Uh good evening. This is the park commission meeting of December 17th. Um please be advised that we are recording. If anybody is online and it doesn't look like there are, just be careful about screen sharing. Um it will eventually be uploaded to YouTube and u broadcast over
um Lunberg Public Access. Okay. So with us this evening there's the three of us Chris Sullivan Mary and Mascar and myself. Um so we are opening this meeting at 7 o'clock. Um is there any public or board comments?
This is going to be so simple comments. >> Um Chris Ruth has he is not present tonight. Um he has one update but we're going to talk about it in the next agenda item which is Fitzgerald Field and Beach um house sign. Okay. So, I'm going to
separate it into two sections. Um, Fitzgerald Fields sign. Um, I drove by a few weeks ago and the sign was hanging after one of our storms. So, Chris sent his guys down there. They took the sign down because it it's it's beyond repair.
Um, Chris would like to replace that sign um using some of the parks funds. I did ask him this morning um how much those funds were and he didn't give that to me. Um, so does anybody, first of all, does anybody
have an issue with just replacing that sign straight out? This is the second time in 10 years that it has um had to be replaced on the >> it's the one that hangs. It's um it is not a good sign cuz So it's up on two poles and then it has chains and it
hangs down so it swings in the wind. Um so I believe he's looking to put in a more permanent um sign. That's different than the one that we were putting with the name >> for the beach house. Yeah, >> correct. It would be different. So, it's two separate things. >> Okay. Should it be the same thing or No,
>> no, it doesn't have to be. >> Okay. >> It doesn't have to be. Um, but does anybody have an issue with the side? >> Yeah. So, I would say this if we're having issues with it, then make it any more permanent. >> Either chains on the side so it doesn't swing or I mean, whatever the
>> Okay. So, I'll let I'll tell what I if it's all right with you guys, what I'll do is I'll just tell Chris to um as long as the the price is reasonable um just to go ahead and and get that sign replaced um because we do need signage. It's just >> is there an aesthetic to it in terms of
having it look similar to whatever we would add to >> um All right. So, >> house kind of. >> Yeah. So, let's building itself. >> Let me catch Maryanne up on the beach house side sort of where we are where Karen's dropped the ball and sort of figure out a path forward. So, um, uh,
almost two, not this past beach season, the season before, we renamed the beach house after Genevieve Nass. >> Yes. >> And at that time, we were going to replace the sign so that it would list her name on it. A um, company in town,
Dillis, had agreed to cover the cost of said sign. So, I did the leg work to get some of the initial stuff done. and then life handed me a million curveballs and it never went anywhere. The last time I talked to u Mr. Roy, he said that they were still willing to cover the cost of
that. That's a different type of sign though because that's going to be mounted to the um to the building >> the building. Um certainly we can ask that it be um if we want to um
move forward with you know figuring out the beach house side we can ask Chris to maybe work in with the same we can work with the same supplier and just have them so that they you know >> yeah a means of continuity >> kind of deal doesn't have to be the same thing but
>> just so it doesn't look like why does that look like this and why does this look like >> right um which makes totally totally made sense. Um I guess my the part of the reason I put the beach house sign back on here is because clearly I've dropped the ball. Um and I either need somebody to um tag
team me or take this over um so we can make sure that it gets done for um this coming summer. It would be nice to be up before the beach season started. Um and it would also be nice if we could actually get a um a dedication in place um at the same time. Um because we have
not done we have not done that yet either. >> Okay. >> I I'd love to take that on. >> Well, do you want to just take it from me? Okay. So, what I'll do, Marian, is let me forward you the um the stuff that we had um this this like the graphics that I had gotten from people and some
of the prices. Um I will make sure that you have um Greg's um email and all that stuff if you don't have it. And um I'll let you and Chris Ruth have a discussion over trying to make sure that they are they somewhat it would be nice to sort
of have that branding, you know, that sort of you know continuity as you call it. So um okay. >> All right. This is going to go super quick tonight. Um skate park updates. So,
the last time we met, um, which was the that daytime meeting, um, the skate park folks were going to go off and start doing some some more leg work on their side to figure out how to maybe get this bond covered. Um, what one of the things
that they did was they asked um, they hired Dillis and Roy to do an estimate that was a prevailing wage estimate. So because their project is a private project, what they would pay is very different than what it we would pay if
we were building it as a town. But if the project for whatever reason didn't get completed and the town had to take it over, we're now on prevailing wage. So Dillis and Roy did that um and they they came up with their prices. They sent it over to us um a week and a half,
two weeks ago last Friday. um Jennifer Warren, town manager, um Bill Bernard from the DPW, and Chris Ruth sat down and they went through that and they had some additional questions. Those questions haven't been answered yet, which is why I don't have more to say
this is what we've come up with because I don't think until we get those answers to those questions, I think we we don't have a full picture of what the skate park is now thinking. Um >> how far off was like >> it's not that it was far off, it was missing some stuff. for example, um we
would have to um they didn't include in their pricing the cost of the town to put this forward. Like what's it going to cost to have um the bid documents drawn up? What's it going to cost for
any administrative work on the town side? Like that has to be in there. That was part of um the original ballpark estimate that Jen Warren was using um which was like 1 point say 1.5 million that included all of that. It wasn't
listed in um the skate parks numbers. So that stuff has to be added. I want to say they were at like 850,000 or something. It's you know through Greg's so closer to what I was thinking it was going to be. Um,
so, um, I'm hoping that we'll be able to make some final decisions in January on that state park. Um, cuz I think he I think they're ready to >> Yeah. >> if we can get this covered. Um, >> so um, okay, the next one. Um, Marshall
Park. This is where I really need your input. Um, so let's let's talk a little general for a second. The the current commission the way it's we are now we're four members
because Anita has resigned. The um Colleen Shapiro and I are at the moment not rerunning for in in May. So, I'm looking at you two to sort of g give
honest thought to what we're about to talk about in this because the it is a time commitment. I'm happy to do any work between now and May. And as I told um Chris before um we started this meeting tonight, if there is a failure
to elect enough members to have a parks commission at the next election, I will, you know, solicit the um select board to get appointed to fill that year until we can find somebody. Um so I don't know which direction this
board's going to go in in terms of people. That said, we are there is no work being done on the Marshall Park project right now. We didn't have enough money to finish the um what we thought we'd be able to
finish. Um we're exactly where we were when town meeting happened in May. >> Where did we have left to spend? Is it >> um I have to pull up the numbers again. >> It wasn't the 60. No, we thought it was going to be like 96,000 and it ended up being like 68,000
or something like that >> and there's no value in spending. >> No, because using that though >> well the only potential Yes. So the funds that are remaining are coming from two sources. One of them is coming from ARPA, which
is the money that needed to be um expended, I guess, by the end of this year, but there is some clause in there that would allow it to be carried over. That's a smaller amount. I want to say that's something like 13 or $14,000. Nothing huge. The
remainder of the money that's there is coming from um some of it is money from capital um that was um approved for a couple of different things over at Marshall. Um so that money is still floating around. Um and then there was
some money that was awarded at one of our town meetings to finish up um and get us, you know, to be able to go to the next level. Could we lose those two funding sources? Potentially, but it would take a vote of
town meeting. So, if it was something that was going to happen, we'd know it well in advance. Um, and we'd be able to make a plan for that. Um, >> there's nothing the amount that's there doesn't really get us. It's not worth >> no >> doing something with at this point to get us
>> Yeah. And those are conversations. I've had a couple of conversations um with um Ray Dunit from RDLA um and it just doesn't get us anywhere to >> but it can be kept in a holding >> Yeah. >> circling the airport. >> Yeah. So the project can be and you know
at the grand scheme of things the money the bulk of the money that's left it's it's from taxpayer dollars anyway. So if that goes back and it has to be asked for again you know I mean it's it's an extra step but it it is what it is. So, right now, um, like I said, there's no
work being done on it. We have all the documents done up. Those documents will still be good. The design is still good. Um, there's no there's nothing on there saying that we have to do anything with it within a specific time frame. Um, so
it we don't need to make a decision tonight, but Maytown meeting is going to be here faster than I can blink my eye. Um so let me give you two three scenarios. We don't do anything. We sit back and we
wait until the time is better for um for the commission as a whole knowing the amount of that have to be done. So that would just be you know putting it off till the commission's ready. The second option would be to could be that we bring it to town meeting. It gets
defeated and we're right back in the same position we're in. or we could bring it to town meeting a portion of it whether we do the whole thing or a phase like say phase one um which would be from the mass apps mass app side and
they do support that it the work picks up again that's where my concern is right now is that if we are a small board everybody has to fully understand the amount of work that it's going to take to get to that finish line even if Um,
it's approved in May, there's just a lot of work that still has to get done. Um, so my when I talked to Jen Warren a few weeks ago about this subject, I said, "Do you need to know like do we need to make a decision in December or can we talk about it in December and bring it
forward in January?" Um, and she said that would be fine to bring it forward um in, you know, to bring it back any information back to her in January. Um, I just don't want to wait too much longer if we do want to move forward on something because the amount of work
that I know would be in source, especially for me, I don't I I want to have as big of a heads up as I can because public outreach is going to be extremely important again and how that works. And I also in losing Anita,
I I don't want to say I was burnt out because that's not a fair statement, but I had done all the initial leg work. Anna Lockwood had come in. I had done a lot of the leg work with Anna and Chris had helped as well. And then um Anna took the reigns and you know, she she
ran with it and I was her sidekick. And then Anita came on and Anita took a lot over and I was working with Anita. I had so much confidence in them and their understanding of the financials I other than you know the big line item at the
end I never I didn't dive into that because they were dealing with it. So there's a lot of catch up I'd have to do in terms of understanding the um legalities the ins and outs of our finances and things like that. Um so does anybody have any thoughts? Do we
want to think about it? And >> my my gut feel is initially uh until the education stuff is uh I feel like that was probably one of the biggest um uh issues with also getting Marshall
Park uh at the same time at town meeting approved. So I feel like unless that piece is figured out then we don't have as much >> in educating the public. Uh yes and I am and right and also seeing people with
you know a tax increase. Um I don't see in general people going for it. I don't want to speak for town's people but yet um I I think that was a big hurdle and I think until that gets
settled first that there's still going to be a lot of push back. >> I think there's always going to be push back. Anything that I think cause could raise tax dollars is going to be push back. The unfortunate thing in my opinion this last round that we had
presented was that um we had a a specific group that was speaking out against us with information that was not factual. And um town meeting was an interesting creature this year. It did not go
the way I expected to. not in terms of I'm fine with the way the town's folks voted on it, but the moderator was handled it very differently than I expected him to. Um, there was some questions that had popped up and he was like, "You can answer those at the end." Yet, he was letting every other group
that had presented before us answer them as they went. So, it it just didn't have the flow that it should have. So, it was just the perfect storm that just got us in a situation where it wasn't going to pass. Um, and I don't I don't know what the um financial situation is going to
be for this coming um this coming year. We're also without a recreation director, which not that Angela did a lot in terms of the um any work on the Marshall project, but she was there, you know, paying the bills and doing all
that stuff, too. So, um you know, it this may not be the time to move forward with um something. There's we do two town meetings a year. There's plenty of them that we can come. My other thought, too, just to plant a seed in in your heads, is that um if you remember back
to when the um new high school was being built, the school committee had an had an ad hoc committee under them, the school building committee, and they're the ones that did that group. Their specific task was the high school. This
may be a situation where um depending on what the makeup of the board is, if you decide to move forward even in November or even the following May, you could appoint an ad hoc committee that would be specific to Marshall Park. Whereas if
I didn't come back on to join the commission as a whole because there was we had enough people to run and they were elected, you know, that that could be something where you could take somebody like myself or Anna or maybe if Aita was interested to come in and we would the specific task would be to just
work on that Marshall Park project which sometimes helps alleviate the work from the main board too. So do you have any thoughts Chris? Um, I think the same I think I'm of the same
mindset. I I think there's a larger educational piece that needs to happen. You have the tribe board that's trying to sift through some things right now. >> And I think a lot of that's going to shed some light. I mean, I think we've heard my my my take is the town as a whole needs
to understand where we're at financially >> before we can look at pushing a $14 million project forward. I when we do this project, I'm very strongly of the opinion that it needs to be the whole project.
>> Um I I think doing half the project is a waste of tax dollars. um it accomplishes a fair bit in the park, but then the rest of it still needs to be accomplished and now you're investing a lot more money to do that second half, bringing equipment back in, bringing
going through all that the second time. >> Um so I I really want us to be in a spot where we're confident in um the whole project going forward. Um, I think there's, you know, the work has been done to,
um, you know, get some, uh, get some really good input into what's there. And I I think it's a great project. It just timing wise, I want to make sure we're at the right moment. And I think until the town as a whole gets a better
picture financially where we're at, um, I I'd hate to go back a second time in in May and end up with the same result. Um because then I then I think we're really in a >> bit I think we're in a bit of a bind. If
we if we go back a second time, it's >> if we're successful, maybe this is the >> I I I think we need to get a better picture across the whole and and is a townwide override necessary? Is it >> you know what, you know, what's the what's the you know, the real situation?
Understanding what what truly is coming off people's tax bill. um you you know and what if we add certain things what is what do those numbers truly look like um so people can really understand that kind of kind of deal I'm I'm
at the same time I'm cognizant of you know a lot of the knowledge around the project itself I have some but I know you have a significant amount I know Anna Anna um I I you know I want to be mindful of of that and not lose that
knowledge either I'm not moving anytime. >> You're not moving anywhere, but we will find you. >> I am, Speaking of all that stuff, too. I am going to check in with it to figure out how all of the documents that are in my one drive, say I say we successfully
elect three people to this commission. I don't want any of those documents to be lost. Um, so I I am going to figure out how to do it. and the that SharePoint drive which I've shared with you guys in the past for various things. I think that might be the best place to put them because I think it's entitled parks. I
think it's a park specific SharePoint. >> There should be a SharePoint drive for the parks email address probably. I would assume >> probably so I I will get with them and try to figure it out. >> Put everything in that probably. >> Yeah. and I I'll reach out to them so and do it early enough so that I'm not
pulling a um last minute thing um and it gets all transferred over but um we have we I mean between and I and Anita we have those documents and none of us are leaving. I also want to be mindful too of you know we what whatever the new commission looks like. I mean there's
two of us here I think that support the three of us here that support the project. Two of us that would still be on assuming we elect three others. >> I don't know that three others that are elected are supportive of the project. >> Yeah. True. >> Correct. >> Anything is possible. Um >> I think
>> and so I mean my hope would be we're electing people who want to see improvements in our parks but I mean it's It's an election by the people. >> Yeah. >> And and if there's three people that are elected to a commission that don't
support moving forward right now, then we're spinning over. I'd hate to make that decision in January and then in June where >> right >> we don't have the buy we don't have the buy in from people that are >> actually going to be right >> that are going to be here. So >> that would be my other my other concern.
>> Right. And I I've shared that same thing too um you know with my husband and town manager and it's you know you know you don't know what you're going to get right and it's um it's it would be nice um it would be nice if we could get some people that
are you know dedicated to parks and understand what parks are and why they're important to our community and but if we don't and somebody's willing to you know sit in and learn and and you know learn as they go that's fine too. Um, but hopefully we can get some good
people. So, all right. So, I'm at my hearing, right? We're just we're gonna just hold off. >> I would table for Okay. >> for now. And if we need to, >> that's fine. >> You know, >> I don't envision over the next month my opinion would change. But >> if she doesn't really need to know until
January, we can, you know, we can we can sit on it. I again I don't really I don't really think that you know I'd love to hear you know Colleen's opinion as well even though she's >> you know going to be coming off in in May. I'd like to hear her you know her take as well. >> Right. Right. Okay. I'm going to
actually give my chair update which tie into the policy and forms discussion. So, we have now had an opening for the rec director position since um August. Um and we have had a couple of applicants.
We did interview one person and um that they were offered the position um and they turned it down. I don't think they ever said why. Um but I I know from I actually sat in on that interview where she was coming from is very different
than what was here. She had a, you know, 50 people under her. She had So to go from something like that that was very established to something like us, it it was very different. And she was also looking for afternoons off because she has a child and this was not going to
give her that because we have >> programming that, right? So that position has been open. So, the question that came up was um from town manager um earlier in the week was who's going to do all this work for like the spring
season? And I said to her very nicely, you just don't remember what it was like, you know, well, we didn't have a recreation director. I do because we've only had a recreation director for part of the time I've been on. And prior to that, it was me. It was DPW director and
me. and we'd get the paperwork and we'd process the paperwork and that sort of thing. So, I think I'm going to I and I want to do it by vote and I don't want to do it tonight because I I want it on the agenda. I think I'm going to be coming back to you guys in January so to
say if we don't have a recreation director still say, you know, I would like you to give me permission to process the paperwork for say baseball and any of the um any other user groups that wants want to come in to use our field. And that would be me collecting
paperwork, making sure that they have their certificate of insurance filled out properly, um, making sure their payments are going over to the town and dealing with any scheduling that comes up. Um, Chris does not have the time, Chris Ruth does not have the time in his
schedule to add something back into that. And where I was talking to Jen Warren about it and she questioned me on it, it doesn't seem like it would be an issue on the town side to have a volunteer do that. Um, so that is my thought on that. Chris looks like he's got a different thought. >> No, I don't have a different thought. My
my um my there's a budget for that position, >> position >> and Yes. And while I appreciate, you know, your willingness to volunteer
your time to to do that, that doesn't fall under the purview of serving as a volunteer on the parks commission. Mhm. >> Um, is there a stipulation or a conflict or a >> There shouldn't be, but I would I can verify that with >> I would
>> I would be supportive of some sort of stipend for whoever would be >> taking that task on whether it's you or it's, you know, Tom Jones or, you know, whoever it is that's going to help Chris to kind of process some of that. I don't know what that stipend is. I don't know
what but I know that falls outside the purview of this commission. >> Um >> and so that would be something that I would >> the question the the bigger question is going to be what's going to happen with this with the summer and the beach program. I also had another idea and I I
I where I haven't vetted it through I I sort of mentioned it to town manager. Um I shouldn't say sort of I did mention it to town manager earlier in the week. I did not vet it through the person that I'd be referring to. So, I don't want to throw the name out there, but I had another thought, too, that we may have somebody that's worked with the
commission in the past who may be willing to take on this position for maybe part of the spring through the summer. Um, because this person would be employed by the town anyway during those time frame, those time frames. So, I
sort of want to um I want to vet that out, too. Um, I just I know that the um I know that the spring season it's just going to be here before we know it. And I I am I'm fairly confident at this point it's going to be here before we have any rec director hired no matter
what. Even if we have somebody in the pipeline, I'm just not sure they're going to >> they're going to have everything ready to start in time, >> get hit the ground running and be able to >> right >> get things rolling smoothly. >> If I can just back up as the new kid on the block. So uh with this is it is the
position >> advertised through the the HR person like >> Yeah. So it's um it's been thrown out on various websites that um our HR director takes care of. It gets mentioned at um
um you know at all of our selection board meetings when they say what the openings are. it gets um um mentioned. It's on the town website with information on how to apply. Part of the problem is a it's a 19-hour a week position with no benefits and it's not
the highest paying job in the world. So when you have something like that, um it's really hard to get and it's not just getting somebody because we've been in the position where we got somebody and it didn't end well.
It actually ended up with Karen making a comment during the public meeting. Were you here on that one? Um I was like sounds like a >> it just it just wasn't good. And I'm like, we questioned the hiring of this person to begin with and then they brought them on and we're like, it just
didn't go well. And so we can't just take anybody. There has to be some sort of experience with something. Whether it be scheduling, whether it be planning, programming, or even on the, you know, on the bigger side, if they have munis
experience, which is our bill paying system, there needs to be at least one of those in there. There can't be zero of three. There has to be at least one of three, hopefully even more than one of three. Um, so there was when I I and I did text Chris Roots tonight, there
was a mention of another applicant after the last offer went out. Um, and it seemed like there was some level of experience, not with youth, with older with older folks. Um, and when I asked if we were interviewing that person,
town manager basically said, "Oh, I I'm waiting to hear from Julie and Chris on Chris Ruth on this." And Chris Ruth tonight said, "I have no update. I'll talk with Julie in the morning." So, I think there might have been some disconnect there. So, hopefully they can see if this woman's still interested.
Maybe she'll work out, maybe she won't. I think it's not bad to have, you know, multiple plans, multiple conversations at this point. Um, all right. So, that's my sort of segue into like the general policy and um form discussion. We know without a doubt that our um registration
forms for uh the use of all of our ball fields. We know that needs to be updated. I sat in a meeting with myself, town manager, um I don't I think Chris Ruth was there, but another woman by the name of Tanya
Dah. She is on our finance committee. She has worked in the recreation field for years and she now does something with I don't know some other nonprofit private thing and she was she started asking questions and like well what
happens if they don't follow the rules? I'm like I don't know. She's like you don't have a policy on it. I'm like no. So I said we don't really have a policy on all that much. Um, so I would like to use the time that we currently we don't seem to have a lot of
um agenda items coming up, especially if we're pulling Marshall and we're going to sit back and wait on that, which is fine. Um, I think that there's some time in here that we can have some discussions on policies. And I didn't know if anybody um had anything off the
top of their head that they thought we should start with other than the field use form. from a I mean I think the field use form and anything related that way is going to be the most urg urgent >> I would say I mean that's that's what
gets the most you know use I mean if we're talking about if we don't follow policies related to outside programming and so forth there's another >> came up with it this something came up when we were talking about baseball. Um, and I'm don't mean
>> what would be a scenario where some kind of this doesn't fall. >> Easy. I'm going to I'll use the schools and I'll throw them right under the bus. So, um, the schools used the 90 foot diamond at Marshall. We had a massive winter and the fields weren't dry and
the fields technically weren't open, but they went out there anyway. >> What's our what's the recourse at that point? We don't have any because we don't have any policy that says if you do this, you will owe us 15 push-ups. I don't know. You know, I mean, there's no there's no
recourse there. And it would be the same thing if um um you know, one of the youth programs went out there to use the field and something, you know, they weren't supposed to be there or um you know, maybe something else happened. there's no,
you know, there we just we just don't have anything. And I said, so is this where I should start? And Tanya's response was, "Yeah, you need policy." I'm like, "Okay." So, but we have we do have some policy. I wonder if the school does the school have
I have to go back and look at like the school form >> concern of so >> I'm wondering like Lysa uses Baron sends an email like coaching soccer in the springtime and it's raining and Baron sends an email and says the fields are closed tonight but a team goes out there and practices anyway. I'm wondering if I'm wondering if the
school has a >> I would think that they have something >> has some sort of recourse in place that is there a fine is there a whatever. I'd have to go back and I'd have to go look and see. And I can't imagine that. Um, >> we'd like to think it's just simple. We
we also need I mean that I mean at a baseline we also need a a simpler or better way to communicate that fields are closed maybe to these like I don't I actually truthfully I don't know how >> so that >> I don't know how the baseball coaches
informed that our fields are closed. So that's a that would actually be a um a policy that can come from our like a policy directive that would come from our ends that would say to somebody like Chris Ruth or the recreation director, it is our policy that you notify
the um you know users of X Y and Z fields you know within 3 hours of a field you know with three hours notice that the field is closed or something like that. that's something that we can do and request of them. That to me
>> has no financial impact. So there's no reason why it couldn't be done. We're not asking them to go out and mow the lawn every day, which would have a financial impact. This is something a little more simpler than that. So we can go right down to that level, too. >> I don't know. Yeah. I don't know how they're notified. even like on the beach
house. Um even for not the beach house, for the beach in general, >> we've had situations in the past where um it will be absolutely pouring rain for days on ends and they keep all three lifeguards.
They they're keeping the beach fully staffed. Pouring rain, three lifeguards, zero visitors. There was no reason for that. You could look at the weather report and see that. So like the town of Holden for example, they close their town pool on a fairly regular basis when the weather is bad
and they put a notice out and that's it. Everybody goes home, they pay their employees what they're supposed to and that's just the way it goes. The downfall to that is it could make it harder to hire employees because if they're, you know, these kids are working usually for college money and
they need to have a certain amount of money and they don't want a job that could be raped. um you know that could be a bridge we cross when we get to it. But there's also the piece there, you know, maybe if it is raining, you still come in, but here's what the expectations are of your
job description, which are let's clean, let's organize, let's you know, we don't get that when they're not when the beach has no visitors, they're inside usually doing whatever young people live there. So, you know, like
those are policies that we can create as well. So there's there's a, you know, there's a few different things that we could need. The summer to me feels a little further off that I think looking at just the field use might be those policies might be a good um way to
handle it. >> Um >> and I even write down to um I I think it just needs to be in writing. We have two snack shacks. We know we have two snack shacks. We have always said to people, we don't
govern snack shack usage. We let you use the building, but the board of health has the overall saying what you, you know, what you can and cannot sell because that's their realm. >> We don't have anything in writing. So people say, "Well, where's your policy on that?" You mean to tell me I have to write a policy that you have to go to
the board of health, but if it's in writing, so be it. You know, that's a policy. If you're renting the snack check, you need to check in with the board of health and it needs to be signed off on. So the policies I know for a fact that we have approved portaotty policy which probably needs to be revisited because Chris Ruth doesn't
like that. Um we required them to be locked at the end of the like when the youth sports are over or the high school sports they're technically supposed to lock them and then they're supposed to open them up the next day. And that was to try to stop the overnight shenanigans
that were going on. We also have the dog um the dog policy um >> for the dogs in the park and that >> that one was that one was vetted by it actually went in the end it went it went good but that was vetted by our town
attorney. Um, I do not believe we had the town attorney vet the um portaotty one, but I I don't think we felt like they needed to. But this was >> Yeah, I don't have any words, Chris. >> I wonder if this is my life quite often.
Yeah. >> Um so I will um >> I have one of the um when we were doing um charges like field use fees. I think I have one or two towns
like field usage uh forms and so forth. So I can look at those. Okay, >> what we need to do is um um we need to create a form and a requirement that
the way it's been done in the past, Marian, and I can share a copy of what we've used um in the past is that they're and I'm going to use baseball only because they're the easiest to use. baseball fills out their form and
they're giving us a range of dates. So, say they're giving us May 1st through, you know, June 30th. >> Sure. >> They're marking every single day and they're giving a time frame of, you
know, 3 4 or 5:00 in the afternoon through 8:00 at night. So on paper it looks like they're on those fields all those hours. In reality I don't believe that they are. >> They're they're reserving the right to
be there but they're not. >> So we would like it to we'd like to start narrowing it down a little bit more probably in the same way that LISA has to do for the schools um which is tell them when you're actually using the fields versus um you know just have it
so open-ended that you think you have the right to the fields. um all of those times. Mhm. Um >> I can't imagine like reserving the library like well we might show up but you we may not use this room but we're going to reserve it >> and stuff happens right I mean there's times where practices get changed or
something needs to be added in and and stuff like that right now they are primarily the main user of that field um the but at the same time when you talk to them and they bring up other opportunities to increase the parks
budget which is renting out these fields more. They're the first ones to say, "Oh, you can bring all these other ones in." Well, how can we bring them in if you're on paper, it looks like you're using these fields the whole time, right? >> So, we have to figure out another way to either do paper scheduling, which would
be me doing the um um I just totally lost my train of thought. um we either a paper scheduling so that they're filling it out for each field and the times they're going to be at
each field. Um or we're going to need to figure out if there's some platform we can use that they would go on and actually put in a reservation for a specific day and time. >> Um how does LIS do it? Do you know do you know how the school does it?
school uses um they use ML schedule. >> ML schedule. >> Yeah. Um and so it has their it inputs the fee structure in there. You reserve like you go in to create a you have to
um you get set up with an account and add your certificate of insurance. Um and then you can go in and make reservations for the school and that it's based on user whatever the fee is.
>> Yeah. >> So the school it's by the hour. >> Um and so I assume license would do it the same way that we did it for for summer league soccer that you you know Baron is going to say you know we need the field from 5:30 to 9 or 6:00 to 9
Monday through Friday. You know, there's soccer games from 9:00 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. on Saturdays and in the springtime Sunday. I don't know how they work the Sunday deal because the sun the high school league is
kind of more of an Ahoba Valley thing than it is a Lysa thing, >> right? >> Um because there'll be more than one town using um they condense the game. >> Gotcha. Um, so I don't know how that works on like a Sunday, but I mean, but it's it's based on the it's based on the how whatever their user user fee is.
Okay. So for for the school it's hourly. >> Okay. >> Um, and then you you see what your charge is for that block. >> Um, and then eventually it's invoiced through that same ML code does the invoicing as well. >> Nice. >> So you get an invoice right through the >> Speaking of um,
>> it'd be nice to tap into something like that. >> Yeah. >> I don't know how we >> Absolutely. Um, speaking of fees, I didn't put it on the agenda because I feel like it's too late and I feel like I've said this a million times every year. So, we have a um the way our um
field rental works for our youth sports um is we charge a per player fee and that it's been the same per player fee for a number of years now. And part of that it just in my opinion it makes it a little bit easier for the um the leagues
the youth leagues to figure out what they need to charge their players to play. Um whereas the school charges an hourly rate for the use of their fields. Um they are going to be opening registration um the youth baseball program anytime in
the next month or two. >> Thought it was open. >> It could be open. we are it would not be um it would not make friends with anybody if we tried to change their rate now. So, I think we're going to go another year without raising their
rates, which is fine, but whether I'm on the commission, not on the commission, whatever, there's going to have to be some serious conversation um with hopefully either a rec director, Chris Ruth, or somebody to figure out if we're still in in a in the right
range or it needs to be adjusted, but it won't be adjusted this year. >> So, that's my thought on that. Um, does anybody else have anything on anything else on the forms discussion? >> Try and pull this form. I think we're out posted a >> comparison with other towns, but
>> you some yes, some no. But here's the thing about it is that and we've learned this through townwide through a variety of things is we're we're such a small town. Our and our financial situation is different than
any other town. It's really hard to base your um >> well, and I'd say financial situation more, it's even just the park's financial situation because there are some towns that have massive parks budgets and then we don't have that in
the Sure. >> Um >> Nina and I did some research. We talked to different towns about user fees and stuff. It's a mixed >> Yeah. >> You know, it's a mixed deal. >> Yeah. Um >> trying to do apples to apples, >> but to that point, it's Yeah. It's I mean every town's needs and so forth are
different too. I mean there are towns that you just you know you you basically rent the whole space. You rent the land. You're responsible for the land. >> Like >> that's what Townsen does. >> Yeah. Townson's one of those towns that does that. Baseball takes the land for and they take care of the maintenance.
>> So is the same way up >> the whole the whole deal. Um, yeah, those tasting food, >> which is considerably when you look at what their expenses are because they're responsible for mowing, all the upkeep and all that kind of stuff, it's considerably more than what we pay. But
if you um, and once the season gets started, I'm sure Chris Ruth will give financial updates on this, it will um, he can tell you what it costs per mowing for each of our fields. We barely cover we don't cover mowing costs with what we charge for our youth sports. And the
thing about it is it's not that we don't want youth sports out there. It's actually for me it's quite the opposite. The more kids and more people in general we can have outside you know the better I think we are for varieties the need for more fields or
>> but it's you're for whatever reason and I've never found this to be true with soccer fields. People drive by a baseball field and they look at it and so many times like we can't go out there. It's a baseball field. But if they drove by a rectangular field and they wanted to stop for to let their
kids kick around a soccer ball, they they'd easily stop. But again, when the um youth programs are are out there, there's no public use of them. They they are it's end up being used by the private nonprofit that
they're running. and the regular general public can't have access to those because there's actual games going on. So, there's a, >> you know, there's a give and take that I think has to go on in terms of >> um figuring out what the right price is,
what without, you know, you don't want to overcharge anybody. You don't want to undercharge either, >> right? >> Um, it's a dance and it's um what, you know, that I think it's figured out. I I still laugh to this day. Um years ago,
Dan Proctor came with his wife Jean. They were doing a it was like a high school baseball program and they wanted to use Marshall Park. And um he they wanted to know what the price was going to be. And at that point, I think I said something like
say $10 ahead. He thought I meant $10 ahead per game per player. And his the I think it was Yeah, I think it it was either him or his wife. One of them thought that that's what we were charging and it took a few minutes before I realized cuz they were like
that's going to price us out. And I'm like what are you talking about? Like you only have 15 kids on this team. It's like say 150 bucks. What are you talking about? And then it it I it finally clicked. I'm like no it's not per game or per practice. It's for the entire
season. So we are pretty fairly priced for an entire season. I think we pay less than what Lysa does. Um or we charge less than what Lysa pays for the high school, don't we? >> I would think I mean I would think so. Many things 15 grand or whatever.
>> Yeah. >> You know number of kids it's 500 kids. It's you know I I I have that printed off somewhere too. The schedule for the you know to use those fields you know or the alley charges. I mean I know
the hourly charge for the turf for that they charge the high school kids to play in the summertime. the kids that go to school there is 5259. >> Yeah, it's a lot. >> Yeah. Divided by So that's 5250 an hour. We did it for two hours. So that'sund
said $105 a game divided by 20. >> I'd still like to get um >> to get Lysa out on our fields, especially in the fall. Why? We had a a a field hockey field over at the
Marshall Park at at Marshall the 90 foot diamonds when I think it was when the school was being built. If we can fit a field hockey field over there, we should be able to fit a even just you know couple of 10 by that U10 which is what grade three four now um fields over
there. It would be nice to try to get some other folks using >> I feel like when I first moved here and that's what like maybe 11 years ago or so there was field hockey at the end of the >> that's probably the time frame because that would have been when the new high
school was being built. M. So, all right. So, I I'll take some stabs at trying to see if what I can figure out for the um field use forms and I'll I'll bring it to one of the next upcoming meetings, whether it be January or February. >> For perspective, essentially this summer
using the turf, each high school kid paid close to $30 >> covering 10 that covers 10 games >> and there weren't equal numbers of boys and girls in the team. when you take the cost of a if it was 10 games it be and she only had ended up to be in eight
games not 10 so it was less money >> that's the whole per um for me like I can remember being on the license board and um you know we were paying hourly rates and trying to you know you're figuring it out and you're hoping that you're charging the right amount to the
players to cover those expenses it so when I was on the commission it just seems like a I don't know and maybe some folks would disagree that are involved And it us player fee made a little bit more sense
for them to be able to say this is what we need for our own internal program expenses and then to cover the cost of field usage. It's, you know, I think we're at $20 a player and that gives them the that gives them the entire season. So that covers all of their
games and all of their practices for an entire spring season, entire fall season, whatever season at 48. So >> um >> for eight games it was $23 is $23.33 per per player. But service they charge
the fee structure for surf is different. Um but that's what it was for for eight games. No practices, no other usage. It was >> 23 23 change. >> Yeah. All right. So, anybody who's listening, we are not changing any fees
for use of the ball field this spring. Just to make sure we're clear. I don't want anybody to be surprised. Um, okay. Um, I don't have any other chair updates. Open space. We have none cuz Colleen's not here. Um, there was a set of minutes. Did we approve October
minutes yet? The October minutes that were in the um I don't think we did. There's a set of Let me look at it real quick. There's a set of minutes in the um SharePoint um and it looked like they were from October. I have to do the November minutes. That's why we don't
have them up yet. It's when you leave Karen to do something, she finds every other thing to do in the world. >> Find your share file. >> I know Mr. Ka had some summary, but that's not official minutes of our the last meeting.
>> Did he send he did send a summary? Uh I know posted it on Facebook somewhere. I just went >> Oh, Facebook. He did. Yeah, he posted something on Facebook. >> No, you know what he did? I know what he did. >> Was it one of these AI apps? >> Yes. And so that's the meeting. Do you
remember that? Was a meeting that we started and it was on like this. So I'm connected on both of these computers to Zoom right now. Yeah. >> And the reason I'm connected is because it was at that meeting that we realized that if nobody logs into the meeting and you only have one device open,
>> it thinks you're there's no meeting going on and it goes idle and it kicks you out. >> Oh. >> And we have to go through a somebody else. So, somebody that um um her name is Heidi. She is the coordinator of all of the Zoom meetings. She actually has
to let me in to the meeting room and hand the meeting over to me. So we got kicked out. I couldn't restart it. So they the second half of that meeting was never recorded >> because it went longer than >> it because it went long the well the Zoom meeting just kicked us off cuz it was like >> you don't have a meeting. There's nobody
else on Zoom. You can't have a meeting with one person. So it kicked us off. And then this next meeting which is that daytime meeting um I couldn't get on the Heidi forgot about our meeting and then didn't so there was nobody to let us in. So that wasn't recorded. So I've got to do the minutes for both of those. That's
right. So, I found it where so it's October 27th, 2025 at a meeting in the box. Um, >> you had shared, >> you know what, that might have been the meeting that >> shared October 22nd meeting.
>> October 22nd. >> Yeah, >> this is October 27th. Is this the one that we did during the day? >> It's the Monday. >> This is So, I was at the Monday, but not the one before. >> Yeah. So, this I don't have >> No, sorry. This is meeting documents. Excuse So, this October 27th meeting that's in here is the one that we were
all at. >> Um, and that was a daytime meeting. So, I haven't finished the one half recorded and didn't have bother didn't record. >> You share October 27th for our Oh, maybe they're just added them. They're added to the folder now.
>> When did I add them to the folder? >> It says >> not a big deal. Um I don't >> they definitely haven't been >> I don't think that they have been um we didn't meet in November, right? >> We did not meet in November.
>> So these haven't been approved yet. This would have been this would have been a last minute. If you guys didn't review them, though, don't worry about it. You can hit it. Okay. Um what I'll do is I'll try to work on the meeting from the one before that and get that done. >> Um then we can get both of those. We're still in compliance, so we're good
there. All right. So I have nothing there. um upcoming meeting dates. So, we've been meeting we've been doing the fourth Wednesday because we know that this room is available on the fourth Wednesday,
which if we look at the fourth Wednesday in January, one, two, three, the 28th of January. >> Sure. >> Does that work for folks? >> That should be fine. Yeah. Okay, I'm going to notice by it's an invitational meeting and I don't even
know should be running by then. So urgent. >> So that's the 28th. >> Okay. And if for some reason the skate park meets us before then I know where to find everybody. >> You can figure out how to do that. >> Um All right. So that's that.
I don't have any other >> I don't have any other um business. Does anybody have any other public or board comment? >> Okay. Um >> come join us folks. >> So this is what I I was about to touch that. So I think what I'm going to do
tell me if you guys think this is a good idea. I think I may go to the next select board meeting and during their board comment section um stand up and make a public plea for um
people to come and and check us out, see what we're about. Um see if it's something they'd like to join. Um, and I think maybe I'll even get creative with some Canva and I'll make a couple of like small just some small like postcard
type things that we can um um >> put on social media to try to get some so the like there's some people that I would like say on the baseball side I'm like wow this would be great to have these people involved. I can't remember.
I I resigned from LISA because I was on the parks commission because there was at the time we ran the TUR and there was some conflict or some people could look at it and perceive a conflict there. >> Surely there would be a lot you'd have to excuse potentially a lot you'd have
to excuse yourself, >> right? Um from >> but >> if you were on the board, >> correct? >> What is it? >> But maybe they have some other people that might be interested. So, I thought I'd hit up TJ, too, to say, "Hey, we have an opening." Um, there's somebody else um that also said that they may be
interested. Um, but that was a while ago. I thought I'd follow up with them, too. The thing about it is is the um, you know, everyone's like, "Oh, just recruit somebody." I don't want to recruit somebody like in that like I want to put these posters out and I want to I want to find
somebody who's genuinely interested in joining with us. Not somebody who's felt like we've just twisted their arm and you're now forced to join us. I want somebody to want to be here. it this is um where we sit today and we are not the parks commission isn't perfect is not
what we looked like 10 years ago and I don't want to go back to where we were 10 years ago and you know I want want the people there has never been one time where I have gone to somebody and said join our board I just I know other people have done it to get people on
this board I've never done that and so far it's it seems to have the people that we've thought it's, you know, they've been they've been good, you know, so I I can't Was that the dinner bell? I came to the plane, so I thought I figured I'd do that, too. So, you
know, and maybe I can see if, you know, we can get the um the ledger to maybe even do an article on multiple boards that have open seats. Um, great idea. >> You know, to try to get some of that. So, um I may do some although I say that
as I have no free time. Is there um that other thing you had shared and I I know I've been sidetracked but the public access um 20 minute Q&A. >> Oh yeah. >> There's a value in
>> I don't know. So the public access mean to say it. >> Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. No, there's the value to it. So, the public access reached out to us um actually like last summer that one of their newer um videographers was putting together a like a umformational
thing on each committee in town and they asked us to do it. She actually had us penciled in. I'm like I'm not available that day. I don't remember. So, I I just I don't have the the night the days that she had available to do. I just don't
have that availability. So I said no at the time. Um Chris wasn't um Chris wasn't available. So it's just one of those like we haven't done anything. But I can circle back to that and see if I can free some.
>> Yeah, we can. I mean if whoever it is or bunch of us go sit or >> I don't know. Yeah, >> if there's I don't know who I I'm not I don't know if it's a recruiting tool,
you know, necessarily whatever, but yeah. Um, okay. Well, we'll we'll figure it out. We'll figure out how we get some because like So, the way it works, I don't know. I think you're familiar with Marian is that if we can find somebody
that might be interested or if anybody finds anybody select board finds them whoever or somebody just randomly moves to town and submits a talent bank form that says I have >> yes >> I'm interested in parks they would go go in front of the select board with the members of the parks commission they
would by vote be appointed to that seat for the duration of the um for the term to finish by the time um the next election is up and then if they're interested in keeping that seat, they would run at the election. >> So, um it's a pretty simple process. So,
>> yeah. >> Yeah. So, all right. I will take a motion to adjurnn at 8:00. >> A motion to adjurnn. Second. >> All in favor? >> I. We are done at Cape End of this