Recreation Committee Meeting- September 18, 2007

 

Present: Debbie Bednar, Denise Brennan , Dede Conlan, Celia Flynn, Rich Mancuso, Mike Prevoznik, Scott Richards

 

Absent: Mike Davies, Peter Holmberg, Ed Kubliski and James Smith

 

  1. Welcome New Member(s) - Rich Mancuso was welcomed as Rec’s newest member. Blair Wilson needs to clarify status of Peter Sentowski, who was designated “first alternate” by Council.

 

2.      Minutes - The July 17, 2007 minutes were approved.

 

3.   Director’s Report

New Programs – Walk to School Day is October 3, 2007.

Kathy Mitchell is running a tri-town girl’s field hockey clinic on Saturday’s for grades 3-6.

 

4.      Special Events

Haunted Halloween – Sunday October 28 will be Haunted Halloween at Midvale for 4th and 5th grades. High School volunteers will be enlisted.

Tree Lighting- this year it will be Sunday, December 2, 2007 at 5:00 p.m. Denise to check if there are any conflicts with the Jewish holiday.    

 

  1. Summer Rec- 242 children participated in this year’s Summer Rec (down from 285 last year). We had approximately 50 counselors with 8 substitutes. Due to the decreased number of campers, we had too many counselors this year. Brad Davidson ran the program. The Arts program was deemed much improved. Maintenance for the circle and sidewalks and turf field all caused some concerns due to lack of prior notice by the Town. Next year’s program will be at the high school due to fixing the roof at Wildwood. The Summer Rec program was over budget this year. A satisfaction survey has gone out to parents of children who participated in the program and will be posted on the website.

 

  1. Beach Report – Dede Conlan gave her 2007 Beach Report. The beaches opened on June 24th and closed the week of August 22. Dede’s main problem was a shortage of lifeguards, causing her to cut back on the hours of operation of Island Beach. We may need to reassess the hourly wage paid to remain competitive. Guest tag receipts were down in 2007 ($4331 vs. $6363 in 2006). Dede renewed her recommendations for needed maintenance at Island Beach (a side fence to hide the dumpster and new flag) and Birchwood (new ladder, pipe and pump and one meter diving board). Denise to follow up with Mark and provide him with a written list of recommended changes/fixes. A copy of Dede’s report is attached.

 

  1. Other Business – Condition of our facilities – At Peter Holmberg’s request, the Commission discussed their concern with the lack of continuous upkeep at certain Rec facilities, including the Esplanade, Midvale Field, the Briarcliff Road park facing Wildwood Lake and Memorial Park. Denise will coordinate a Facilities Tour of the fields by the Commission with Mark Prussina invited.

 

  1. Briarcliff Sports – The open issue is insurance. The teams are seeking Board of Education insurance, as opposed to Recreation insurance, to allow the teams to be considered a “scholastic” team. The field hockey rec team is not interested in becoming a “scholastic” team.

 

 

 

 

 

Next Meeting:  October 16, 2007

7:30 p.m. DPW Building

55 Pocono Road