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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2007-12-03 - Parks and Rec Advisory Council Meeting Minutes MINUTES OF THE VILLAGE OF RYE BROOK PARKS AND RECREATION ADVISORY COUNCIL 938 KING STREET, RYE BROOK, NY 10573 December 3, 2007 Convene Meeting: Chairman Schoen called the meeting to order at 8:05pm. The following members of the Advisory Council were present: Chairman Schoen, Cliff Shaw, Richard Gutner, Debra Tempesta, Jeffrey Kornblum, Steve Epstein, and Kenneth Finder Absent: Recreation Department Members: Robert Bertolacci, Superintendent of Parks & Recreation Carmella Swick, Sr. Office Assistant Little League Committee: Debra Jond Attorney for the Village of Rye Brook, Nick Ward Willis, Village Of Rye Brook Trustee and Liaison to Parks and Recreation, Paul Rosenberg, Rye Brook Residents: Ted Musho, Patty Moores Chairman Schoen called the meeting to order and stated that at our meetings for those of you who are here as visitors and wish to speak, you can do so through the public portion of our meeting called Public View Points. For the visitors that are here and are not part of the Council, if there is anything you would like to say now, the floor is yours. Chairman Schoen asked that the person with Mr. Musho introduce herself. She introduced herself as Patty Moores. Chairman Schoen reminded those that are here listening that at this point, the public portion of our meeting will be closed and we will go through our normal Agenda. With that, those that are here visiting are listeners only. Musho Appeal: The first point we will take up is the matter of the appeal in the case of the Council deeming George Musho ineligible to play summer 2008 Travel Baseball. The meeting took place on November 14th, with a nice presentation made by the Musho family who made some very good points. Committee Member Finder recused himself from the meeting until the Musho discussion is over. Chairman Schoen stated that for the record, Committee Member Finder recused himself from tH this portion of the discussion as he did during the meeting of November 14 Chairman Schoen stated that he has a Draft Resolution that he will read. Chairman Schoen gave a copy to the Council. It reads as follows: On October 2, 2007, this Council, after considerable discussion and based upon the recommendation of the Little League Committee voted unanimously to deem George Musho ineligible for the 2008 Summer Travel Baseball team for, among other things, quitting the 2007 Fall Travel Baseball team without reasonable justification. His parents were thereafter advised of the Council's decision in writing and their right to appeal the decision. On November 14, 2007 Mr. & Mrs. Musho were provided with the opportunity to present their appeal of the Council's decision to deem their son ineligible for the summer 2008 Travel Baseball Season. Mr. & Mrs. Musho made a public presentation and submitted a written statement and documents to the Council. The Council has considered the statements and documents submitted by Mr. & Mrs. Musho, and do not find the substance of them to be convincing in certain important respects. Chairman Schoen would like now to list some of those respects then will read the rest of the Draft Resolution and discuss things more broadly. Chairman Schoen stated that one of the things pointed out in the presentation was that George was being deemed ineligible because he missed a practice. In fact, Mrs. Musho went so far in the presentation as to say that he went on record as saying that and I did say that, but the other half of that was missing was that he (George Musho) missed a practice knowingly and did nothing about it. I want it to be clear that it wasn't just a fact that a practice was missed. The thought of the Council was that George intentionally chose not to show and chose not to show along with one of his parents at the parent meeting that was held that Sunday. One of the other things pointed out was that Mrs. Musho has said she received the e-mail information at 9:15am on Monday morning. Based on her own documents that she submitted, she didn't receive them at 9:15am, she received the e-mails an hour earlier and in fact forwarded that information to her husband immediately thereafter within minutes. That portion of the e-mail was received Monday, but not at the time she said. There was a statement that the Mushos didn't receive a call and we have records to prove otherwise. We have phone records of Coach Zecker which show very clearly that all 13 children were called in alphabetic order. It wasn't said that the message got erased or there was a technological problem with the machine, but that would have been something that would have been relevant if in fact that was the case. The records from the phone company show that, in fact the call was placed and went through. So, presumably a message was left and there was no reason to believe otherwise. We factored this into our thought process. Amongst the e-mails that were provided, it was said by Mr. Musho that George was quitting the team and didn't want to play. In other e-mails it was said that this was being done for political reasons or the team was made up by a political process. Someone can have that opinion if one chooses to. There was a reference made to George wanting to play football. If George wanted to play football and said that up front, we wouldn't be sitting here talking about this right now. We also would think if you make the jump that the family did get a call and had some knowledge, and we believe they did, then choosing to not call one of the coaches to say sorry we didn't make the practice and we are not able to make the parent's meeting, for whatever the reason, would have been appropriate.... even if George ultimately did want to play football. In the conversations with Superintendent Bertolacci on Monday morning, no mention was made that George wanted to play football. In the conversation with Superintendent Bertolacci on Monday morning, no mention was made that George wanted to play football. One tries out for these teams and it was noted on a couple of occasions by Mrs. Musho that George has made 5 travel teams, with the intention to play if chosen. The family knows the process; they are veterans of the travel baseball process in the fall and in summer. They know that in the fall, teams are made on Saturday and the players are notified that day because the season starts immediately. In fact, our teams are always one week late to the season because we hold our tryouts after Labor Day. Our games get pushed back and there is urgency amongst the coaches to get a practice in as soon as possible, and that would be that first weekend the teams are announced. Presumably, George and his family have been through this process before because he has made so many teams. The e-mail addresses that where provided by the family were the e-mail addresses the family had requested to be contacted on. Granted, the e-mail provided for Mr. Musho was incorrect, but the e-mail was subsequently resent to the right e-mail address and was received and Mr. Musho acknowledged that it was received early Sunday afternoon by the family. Again, another opportunity to reach out to the coaches knowing that there could very well have been a practice. When kids try out for a team, one of the things they would naturally want to know is when are the teams going to be selected. We assume that everyone would know that the team was going to be selected that Saturday morning. So, if the e-mail addresses provided were the ones the family wanted to be contacted on, the family would have checked those e-mails on Saturday to see if any news has come through. The statement was made that the family didn't check the e- mails during the weekend but Mr. Musho did get the e-mail on Sunday. There was mention about precedent. I suppose there is no need to have precedent; precedent is created by having something happen for the first time. So precedent here isn't really an issue and in fact there is precedent, the Minutes clearly reflect this. In 2007 there was a child that was deemed ineligible to play in the fall. A letter wasn't sent to that individual but the Minutes do reflect that the person was deemed ineligible to play. Another item that was stated in the presentation was that the manner the players were chosen by a vote by the Little League Sub-Committee. The players were chosen strictly by the numbers. One can argue that the try out process needs to be improved and certainly that would have been an appropriate thing to pursue and still can be. There was no voting, the numbers were the numbers. The Little League Sub-Committee was simply meeting to review those numbers. The only thing at issue was which children potentially might have been placed on a IOU team verses a 12U team. These are some, but not all, of the things that occurred to us after reviewing the materials that were submitted by Mr. & Mrs. Musho and examining all the aspects of what has transpired here. There are other items that we have chosen not to discuss. Continuing with the Draft Resolution as follows: "... The Council has been advised by the Village Attorney that not-withstanding the Council's long standing practice and history of providing affirmative actions and directions to the Village, including the Parks and Recreation Department and the program it administers, the Council does not have the authority under Chapter A-258 of the Village Code to issue binding decisions on matters such as this. Therefore, while the Council was acting in a manner consistent with its history and with the intent of acting in the best interest of the children, the Village and the Parks and Recreation Department, it has been advised that the Council did not have the authority to declare George Musho ineligible for the 2008 Summer Travel Baseball Season and the Council's October 2, 2007 Resolution is considered null and void. The Council believes that the matter of a child quitting a travel team warrants review by the Superintendent of Parks and Recreation for action, if any, as he deems necessary based upon his review of the Record in this matter. It is further our understanding that the Superintendent of Parks and Recreation does have the authority to act in this matter, and further that the Council would have the authority to make recommendations to the Superintendent with respect to this matter. It is therefore, RESOLVED, by the Village of Rye Brook Parks and Recreation Advisory Council that the Council recommend that the Superintendent of Parks and Recreation evaluate the Record in this proceeding and determine what action, if any, be taken against George Musho for quitting the 2007 Fall Travel Baseball Season and issues related thereto; and It is FURTHER RESOLVED, that the Council recommend to both the Board of Trustees and the Superintendent of Parks and Recreation that the duties and responsibilities of the Council be examined in light of the history of the Council, its intended purpose and the current conflict with the Village Code and that amendments to the Village Code be considered to alleviate such conflict. Discussion: Chairman Schoen asked if anyone has anything to say. Committee Member Gutner said that many points were covered. It was shown that the phone records we have that the phone call was placed. Also, the discrepancies with the e-mails being the time of day on Monday were actually received and forwarded. Committee Member Tempesta stated that one point you brought up that is important is the fact that teams are politically put together. Teams are not politically put together, but based on numbers. The only issue that was discussed on that Saturday was how we would take some of the older players and put them into younger groups and vice versa because we had so many kids trying out. The other point you brought up that was important is that a child has a right to change their mind about what they want to do. Just as we try to be fair conducting this process here, which is out of respect to both parties, the same process should have happened there (after the tryouts). Out of respect to Superintendent Bertolacci and the programs he is running and the time we spend in putting a team together, and the time that a parent has to spend at home with a parent telling a child he isn't on the team but later is asked to join the team because someone decided not to play, is not right. If you want to play football, that is fine but be up front about it. Chairman Schoen said the other matter that we aren't addressing here but was discussed by the Council and the Little League Sub-Committee is whether or not a call was made to any parent with regard to encouraging another player on the team to quit the team. Based upon information we have, it is basically a he said, she said kind of thing and nothing can be proven unless we want to go to extreme lengths, which I don't think any of us wants to do but could do. Committee Member Gutner stated that the record should reflect that the 3 people on the Little League Committee whose children tried out for the team were asked to leave the room when those teams were chosen. There was a lot of talk that coaches and people on the committee placed their children on the team. They had nothing to do with the placement of the players on the team. Those 3 people were brought back into the room to help form the younger teams. Committee Member Epstein said that we all acknowledged both in the context of this case and the context of many other things we have done here in selecting teams by definition and process. We struggle with it constantly and Mr. Musho has been a part of that process over the years. I think that Mr. Musho understands that it is not a perfect process, it is problematic. The phrase that sticks in my head is Mrs. Musho saying that George wants to play baseball. I understand the perspective of the privilege aspect of being on a team, and the disappointment a child can have when the child isn't happy with the way these things work out. I wish this issue could have been worked out in a way that was less adversarial in this community and it pained everyone to do this with dealing with a 12 year old boy. How do we deal with this situation and how do we come out benefiting the children which is why we all spend so much time? The question to this committee and all of us here is where do we go from here, and how do we better fine tune this process so this doesn't happen again. How do we make sure in the future if there is a dispute or concern of this kind, how does it get dealt with so the kid can play baseball and we as a committee can feel that we applied the rules consistently along the way? Chairman Schoen stated that in the business he works in there is a continuous process of test and learn and we have talked about it (improving the process) in countless meetings regarding travel baseball in the Village. Over the years we tried things one way, and yet another way in an effort to try to address things as they come up. I can't imagine how Mr. & Mrs. Musho and George felt. I myself have lost countless hours of sleep over this and have spent a lot of time thinking about the issue. Committee Member Epstein would like to state for the record that he and Chairman Schoen have had many conversations regarding this issue. Committee Member Epstein knows Chairman Schoen is very sincere about how he feels and is very torn about his responsibilities and obligations to chair this committee and is somebody who takes sports very seriously in a positive way in this community. We all spend a lot of time doing this because we want it to work. It is very hard to field a team and get enough kids out there who are committed and if you sit here for any length of time and go through the Minutes, you'll get a feel for this from some of the meetings we have had. You get situation after situation where the parents didn't tell you the kid was going on vacation and that is where this reaction comes from when you have a situation and also having parents come in to speak to us who's kids have been cut and don't have the privilege of being on the team. These are all the things out there that gnaw at us as we go through this process and it all becomes part of the process. The situation is that we have a kid who wants to play baseball and we have a situation that is regrettable. Maybe if people went back and talked to each other, it might have turned out differently. Committee Member Shaw stated that it is a shame that it happened. One of the things said that I resent is that the drawing of the teams was political. It's a lot of time spent putting these teams together and the only way we do this is by the ratings. We have no political aspirations. Members who have kids on the team don't have a say in the process. It bothers me a lot that the integrity of the process is being questioned when that is the thing we work on most to make sure it works properly. We are always trying to make the process better and to improve it. Chairman Schoen stated that Frozen Ropes formerly did the rating and that was deemed a complete failure and before that parents did it. It's bounced around and the thought was to get people that have some relative understanding of some of the children. Chairman Schoen stated that we need a motion on this Resolution because we basically don't have the authority to make a motion as we did and put it through in the manner we did. We are essentially passing this on to Superintendent Bertolacci who has the capacity to uphold the decision, reverse or modify it. Committee Member Shaw made the motion to let Superintendent Bertolacci take the facts and everything in the resolution and decide on the proper resolution of the situation. Chairman Schoen asked that Committee Member Shaw read the last two paragraphs of the Draft Resolution into the record. It is therefore, RESOLVED, by the Village of Rye Brook Parks and Recreation Advisory Council that the Council recommend that the Superintendent of Parks and Recreation evaluate the Record in this proceeding and determine what action, if any, be taken against George Musho for quitting the 2007 Fall Travel Baseball Season and issues related thereto; and It is FURTHER RESOLVED, that the Council recommend to both the Board of Trustees and the Superintendent of Parks and Recreation that the duties and responsibilities of the Council be examined in light of the history of the Council, its intended purpose and the current conflict with the Village Code and that amendments to the Village Code be considered to alleviate such conflict. Committee Member Tempesta seconded the motion and all approved. Superintendent stated he would like to read a statement into the Record. "I have been party to all discussions on this matter. It is my goal and it has been my goal since becoming Superintendent to create a positive image for the Village of Rye Brook's Recreation Department. The fact is that we have a 12 year old boy who I believe,based on what I have read and heard, quit the program to protest the process of the way the teams are chosen and who did not make the team. The ramifications of us not doing anything are endless. There is a process in place for creating these teams. As was discussed at the last meeting, there is also a right way of making your displeasure known. There was discussion of Due Process in the way things happened and whether or not the Council had the right to do what it did. When the Village went to a Little League program, we began to change the overall program by taking baby steps. Approximately 6 years ago the Village started a summer Travel Baseball program and the next year it was expanded to summer and fall travel. The ratings for both teams took place in May and Mid June respectively. The next year, the ratings for both teams took place in May and September respectively. These are all examples of the baby steps that we have been taking as we have been learning from prior experiences. We have had increasing numbers of players trying out and teams formed in travel baseball. There are issues that we have that arise from the competitive atmosphere on an ongoing basis. However, putting forward a top notch travel program has many children playing sports throughout the summer and fall months that would not have had the opportunity. These children will have positive images from representing their Village. On the other hand, there are children that did not make these teams. It is a privilege to represent your Village. By opting out, as it has been stated, that privilege is being mocked. By trying out for that travel team, the player must be committed to accept the privilege. In the presentation on the appeal made on November 14th, references were made to Due Process and what is perceived to be the definition of reasonable justification. The mere fact that we had an appeal at all is Due Process. If there was no Due Process, we would not have heard the appeal. There is no definition of reasonable justification because each case is examined on its merit. Reference was made to the language of the purposes and duties of the Parks and Recreation Advisory Council. It is and always has been the Councils duty to discuss matters pertaining to the overall recreation program and to make recommendations to the Superintendent and Village Board when necessary to put forth a positive recreation program. According to the duties and purposes of the Advisory Council that exist in the Village Code today, the Advisory Council does not have the authority to make such a decision. It is however within the duties of the Superintendent of Recreation. I will consider all of the information that has been presented to the Council and render my decision within the next few days. My decision will be in the best interest of the travel baseball and recreation program as well as the reputation of all of the individuals involved in the matter. Chairman Schoen stated that we would move to the next topic on the Agenda. Mr. Musho asked if he has the opportunity to speak now. Chairman Schoen stated that there isn't an opportunity to speak now, but you are welcome to stay to listen to the rest of the meting. Mr. Musho stated that this is supposed to be a public meeting. Chairman Schoen said the first part of the meeting is open to the pubic to participate in. The rest of the meeting is for the public to listen to if they choose. Mr. Musho asked how he can participate in the meeting beforehand not knowing what the discussion and the comments would be. Chairman Schoen stated to Mr. Musho that he is welcome to call Superintendent Bertolacci and talk to him. Mr. Musho asked if there is a time to speak after the topics on the Agenda are discussed. Chairman Schoen said there is none. Committee Member Shaw asked for a time out. He asked Mr. Musho and Patty Moores to step out of the room so he can speak with the Council. Chairman Schoen made a motion to go into Executive Session. The motion was seconded by Committee Member Epstein. All in favor, so moved. Committee Member Gutner made a motion to come out of Executive Session. Committee Member Epstein seconded the motion. All in favor, so moved. Mr. Musho and Patty Moores were invited back into the meeting after the Executive Session. Chairman Schoen stated that there was a quick Executive Session to discuss the process. Chairman Schoen stated that our understanding of how these meetings work is that we have Public View Points in the beginning of the meeting and anyone can come into the meeting and talk about any issue they may have with regard to recreation. After the Public View Points portion closes, the Agenda goes forward and there is no interruption. The public is welcome to stay and listen but they are not there as participants, only as listeners. We conferred with the Village Attorney and made an exception here to give you an opportunity to make your comments. If there is something you would like to say, feel free to say it. Mr. Musho, 7 Talcott Road. Mr. Musho stated that he appreciated everything Chairman Schoen said, in fact, I think we reached a point where we started to understand each other. My wife and I actually have spent too many sleepless nights thinking about this. You can tell by the amount of research we spent on this because we were quite frustrated and very disappointed. There were a couple of statements here that are an issue. Judy and I sat in front of you and told you we did not receive a voice mail message. You may very well have notes that show the coach called but I don't have his notes. There were also other things that were said that you referred to as he said she said. Its not a he said she said thing, we gave you affidavits, and we gave you e-mails stating specifically what the parents said and what we did. It was very clear in my first e-mail that I had to do this in response to Scott Zecker's e-mail. The only thing I did was reach out to the parents of the children whom I thought were entitled to play on that team because they were the players that we played with over the summer. My son never sat here and said not to participate, never did, never will and would never direct him do so. There is no practical aspect for us to do that and no point for my son choosing not to play to ensure that you guys fail. You are talking about a 12 year old boy whom has no sense of vindictiveness, and no sense about anger. What bears repeating is that my e-mail was in response to Scott Zecker's e-mail. I had a conversation with Mr. Bertolacci that morning and explained to him some of my frustrations. My son's statement was, it's unfair. As an adult, I translated that into what I am seeing, and what I am concerned about. I've been along this road long enough, especially coaching the travel teams, and knows exactly how the teams are chosen and when certain disappointments arise and things that I don't think are fair. I am entitled to that opinion. But to take it out on my son is a vindictive action because my son has made a decision. We had statements back and forth and it was a response to Scott's e-mail which I was very frustrated about. I don't understand why we are here. Had this ended that Monday, we wouldn't be sitting here having this discussion. It was Scott Zecker that precipitated all this. One certain way this would have been solved if you had any questions was to reach out and talk to us. My son makes a decision not to play baseball and I spoke to Superintendent Bertolacci, I wrote you guys and e-mail, it was done. Scott gets involved in this process; he writes an e-mail to me, I write back to him and after that, nobody discussed anything with me. I just receive a letter that my son can't play baseball. There are many other things I could say but I would leave it at that. If Mr. Bertolacci wants to discuss it further, I will be glad to discuss it further. Mr. Musho thanked the Council for hearing him and will wait for the Superintendent's decision. Superintendent Bertolacci told Mr. Musho to call him if he wants to discuss the matter. Mr. Musho asked Superintendent if he had a time frame for this decision. Superintendent stated that he will make a decision within the next few days and certainly by the end of the week. Chairman Schoen called for a 5 minute recess and the meeting was called back to order at 8:55pm. Council Member Finder rejoined the discussion and Mr. Musho, Mrs. Moores and Village Attorney,Nick Ward Willis have left the meeting. Chairman Schoen, on behalf of the Council thanked Nick for his very helpful assistance in this matter. Trustee Rosenberg suggested that if you want to have changes made to the Village Code, you may want to schedule a work session and talk about the changes you want. You could pass a resolution asking the Board of Trustees to formally look at the changes that you are suggesting. Chairman Schoen said that the changes are simple in terms of the laws and the code. It is more of a question to this group how we will work together. We could move to a mode of operation where every motion we make is a recommendation of the Council that either the Recreation Department or the Superintendent do the following. Whether the Superintendent chooses to do the following is up to the Recreation Department or the Superintendent .Trustee Rosenberg stated that sometimes it is not OK for the Board that is making the recommendation to be the Appeals body. If you are making a recommendation to Superintendent and he is making a decision, and then they want to have an appeal, if in fact you want to even have an appeal process in the Code, who is going to hear that appeal? What affect does Little League sub-committee make the referral to Superintendent and then maybe this Council becomes the Appeals Board. Trustee Rosenberg stated that you generally don't want the Board that is making the referral to be the Appeals Board. Chairman Schoen stated that we will go through the budget process, have an update from Committee Member Shaw on potentially making the travel teams private, discuss the renewal of some of the members on the Little League sub-committee, and talk about the beginning of the basketball season. Chairman Schoen stated that he would like to go on record to say that Janice has done a wonderful job in making the schedule for all the basketball divisions and teams. Janice waits until the CYP schedule comes out which is always late and she also waits for the KTI schedule and then she meshes them all together to avoid most of the conflicts. Superintendent said he heard mixed reactions regarding playoff structure. Superintendent stated that we opened up this weekend at Port Chester High School with one game. We used Belle Fair gym for the 2nd grade girls practice. There will be one more week of practice for the 2nd grade girls and after that the games will start. Committee Member Kornblum said he spoke to management at Belle Fair and they said it went very smooth and the only request was that we drop the hoops down after practice. Committee Member Epstein said that Referee Kenny, who has had an operation and will be out for the season, was missed this weekend. He will be out for the whole season. Committee Member Epstein stated that he just does a great job with the kids. His presence will be missed this basketball season. Committee Member Shaw made a motion to recognize Referee Kenny Kupersmith for doing a great job of referring and going above and beyond the call of service. Committee Member Gutner seconded the motion and all approved. Committee Member Shaw stated that Superintendent has asked him to look into privatizing Little League Travel Baseball. Committee member Shaw reported that he and Greg Picker have been getting a lot of information and we should have everything ready to go by the end of the January meeting. We are now in the process of looking for volunteers. Committee Member Shaw stated that part of the process that is going to be different is that we will have to pay for the fields, as opposed to it being part of the Rec Department. We will have the recognition of being able to wear the Rye Brook uniform and use the Rye Brook Charter from the Little League. We have two web domain names, ryebooktravelbaseball.com and ryebrooktravelbaseball.org. Privatizing travel baseball will be costly so the fee will be raised. We also hope by raising the fee, it will make the children who do participate take the program more seriously. We aren't raising the fee for that reason but because we have to pay for the fields, insurance etc. Volunteers are needed for sponsorship chairman, fund raising chairperson, someone in charge of the equipment, someone to coordinate the web site, coordinate the advertising, team parent coordinator from each team. There will be a president, vice president and a small board of directors. If we can get the girl's interested we will put a girls' softball team together. Committee Member Finder asked if there will be a spring travel season. Committee Member Shaw said he would put a call into John Nesi for the spring travel program but the problem is the scheduling because of soccer. Saturday we have rec baseball which we are not going to conflict with because I don't want to jeopardize the programs that we have in the rec department, and as a courtesy to Bert and the rec department. I would like to do something on Sunday but the problem with that is that it would have to be coordinated with the soccer club. Committee Member Gutner said there may be another problem if you raise the fee to whatever, your talking about a very small fee for travel baseball to a bigger fee like soccer. Chairman Schoen stated that his son played on the Big Apple Baseball 9U this fall and the fee was $650. Committee Member Gutner stated that when you play travel baseball, you play it on Saturday and Sunday, and you are talking about having your games on only Sunday. This would be a direct conflict with soccer and some soccer coaches work it out and some coaches won't talk to you and feel it is your problem. Committee Member Finder asked Superintendent if there is a spring travel baseball season, do you think you might lose players for your rec program. Superintendent stated that he will go on record that he is not for a spring league. I have said it in the past and I will say in the future, a spring league will decimate my rec program because all your pitchers that will pitch for you on Sunday are not going to be able to pitch in the rec league. Committee Member Finder stated that in Harrison, if you are going to play Harrison youth soccer you have to play Harrison rec soccer because they were afraid it would destroy the rec program. It is an issue with baseball because a pitcher who pitches on Sunday can't pitch in Saturday's rec league. Committee Member Shaw said he doesn't want to disrupt the rec program so he will definitely back off on that. Committee Member Gutner said we talked about kids from Port Chester or other towns being able to play in a Rye Brook umbrella travel but then they will not be able to play in their rec program or in tournaments. Is that a league rule? Committee Member Shaw stated that the WBA is not a Little League Charter League,therefore the Little League rules don't matter but we as a town can't let them play in their town then play for us in travel. Superintendent stated by Little League rules, in order to qualify for the Little League tournament, you have to play within your territory or you can get a waiver from your jurisdiction giving you permission to play in another town. Our boundaries are a separate charter. The kids who live in Rye Brook but go to the Port Chester schools have a choice of what league to play in. Superintendent stated that if there is no program in their town, they can play in the tournament. Port Chester youth baseball is not chartered in softball. Chairman Schoen asked how Committee Member Shaw is using the Little League sub-committee to help with this. Committee Member Shaw said there was a meeting last week with the Little League sub- committee and we will continue to have dialog with them to help us. Superintendent said the whole travel aspect of the Little League program is not really within the guideline of what you want of municipal recreation department to be doing. If you can get an outside organization to do that, it is probably a better way to go. Committee Member Shaw said their will be a small Board of Directors with parents under that to advise us of what their age group is, their comments and take this into consideration. We want a very strong brand of baseball for kids that really should be playing travel baseball. Committee Member Finder asked if there will be tryouts. Committee Member Shaw said it hasn't been formulated yet but it will be fair whether we use Frozen Ropes or Big Apple Baseball. Committee Member Shaw stated that obviously we have decisions to make and we'll do the right thing. As long as we could get 13 players that are qualified good ball players that can be competitive in a league, we will put them out there. Committee Member Shaw stated that John DiCanio and Ron Freundlich were at a meeting last week and they were going to talk to Jim Spano about setting up a meeting with him. Committee member Shaw stated that one of the reasons he wants to meet with Jim Spano is to try and get his thoughts and try to point the program towards the high school because eventually they will be playing for the high school and we want to help that process so the kids fit right into the program. Little League Sub-Committee: Superintendent Bertolacci has spoken to Ron Freundlich and John DiCanio about their term on the Little League sub-committee expiring at the end of this month. They have both indicated their interest in being reinstated. I didn't get any interest from any other Rye Brook resident. Superintendent asked Chairman Schoen if he heard from any of the public with interest to be on the committee. Superintendent said the term is for two years. Chairman Schoen said two members term is up this year and 3 are up next year. Chairman Schoen stated that no one has expressed any interest to him. Superintendent said that Ron Freundlich doesn't have a child in the program but is still very interested and shows up at all the meetings. John DiCanio is probably the longest tenured coach in Rye Brook history. Committee Member Epstein asked if this has traditionally been open to the public or has this been something where we brought in people who you have perception through their involvement in the program or were interested. Superintendent stated that they are a sub-committee of the Advisory Council and report to us. Superintendent stated that when he sends out his spring letter he will ask if anyone is interested in being on the Little League Committee to contact him. Chairman Schoen stated that given the fact that Ron Freundlich and John DiCanio are interested and have provided great service to the community and would like to continue to do so, I see no reason why we wouldn't continue to want them to be part of that group. Committee Member Gutner made a motion that Ron Freundlich and John DiCanio continue on the Little League Committee for another two years. Committee Member Shaw seconded the motion and all approved. Budget Process: Superintendent stated that he didn't get the actual assignment from the Village Administrator regarding the budget. It is the time now to think about how we want to move forward with the budget process. The reason why I put it on the Agenda is because if there are any programs you are thinking about, like football; it is time to think about the numbers so I can put the proposal in my budget. If there are any Capital projects you think that we need, we will discuss it at our January meeting. I think I need to submit my final proposal to the Village Administrator by mid January. Committee Member Epstein asked how we are doing on wooden bats. Superintendent stated that a lot of wooden bats broke last year; but we still have a lot left. Committee Member Shaw said he has about 10 wooden bats to donate. Committee Member Gutner asked if it is possible in your budget, you may want to think about adding another employee to help out as your programs get bigger. Chairman Schoen asked Superintendent Bertolacci if he would like to share some of the things on his list that are important to him, but that the Council is not privy to. Superintendent said he would probably have a draft budget for the Council prior to the meeting. Chairman Schoen asked if we are going to pursue a flag football program and how to go about it. As a starting point we can get the person from 0 who runs the program to make a presentation to our group for our January or February meeting. Sound ShoreYouth football league which is a private Port Chester league is having a town hall meeting where all the coaches come in to talk about the program and things they could do better because there were a lot of challenges for the flag and tackle divisions this year, which a lot of coaches think need addressing. Committee Member Shaw suggested a father and son stick ball tournament. Chairman Schoen suggested that the Council bring their ideas for new programs to the next meeting in January and that, as we think about 2008, it would be useful to look at the Brainstorming list from January 2007 to see if we covered all the major items that were identified. Chairman Schoen wants to thank everyone for their participation on the Council and their interest in meetings this year. We have had some interesting discussions this year and they are not always comfortable and sometime we have to just go through the motions to see things through, but hopefully everyone feels they are doing something of value and wants to continue to do so. Chairman Schoen suggested that we approve the November Minutes at our next meeting. A motion was made by Steve Epstein to adjourn the meeting at 9:50pm. Committee Member Rich Gutner seconded the motion and all approved. The next Park and Advisory Council meeting will be held on January 8, 2008 at 8:00pm.