2006-11-02
City of Beverly, Massachusetts
Public Meeting Minutes
Board: Parks and Recreation Commission
Subcommittee:
Date: November 2, 2006 (7:00PM)
Place: Beverly Public Library
Board members present: Mark Casey, Jack O'Neil, Bill Lowd, Gary Lambert, Deborah Ploszay, Mike
Ralbovsky, Jeff Rubin, Arthur Powell, Patty Adams
Board members absent:
Others present: Recreation Director Bruce Doig, Assistant to Director Joscelyn Ruelle Kersker, City
Solicitor Roy Gelineau, City Councilors Kevin Hobin and John Burke
Meeting called to order at 7:00PM.
Minutes from the October 4, 2006 meeting were reviewed and approved 7-0. Gary Lambert was not
present at the time the minutes were approved and Patty Adams abstained since she was not at the
previous meeting.
Correspondence:
Mark distributed a copy of an email sent by former Recreation Commission member Bill Collins to Jack
O'Neil regarding dog waste on playing fields. The email was briefly discussed by the commission.
City Solicitor:
City Solicitor Roy Gelineau handed out a letter and addressed the commission regarding the Open Meeting
Law. Mr. Gelineau answered several questions from the commission clarifying the law and recent request
for information from the District Attorney's Office.
Dog Ordinance Update:
Mark presented an updated draft of the ordinance regarding dogs (Chapter 4B - Animals, Article II,
Section 4B-26). City Councilors Kevin Hobin and John Burke were present to discuss the proposed
ordinance changes with the commission. Councilor Burke discussed his proposal to allow dogs on leash in
all parks year round except during "permitted events". The commission discussed both proposals at
length. Councilor Burke suggested listing the names of parks allowing on-leash access in the summer in
the commission's proposal. After much discussion, Gary Lambert made a motion to accept the draft
ordinance change presented by Mark without naming any parks or designating a number of parks for on-
leash summer access. Gary also asked for a sunset clause to be added to the ordinance change to allow
the new ordinance to be reviewed after a period of time. Gary's motion was seconded by Jack O'Neil and
passed by a vote of 8-0. Arthur Powell was absent during this vote due to another commitment.
Time Off Policy:
Bruce & Joscelyn again reviewed and discussed the policy with the commission and reviewed
documentation about the policy that Joscelyn compiled. Everyone agreed that the current policy was very
fair. After a brief discussion a motion was made to keep the Time Off Policy as is. The motion passed 8-0.
Bruce mentioned that the department would try to hire additional substitutes and be as flexible as
possible with requests for time off next summer.
DIRECTOR'S REPORT:
Due to limited time, Bruce quickly reviewed his Director's Report with the commission. The following items
were discussed:
MRPA Board Info - Youth Sports Committee - Bruce is starting and chairing a committee to discuss
youth sports issues in Massachusetts with recreation directors from around the state.
LYNCH PARK ADVISORY COMMITTEE - Bruce mentioned that the committee met to discuss how to
move forward with the city. A letter will be sent to the City Council and Mayor Scanlon. Bruce distributed
a copy of the letter to the commission members.
Parks and Recreation Commission Minutes - November 2,2006 (Continued)
BLL/HARRY BALL FIELD - The new stands will be installed when DPW can layout the area and the
contractor can put in the concrete pad. This is starting to become an issue with the installer because of
the cost for storage of the stands.
VITALE SITE - Bruce reported that the grass is growing strong and fields should be ready by the fall of
2007. The Conservation Commission voted on 11/24/06 to approve use of site for active recreation. The
Commission will determine the length of the license to use the site at future meetings. The plans for the
utility building have been finalized and building will be installed this year. The building cannot be used as
a concession stand due to Article 97 restrictions.
PLAYGROUND EQUIPMENT UPDATES/ ADA ISSUES - Need to spread 270 yards of wood fiber at
about 12 parks. Bruce sent an email to the school PTO contacts and has already received some feedback.
Bruce has been working with DPW and The Green Company to figure out the cost of delivering the wood
fiber and a schedule. PTO groups and other volunteers will work to spread the wood fiber at most of the
sites. Bruce sent an updated list of ADA and safety issues to DPW along with a list of other projects that
need to be completed.
Dane Street Beach - No recent word on when equipment might be installed. Bruce did receive an email
from Councilor at Large Paul Guanci that someone is very interested in donating money towards new
equipment for Lyons Park.
Wentworth Drive Tot Lot - Bruce mentioned that the neighbors raised over $600 with a neighborhood
yard sale and have decided to use the contractor who estimated the cost of the new fence at $1100 and
fund the balance through the Friends account. Neighbors installed some new landscape timbers at base of
fence to eliminate some gaps.
Painting of Rec Offices - Bruce is trying to gather quotes. So far the quotes have been approximately
$4000 - $4500 for this work.
GAR Hall - Bruce mentioned that the city is still not sure of long-term use or sale of building due to some
limitations of the deed.
Wedding Policy:
Bruce mentioned that someone called the office looking to book the Rose Garden for her granddaughter at
the resident rate of $200. The current policy only allows parents to book weddings for the resident rate.
After a brief discussion a motion was made to keep the current policy in place. The motion was passed 8-
O.
Long Range Planning:
Mark handed out a spreadsheet listing several topics for discussing long range planning for the
commission. Mark asked the commission to review the list and prepare to discuss this at the next meeting.
Meeting was adjourned at 9:10PM.
Respectfully submitted,
Bruce Doig
Beverly Recreation Department