Park and Recreation Commission Regular meeting:
Monday, August 14, 2000 at the Aldermanic Chambers of City Hall. Meeting was called to order at 7:02 p.m. By roll call, members present:
John Walsh, Beverly Moran, Al Felice, David Mikos, Matthew Cripps
and Karen Izzo. Parks and Recreation Director Dennis
O’Connell was present. Athletic
Director Kenneth Marcucio was absent. ADDITIONS AND DELETIONS TO THE AGENDA: There were no changes to the agenda. Public portion: Glenn Stevens of 9 Mountain Street and
Diane Rivers of 124 Park Avenue were present this evening to express their
concerns for the conditions of the soccer fields and the need for new
fields due to the increasing numbers of participants in the Youth Soccer
program. Mr. Stevens noted an
incident where a girl’s softball group arrived at the field while the
Youth Soccer program was having a game and this group insisted that they
were scheduled. Concern as to
balls being hit into the field was expressed.
Another issue arose with Men’s softball with them warming up and
hitting balls into the field. Mr.
Stevens understood the limited number of fields and the difficulties in
scheduling but felt safety for all the players must be considered and a
solution found. He noted that
grant money is available for soccer programs and he asked that this be
explored. He indicated that
the US Soccer Federation website has information on grant funding and on
many communities developing facilities
He urged members to visit their site. Mrs. Rivers spoke to issues she had with
the field conditions. She
expressed concern for her children and the other children playing on
fields with ruts and bare spots. Being
that the High School will also be utilizing this field more this year, as
their program is expanding, the wear on the field will also intensify. She also noted that a men’s soccer team has been playing on
Friday nights and with their intensity of play, they have a strong impact
on the field. Conditions now
are serious and she asked if something temporary could be done. Members discussed the impact of the
referendum defeat and the steps to move forward. The proposed plan showed the urgent need for additional
fields and remedy to the situation. Being
that the issues still exist there is a need to pursue alternatives.
They felt that any temporary measures could not withstand the
continuing use. The field
would need to be unused for a number of months for any repairs to take
hold. It was noted that scheduling has been
done this year to try to avoid overlaps and the matter of the girl’s
softball playing was not an authorized event.
Further, soccer has been given more field time.
The block of time was given and the Soccer director determined the
team’s schedules. The matter of an adult team playing on Friday nights was set
by the soccer program within this block of time. No one else came forward to speak. Approval of minutes: A motion was made by David Mikos and
second by Karen Izzo. Move to
accept the minutes of the meeting held on July 10, 2000. All in favor. Motion
carried. Correspondences: A phone call was received by Mr.
O'Connell from Laurel VicDomino. She
requested use of the football field by the Seymour High School football
team as their field is being renovated.
The game would be played on October 28, 2000 at 2:00 p.m. A motion was made by Beverly Moran and
second by Matthew Cripps. Move
that the Parks & Recreation Commission is in favor of allowing the
Seymour High School football team the use of DeFilippo field on October
28, 2000 with it stipulated that there is no scheduling conflict with
Derby sponsored events, that Derby has final say on calling the game due
to weather and further, that the Board of Alderman shall be approached for
their formal approval. Discussion on the motion.
Members questioned whether there would be a scheduling conflict and
it did not appear to be a conflict. Mr.
O'Connell did indicate that it should be Derby’s decision, not the
Seymour coaches, whether the game is or is not played if weather
conditions are poor that day. Questioning
the conditions of the field, Pop Warner’s regular season would be over
prior to this game. Pop
Warner does plan to use the field on October 25, 2000 for a play-off game,
schedule permitting. Derby’s
programs would be winding down. Depending
on the fall weather, it was uncertain how worn the field would be or
whether this Seymour game would have serious impact.
Continuing, it was noted that being that this would be an outside
use not related to Parks & Recreation, the Board of Alderman should be
approached for approval. Members
felt that being that Derby has plans for renovations some time in the
future, this would be a good gesture that would hopefully be reciprocated.
It was understood that Seymour would carry insurance should any
injuries occur. All in favor. Motion carried. DIRECTOR REPORTS: Parks
& Recreation Director’s Report:
Mr.
O'Connell reported that Pop Warner has started practice.
Their registration went well.
Members briefly discussed the National requirements for numbers of
players, weight ranges, etc. and how this impacts Derby’s program.
It was suggested that, during budget reviews next year, the
Commission have further discussions with the Pop Warner directors. The Summer program is over.
The numbers were down. Poor
weather over the summer made things a bit difficult.
Next year, the Community Center may be utilized more fully for this
program. This year, the summer program did use the Center for swim
time. The Shelton Boys & Girls Club did
receive funding from the Mathies Foundation to open a satellite site at
the Center. This will be an
afternoon program with Derby being reimbursed for use of the facility. Mr. O'Connell indicated that he has been
receiving revenue from memberships and walk-in fees at the Center since
July and he felt this a positive note.
He will be structuring new programs which should add to the
facility. There was an incident at the Center where
a pipe to the filter pump for the pool malfunctioned causing water to
flood portions of the building. This
was discovered late in the evening and he and maintenance personnel came
in and shut down the system. The
weekend was spent cleaning up and drying out.
It was thought that the rug in the health club was destroyed but
drying and sanitizing may have saved it.
Any damage will be covered by the City’s insurance carrier with a
deductible. At this point it
appears the damage costs will be minimal. The issue of the whirlpool continues.
The unit continues to breakdown and repeated service is required.
A long-term solution is being explored as the service costs are
escalating. It was asked if there are plans for the
annual summer shutdown of the Center.
Mr. O'Connell felt it was not necessary at this time.
It could be explored for later in the year but with new memberships
starting, he felt it was best to remain open. Athletic Director’s Report: Mr. Marcucio was not present. While the fall schedule has been
prepared, copies have not been distributed to the Commission.
Members were concerned with the lack of intercommunication and
attendance. They felt that,
at the very least, a representative from the Athletic Department should
come prior to the start of each season to apprise the Commission of
upcoming plans. It was
decided that the Superintendent of Schools and the Board of Education be
contacted to request that representation be present at these meetings at
least on a quarterly basis. Being
that the school schedule and the recreation schedule intermingle, it was
paramount that information is relayed to the necessary parties. A motion was made by Al Felice and second
by Karen Izzo. Move that a
letter be sent to the Board of Education and the Superintendent of Schools
requesting that advance notice of athletic scheduling be communicated to
this Commission and requesting the attendance of the Athletic Director, or
his representative, to a Parks & Recreation Commission monthly meeting
occur prior to the start of each season.
All in favor. Motion
carried. Committee Reports: Veteran’s
Center Committee - Mr. O'Connell reported under his director’s report.
The Committee will be meeting to discuss the maintenance issues as
well as new plans for the Center. Members
discussed possibly focusing the Recreation Department within the Community
Center. Office area and phone messaging could be directed to the
facility. This will also be
explored. Youth
Advisory Council - Ms. Izzo indicated that plans for a meeting are being
discussed. The various
programs are being contacted for representation on the Council. NEW or OTHER BUSINESS: The matter regarding safety as discussed
during the public portion was revisited.
Members felt that this was an important issue that required further
discussion. The liability to
the City had to be a consideration. Exploring
additional fields is a necessity. Being
that the current fields are greatly overused, difficult decisions may be
needed such as reducing the use to allow for more maintenance.
Another decision may be that the programs have to be restricted to
one season rather than two such as what Soccer and Little League have
done. The school programs
have expanded which have also been an impact.
It was decided to add this discussion to next month’s meeting
with Mr. Gary Parker, Public Works Director, invited to attend. The next meeting will be Monday,
September 11, 2000 at 7:00 p.m. at City Hall.
If the Aldermanic Chambers are unavailable then the Veteran’s
room will be requested. A motion was made by Beverly Moran and
second by Matthew Cripps. Move
to adjourn this meeting at 8:50 p.m.
All in favor. Motion
carried. Respectfully prepared, Karen Kemmesies, secretary Send your e-mail questions or comments to Derby Recreation Commission |