meeting for it's 6:30 we'll open the park and rec meeting for May 7th 2025. Um present David Da Lori, John Wallally, Dan Welsh and online is Mike
Shield. Um we'll start off with public comment. I don't believe we have anybody online. One at a time. Um the minutes we will save till the the next meeting till we get an official copy to sign. Uh next item is the master plan
implementation which we haven't had anybody from them show up yet but we have a couple of things to work on. I know the friends of the rail trail are working on a couple different options. That's part of that. Um, as far
as doing either bike paths or different rail trail things to get to other parts of the town, which we're kind of working on, I've got a meeting on Monday with the gas company which will determine if we could go through
with one of these things and I'll have a better update next meeting. Um, and that's it for that. Next up is Wall-E Park. Um, start off with the spray
park. Know they've been doing some work. Cara, did we have any updates? I thought we were going to be getting some kind of updates from Mr. Le. Yeah. Um, they did send an update. Um, they started up there. What? They scraped the They took
the luma off. They poured some concrete I think for the uh they had a poor place for the water or something. The tank looked like a tank and they were I was there last Saturday last Thursday for a game. Yeah, it's a chamber of some sort.
The green green metal thing. Well, it was down on the ground. No, it's concrete sticking up out of it. So, I assume that was some kind of a water tank. Something to do with a water tank. Okay. The equipment's off to the side. Yeah. there.
Maybe we get some kind of update in the next week or so from him just to let them know where he is and when he's expecting to be roughly done. Um, they had said the end of June. Okay, that would work out good.
So, as long as everything goes exactly as planned, which it always does, right? So, they'll be done then in June. Okay, next up is pickle ball. Um, we we do have the town meeting
coming up. I believe it's on the 20th. What are they doing out there? Um, the election. Yeah, the the 20th. The election's the 13th. It's the following Tuesday. So, May May 20th. I think it would be good
to have the board there um just to let them know what we're looking for. Are you going to be able to be there, John? I'll be there. Okay. As long as you'll be there. I'll be there. I blocked it. So, I'll sit on
your lap. I'm not sure what time it starts. You don't have to do that. Maybe if Mike Shield shows up, you can sit with him. Are you gonna show up? in North Carolina. So, I will not be there. You would not be there.
Who's supervising this project here? I think just the maintenance. I believe that um the prior maintenance guy started it and I think just maintenance is overseeing this one. Yes. Tell me. We ask them for an update
next meeting cuz it looks like they're going great guns out there. Yeah, they've got it paved. I think they had to wait 45 days from then once it's paved before they can do all the the ceiling and striping, but I think we had talked
about it before doing permanent or non-permanent um netting and things. I think we really should be throwing permanent netting on it. I agree. So, I I think uh is Dan is the head of maintenance now. I think we
mentioned that to him because he's probably going to want to get that installed before it's painted instead of mocking up the new court. So, I don't know if you could send him something or Sure. because I I think the
non-permanent nets are just going to be a nightmare the whole way around and it's not going to be something we can really do on weekends and things. Okay. And we also had the uh door locks
footing up on the the main bathrooms where the electrical panels are where everybody was getting into the last couple of years. But I they I understand they need different locks on it now instead of the dead bolts to make it
work. Right. So Nick said um the deadbolt is too heavy. It'll open it but it can't close it. So, he suggested going through um New England door to install a new lock with a passenger. So, it's installed. It's
ready to go. But because it's a dead bolt on there, it won't close. It's too heavy to open it or to close it. I can't remember which one he said. Yeah, it would have been nice before. The program can't close it. Yeah. Yeah.
Well, at this point, I mean, do you want to just give them a call and let them know? Yeah. and have them get whatever kind of lock we need to we spent this much. Might as well get it working. Yeah. Did they give you times like to open and
close the thing or that's he's got to wait till the new locks were put in for that? Yeah. What time? He was asking what time would be good. We have night baseball game. They say it would matter if if there's a night game or not because you certainly can't do it until the games are over and say a half
an hour after the lights go off or something or schedule. Yeah. And with the concerts and stuff with those don't run much past 9:00. So I mean finish by 9 but rather by 9:30. Okay. And the games are probably like
pretty 9:30. 9:30. So if we had like 10:30 that should be fine. Plus, we always have the other ones that don't get locked up anyways. Yeah. People need them. Now, what time would you want them to open? They can probably I mean, there's people up there early in the summertime and
things. So, I think we could probably even 6:30 in the morning. So, which bathrooms are they locked? The one ones next to the pavilion, that's the one that's going to be locked. Yeah. Okay. So if someone was there, they could use the ones near the first field when you
drive in. Those will be open. Yeah, they won't know. Typically the average person is there won't know if it's open over there. But don't think unless they're on that either softball field or small time. Yeah. Okay.
I would say 9:00 be maybe 8 but 8 in the morning. Yeah. Yeah. There's like the dog people are up there earlier and everything else. I mean, when the guys are working, they're usually up there by 7. So, yeah, if we have them open by
maybe 7:00 or so. Okay, that sounds good. So, I don't think troublemakers are going to be out at 7 to do anything. No, probably not. More have to get work get troubles done at night versus the morning. Yeah, that's true.
Uh, let's see. Athletic director said the fields are looking good this year for softball and and baseball. Baseball. So, we just probably let Steve know that that he's doing a good job again. So, they don't line it for weekday games. Games they do, not practice. They had a
game there last Thursday. They weren't on the Big Diamond with no lines. Who was using it? Do you know? The Titans. So, if they don't tell me it's a game, I don't know if it's scheduled game or makeup. I have no idea. I think it was a makeup because most most of the games during the week I mean most of the uh
field reservations during the week through the Titans are practices and the weekend or the games. So he getting games in because of the weekend so that there's another game tomorrow night. Yeah. And he called me to have a um tomorrow and they'll be lined. I asked
Steve if he could. So I changed that on the schedule. If they're paying for it, they probably ought Yeah. Yeah. No, that's not a problem. Um, but they got to let me know. I guess somebody was up there today, too. Steve had texted me and said they were going to have a game and on my file it said practice and no
one contacted me. So, I don't know if they were aligning it themselves or they got Steve in time cuz if we don't know it's not going to be done. Yeah. But it's not a problem to do it if they change it. I think a lot of people are making up all their rain dates. Oh, yeah. Yeah, definitely.
Yeah. I was up there Friday night and the varsity team had a baseball game going and I guess their booster club or somebody invited a food truck up and it drove across the soccer field and parked on the soccer field during the game. I
saw it. I I was up there so I mentioned to him you can't be doing that like either park by the maintenance building on the concrete pad or by the pavilion on the concrete pad or in one of the parking lots. and they said they got permission, but they didn't remember who
they got permission from. So, I think we should probably if if you could send out an email to everybody and just let them know about that. Yep. And maybe you could put in something on the bathrooms, too, so people that are playing up there can kind of pass it
along to their teams, like just when it'll be locked up at night, the main one, just to let them know. And if there's anything else that we should let teams know that they can do or not do, I mean, because we really don't have
anybody policing everything up there that's going on. So, if it's if we at least let them know that we can say something if it keeps happening, right? My biggest fear is, and I've seen it on other fields, is a team will get there for 5:00 game. Steve and the crews have
gone home and there may be a little bit of water left there and they take a broom out there and start pushing the ropes to feel quicker than anything else you can do. And I've seen teams I've told having my experience at Bowens over the years that that did that what they
were doing to the fields Springfield area said if you didn't play field, you wouldn't be playing there. It was just makes the whole vapor. Yeah. Maybe we could come up with some type of policy what they can and can't do as far as prepping fields. Yeah. So coaches do whatever they can do to
get a game in that doesn't help the field. Right. Yeah. That's not good. Anything else up Wally Park? Just a question on the note, Cara, that you sent out May 1st about this rock thing. Oh,
yeah. The Girl Scouts. So, I was communicating with um with her on that. And I think she decided on the rail trail, so we put it under a rail trail. It's fine. I just couldn't think of a good place to put it. I know. Around about interfering with the mowing. Yeah. At Wally Park, athletics
and so forth, they go on and Yeah. So, that's just I looked at an old email. Yep. didn't know what the status of it was. Well, the quality parks done and do you want to let us know where it's going to go on the rail trail or what they're thinking in case anybody has any questions? Um,
so she had said they're going to do a display of painted rocks, the Girl Scouts, and they were looking for a location. First she said Wally Park or Rail Trail. And then when I was talking to her, I'm like, "Well, what would you, you know, really like?" Just to give us
an idea. And um we were thinking the rail trail cuz there's so much foot traffic and you could probably put it along the you know tree line or something so it's doesn't interfere with mowing. So she was thinking near Miller Road cuz there's a large parking lot there so people can park and walk and
then the girls when they're putting their rocks out it's not too far of a walk for them if they're just going to you know put the rocks out. So she was thinking somewhere along Miller Road. Um, she mentioned up near um, what's the name of
the place? It's not red writing anymore. Um, Kangaman Cafe. Kangaman Cafe mentioned up there somewhere. So, I could just tell her once she finds the exact spot, just make sure it's not doesn't interfere with the mowing. Um, but it sounds like a cute thing. I think people would enjoy walking by seeing
these little You going to have a little sign or anything or just Yeah. Yeah. She's going to do a sign. Yep. As long as they bury it in their book, they're going to mow. Yeah. Long enough rocks that stick up 4 in. They can't they can't mow around them. Right.
Right. You got a full crew now for maintenance. See the sign? Yeah. No. So Steve's up there. Um Rick used to work last year and he recently stopped in because he saw the sign and he said he'd be willing
to help Mo until we find somebody which is will be a nice help because the grass is starting to grow like crazy. Yeah. Um so he just signed an employee agreement this week and he's going to get out there and help Mo um until we find somebody. So you want two more people or somebody
one more for So we we need one more. So we have the kid who lines on on the weekend field lining. So he does that and he started this past weekend. Um yeah, so once we hire this last person, we'll have two part-time during the week
and then the one doing the fields on the weekend. Nolan's going to be able to do it Saturday and Sundays. Yeah, like last year. Yep. Yep. He had a vacation date. He has two vacations and I'll just coordinate with Steve on a see if he can
line. Yeah, that'll be good. Yep. Under Wall-E Park, before I forget, Motocross is the 28th this year of June so we can try to get everybody there again. And what are you doing June
28th? Guess I'm going to be here. Here or at the park? Don't laugh. Wherever you tell me it'd be. Mike, where are you going to be? Um, I know where I'll be. I'm putting it in my calendar right now. That was June 28th.
Did you say the 29th? Nope. 28th. June 28th. Motocross. Alrighty, I've got it. Thank you. Also on the rail trail, we have them set up to do the crack ceiling
there also as well as Wall-E Park. Sorry. We still trying to get there what around 6:30ish or so. Well, I I don't think we need everybody there that early because it really started picking up more towards eight. But I
mean, I can go that early and get the signs out and cones and that stuff, but I mean, we could probably like even more towards eight before we have a lot of people up there. I think if we have like somebody doing the cash and three other people, we'll be all set for a little
bit. Yep. plus as many younger people as possible after that would be good. Yeah. I don't know if the like the I don't think they did it last year but or maybe I missed it. Um I don't remember seeing like the
National Honor Society uh kids, you know, they need to get a certain amount of hours, I thought, but I don't remember seeing any of them last year. I I could be wrong. Some of them from the beach. They were three volunteered maybe. Yeah, the beach.
Yeah, they were there. The honor society. I think the schools try to grab them, too. And the recon. Okay, we try. Okay, we'll try I'll try again for sure, but it's hard to get people to volunteer for that for some reason.
Yeah. Why Why would you volunteer Saturday in the summertime? I mean, you know, I don't know. Why do we volunteer? Cuz you're dedicated. I guess I'll talk to my rotary friends and see if I can rope them in the
car. Okay. They like to do community projects. So, that's a good project. Yeah. Um let's see. Just seeing what else on the rail trail. The porta bodies were put out already um for the season.
Uh I I did mention we have a couple options. We're looking to get access to the center of town for the trail. So we'll see what happens with that. And I don't think there was anything else on the rail trail. They
did or the friends did a cleanup last weekend, the weekend before last weekend and and put mulch down around the kiosk and did general cleaning up and did some more planning and pruning and that kind of thing. So, I'd like to thank them
again for all their help. Do you want to say anything about the memory bench or not? Um, yeah. We had a request for a memory bench on the trail, but I I think when I spoke with Cara, I think we've got plenty of benches out
there, but a couple of them without plaques that were never dedicated to anybody. Um, and somebody had asked about that. So, I I don't know if we could request a donation from them to have them get a plaque on one of the
benches out there. And if so, like what what to ask for or if we can even ask for an exact number, if anybody has any input on that. So, these are the friends or somebody has asked about. No, the when the trail
was put up, we had the benches installed and a couple of them were purchased at the time, I believe, and people put plaques on them and paid for them and other ones the park and wreck paid for and they have no plaques and basically we have a couple of them like that I I
think and somebody had asked about that and I guess to install a new one would be $6 to $7,000 with the concrete pad, the bench mentioned the labor for it, but we've got a fair amount of them out
there now. And an option would be to ask them if they'd want to put a plaque on one of those to as a memorial and what we could do moneywise with that if anything. Tell them to do a uh
scoreboard. Put the black on that. We need scoreboard. It's a lot more than we need benches. scoreboard for the park for baseball and soccer. I mean, we do have we do have a a decent
account, I guess, from all the parking and other things over the years. We could get some information on how much scoreboards run. I have no idea. I'm sure they're all over the place. He's a big one. We bought the Bowins was 35,000, but that was all nine
innings and signs and so forth on it. But I don't know. I haven't priced them in a year since that was five, six years ago. I haven't priced them for just the home and away ball strikes and outs. And if you go to one of their games, nobody knows what the score, right? Right. Unless you go up and hit Maz on the head
and ask him. Oops. I don't keep track of the score when I'm up at the game. I don't only if it's real close. All right. So, last What's the mercy rules go? Just to make sure I get the right amount of runs. Yeah. The challenge with having one there is what
do you do with the controller and is there a risk of somebody not knowing how to run it? Make it worse to have it have it wrong. So, you can put the controller somewhere. They're Wi-Fi. So, it's a Wi-Fi controller. You don't have to have it wired. could spend
$15 or $1,800 for the field. It probably be pretty uh diligent with the remote or whatever you want to call the controller and we make it make it part of the agreement when they when they sign on,
right? You know, if you want this the scoreboard, you're responsible for the the controller. You put back in a an an area that's safe. Um, you know, I I always like a scoreboard. You happen to drive by, you can see the score, you
might you might stop, right? If it's, you know, one- nothing or something like that. I I always think it's good. And like John said, you go to a baseball game, it's if you're sitting in the outfield, it's tough to un, you know, see what's going on. So, it does uh it does help and it it completes the field,
but could always investigate the costs of them. Take a walk around to see if there's a way to put it. A lot of places they'll put like the one down at Yakam is set so you can use it for soccer or baseball. It's positioned. So
does it do both sides or still just one side parallel? That wouldn't be very difficult to do. I mean they're right next to each other. Right. Right. Somewhere along the first base side or the third base side and uh partway towards the outfield might be to turn it
so you can see it from both sides. Sit in the outfield. They're all sitting around the back stop in the back at the baseball. In my experience, it would be CPC eligible, too. It would or would would be okay. Somebody wants to get a rough idea
on prices. I think we might have to go to them anyways for I'm not really 100% sure for some of the playscape repairs that we we getting a quote on the installation of that net. You are. Yeah.
Okay. I'm working on that now. Who who would do that? The actual company that sells it or I asked if she had vendors to recommend. Oh, okay. Because I guess we're not getting funding for the playscape net from the town or any of
the repairs. So, repairs and maintenance. Can that go through CPC? Not really. Not based on what the track just went through. Can't call it repairs. What did What did they call it? So, they got some money. They said they
needed some improved custom drainage problems around the outside. They put part of the money towards that, I think, but it's not. They said it was a capital expense, not maintenance. And we agreed that part of it was and didn't think that all of it was. So, we offered to split it with
them. Okay. So, the because a couple of things really should be repaired sometime this year on that. So, we wouldn't be able to go through CPC for that. Take forever. Better off just paying for it from our funds. Well, we
have money in the following account. It shouldn't be that expensive either. I think the net itself is 14. Was it? Yeah, it was like 14, but then we'd have to have it installed. Yeah. But I'll I'll forward the quote once I get it and we can talk about the next meeting. I
should have it for the next meeting and get that get that done. This is the net for the softball field or Oh, no. The playscape net. The netting. The like web. Oh, okay. It's like a flying rope. Yeah. The pyramid thing that the ropes.
Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. I guess that's we definitely not get the money because I I know they were considering it. And then Diane had sent me an email and asked if we could apply through CPC, but I didn't know if that was like I have not seen a final budget or heard anything, but I've
heard rumbling that we're not getting it. Usually that's pretty getting your budget. Yeah, the the playscape money. Well, should know in a week or two. Yes.
And then we'll do something maybe next meeting with it. Okay. If anybody wants to kind of do a rough looking into scoreboards or Okay, I'll take those. I got to contact us right here.
Okay. Amin engineering dealer for both scoreboards around. Okay. Well, if you have a contact that would that would be good just to kind of get a ballpark to get us going. And anything else on the rail trail or Wally Park since we kind of drifted back
and forth? Nope. Okay. Next thing we have is the town beach. Did you start advertising for Yep. So, we're going to post for the the openings for lifeguard and gate staff. Um we have some people returning. Some
people are still getting back to me or I'm waiting for them to get back to me to see who's returning, but we'll post that. Um, and then there's a couple there's a security camera that isn't working at the beach, so I'm going to call a security company and have them um fix that. We have a line item for
repairs for that kind of stuff. So, should be covered. Is that an older camera or? Yeah, probably five, six years. So, we haven't really had repairs, but it looks like one of them is just not working at all. So, I'll call him for that. How old were
the ones at the park, John? We had updated. Do you remember? No. Well, they just got updated last year at the park. Wally park. Yeah. I was just wondering how long the other ones were in cuz the quality on those was so so compared to the new ones. So, I didn't
know if it's maybe cameras have gone down drastically in price and moved then we'd get better incredibly if it's something that's going to just in the last four to five years it's good quality the beach okay yeah I think it's not really far away
like when you're at the park and you try to catch someone coming in and driving it's the cameras are over here and so far away where at the beach if somebody's walking on the beach you see them like blasting right there so I think they're good cameras Anything else? Updates on the beach or
No, that's it for now. Still a little while before they open it. Yeah, I mean usually the last week of June it open getting the stuff ready. Um, not yet. They'll have the water turned on. Um, probably next month. No, the end of this month. It's
May now, right? Yeah. So, probably the end of this month. Yes. I love click. Yeah. Yes, it does. Okay. Nothing else under the town beach. We have under old business. Anybody have anything?
Just a question. What's the status of anything happening with the dog park? Is that dead? I haven't heard anything. I haven't heard anything lately. I know um they were going to have a meeting with somebody about perhaps donating land that abuted the trail, but I haven't
heard anything for the last couple months on that. if they definitely had it or what's going on with that. Somebody was saying that there was a liability issue at a dog park, but I don't know where or I heard that somewhere. I heard that too, but
specific to the one here or other places. I mean, Agawan's got one, Westfield's got one. I don't know what the why liability here versus what they had. Yeah, I'm not sure. Hopefully they're looking into that before they come back
with things for us. Um, no more old business. Anything under new business? I think we went over a couple things already. There's been talk in the paper over this open land over on South
Longard restrictions and what can be done and not done on North Pine. Yeah. But they're also I mean they're trying to rope in I think I read it right if they rely on information in the paper but all like it could include Wally Park
some of the restrictions. Yeah kind of a townowned controlled facility. They have a a rough draft. I don't know if it's the final final draft the one that's supposed to be voted on at the town meeting but I did talk to Diane a few times about that. I can send you the
email for that, the rough draft on everything. It was pretty comprehensive, but it was it still like gives a lot of leeway for doing things. I mean, it just was pretty specific. I mean, as far as like the dogs on the leash and picking
up after your dog and not picking plants and things off of the trail and park or not planning things, which I just my thought my my thought went to the the Wally Park and saying, are there some things in there that could restrict what we want might want to allow or do? I
didn't see anything that would like hinder things that we're going to do with the park. I I'll send you that. Okay. I've got the email for that. I think it's the last one before they unless they did any minor updates to it. Well, they were sure I read about it the last time I saw the paper,
but I thought it I thought it was pretty okay comprehensive and covered a lot of things. I mean, it there's things about being able to seize your property and things like if something goes really bad, I guess at some point, but I don't think that's going to be like the first
option for right doing things. Shouldn't be. But it just gives them an option. I didn't didn't want to restrict what we could do or not do with park. I didn't I didn't see anything that looks like it's really going to restrict anything that we're doing. I'll I'll email that to you.
You want me to send that to you also, John? Yeah, please. Because it uh hopefully it doesn't violate any of the deed restrictions on the park. Okay, I'll send that out and you can take a look at it. But I think that's one of the things on the the town
meeting boat, too. And under new business, just to go over it again, the town meeting was on the 20th and motocross was on Saturday, June 28th. Mr. Sheil, Dave, I've got it. It's in the book. I
just wanted to double check. All right. I can send you an invite if you want. Yeah, you might as well. Be there at 6. I get lonely. I'll be there. Right. Earlier the better.
Okay. I don't think there was anything else unless anybody else had anything. Motion to adjurnn. I will second it. All in favor? I thank you, Mike. All right. Thank you
all.