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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2007-07-03 - Parks and Rec Advisory Council Meeting Minutes MINUTES OF THE VILLAGE OF RYE BROOK PARKS AND RECREATION ADVISORY COUNCIL 938 KING STREET, RYE BROOK, NEW YORK 10573 July 3, 2007 CONVENE MEETING: Chairman Steve Schoen called the meeting to order at 8:20pm The following members of the Council were present: Advisory Council Members: Chairman Steve Schoen, Cliff Shaw, Richard Gutner, Kenneth Finder, and Steven Epstein Absent Council Members: Jeffrey Kornblum and Debra Tempesta Recreation Department Members Present: Robert Bertolacci, Parks and Recreation Superintendent Carmella Swick, Sr. Office Assistant Paul Rosenberg,Village Trustee and Rye Brook Recreation Liaison Minutes: Chairman Schoen asked for the May Minutes to be approved. Committee Member Gutner made a motion to accept the May Mintues and Committee Member Finder seconded the motion. Committee Member Shaw abstained from approving the May Minutes because he hadn't read the May Minutes. The May Minutes were accepted and all approved. Chairman Schoen asked for a motion to accept the June Minutes. Committee Member Finder would like the June Minutes amended. Jeff Jablon referred to Rye Brook Rec as Rye Rec and Committee Member Finder would like to correct Minutes. Chairman Schoen asked for a motion to accept the Minutes as amended. Committee Member Gutner made a motion to approve the Minutes as amended and Committee Member Finder seconded the motion. Public Viewpoints: There were no Public Viewpoints. Recreation Basketball Scheduling: a. Available Facilities b. Belle Fair Gym Time Chairman Schoen distributed a schedule reflecting known available space, an estimated number of teams by division and the required hours to accommodate games and practices for the upcoming basketball season. The objective is to schedule practices and game times with an increasing amount of teams with limited gym space. At the BelleFair Board meeting that was attended by Chairman Schoen and Superintendent Bertolacci, there didn't seem to be a lot of younger members on the board who had children involved in our recreation programs. Committee Member Jeff Kornblum lives in BelleFair and knows a number of other residents in the community who have younger children and are not aware of the predicament that the Recreation Department faces in regard to space for basketball, and knowing that they and their friends' children are starting to come up to join programs and ask the question why we can't use the Belle Fair gym. Chairman Schoen asked whether we want to make a larger basketball committee with 3 or 5 people and engage some of the residents from Belle Fair. Some have already offered to volunteer for the committee. Referring to the schedule provided by Chairman Schoen, based on the teams from last year's basketball season and looking at our facilities, what would we need for the upcoming basketball season allowing for practices and the games? At Ridge Street in the old gym we have from 1 to 7pm and we have to be out of the gym by 7:00pm. Superintendent stated that we pay double time for the janitors after 4:00pm until 7:30 because they need that half hour to clean up after the games conclude. Trustee Rosenberg asked if we can get the Village to pay for more janitor time, would the school allow us to stay later. Superintendent stated that there is no extra money in the budget for janitors. Superintendent stated that the longer his staff stays in the gym, the less quality programming and the less quality your staff is going to be. It would be more feasible to be at another location during the same hours and have different groups playing. Superintendent stated that he might be able to get use of the Port Chester Middle School gym on a Saturday afternoon. Superintendent has not approached the school district as of yet but stated that he has a very good relationship with their Athletic Director. Superintendent doesn't think it will be an issue to get the facility but another location would have to be staffed. Trustee Rosenberg suggested that Superintendent relieve the staff and stay at the same location. Superintendent stated that the problem is that he needs certain staff around all day and that certain staff is limited to do the job. Committee Member Finder asked if there is a charge for using the Port Chester Middle School. Superintendent stated that he has not approached that yet. This past year since we have let Port Chester use Pine Ridge Park everyday, they haven't been charging us. Trustee Rosenberg asked if we were going to let them use Rye Brook Athletic Field. Superintendent stated that he did not get a request from them yet. Chairman Schoen stated that with the basketball program we need about 61 hours a week based on 44 teams. We are short of being able to provide that one-hour practice per week in addition to the game plus having the 2nd and 3rd grade boys get back the half hour they lost last year because of space constraints. The challenge for the Recreation Department is getting greater each year because something has been taken away in terms of time or restrictions on scheduling or buy weeks. Committee Member Finder asked what the issue is with the Blind Brook Middle and High School gyms on Saturdays. Superintendent stated that the Blind Brook Middle and High School gym is used for 8th and 9th grade boys' basketball from Ipm to 4 pm on Saturdays and before that the high school teams are practicing. Chairman Schoen stated that the reason for evaluating the basketball time and facility usage is so we will be able to explain to the BelleFair residents who have their children in our program what we need in gym space and time to run the program. It may take a series of discussions to get people to see that this would be a good thing for their community. Committee Member Shaw suggested the Carver Center. Superintendent stated that there is full court at Carver but there is not a lot of room for spectators. Committee Member Epstein asked if we are looking for practice time or game time. Chairman Schoen stated that we need both practice and game space. Chairman stated that what he would like to see is a slightly larger basketball sub-committee outside of this group get involved. It is an issue we have to take on now so if the answer is that we want to ask BelleFair for more time, we will know what we need in time and space. Committee Member Finder asked if we currently pay for the use of the BelleFair Gym. Chairman Schoen stated that in the agreement with BelleFair we get 6 hours each week. Chairman Schoen asked for a motion to formulate a basketball sub-committee. Committee Member Epstein asked if we needed a sub-committee. Superintendent stated that if that is the goal of the sub-committee, he is all for it, but if it is micro-managing the program, superintendent is not sure if he needs a committee, maybe just a rules committee. Chairman Schoen foresees the committee as helping to evaluate items, working with the recreation staff, and looking at the rules before the season. We will have an open forum for basketball and take the feedback and evaluate it. Committee Member Shaw stated that Chairman Schoen and possibly one other member of the Council should be on the committee in terms of partnering with BelleFair to establish some communication. Trustee Rosenberg asked if anyone looked into the cost of bubbling the Pine Ridge tennis courts for the winter. Superintendent stated that he didn't have any costs for something like that. Trustee Rosenberg stated that it was not feasible for this coming year but to think about it for next year's budget. Committee Member Finder suggested that for purposes of getting additional time at Belle Fair, form a task force that has a very limited scope of work, and that is to deal with the question of getting more time there. Also have a sub-committee to deal with rules etc. Superintendent stated that we are talking about having an open forum to discuss basketball in September or October. If we are going to have a task force to discuss gym time, why not give them a secondary task now to start thinking about rules. Committee Member Finder suggested that we give them a time limit to report back. Committee Member Shaw made a motion to form the task force that will meet its objective by December 1st, and report back to the Parks and Recreation Advisory Council and also to look at the basketball rules and any changes prior to the season starting. Committee Member Gutner seconded the motion and all approved. Superintendent asked Chairman Schoen if the people from BelleFair that are interested in serving on the basketball sub-committee, had been through the basketball program with their children? Chairman Schoen stated that two have been through our program. Committee Member Shaw would like to amend the motion to limit the number of people on the sub-committee to a max of 5. Committee Member Gutner seconded the motion and all approved. Little League a. Summer Travel Teams Status Our IOU Summer Travel Softball girls have won a game. The 14U Summer Travel Softball girls have lost 3 games but have been more competitive than in the past. We have no results from the 15U Summer Travel Baseball team but know they have won at least 2 games. The 12U Summer Travel Baseball team has been eliminated from the Little League tournament in 2 games. They lost the first game 10— 0 and the second game 6 — 1. The 9U and l OU have games on Thursday. Chairman Schoen said the 9U had a game on Saturday against Big Apple Baseball at SUNY and it was 3-2 going into the bottom of the 5t". They scored 3 runs and won 6-2 and it was a very competitive game. Chairman Schoen stated the practices have been well organized and practice is held about 4 times a week. Chairman Schoen stated that Coach Rosson has been very communicative with the parents, laid down the rules before the first practice, everyone signed their forms and has been very open about how things are going to be run. Superintendent stated that all but 6 families of the travel teams have been to the meeting and those 6 families were met individually by him. They all received the orientation for travel baseball/softball. b. 12U Roster Challenges Chairman Schoen stated that the 12U has been struggling to field a team for several games. Superintendent stated he knew it was going to be a challenge with this team but not to this extent. Committee Member Gutner said the mistake the Little League made was to approve for the players to take a week off. In years before people have taken a week without disregard to the rules. This year we put in they could take a week and everyone is taking a week and some are taking more than a week. Chairman Schoen said that on the form was a request for times you would be away during the season, whether it was camp or vacation. You would expect the parents to fill it out honestly and probably most of them did. The biggest problem with this team was that only 15 kids tried out. One kid didn't make it because of age and one was going away and one kid quit which leaves you with 12 kids. The Little League sub-committee would have to look into this process before the next season. The coach is now reaching out to us for a solution. Committee Member Finder asked if we could reach out to another community? Committee Member Gutner stated that part of the coach's e-mail was regarding the liability issue if 13 year olds played on the team. If one of our kids gets hurt or a kid from the other team gets hurt because of that kid, are we covered under Rye Brook's liability insurance. Superintendent stated that as head coach, you are covered, but Superintendent will check with Ed Beane, our Village attorney. Superintendent stated that he is 99% sure we are not only covered by Rye Brook insurance but we also have insurance through Little League. Superintendent stated that we could use 13 year olds but we can't bat them 3rd or 4th and they can't pitch. Superintendent stated that right now there are 12 kids on the team and the first 13 year old. Committee Member Shaw stated that it is very hard for these kids to play ball after going to camp all day, get off the bus and jump into a uniform and come to a game. Superintendent stated that the big issue here is do we add a 14th player in case someone gets hurt. We do have a waiver stating that we can add two players but they cannot bat 3rd or 0' and they can't pitch. The coach is concerned about the other team's safety because these two kids have been playing modified ball with 90-foot bases and they are worried about the pitcher being so close. Chairman Schoen stated the waiver came from the WBA Summer League, there is insurance coverage, and the coach's concerns have been validly addressed. Superintendent stated that he should get the ok from Ed Beane but if is not ok, the question before the Board is, do we let some of the other kids that tried out join the team. There were 2 kids that were not placed on the team that tried out because they were away for an extended period of time. Superintendent stated that he would reach out to Ed Beane and our Risk Management Co. and have an opinion on Thursday morning. Committee Member Epstein stated that you go through a whole process and set up the rules which you think everybody understands and now in the middle of the season we change the rules. Have we thought if there are any issues for the younger kids playing with older boys, and are there any safety risks in practice. Chairman Schoen stated that one of the suggestions was instead of putting the older kids on the team was to pull from the 10U on an as needed basis. Obviously, age wise it would mix better but the coach was not in favor of it because he didn't want kids pulled from his team. Maybe he was concerned about the risk that if he had a game, and one of the players on his team got hurt and that puts the coach with one less player. Committee Member Epstein asked if there are other kids out there in this age group who may be interested in playing. You also don't want to put a lad out there where he may get hurt because he really shouldn't be playing. Committee Member Finder finds that with soccer, when a kid doesn't try out and you go to the community to ask for players, you are really scraping the bottom of the barrel. Chairman Schoen asked if the coach has had a subsequent meeting with the families to talk about all the issues. Superintendent stated that the coach has sent out e-mails to the families and has talked to his team about it. Chairman Schoen stated that whatever we do to alleviate the situation is being done as an exception and is something that won't be repeated at least not intentionally in the future. When the Little League sub-committee looks at formulating teams in which age bracket and what makes sense and how many kids, the whole process of figuring out who is going to be around and who isn't will need to go into the formulation of a team. Committee Member Shaw asked if we have a relationship with Rye where we could do a joint travel team or some other community we can partner with. Superintendent stated that Rye, Rye Neck and Port Chester have their own travel teams. Follow Up From Baseball/Softball Open Forum a. Review Feedback Chairman Schoen stated that after going through the Minutes he said each paragraph has one or two good ideas. Chairman Schoen asked if the Little League sub-committee is going to have regular monthly meetings and ideally before the Parks and Recreation Council meet for its monthly meeting. Superintendent stated that he would schedule a Little League meeting toward the end of this month. Chairman Schoen noted that after next month's Parks & Recreation Advisory Council meeting we are coming upon fall baseball try-outs. Chairman Schoen asked if a child plays soccer, could he try out for fall travel baseball. Committee Member Gutner stated that the child can do both sports and last year it worked out ok. b. Little League Tasks There are issues that the Little League sub-committee can deal with and this committee would not have to deal with some of the issues. Committee Member Gutner has dealt with some of the problems in the past where the Little League sub-committee meets and then goes back to this board for a decision and it's 4 months down the road before a change is made. If we could have the Little League sub-committee to make those little changes and the big decisions come back to this board that would be better. Committee Member Gutner stated that there are 3 members of the Advisory Board on the Little League sub-committee and we can decide if necessary if an issue has to go before the Advisory Board. Committee Member Shaw stated that if one of the Parks and Recreation Advisory members is in a minority, and it's up to the Little League sub- committee to change a rule, it's not fair for that one person in the minority that wants to keep the rule or not without going back to the Parks & Recreation Advisory Council. Chairman Schoen stated that not everything could come back to this committee. If three or four of you were supportive of what is being recommended by the committee, it would probably be approved here. Committee Member Shaw stated that we owe it to our members here to bring the issue back to this board. Committee Member Gutner suggested that if at the July Little League meeting if there are issues that have to be voted on there should be another meeting in August. When you meet here and whatever the decision is, it's not a month before it gets handled. If you make the Little League sub-committee aware that they may have to meet again in 10 days or 2 weeks after this Council meets to discuss the issue again, it puts them on notice regarding their availability to meet again. Chairman Schoen suggested that the Little League sub-committee meet twice this month and maybe two weeks after that. Maybe we have to have the Parks and Recreation Advisory Council meet a little earlier to take on the feed back from the Little League meeting. Committee Member Shaw asked what the Little League is meeting about. Chairman Shoen stated that they are meeting to set themselves up on a regular schedule to meet once a month. They will look into the feedback we got from the open forum meeting as well as the issues that are on people's minds, putting together a list and seeing what they have to talk about and work on. Committee Member Finder asked as a committee, are they holding public meetings. Chairman Schoen stated that the Little League sub-committee is a work session and is not public. Committee Member Epstein asked if there are times during the year that a rule is waived. At the last softball game, 4 balls were called and the coaches agreed to get a coach pitch in. Rec staff was umpiring and said that the rule was waived by the Rec Dept. Superintendent stated that he didn't know anything about any rule being waived during the season. Chairman Schoen asked when the tryouts for fall travel would be. Superintendent stated that the tryouts would be on September 4th and 6th Superintendent's Report a. Rye Brook Day Superintendent stated that the Rye Brook Birthday celebration went well this year. There were a few new attractions. We had Movie Night at Crawford Park and about 50 people attended. There were free refreshments. The next movie night will be Happy Feet shown on July 13th at Pine Ridge Park. Superintendent asked the committee about their thoughts of keeping the birthday celebration a yearly event as in the past. He will put a presentation together for a meeting with the Mayor to get his feedback as to whether we should hold this celebration every year. Superintendent said that the residents look forward to the celebration every year. Superintendent reported that donations have been coming down and it is becoming more of a burden on the local sponsors as well as the Village. Chairman Schoen asked what the cost is for the day. Superintendent said the cost is approximately $20,000. Trustee Rosenberg asked what we receive in donations. Superintendent said Rye Town Hilton supplies the sheet cakes, paper goods, and ice. In past years Doral Arrowwood supplied the burgers, buns and condiments; this year they cut it down to 1,000 burgers and we had to buy 2000 burgers and buns. Superintendent stated that this is the first time we asked for something from Arrowwood and didn't get what I asked for. Committee Member Epstein suggested having a donations committee and double our efforts to get more sponsorship. Superintendent stated that Food Emporium donated about 5 years ago and supplied us with a lot of food. Superintendent stated that Cadbury Schweppes donated the water and soda this year. Costco didn't give anything nor did any of the new businesses downtown. Superintendent said that another major issue is getting volunteers for the day. Sound Federal, which is now Hudson City Bank; use to give us all the volunteers needed for the day but that connection is gone. Superintendent was approached by Bob Galante, who use to manage Sound Federal and is now with Hudson Valley and said he would like to get involved in the celebration next year. Lenny's Bagel donated 2 $25 gift certificates. Trustee Rosenberg stated that, Chris Bradbury, Village Administrator brought it up but we haven't discussed it yet. Trustee Rosenberg's sense is that unless it was really cost prohibitive , why would we not do it. b. Status of Recreation Department Master E-Mail list Chairman Schoen asked if there was any progress on the master e-mail list yet. Trustee Rosenberg said that he would have to find out and would e-mail the council with any updates. Last time he spoke with Fred was at the last tech meeting in June and we are still waiting on CitiNet to give us the software. Chairman Schoen stated that a few e-mails have been sent to Superintendent regarding the old field at Pine Ridge Park. The grass grows like a weed. Superintendent stated that his park's staff cuts the infield grass on Saturday mornings. Chairman Schoen asked if a rake could be put in the bin over at the old field, ice packs and some quick dry. Superintendent stated that he has a lot of ideas for that field and he will look into it this summer. Superintendent stated that someone was hit by a bat at Garibaldi Park. He will have to look at the field to see if he can make a designated area for the on-deck batter. Chairman Schoen stated that a kid was swinging on deck and the bat flew out of his hands and hit him in the head. Superintendent stated that the Ridge Street School field would be closed until the fall so it will have some growing time. Superintendent stated that he heard the school isn't going to allow a lot of things on that field. Committee Member Finder stated that a request was put into the school for Rye Youth Soccer but their request was turned down. Adiournment Chairman Schoen asked for a motion to adjourn the meeting. A motion to adjourn the meeting was made by Committee Member Finder and seconded by Committee Member Gutner. The next meeting of the Parks and Recreation Advisory Committee will be held on, August 7, 2007 at Village Hall but may be moved up a week. Minutes prepared by Carmella Swick