Marie Williams
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