Regular Meeting 11-5-2007
Killingworth Park and Recreation Commission
Regular Meeting November 5, 2007
1. Call to Order
The Killingworth Park and Recreation Commission held its regular meeting on Monday, November 5, 2007 at the Killingworth Town Office Building, 323 Route 81, Killingworth, Connecticut.
Present: Susan Otto
Chris Kelly
John Machold
Susan Dean
Bill Silas
Absent: Dan Colonia
Shelly Cumpstone
Susan Otto called the meeting to order at 7:45 PM.
2. Minutes of
a. Special meeting held October 15, 2007
*A motion was made by Bill and seconded by John to approve the minutes of October 15, 2007. Chris Kelly noted that the following changes should be made to the minutes:
In section 6C the third from last sentence should read “Chris noted that per the town attorney, none of the money from the STEAP grant can be used until they have approval of the full project.” The second to last sentence should read, “The Poison Ivy problem was discussed and Bill volunteered to spray”. At the end of section 6C the following should be added, “Chris brought up a discussion on a reduction of the size of the project and the number of fields in order to reduce costs. Dan noted that he wanted to stay with 5 fields.”
Motion passed with the above noted changes and additions.
3. Visitors
There were no visitors.
4. Communications, Bills, and Applications
a. Applications
There were no applications at this time.
b. Bills
The following bills were received:
A bill in the amount of $24.88 was received from Michele Nuhn for the minutes of October 15, 2007.
A bill in the amount of $25.16 was received from CL & P.
A bill in the amount of $24.85 was received from CL & P.
*A motion was made by Bill and seconded by Susan Dean to approve all 3 of the above noted bills. Motion passed.
5. Treasurer’s Report
Bill Silas gave the Treasurer’s Report. The starting balance on October 1, 2007 was $16,256.58. The total expenditures for October were $1,047.23. This amount included: $270.00 to Anthony Carri, $37.32 to Michele Nuhn, $108.63 for gas, $189.25 to Environmental Consultants, $25.16 to CL & P, $410.00 to Olsen Sanitation, and $6.87 to True Value. The ending balance on October 31, 2007 was $15,209.35. Bill noted that about 24% of the budget has been used.
6. Old Business
a. Parks and Field Maintenance
Susan Dean noted that she had stopped by Bethke Field recently. She noticed that the tubing that the commission had asked the town to pick up was not done yet. She also noted that the benches are there. Susan said there are some ruts behind the pitchers mound. She also noted that someone had recently been toying with the trash can, the top was smashed down and campaign signs were stuffed inside.
Susan Otto noted that she called Walt make sure he had received the list of items that still needs to be completed. Susan was told that Walt was short staffed and they had roads to pave. Walt said there was no time to do any of the items on the list. Walt indicated that nothing from the list would get done until after the election. Susan noted that Walt did assure her that the Kiosks are in the storage area of the town hall.
Chris noted that he was at the town hall recently and spoke to Marty Klein about the to-do list. Marty told Chris that the Park and Recreation Commission would need to get volunteers to do the projects because there is not enough manpower and they are not hiring anyone else. Chris noted that Marty also told him that the Park and Recreation Commission would not be receiving the $19,000.00 from Bethke and they would not be hiring anyone to handle maintenance for the Park and Recreation commission. Chris noted that the Wettish property will have lots of maintenance calls.
Bill noted that Chuck Sherwood from Durham has a landscaping business. Perhaps he can be a subcontractor. Chris noted that when coming up with a price for the development of the Wettish property, they should ask for a five year maintenance plan.
It was noted that nothing has been done recently at Rocco M. Reale Memorial Field. Chris suggested putting topsoil at Rocco M. Reale Memorial Field. Bill noted that the commission should get a quote from Chuck Sherwood. Bill will contact Chuck to arrange this. Chris questioned whether or not 3 quotes were needed. He mentioned that other people have done work for the town. Bill agreed that if there is a substantial amount of work to be done it needs to be put out to bid. Chris noted that equipment could be rented.
b. Wettish Property Development
The last meeting of the Wettish Property Development Advisory group was held on October 10, 2007. A copy of the minutes from that meeting are attached. The next meeting of the advisory group is scheduled for November 7, 2007.
Chris noted that the fourth plan was received from Weston and Sampson. A copy of the draft entitled Alternative 4 Wettish Property is attached. Chris noted that in draft four the total construction estimate is $1.33 million. With contingencies added it would be $1.6 million and with engineering costs added it would be 1.7 million. Chris noted that the per cost field is still high because of drainage issues. Bill noted that perhaps a dry well should be considered. Chris stated that the Advisory group will go through the numbers at the next meeting. Chris also added that increased fuel costs affect the construction costs. Chris would like to come up with a figure at the next advisory meeting to bring to a town meeting. Bill noted that it is better to have a higher request and have extra money to give back to the town than to not have enough money to complete the project. John agreed that they shouldn’t come up short. If there was extra money it could go towards other fields. Bill noted that it could be presented to the town at the full dollar amount and indicate that the figure could be lower if volunteers come forward or if more grant money is received.
Chris noted that Hebron started a project and then applied for another STEAP grant while the project was in progress.
Susan Dean asked Chris if she was correct in remembering him saying that in order to get another grant you need to show that money from the current grant is being used.
Chris noted that when he started chairing the subcommittee Robert Aft was on the subcommittee as well. Robert had mentioned a field study group from the past that had done a report on the number of fields needed for the town. Chris has obtained a copy of the study. The study was based on projected needs for 2005, 2007, 2011, and 2014, but did not include the middle school fields. Bill noted that the field study results were discussed at the August 14, 2000 meeting of the Park and Recreation Commission. Chris stated that many of the teams listed in the field study report are “HK” teams. Chris said that Frank Sparks indicated that they may be using the Middle School Fields now. Chris recommended that the results from the field study be reviewed by the Park and Recreation Commission and updated. Bill noted that a breakdown of numbers of kids for each sport should be found. Susan Otto asked how soon this should be done. Chris feels this should be done soon. John asked Chris why he was so apprehensive about putting in 5 fields. John noted that all of the First Selectman candidates have been promising to “complete Wettish”. John doesn’t understand why Chris seems so apprehensive. Chris answered that when people ask at a town meeting, “why do we need that many fields?” he would like to be prepared with an answer. He feels that the Park and Recreation Commission should be prepared with numbers to explain how many fields are needed and why that certain number of fields is needed.
Chris noted that he would like to break ground at Wettish in the Spring. Chris feels that the Middle School fields should be taken into consideration when determining how many fields are needed. Bill disagreed. He does not think the Middle School should be counted as a Killingwoth field as it is an RSD 17 field. He added that Killingworth has no Soccer fields currently. Chris believes that “HK” players will shift to the Middle School. John feels that other players might come into play such as football, lacrosse, or field hockey. Bill noted that the school fields do not belong to the town. John agreed that RSD 17 fields are not usually available for use by the Park and Recreation Commission. Chris disagreed with this. John added that there is no irrigation at the Middle School fields and the fields will suffer with too much use. Chris doesn’t feel that the numbers in the field study support a plan for 5 fields. Susan Otto and Bill felt that it would be great to have a field that can “rest”. Bill asked if there is a formula for figuring out how many fields are needed based on the number of kids that will be using the fields. Chris stated again that he doesn’t want to go before the town at a town meeting without being able to explain where the numbers are coming from. He feels someone will ask, “where is the basis for what you are saying is needed.” Chris mentioned that the engineering firm asked him why Killingworth needed 5 fields. He added that Marlborough has more kids and has only 2 large fields. Bill noted that the Park and Recreation Commission should do what is best for the Town of Killingworth. Bill asked if a new subcommittee should be formed to figure out numbers and get an updated field study report. Bill volunteered to work on this project and come up with a report. Chris noted again that Weston and Sampson wanted to know why Killingworth needed 5 fields. Susan Otto stated that Weston and Sampson should be designing what the Park and Recreation Commission requests, not questioning them about why they want it. Bill said he will put together a report to show how many fields are needed in Killingworth. Chris added that the subcommittee is trying to come up with ways to reduce costs.
c. Election of Officers
The slate of officers for the Park and Recreation commission is as follows:
Dan Colonia Chairman
Susan Otto Vice Chairman
Shelly Cumpstone Secretary
Bill Silas Treasurer
*A motion was made by Susan Dean and seconded by Bill Silas to elect the officers as listed above. Motion passed.
7. New Business
There was a discussion on the meeting dates for 2008. A list of proposed dates was handed out for members to review.
*A motion was made by Bill and seconded by Susan Dean to approve the meeting dates as listed. Motion passed. A copy of the meeting dates is attached to the minutes.
There was a discussion on having an A-2 survey done for Irene Sheldon Park. Bill asked if a letter should be drafted to have the project go out for bid. He noted that the funds were available for this project. There was a discussion on the boundary lines in question. Bill noted that this might be why the original survey was never closed. Bill noted that Shelly knows who the original surveyor was. This will be discussed in further detail at the next meeting.
Chris noted that his tenure for the committees is up on December 31st. He needs to be reappointed by the Board of Selectman and sworn in again. Bill and John noted that they were also due to be reappointed.
Chris informed the group that he had sent an email suggesting that the Wettish Property be named in honor of Sergeant Jason Lanteri. He noted that he spoke to John Miller and was told that they would be honored to have this done. Susan Dean noted that she had a discussion with Gary Mala and Rick Albrecht about possibly naming the Middle School Auditorium in his honor. It was noted that it is possible that there can be other casualties of soldiers from Killingworth. Bill suggested naming the Wettish Property “Veteran’s Memorial Park” when the project is complete. He noted that a memorial could be erected to honor all the fallen soldiers. Bill added that particular playing fields at the property could also be named in honor of a particular soldier. John agreed that this was a great idea. John noted that something should definitely be done for Sergeant Jason Lanteri but that it was too early to vote on anything.
*A motion was made by Bill to adjourn the meeting at 9:05 PM.
Motion passed.
The next meeting is scheduled for December 10, 2007.
Respectfully submitted,
Michele B. Nuhn
Regular Meeting November 5, 2007
1. Call to Order
The Killingworth Park and Recreation Commission held its regular meeting on Monday, November 5, 2007 at the Killingworth Town Office Building, 323 Route 81, Killingworth, Connecticut.
Present: Susan Otto
Chris Kelly
John Machold
Susan Dean
Bill Silas
Absent: Dan Colonia
Shelly Cumpstone
Susan Otto called the meeting to order at 7:45 PM.
2. Minutes of
a. Special meeting held October 15, 2007
*A motion was made by Bill and seconded by John to approve the minutes of October 15, 2007. Chris Kelly noted that the following changes should be made to the minutes:
In section 6C the third from last sentence should read “Chris noted that per the town attorney, none of the money from the STEAP grant can be used until they have approval of the full project.” The second to last sentence should read, “The Poison Ivy problem was discussed and Bill volunteered to spray”. At the end of section 6C the following should be added, “Chris brought up a discussion on a reduction of the size of the project and the number of fields in order to reduce costs. Dan noted that he wanted to stay with 5 fields.”
Motion passed with the above noted changes and additions.
3. Visitors
There were no visitors.
4. Communications, Bills, and Applications
a. Applications
There were no applications at this time.
b. Bills
The following bills were received:
A bill in the amount of $24.88 was received from Michele Nuhn for the minutes of October 15, 2007.
A bill in the amount of $25.16 was received from CL & P.
A bill in the amount of $24.85 was received from CL & P.
*A motion was made by Bill and seconded by Susan Dean to approve all 3 of the above noted bills. Motion passed.
5. Treasurer’s Report
Bill Silas gave the Treasurer’s Report. The starting balance on October 1, 2007 was $16,256.58. The total expenditures for October were $1,047.23. This amount included: $270.00 to Anthony Carri, $37.32 to Michele Nuhn, $108.63 for gas, $189.25 to Environmental Consultants, $25.16 to CL & P, $410.00 to Olsen Sanitation, and $6.87 to True Value. The ending balance on October 31, 2007 was $15,209.35. Bill noted that about 24% of the budget has been used.
6. Old Business
a. Parks and Field Maintenance
Susan Dean noted that she had stopped by Bethke Field recently. She noticed that the tubing that the commission had asked the town to pick up was not done yet. She also noted that the benches are there. Susan said there are some ruts behind the pitchers mound. She also noted that someone had recently been toying with the trash can, the top was smashed down and campaign signs were stuffed inside.
Susan Otto noted that she called Walt make sure he had received the list of items that still needs to be completed. Susan was told that Walt was short staffed and they had roads to pave. Walt said there was no time to do any of the items on the list. Walt indicated that nothing from the list would get done until after the election. Susan noted that Walt did assure her that the Kiosks are in the storage area of the town hall.
Chris noted that he was at the town hall recently and spoke to Marty Klein about the to-do list. Marty told Chris that the Park and Recreation Commission would need to get volunteers to do the projects because there is not enough manpower and they are not hiring anyone else. Chris noted that Marty also told him that the Park and Recreation Commission would not be receiving the $19,000.00 from Bethke and they would not be hiring anyone to handle maintenance for the Park and Recreation commission. Chris noted that the Wettish property will have lots of maintenance calls.
Bill noted that Chuck Sherwood from Durham has a landscaping business. Perhaps he can be a subcontractor. Chris noted that when coming up with a price for the development of the Wettish property, they should ask for a five year maintenance plan.
It was noted that nothing has been done recently at Rocco M. Reale Memorial Field. Chris suggested putting topsoil at Rocco M. Reale Memorial Field. Bill noted that the commission should get a quote from Chuck Sherwood. Bill will contact Chuck to arrange this. Chris questioned whether or not 3 quotes were needed. He mentioned that other people have done work for the town. Bill agreed that if there is a substantial amount of work to be done it needs to be put out to bid. Chris noted that equipment could be rented.
b. Wettish Property Development
The last meeting of the Wettish Property Development Advisory group was held on October 10, 2007. A copy of the minutes from that meeting are attached. The next meeting of the advisory group is scheduled for November 7, 2007.
Chris noted that the fourth plan was received from Weston and Sampson. A copy of the draft entitled Alternative 4 Wettish Property is attached. Chris noted that in draft four the total construction estimate is $1.33 million. With contingencies added it would be $1.6 million and with engineering costs added it would be 1.7 million. Chris noted that the per cost field is still high because of drainage issues. Bill noted that perhaps a dry well should be considered. Chris stated that the Advisory group will go through the numbers at the next meeting. Chris also added that increased fuel costs affect the construction costs. Chris would like to come up with a figure at the next advisory meeting to bring to a town meeting. Bill noted that it is better to have a higher request and have extra money to give back to the town than to not have enough money to complete the project. John agreed that they shouldn’t come up short. If there was extra money it could go towards other fields. Bill noted that it could be presented to the town at the full dollar amount and indicate that the figure could be lower if volunteers come forward or if more grant money is received.
Chris noted that Hebron started a project and then applied for another STEAP grant while the project was in progress.
Susan Dean asked Chris if she was correct in remembering him saying that in order to get another grant you need to show that money from the current grant is being used.
Chris noted that when he started chairing the subcommittee Robert Aft was on the subcommittee as well. Robert had mentioned a field study group from the past that had done a report on the number of fields needed for the town. Chris has obtained a copy of the study. The study was based on projected needs for 2005, 2007, 2011, and 2014, but did not include the middle school fields. Bill noted that the field study results were discussed at the August 14, 2000 meeting of the Park and Recreation Commission. Chris stated that many of the teams listed in the field study report are “HK” teams. Chris said that Frank Sparks indicated that they may be using the Middle School Fields now. Chris recommended that the results from the field study be reviewed by the Park and Recreation Commission and updated. Bill noted that a breakdown of numbers of kids for each sport should be found. Susan Otto asked how soon this should be done. Chris feels this should be done soon. John asked Chris why he was so apprehensive about putting in 5 fields. John noted that all of the First Selectman candidates have been promising to “complete Wettish”. John doesn’t understand why Chris seems so apprehensive. Chris answered that when people ask at a town meeting, “why do we need that many fields?” he would like to be prepared with an answer. He feels that the Park and Recreation Commission should be prepared with numbers to explain how many fields are needed and why that certain number of fields is needed.
Chris noted that he would like to break ground at Wettish in the Spring. Chris feels that the Middle School fields should be taken into consideration when determining how many fields are needed. Bill disagreed. He does not think the Middle School should be counted as a Killingwoth field as it is an RSD 17 field. He added that Killingworth has no Soccer fields currently. Chris believes that “HK” players will shift to the Middle School. John feels that other players might come into play such as football, lacrosse, or field hockey. Bill noted that the school fields do not belong to the town. John agreed that RSD 17 fields are not usually available for use by the Park and Recreation Commission. Chris disagreed with this. John added that there is no irrigation at the Middle School fields and the fields will suffer with too much use. Chris doesn’t feel that the numbers in the field study support a plan for 5 fields. Susan Otto and Bill felt that it would be great to have a field that can “rest”. Bill asked if there is a formula for figuring out how many fields are needed based on the number of kids that will be using the fields. Chris stated again that he doesn’t want to go before the town at a town meeting without being able to explain where the numbers are coming from. He feels someone will ask, “where is the basis for what you are saying is needed.” Chris mentioned that the engineering firm asked him why Killingworth needed 5 fields. He added that Marlborough has more kids and has only 2 large fields. Bill noted that the Park and Recreation Commission should do what is best for the Town of Killingworth. Bill asked if a new subcommittee should be formed to figure out numbers and get an updated field study report. Bill volunteered to work on this project and come up with a report. Chris noted again that Weston and Sampson wanted to know why Killingworth needed 5 fields. Susan Otto stated that Weston and Sampson should be designing what the Park and Recreation Commission requests, not questioning them about why they want it. Bill said he will put together a report to show how many fields are needed in Killingworth. Chris added that the subcommittee is trying to come up with ways to reduce costs.
c. Election of Officers
The slate of officers for the Park and Recreation commission is as follows:
Dan Colonia Chairman
Susan Otto Vice Chairman
Shelly Cumpstone Secretary
Bill Silas Treasurer
*A motion was made by Susan Dean and seconded by Bill Silas to elect the officers as listed above. Motion passed.
7. New Business
There was a discussion on the meeting dates for 2008. A list of proposed dates was handed out for members to review.
*A motion was made by Bill and seconded by Susan Dean to approve the meeting dates as listed. Motion passed. A copy of the meeting dates is attached to the minutes.
There was a discussion on having an A-2 survey done for Irene Sheldon Park. Bill asked if a letter should be drafted to have the project go out for bid. He noted that the funds were available for this project. There was a discussion on the boundary lines in question. Bill noted that this might be why the original survey was never closed. Bill noted that Shelly knows who the original surveyor was. This will be discussed in further detail at the next meeting.
Chris noted that his tenure for the committees is up on December 31st. He needs to be reappointed by the Board of Selectman and sworn in again. Bill and John noted that they were also due to be reappointed.
Chris informed the group that he had sent an email suggesting that the Wettish Property be named in honor of Sergeant Jason Lanteri. He noted that he spoke to John Miller and was told that they would be honored to have this done. Susan Dean noted that she had a discussion with Gary Mala and Rick Albrecht about possibly naming the Middle School Auditorium in his honor. It was noted that it is possible that there can be other casualties of soldiers from Killingworth. Bill suggested naming the Wettish Property “Veteran’s Memorial Park” when the project is complete. He noted that a memorial could be erected to honor all the fallen soldiers. Bill added that particular playing fields at the property could also be named in honor of a particular soldier. John agreed that this was a great idea. John noted that something should definitely be done for Sergeant Jason Lanteri but that it was too early to vote on anything.
*A motion was made by Bill to adjourn the meeting at 9:05 PM.
Motion passed.
The next meeting is scheduled for December 10, 2007.
Respectfully submitted,
Michele B. Nuhn
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