Park and Recreation Commission

Minutes

(meeting taped)

Regular meeting: Monday, February 11, 2002 in the Aldermanic Chambers of City Hall.

Meeting was called to order at 7:10 p.m. By roll call, members present: John Walsh, Al Felice, David Mikos, Matt Cripps, Karen Izzo and Edward Handi. Beverly Moran was excused.

Parks and Recreation Director Dennis O’Connell was present. Athletic Director Kenneth Marcucio was absent.

Public portion:

No one was present and the public portion was closed.

NEW or OTHER BUSINESS:

Election of Officers:

A motion was made by Al Felice and second by Karen Izzo. Move to table the election of officers. Motion carried unanimously.

Meeting schedule for calendar 2002

A motion was made by David Mikos and second by Matt Cripps. Move to approve the meeting schedule of the Parks & Recreation Commission for calendar year 2002 as follows:

January 14, 2002 February 11, 2002

March 11, 2002 April 8, 2002

May 13, 2002 June 10, 2002

July 8, 2002 August 12, 2002

September 9, 2002 October 15, 2002 (Tuesday)

November 12, 2002 (Tuesday) December 9, 2002

The meetings will be held at 7:00 P.M. in the Aldermanic Chambers of City Hall. Motion carried unanimously.

Approval of minutes:

A motion was made by David Mikos and second by Edward Handi. Move to accept the minutes of the meeting on December 10, 2001. Motion carried unanimously.

Correspondences:

Nothing was presented.

DIRECTOR REPORTS:

Parks & Recreation Director’s Report:

John Bogart, Derby Intermediate School Wrestling Coach, approached Mr. O'Connell to explore a recreational wrestling program. Already there are twenty-five participants interested in the program. The program would be for grammar school age children and would run from mid-March through early-July. It would be held in the Derby Veteran's Community Center. Mats from the High School are available for use and they could be stored in the gymnasium. The mats can be rolled up when not in use and should pose no problem with their storage. There is no funding in this year’s budget but Mr. O'Connell asked that the Commission consider including this program in next fiscal year’s budget. The program will organize in similar fashion to other programs, having an elected board of directors overseeing the program. They will be affiliated with a state or national program and will obtain the necessary insurances. The program will be charged a facility usage fee, consistent with the policy for other programs, and registration fees will be charged for this use and other expenses. Mr. O'Connell indicated that the City allocation would be to offset some of these expenses.

Mr. Handi questioned why the program could not be held at the High School. Mr. O'Connell noted that previously the High School has expressed hesitation to having this program, voicing concern for the limited number of students participating the variety of programs already offered. Ms. Izzo noted that there is interest and the program would be for the younger aged children. Mr. O'Connell noted that the coaches and participants were cognizant of the other program’s needs and would accommodate scheduling to the best of their ability. Members were in agreement that a variety of options in recreation are beneficial to the children.

A motion was made by Karen Izzo and second by Matt Cripps. Move to approve the implementation of a recreational youth wrestling program with funding to be requested in the 2002-2003 fiscal year.

Discussion on the motion. It was noted that there is no funding for the 2001-2002 fiscal year and the program must determine their expenses when setting a registration fee for this year. The program’s insurance is to be in place prior to starting. Members confirmed that the coaching staff had verified that this program would not conflict with CIAC rules pertaining to the High School programs. Mr. Handi noted that wrestling is a contact sport and he sought assurances that qualified individuals will properly coach the participants. Mr. O'Connell was confident that the coaching staff would satisfy his concerns and, as recreation director he would be overseeing the process of selection.

A motion was made by Karen Izzo and second by Matt Cripps. Move to amend the motion to include that the program shall be for grammar school age children. Motion carried unanimously.

The motion, as amended, carried unanimously.

Biddy basketball season is over. The Senior division has completed their playoffs and the Junior division basketball playoffs are in progress. All-Star play is being scheduled with other valley towns.

Little League has held registrations and is nearly complete. The Derby Veteran's Community Center staff will be receiving any further registration forms. The staff will also be handling the Babe Ruth sign-ups. Girl’s softball registration will be scheduled in the near future.

Projects for the spring include the lights at the picnic grove, the bleachers at the Ryan softball field, enclosure of the old concession area at the field house for additional storage uses, and further pursuit of the two LOCIP programs. The two projects being the bathroom/concession facility at Amendola Field and the storage facility at Ryan Field Complex. Mr. O'Connell indicated that he is having some difficulties in coordinating these projects and Mr. Felice indicated that he would help him finalize the necessary details of the projects.

Mr. O'Connell noted that the received revenue is $15, 880 over the anticipated budget amount as of this time and further revenue is anticipated.

Mr. O'Connell noted that he is watching the building and field supplies line items as expenses are entering the spring season. If necessary, he may seek transfers from other line items. He noted that the Yankeegas line item is far less than anticipated.

Athletic Director’s Report: Mr. Marcucio was not present this evening. The Commission is awaiting the spring schedules.

Committee Reports:

Programs Committee – No meeting was held in January. A meeting will be scheduled in the near future.

Facilities Committee – The Recreational Site Assessment Committee, the sub-committee appointed by the Board of Alderman, continues to meet. Mr. Felice reported that the Committee is narrowing its search for two possible locations for soccer fields. The City Engineer will be attending the February 20th meeting to review the four remaining sites on the list, bringing forth the construction and environmental concerns. A public hearing on the four selected sites is set for February 27th. The Committee is set to submit their recommendation to the Neighborhood Committee on March 6th.

The Facilities Committee will be able to go forward once the Board of Alderman decides on the issue of soccer fields. Mr. O'Connell noted that minimal improvements to the picnic grove are planned to address the soccer’s spring season.

Budget Committee – The sub-committee will begin reviewing for next fiscal year’s budget in February. Mr. O’Connell noted that the staff at the Derby Veteran’s Community Center has not received a raise since the Parks & Recreation Commission began overseeing the facility. He will be seeking increases in their salaries as the employees are dedicated and have been instrumental in the facilities success.

Chairman Walsh went on record commending Recreation Director Dennis O'Connell for his efforts toward the success of the Derby Veteran's Community Center.

A motion was made by Edward Handi and second by David Mikos. Move to adjourn this meeting at 8:06p.m. All in favor. Motion carried.

The next meeting will be Monday, March 11, 2002 at 7:00 p.m. at City Hall. If the Aldermanic Chambers are unavailable then the Veteran’s room will be requested.

Respectfully prepared,

Karen Kemmesies, secretary


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