2003-12-04City of Beverly, Massachusetts
Public Meeting Minutes
Board: Parks and Recreation Commission
Subcommittee:
Date: December 4, 2003
Place: Beverly Depot Restaurant
Board members present: Mark Casey, Arthur Powell, Bill Collins, Kevin Hobin, Jack O'Neil, Gary
Lambert, Lauren Young, Patti Adams, Dave Gardner
Board members absent:
Others present: Director Bruce Doig, Tom Scully, Janet Doig, Deb Casey, Nina Lambert, Jennlfer O'Neil
Meeting was called to order at 6:10 PM.
Minutes of previous meeting were accepted as written,
DIRECTOR'S REPORT:
Bruce reminded everyone that the Lynch Park Advisory Committee would be presenting the
Master Plan to the City Council on December 15th around 7:00 PM at City Hall. There will also be a
public hearing for the appropriation of money to fix the Lynch barn roof. This hearing is
scheduled to start around 6:40 PM.
· The Park Tour Fall Edition on November 15th was a success with over 20 sites visited by the
Commission.
· Veteran's Memorials at Odell Park: Bruce reported that there has not been any progress with
updated plans for the park and bell tower between Mike Collins and the Veteran's Advisory
Committee. The subcommittee of Lauren, Bill, and Bruce needs to find a representative from
Ward 2 and begin meeting to define appropriate uses for the park.
· Lynch Park office renovations are progressing. Half of the roof has been completed and two
sides should be completed by next week. The windows and doors may be completed this fall if
they are ordered and the weather cooperates. The remainder of the work will be completed in
the spring.
· Beverly Golf & Tennis Pool: Bruce spoke with .Joe Eckstrom, Director of Operations for Johnson
Golf Management, and they are looking for estimates for work required to bring pool up to code.
The 8G&T Commission has agreed that they will need to fund these repairs by next spring if they
want to open the pool next year.
Bruce reported that the Field Subcommittee of Bruce, Mark, Jack, and Gary need to meet again
soon to roll things out to the city's sports groups. Bruce distributed a draft copy of a Field Permit
Policy and a field permit fee survey from 16 local cities and towns to the subcommittee members.
2003 ACCOMPLISHMENTS:
Bruce then discussed a list of accomplishments in 2003 for the Beverly Parks & Recreation
Commission and the Beverly Recreation Department. These accomplishments included:
· PLAYGROUNDS: Three brand new playgrounds were installed at Holcroft Park (Gage St.), Gillis
Park (Pleasantview), and Cahill Park (Centerville School).
· ADA TRANSITION PLAN: A full ADA Compliance inspection of all Parks & Recreation facilities
was completed in the spring working with Art Daignault, Beverly's ADA Coordinator.
· BG&T POOL / CAMP: We managed the pool at the BG&T Club for the first time this past
summer. Despite many issues with pool maintenance, the members were very pleased with the
condition of the pool and our exceptional staff.
LYNCH PARK CAMPS: (Tiny Tykes, Safety Village, Acme Jr., Acme, Adventure) Joscelyn
and our great camp staff did a tremendous job running all of our camps. Most of our camp
sessions were full and many children attended multiple sessions.
December 4, 2003
Page 2
· PLAYGROUNDS / SPECIAL EVENTS / BEACHES: Due to budget cuts, we had to reduce the
number of playgrounds staffed from 14 to 11 and the number of beaches with lifeguards from 4 to
3. Even though we did receive a fair amount of feedback from residents about the closings,
overall, the summer was very successful. We had high numbers at most of the parks we staffed.
Our high-energy staff kept the kids busy all summer with playground activities and our many
special events at Lynch Park. CONCERTS / HOMECOMING / MOVIES IN THE PARK: Despite the
wet weather, our concert series was very successful again this year. Most Homecoming events
were help despite the weather and most were very successful. Jon Paddol presented the idea for
movies at Lynch Park. This program was well received and was a great event for many families
on three summer nights at Lynch Park.
· ADULT ENRICHMENT CLASSES: Joscelyn continues to make our Adult Enrichment Program
one of the best in the area. We received many compliments from our peers at the MRPA
conference regarding the extent of our programs and the quality of our brochures.
TRIPS: We started offering several trips through Collette Vacations this fall. Trips to Alaska,
New Orleans, New Brunswick, and Penn Dutch Country are available. Each trip sold generates
additional revenue for us.
· FIELD COMMITTEE / PERMIT FEES: We have been reviewing our Field Permit Policy and the
fees charged to permit fields compared to many other communities in our area. With budget
reductions and existing field conditions, we hope to raise more revenue to be able to fund field
additions and renovations when the opportunities become available.
· LYNCH PARK RECREATION OFFICE RENOVATIONS: Thanks to Mayor Crean, we have been
able to work with the Public Services Department and the North Shore Technical High School
Carpentry Class to renovate the entire exterior of our offices at Lynch Park.
LYNCH PARK ADVISORY COMMITTEE: The committee now has a Master Plan ready to be
resented to the City Council and the public at several planned meetings. Some fund raising has
begun but much is still needed.
Bruce thanked the Commission for their support during his first year as Director. Bruce thanked his great
staff, especially Gail, for their help in getting him up to speed. Bruce also thanked Kevin Hobin for his
years of ser¢ice to the Commission and wished him luck as the new City Councilor for Ward 4.
2004 MONTHLY TOPZCS:
Mark solicited ideas for monthly topics for our 2004 meetings. It was decided that our January topic
would be Long Range Planning. This discussion will lead to other monthly topics for the remainder of the
year. Lauren and Patty will recreate the planning documentation from several years ago to use as
discussion for updating this plan.
Mark also mentioned that the Commission would need to discuss the FY2005 budget sometime in the
spring. Bruce will be reviewing budget information and try to put together a preliminary budget by the
end of January 2004.
CI'FY ORDINANCE UPDATES:
Tom distributed a copy of the new City ordinance Section 3-229, "Parks and Recreation Commission", and
stated that the new ordinance was approved by the City Council on December 1, 2003. This ordinance
update has been in the works for many years and was finally approved as proposed.
Meeting adjourned at 7:25PM,
Respectfully submitted,
Bruce Doig
Recreation Department