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Regular Monthly Meeting, November 4, 2008, 6:00 p.m.
Sullivan Mtg. Room, Veteran’s Mem. Town Hall, 558 So. addressStreetMain Street, CityRaynham, StateMA
In Attendance: Chair Chris Shaw, Commissioner Joe Doyle (arrived 6:30 p.m.), Commissioner Jim Sullivan, Director Elizabeth Francis, and Administrative Assistant/Recording Secretary SJ Blanchard.
Chairman Chris Shaw called the meeting to order at 6:08 p.m. He accepted a motion made by Jim to accept as printed the minutes of the Oct. 7, 2008 Commission meeting; he then seconded the motion and the minutes were unanimously approved by the two.
No community members or organization representatives were present at this meeting.
A discussion followed on Raynham Youth Soccer’s (RYS) proposed plan to no longer be responsible for the charges for the soccer-field lights, and to have the bills put in Park & Rec’s name. It was initially the consensus of the board to have things remain status quo, but then it was suggested that perhaps a fee structure could be established for the use of the lights and requests for their use would come to the Department. RYS also plans to cancel the town phone line in their concession stand. Joe noted that he has asked RYS board members to send its requests directly to the Department.
Jim reported that long-time players on the men’s open basketball league have complained that there are a lot of “out-of-town young punks” showing up who are keeping local residents away from the games. Liz said that she will look into this.
The Chairman reported on the following:
· He has arranged for a December 9 training session to include basic sports first-aid, defibulator-use training, and CPR. He stated that his goal is to get the defibulator into the Merrill complex concession stand, within a secure box, by spring. He added that a town policy needs to be established regarding the maintenance of the apparatus. A flyer will go out to the sports leagues, outlining the training sign-up process and deadline. Initially, it will be open to volunteer coaches; if there is a low turn-out, the training will be open to the public or parents. He is encouraging everyone affiliated with the Raynham Giants to participate in
the training.
· He attended a veterans meeting relative to the Jared Monti playground dedication. A corner of the proposed Veteran’s Memorial will be dedicated to Jared as well. The Town Clerk’s office will contact the late soldier’s father and ask him whether he’d like to accept the playground in conjunction with the memorial dedication, or in two separate dedication ceremonies.
· The youth football board has appropriated $39,000 towards additional bleachers, to be purchased from Seating Solutions of Comack, NY at a cost of $33,000 delivered. The additional $6,000 will be used towards the pad and footings, and concrete vs. asphalt costs are being compared. Due to the current lack of a town building inspector, the building-permit process is not underway. However, the necessary Mass. Structural Engineer’s stamped plans will be included with this firm’s contract. There will be a separate seating area for wheelchairs, but no handicap ramp. It is hoped that the installation will be started in the spring.
Liz reported on the following:
· She and Conservation agent Erika Ueberbacher plan to meet next week with a Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) representative to start working on a Borden Colony farm management plan. It is hoped that the Borden Colony farmland can be broken into three separate parcels, two on the office side of the street and one behind the ball fields, and to get three RFPs out for a winter bidding cycle. For now, the hilltop plot will be left alone until the resolution of the erosion issues there, which may be worked on in-house. This may be the site of future community gardens.
· The youth basketball coaching clinic will be held on Nov. 22.
· The childcare re-licensing meeting with a representative from the state’s Office of Early Education & Care (EEC) took place yesterday and overall, it went well. A written report containing the few non-compliance issues is anticipated soon. New state regulations affecting the after-school program are due in 2009; changes will include establishing and incorporating math, science, and art curriculums. Staff evaluations will become much more specific. A part of the current licensing paperwork is the inclusion of a named CORI reviewer in addition to Liz. The license renewal hinges upon the naming of the additional reviewer. It
was the recommendation of the EEC rep. that this be one or all of the commissioners. Jim agreed to go through the qualification process necessary to become a reviewer.
· Liz presented the commissioners with the final figures from the 2008 summer programs, which reflected an overall deficit of $8,001.60. She noted that approximately 50% of playground program enrollees remain for the extended day, and that our rates are very inexpensive in light of the total number of care hours provided, in addition to field trips. In the future, she will be looking at reducing the number of the more expensive field trips.
Commissioners reviewed the first quarter financial figures presented by SJ.
Revisions to the field-use application forms were discussed, with definitions and language clarifications added, such as what constitutes a tournament or what a single-day use would be. Definitions will be outlined for tournaments, camps, and seasons, and timeframes will be broken down. Language modifications would include notations that the approximate schedule must be included by the application deadline, with the final schedule due two weeks prior to the start of the schedule. The cover letter will note that “Incomplete applications will not be processed.” In the future, application deadlines will be held to in order to avoid holding up the applications of others.
The meeting was adjourned at 8:35 p.m.
Respectfully submitted,
SJ Blanchard
Administrative Assistant/Recording Secretary
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