Town of Hampden
Regular Meeting of
Parks & Recreation Commission
7:00PM at the Hampden Town Hall
November 9, 2004
Approved: November 23, 2004
Attendance: Chris McDonald, Tina Albano, Glennice Flynn, Larry Forrest and Michael D’Agostino. Also present were Jay Fenlason, Susan Gorman, Darcey Walulak and Eddie Pessolano.
Bills: There were no bills.
Director’s Report: Jay gave an update on the following:
Memorial Park:
The new sign for Memorial Park is in and will be installed by Dana next week. The bathrooms have been painted and the lifeguard door will be put back on. New shingles will be put on the roof of the bathhouse.
Jay met with the conservation committee on November 8,2004. The paperwork will be resubmitted. Gary Weiner is going to be contacted to help fill out the form. This process, once submitted, takes 3-4 months for approval.
Soccer:
PVJSL had a very positive season. The U12 B and the U13 G won in their divisions. The third team, U 11 G, lost in the finals. Jay will check with RAH to get help to move and chain the soccer nets together.
Basketball:
Fees for suburban will be $30.00 and CYO will be $25.00.
Jay is to meet with Deb Thompson, principal at GM, to organize gym usage.
The Wilbraham Park and Rec Dept. wanted to join both towns with teams on the 3rd/4th grade level for boys and girls. The decision was made to keep them on the third grade level instead of bringing kids up a level.
The5th/6th grade B Sub. Team lost two players. This has changed the numbers for the travel team. The decision was made to call the next player from the evaluation list to see if this player would like to move up until the spots are filled. Hopefully this will not be too disruptive to the teams but help to find a better balance with numbers.
Two high school students have volunteered to coach the Girls 5/6th and 7/8th grade teams. They are both good kids however the ideal situation would be for an adult to always be present. Larry made a motion to allow them to coach contingent upon adult supervision. Glennice seconded. Unanimous.
Instructional Soccer/Darcey Walulak: Darcey felt that the instructional program in the past has always been a “free-for-all”. She had some suggestions for the future for what she felt was a better approach She presented the board with a handout with guidelines and a format for future coaches. Chris asked for clarification on a recent e-mail sent by Darcey with reference to equipment. She felt it was in poor condition and their was a lack of it. Jay mentioned that past coaches have never communicated any insufficiencies with equipment. This could have been corrected in the beginning of the season had Darcey notified Jay. Glennice asked Darcey to put together an optimal equipment package for the Kindergarten program. There was a conflict and the soccer balls were not handed out to the participants. In the future all the balls given out to the instructional programs will be handed out at the start of the program.
Sports Coordinator: Old notes and suggestions were reviewed. Jay is still waiting for feedback from past coordinators. Tina suggested tabling this matter until all the information is in.
E-mail/meeting issues: Clarification is needed as to what can/can not be handled through e-mails. Per Glennice, an open meeting law binds us and therefore no communication can be discussed through e-mails.
New Business:
No indoor soccer team will be allowed to use the new uniforms. They may purchase the old ones only. Teams will be charged for gym use unless they are a Hampden team with a team roster.
Tina suggested hanging a bulletin board by the library for any Park and Rec news.
Larry made a motion to adjourn the meeting at 8:50 P.M. Tina seconded. All in favor and so voted.
Next meeting: November 23, 2004 Tuesday at 7:00P.M.