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MINUTES OF THE placePlaceNameRAYNHAM PlaceTypePARK & RECREATION COMMISSION
Regular Monthly Meeting, March 3, 2009, 6:00 p.m.
placePlaceNameSenior PlaceTypeCenter, addressStreet2215 King Philip Street, CityRaynham, StateMA
In Attendance: Chair Chris Shaw, Commissioner Joe Doyle, Commissioner Jim Sullivan, Director Elizabeth Francis, and Administrative Assistant/Recording Secretary SJ Blanchard.
Chairman Chris Shaw called the meeting to order at 6:10 p.m. He accepted a motion made by Jim to accept as printed the minutes of the Feb. 3, 2009 Commission meeting; Joe then seconded the motion and the minutes were unanimously approved by Chris and Jim. Joe abstained from voting due to his absence at the Feb. 3, 2009 meeting.
The following field-use permits were acted on:
PlaceNameplace1. B-R PlaceNameReg. PlaceTypeHigh School requested the use of the McKenney Babe Ruth Field for freshmen boys baseball on Mondays-Fridays, March 16 – May 30, 2009 from 3 to 5 p.m. Jim made a motion to approve the permit, with no fee assessed. Joe seconded the motion and a unanimous vote followed.
placePlaceName2. Coyle & Cassidy PlaceTypeHigh School requested the use of the McKenney Babe Ruth Field for 10 spring dates of JV baseball from 3:00 to 6:00 p.m. and 2 Saturday games. Liz indicated that RYBSA had no conflicts, although there is one to be worked out with B-R. In addition, the time available would have to be changed to 3 – 5:15 p.m. Joe made a motion to approve the permit application with the time change and an assessed fee of $500. Jim
seconded the motion and a unanimous vote followed.
3. Sunday Morning Men’s Softball League submitted a field-use application for the use of the Reid and Borden Colony softball fields on Sundays from 7 a.m. – 1 p.m. from April 5 – Oct. 11, 2009, as well as the Borden Colony softball field on Fridays from 6 – 9 p.m. during the same timeframe. Jim made a motion to approve this field-use application with a combined assessed fee of $1,000. Joe seconded the motion and a unanimous vote followed.
PlaceNameplace4. Christ PlaceNameCommunity PlaceTypeChurch requested the use of the Borden Colony softball field on Monday and Tuesday nights and Saturday mornings from April 1 to Sept. 1, 2009. Joe made a motion to approve the application with an assessed fee of $1,000. Jim seconded the motion and a unanimous vote followed.
5. Mass. Rough Riders submitted a seasonal permit application requesting the use of the Gymkhana facilities on Sundays from April 19 – Nov. 1, 2009. Liz noted possible Sept. 20 schedule conflicts. Jim made a motion to approve this application with an assessed seasonal fee of $300; Joe seconded the motion and a unanimous vote followed.
6. Grand Slam Riverdogs Baseball Club’s request for the use of Borden Colony Softball Field, Reid Softball Field, and RMS Softball Field from April 1 through July or August, which would include 2 or 3 days a wk. for practices from 5 to 7 p.m. and Sundays from 10 to 4 for home games was revisited, having been tabled at the February meeting pending receipt of RYBSA’s schedule. Liz indicated that possibly this request could be accommodated mid-week at RMS and weekend afternoons at Reid Field, and she suggested a fee of $500. This request was again tabled pending field assignments and further discussion.
The Lions Club has requested the approval of a one-day liquor license for a “Texas Hold’em” event to be held on Sat., April 25, 2009 from 1 p.m. to midnight. This will be a fundraiser to support the proposed veterans’ memorial. Joe made a motion to recommend approval of this license to the Board of Selectmen; Jim seconded the motion and a unanimous vote followed.
Liz distributed copies of the spring field-use schedule for the Commissioners’ review. It was noted that there is no conflict with the RYS Grasshopper league’s use of the U-12 field on Sundays. Burke will be lined to accommodate two U-10s, CityplaceGriffith will be the U-12 field and Arruda a full field. Joe suggested a change be made giving the Arruda Field to the Raynham Renegades three times a week (M-W-F). He also recommended that Liz attach the field-use schedule to each organization’s permit, and that a reminder be issued that each organization makes copies of the permits available to its coaches and urges the coaches to have their permits with them during all field usage.
Two field-project requests were reviewed. The first is to replace the Merrill complex flagpole located by the batting cages behind Field #4, with the additional placement of the Donald Breyer memorial plaque there as well. Jim made a motion to accept RYBSA’s proposed flagpole project at no cost to the town. Joe seconded the motion and a unanimous vote followed.
The second proposed project is the placement of a sign featuring a photo of last year’s U-12 All-Stars on Field #4, and to relocate to the batting cages the existing sign that’s currently at Field #4. Jim made a motion to approve RYBSA’s proposed sign project, pending the additional approval of the Highway Dept. Joe seconded the motion and a unanimous vote followed.
Liz reported on the following:
· The Borden Colony RFP has been completed and its 30-day posting has begun. Currently, nine requests for the RFP have gone out and all are due back no later than April 3, 2009. At that time, the Borden Colony Advisory Committee, the Conservation Commission and the Park & Recreation Commission will review all bids and issue a recommendation to the Board of Selectmen. After that, a lease will be worked out for the proposed tenant(s).
· A family with a parent and younger child both seriously ill, as well as an additional child enrolled in our kindergarten program is experiencing financial constraints. Joe made a motion to suspend the weekly tuition payments through the end of the current school year. Jim seconded the motion and a unanimous vote followed.
· A spring meeting will be scheduled with this department, the Highway Dept. and RYBSA. One pending project is the hook-up of the existing conduit bringing power to the signboard on Field #7.
· Raynham resident David Belanger has inquired about the establishment of a street hockey venue on town property. The Chairman stated that the town is not in a position to support such a proposal at this time.
· The town’s accounting dept. needs to have a form on file stating that in the event that a weekly payroll document lacks a majority of signatures, the Commission has authorized that the signature of just one specific Commissioner will serve instead. The Commission appointed Joe Doyle as the authorized signee.
· The regional school district is proposing a full-day kindergarten pilot program for the 2009-2010 school year in each town. A survey indicated immense support for such a program in each town. To date, we have 28 students enrolled to begin in our kindergarten wraparound program this fall, and if costs are similar, we could lose a significant number of these enrollees to the district’s program. Liz has received assurances that our placePlaceNameMerrill PlaceNameSchool classroom space is not in jeopardy, but there are no guarantees. She plans to market our program aggressively.
· This summer’s parks and grounds situation is grim, with the possibility of having just one summer worker rather than five severely impacting what can be accomplished during the season. The sports leagues will need to understand these new limits, and the fact that additional new fields in conjunction with reductions in staff may necessitate the leagues having to contribute more money for supplies such as field paints, lime, and infield mix. A forum may be held to disseminate this information to the leagues. The Chair suggested that emails be sent to the user groups listing possible meeting dates and times, and then set the most popular meeting
date for the presentation of this situation and related information.
· Liz and Nate are working with LaLiberte and RMS principals, the COA, RAVE, and the SAVE programs to coordinate a walk-to-school program starting this spring.
The Chairman reported that the Giants proposed new bleacher project was denied by the town’s building inspector due to a lack of handicapped accessibility. The addition of such accessibility would add $10,000 to the project, so different options are being explored.
The Chairman also presented the Department with a plaque of appreciation for the support it has given to the Raynham Giants Football league, as well as an additional plaque to be given to the Highway Dept.
The meeting was adjourned at 8:20 p.m.
Respectfully submitted,
SJ Blanchard
Administrative Assistant/Recording Secretary
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