Present: Mike Prevoznik, Denise Brennan, George Jackson, Duke Smith, Dede Conlan,
Bob Wilson, Celia Flynn
Absent: Ed Kubliski, James Smith, Debbie Bednar, Mike Davies, Scott Richards, Catherine Bakewell (student rep)
MINUTES: The minutes of our September 14th meeting were approved.
DIRECTOR’S REPORT:
BEACH REPORT: Dede distributed the attached comprehensive beach report. She highlighted certain issues:
- Beaches had to close early due to lack of staff from the high school early start date. Next summer will present even more difficulties due to the early closure and late opening of our schools. This will have an impact on the 2006 budget.
- Five children completed the highest level in the Red Cross swim lesson series. A special award ceremony was held. Only one other child in 1997 previously passed this level in Mountain Lakes.
- George asked if we could discover whether residents or non-residents were the prominent users of the day passes issued this summer. Has the beach usage of non-residents increased? Dede will work to gather information regarding this question. Denise and others mentioned that we cannot monitor the use of the Tourne side of Birchwood Lake.
- Dede requests sandblasting of bathroom floors in the very near future (before it gets cold).
- Shower wall at Birchwood needs to be replaced (costs could be as high as $125,000).
- Updating of Birchwood facilities, which have not been updated in over 20 years and are not to code. Dede and Denise submitted an initial plan with some renderings for members to get an idea of what is needed. They suggested that the plan could be implemented over the course of five years or so.
BUDGET: Congratulations to Denise and Mike for having worked so hard to stay within the budget parameters, especially regarding the summer recreation program. Some capital needs still should be addressed. Bob Wilson asked whether there is any parity between usage and the allocation of funding to upkeep facilities. How are funds allocated? The Commission strongly recommended that Gary Webb be invited to attend our next meeting to help answer the commission’s questions on rec facilities usage and upkeep, capital budget and operating budget.
SPECIAL EVENTS:
TREE LIGHTING: December 4th, Sunday at 5:00 p.m. Denise reported the MLHS choir would be there. Volunteers are needed for the pickup of Starbucks and Kings Donations (food and drink) that have been organized by Debbie Bednar (as she has done for many years- THANK YOU!).
Recreation Commission Meeting
– November 3, 2005 Page 2
CHILI COOK-OFF: Denise announced that this event could be held during the cold, dull days of January-February at the Market. The event would be a fun-filled evening for adults. Committee members agreed and expressed a willingness to help out.
GOALS AND OBJECTIVES:
A list of goals and objectives from 2005 was distributed by Mike for perusal by the committee. Some discussion ensued, with a 2006 list to be formalized in upcoming meetings.
DIRECTOR’S TELEPHONE: Denise reported that her phone has not been working properly for a long time, at least since she has made her office in the DPW building. This problem must be resolved quickly because it is creating communication difficulties for Denise, which spills over to many of our ongoing programs.
NEXT MEETING: November 21, 2005
-
6:00 PM DPW BUILDING