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HomeMy WebLinkAboutDraft Minutes - Recreation and Parks Committee - 03/11/2024 PAGE 1 SOUTH BURLINGTON CITY – RECREATION & PARKS COMMITTEE MEETING March 11, 2024 The South Burlington City Recreation & Parks held a regular meeting on Monday, 11 March 2024, at 5:30 p.m., at City Hall, 3rd Floor, 180 Market Street, and by GoToMeeting remote participation. Members present: M. Simoneau, Chair; R. Venkataraman, Vice Chair; W. Sudbay, Clerk; C. Freeman, A. Hayes, B. Visger, J. Pence 1. Call Meeting to Order, Changes or additions to the agenda, comments from the public not related to the agenda Chair Simoneau calls the South Burlington Recreation & Parks Committee Meeting to order at 5:35pm. 2. Public Comment/Open Forum Community Members Present: Lindsay Getz, Linda Norris, Betty Milizia, Blaine Clark, Kathie Borrazzo Getz states she is a South Burlington Resident with two boys that are both at the Orchard School. Both kids play soccer and baseball at Veteran’s Memorial. Getz has noticed over the past few years there has been drainage issues, and the quality of the fields has decreased. Getz would like to bring attention to the issue, she notes that her boys missed a quarter of the games in the fall. Getz would like the following issues addressed, which include the parking lot, implementation of turf fields, water fountain, etc. Getz has traveled to other Vermont community facilities, such as Colchester, Burlington, Shelburne, etc and noticed they are well taken care of. Norris speaks on the need for the South Burlington Community to create an Indoor Recreation space. Norris suggests re-purposing the Farrell Park Area, specifically the Dog Park, given Wheeler’s new one. Norris is concerned about the maintenance budget falling within the purview/discretion of the Department of Public Works and not with the Recreation and Parks Department. SOUTH BURLINGTON RECREATION & PARKS COMMITTEE MEETING – MARCH 2024 | PAGE 2 Norris discusses two residents who have contributed a major amount of time and energy to the South Burlington Pickle Ball Community. Norris comments on the increased usage of the newly renovated Syzmanski Pickleball Courts. Norris encourages to name the courts Selfridge Courts. Simoneau encourages the City of South Burlington to create a naming process for instances such as Norris’s suggestion. Simoneau thanks Norris for her time and suggests our Committee to bring this matter to City Manager, Jesse Baker. Milizia states the Committee for Common Area for Dogs has finished a report that she would like to share with the Recreation & Parks Committee. Freeman inquires about the appropriated Farrell Dog Park improvement costs in 2024. Matth states the City of South Burlington has earmarked $60,000 for Farrell Dog Park improvements in 2024. Milizia discusses other initiatives the Committee for Common Area for Dogs are working on. Community members are concerned about the City of South Burlington not having a softball field, compared to other Vermont communities that have a softball fields. Other concerns are brought to the Committee’s attention including the dilapidate dugouts, quality of the field, etc. The community members state the Jaycee Park field upgrades are between $4,000 and $6,000. However, the City of South Burlington will not move forward with this, even with outside funding provided. Matth discusses the previous communication issues regarding materials, application, and upkeep of the designated Jaycee Park softball field. Visger encourages the Committee to continue on its path of creating a Parks Master Plan to help alleviate the community member issues as discussed at tonight’s meeting. Resident states the non-profit has funding available to fix the Jaycee Softball fields, however he was very frustrated last year about the implementation of a plan and follow through. 3. Consideration of February Meeting Minutes Motion by Visger, seconded by Venkataraman to accept the February South Burlington Recreation & Parks Committee Meeting Minutes. So Voted. 4. Director Update/Director Report/Budget/Upcoming Calendar SOUTH BURLINGTON RECREATION & PARKS COMMITTEE MEETING – MARCH 2024 | PAGE 3 Matth overviews the March 2024 Recreation and Parks Director’s Report with the Committee. Matth comments on upcoming events such as the Spring Fling Arts & Crafts, Egg Hunt, Illuminate Vermont and Green Up Day. Refer to the packet for more information. 5. Master Plan Discussion Simoneau discusses the previous joint meeting between the Recreation and Parks Committee and the Natural Resources Conservation Committee (NRCC) and encourages the Committee to share their respective feedback. Visger states the joint meeting went very well and mentions he is willing to serve on a joint subcommittee if it were to be created. Freeman discusses passive versus active recreation and is hopeful the Parks & Open Space Master Plan will bring much needed financial resources to current park amenities within the City of South Burlington. Hayes voices Freeman and Visger’s thoughts and how clear the Committee needs to be on the feedback of the Parks & Open Space Master Plan. Challenges needs to be listed out and opportunities should not be missed. Simoneau comments on the synergy between both joint committees. Simoneau sees this as a great opportunity to give it a shot on developing a Parks & Open Space Master Plan. 6. Hubbard Park – Next Steps The Committee did not discuss Hubbard Park, due to public forum running longer than expected. 7. Dog Park Update The Committee did not discuss Dog Park Updates and will be briefed at the March Committee Meeting. 8. Adjourn The March South Burlington Recreation and Parks Committee was adjourned at 7:05pm. The next meeting will be conducted on Monday, April 8th at 5:30pm at South Burlington City Hall.