2007-02-01
City of Beverly, Massachusetts
Public Meeting Minutes
Board: Parks and Recreation Commission
Subcommittee:
Date: February 1, 2007 (7:00PM)
Place: Beverly Public Library
Board members present: Mark Casey, Gary Lambert, Jack O'Neil, Bill Lowd
Board members absent: Arthur Powell, Mike Ralbovsky, Deborah Ploszay, Jeff Rubin, Patty Adams
Others present: Recreation Director Bruce Doig
Meeting called to order at 7:00PM.
Minutes of previous meeting could not be approved due to lack of a quorum.
Veterans' Memorials at Odell Park - Jerry Guilebbe
Mr. Guilebbe came to speak to the commission regarding the possible transfer of authority for Odell Park
from the Parks & Recreation Commission to the War Memorial Advisory Committee. Mr. Guilebbe
presented the plan for the park and talked about some of the improvements planned by the committee.
There was a discussion about the possible transfer of the park and some additional improvements not
shown on the current plan. Mr. Guilebbe agreed to make a list of all of the planned improvements and
incorporate them onto a new plan so the Parks & Recreation Commission could discuss the proposed
changes further. The matter will be discussed at a future meeting after the plan is completed.
Correspondence - Mark distributed a copy of a letter he wrote to Mr. Capodilupo explaining that the
existing "Time Off Policy" will remain in effect for this summer. At Mr. Capodilupo's request, the policy was
reviewed and discussed by the commission in November of 2006 and a vote was taken to keep the
proposal as written.
Mark also distributed a copy of the proposed Dog Ordinance that he had forwarded to City Solicitor Roy
Gelineau for his review. As of this meeting, Mark had not heard back from Mr. Gelineau.
Dog Policy Update - There was a discussion about the proposed changes to the ordinance. Mark
explained that he had not heard back from Mr. Gelineau about the suggested changes. There was some
additional discussion about enforcement of the ordinance and setting a sunset clause to review the
success of the new ordinance. There was also a brief discussion about the possible list of parks to be
made available as on-leash areas during the summer. No votes could be taken due to the lack of a
quorum.
DIRECTOR's REPORT - Bruce reviewed his Director's Report and discussed the following items:
Middle School Strength & Conditioning Program - Started 1/8/2007. 30 kids enrolled.
Camp Registrations - 1/9/2007 - Lottery worked well last year and will be done again.
INNOCENTI PARK:
Bruce reported that lead contamination was found after state-mandated testing of the field area and the
McPherson Youth Center. The city is putting together a plan to resolve the problem. The plan needs to
be approved by the DEP before work can begin. The entire area has been fenced off and "No
Trespassing" signs have been posted. The youth center is still open but the areas around it have been
closed to the public.
BEVERLY YOUTH COLLABORATION:
Due to the lead problems discovered at Innocenti Park, plans for renovations to the McPherson Youth
Center are on hold again. It appears that the $580,000 state earmark is still available but the city may
need to use some of that money to resolve the problems at the site. It is unclear how this will impact the
entire project. There are many questions and concerns at this point. Volunteer work to improve the
facility for the winter will continue until the state money is available. A recent estimate of $5500 was put
together for short-term improvements to bring kids back for the winter.
SPONSOR BANNERS:
Bruce explained that we need a policy for sponsor banners at our facilities. Kelly Nissan Suzuki sponsored
Balch Playground last year and would like to do it again this year. They would like to leave the banner up
for most of the year. We need to decide on prices, size, locations and the duration for hanging the
banners. No vote due to lack of quorum.
LYNCH PARK:
LYNCH PARK ADVISORY COMMITTEE: Bruce reported that Mayor Scanlon was going to set up a
meeting with the LPAC to discuss the carriage house project. The committee is trying to get the entire city
on board with the project to regenerate interest in transforming the barn into a functioning community
center for all to enjoy. The committee is looking to have architectural drawings done for the exterior of
the building to begin estimating costs. The committee is also looking for continued support from the
Recreation Commission and City Council.
VITALE SITE:
The construction of the utility building has already been started. National Grid will install the building by
next spring. The building cannot be used as a concession stand due to Article 97 restrictions.
There will be a meeting soon to discuss who will be using the fields at the Vitale Site when they are
available. Bruce spoke with Phil Klimowicz about the potential use and he is concerned about possible
overuse of the fields. He feels the fields should only be used for one season each year to allow the grass
to recover. He also does not have any additional budget to pay for maintenance at Vitale.
FIELD COMMITTEE:
The annual Field Summit will be held on Monday, February 1ih to discuss field usage issues.
There has been a lot of discussion regarding Hurd Stadium and a proposed new stadium at BHS. In
addition, the plans for the new BHS currently include three artificial turf fields. Plans are still being
developed and finances will determine whether this becomes a reality.
PLAYGROUND EQUIPMENT UPDATES! ADA ISSUES:
Cove Playground: Bruce received a call from a woman interested in starting a fundraising campaign
along with a few other women for this project.
Dane Street Beach: No 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.
Lynch Park: No word from Mike Bouchard about the plans to install the new swings near Woodbury
Beach.
Bessie Baker: A major portion of the old play structure has been removed. The commission will need to
decide whether to replace it or remove the entire structure in the spring.
Benches: Some benches have been installed with several more to be completed as resources allow.
The complete list of tasks for DPW, including all of the ADA and safety issues that need to be resolved, will
be completed when DPW resources are available.
Painting of Rec Offices - Bruce is still trying to gather quotes for spring painting. Approximately $4000
- $4500.
Long Range Planning - Mark handed out an update to the long range planning spreadsheet. Bruce
briefly discussed some of the priorities for the Recreation Department. It was agreed to continue this
discussion at the next meeting
It was agreed that the next meeting would be held on Thursday, March 8, 2007 at the Beverly Public
Library instead of on March 1, 2007.
Meeting adjourned at 9:00PM.
Respectfully submitted
Bruce Doig, Recreation Department