New Milford Parks and Recreation Commission
Public Meeting June 1, 2011
Present – Joe Albanese, Syed Ameen , Ray Cottiers, Neil Gouldsbury, Maura Henyecz, Patrick Matthews, John O’ Grady, Tom Schreck, Councilman Diego Robalino, John Bigger
Absent - Joseph Ricciardelli
Call to Order –
The New Milford Recreation Commission was called to order at 8:06 by Chairman John O’Grady. Mr. O’Grady read the NJ Open Public Meetings Act to all assembled.
Mr. O’Grady asked if there were any corrections or additions to the May 4, 2011 minutes. There being none, on motion by Syed Ameen, seconded by Neil Gouldsbury, the minutes were approved. Motion carried.
Coordinator’s Report/Status –
Spring Soccer. Peter Rebsch reported that everything is OK. The season will end later in the month. The goals will remain at Williams Field (off to the side) throughout the summer. The field will be closed from the end of the season through July 31 or later if it is not ready at that time. The DPW may cordon off the area used for Fall soccer.
SpringSoftball and T-Ball. Joe Albanese reported that everything is good. Debbie Yager reported that the regular season has come to its end. All post-season seeds are set. Playoffs begin June 6. The championship games will be played June 11. Debbie has order the picnic supplies from Shoprite.
UGALS softball scheduling is done except for the U12 league. UGALS have 2 more weeks of practices and scrimmages. The season starts June 13. Uniforms will be ready next week.
Summer Sports Camp. Registration for all camps is through the mail. Ray Cottiers stated that the Head Wrestling Coach at New Milford High School is interested in putting together a Wrestling Camp. High School would serve as volunteer coaches. All present voted in favor. John O’Grady will provide Ray Cottiers with background information. There is a small window of opportunity to work with for this summer.
Summer Recreation Camp. Fran Eagleson reported that there were 6 dates to register. 182 participants signed up – 73 for Gibbs, 59 for Berkley, and 50 for the Middle School. Last year there were 206 participants. Late applications will be accepted through June 22. $15,500 has been collected. Fran has sent offer letters to the counselors. T-shirts will be ordered next week. All activities, set-ups, and permissions are ready. All materials should be delivered to the 3 sites by Friday.
Fall Soccer – Recreation. No one was present to report.
Fall Soccer – Travel.Peter Rebsch shared copies of the flyers. Tryouts are scheduled for June 11 and June 18. Rosters must be finalized by the end of join per North Jersey Junior Soccer League requirements. There remains a need for coaches. The question was raised as how to best advertise the age brackets.
Fall Softball. No update.
Painting, Arts & Crafts, and New Milford Quilters. No update.
Wrestling. No update.
Basketball. No update.
Indoor Soccer. No update.
Special Events. No update.
Councilman Diego Robalino, serving as liaison to the Recreation Commission for the Mayor and Council in the absence of Keith Bachmann inquired about the previously mention closing of Williams Field. John O’Grady reviewed it for him – the field will be marked off by the DPW. No permits will be granted during the period it is closed to allow the field to rest and recover for the fall season. A permit has been approved for St. Gabriel’s Church to use the field before and after its closing.
Maura Henyecz motions to open to the Public. Joe Albanese seconds. There being no members of the public present, Joe Albanese motioned to close to the public. Syed Ameen seconded. The motion was carried.
Committee Reports –
Policies & Procedures. Joe Albanese reported that the committee will present a proposed revisionto section VII. Travel Sports of the current Policies and Procedures at the next session. The committee is attempting to clean-up the policy by clarifying ambiguities, eliminating redundancies and contradictions, and maintaining continuity. Mr. Albanese presented 2 versions of the Age Appropriate Tryout subsection. The current version allows players to try out for an “older” age level. The alternative version requires players to try out for the appropriate age level, i.e. players would not be allowed to try out to “play-up”. There was a brief discussion with arguments made for both sides. John O’Grady provided background information on the reasons the existing policy was adopted. No decision was made. It was agreed to try to simplify the age criteria for all sports into an easier to understand table format. There following a discussion regarding the best way to notify participants of the tryout results. John Bigger felt phone calls are best. It was agreed to follow this timeline:
- Try-outs
- Player Selection
- Coach Selection
- Coach notifies player selected
- Sport Coordinator calls the players not selected
Neil Gouldsbury made a motion to reopen to the public. Joe Albanese seconded. The meeting was reopened.
Aljejandro Herrera of 400 Luhmann Drive spoke of the soccer program. He would like to see it taken a step further by forming a club in New Milford to provide year-round experience and play in a better league. Mr. Herrera was clear that he doesn’t want to take anything away from the Travel Soccer Program. The commissioners inquired about where the team(s) would play, how the club would be funded, the role of the Recreation Commission in this scenario, and other related questions. Peter Rebsch related the difficulties experienced by Fair Lawn when a similar effort was undertaken. John O’Grady suggested that Mr. Herrera do some further research, prepare a simple, yet comprehensive, written proposal to address the questions of field space, fees and costs, insurance requirements. Mr. Herrera agreed to do so and stated he could have something ready by June 15. It was made clear that if anything can be done, it is too late to do anything until 2012.
Mr. O’Grady asked if there was a motion to close to the public. Maura Henyecz motioned such. Tom Schreck seconded. The meeting was closed.
Correspondences. John O’Grady read Councilman Keith Bachmann’s resignation letter. Mr. Bachmann has resigned from his position in advance of his confirmation as a judge on the state Superior Court. Nominees are required to resign from elected office before accepting a judgeship.
Director’s Report –
Mr. Bigger reported that he completed a series of meetings with the Mayor and Borough Chief Financial Officer Mark Polito. $5,420 has now been removed from the 2011/2012 line items which impacts positively on the Commission’s ability to spend. $9,000 from soccer registrations and fees has been put into a contra account to pay for fall recreation soccer. It has not been added to the budget. It can be used to cover referee fees, estimated at $6,800, T-Shirt costs estimated at $1,600-$1,800, flags, and balls.
Mr. Albanese requested the definition of a contra account. Mr. Bigger explained that it is an exception to the regular account/budget for a dedicated purpose. It doesn’t impact the budget. John O’Grady gave an example of the “net zero” effects. The contra accounts are good for 1 year past the budget year. This helps with basketball and Indoor Soccer.
This helps address budget concerns which were a direct result of the transition from last year. Mr. Bigger acknowledged the help provided by the Mayor and Mr. Polito to resolve the problems. Next week, Mr. Bigger will get a letter from Mr. Polito that explains everything to the Treasurer’s Office.
Mr. O’Grady asked Mr. Bigger to prepare a budget summary spreadsheet for June 15 meeting.
Mr. Bigger reported the backstop fence on Field A has been fixed.
Debbie Yager has applied to be Fall UGALS Coordinator.
Fields will be fertilized this Friday.
There may be approximately $70,000 of FEMA money available from 2007 for flood damage on La Barbera Field.
Recreation Building/ Fields/Parks. John O’Grady presented 4 requests to Mr. Bigger:
- DPW to put up handicapped and Rec Building signs on the Recreation Building by the end of June;
- Clean the gutters on the Rec Building. Mr. Bigger has already addressed this with the DPW.
- Look into the leak in the building;
- Get the Air Conditioner in the downstairs office installed in the upstairs meeting room.
Mr. Matthews enquired about the Non-Smoking policy and the need for signage. Mr. Bigger stated that there are no signs. He will get prices and work with Borough Administrator Christine Demiris to get appropriate language.
The Tennis Courts at Sutton Place arelooking well. John O’Grady asked Councilman Robalino if there has been any talk of the rededication. Mr. Robalino responded that the question has not come up and promised to ask about it.
Tom Schreck asked for an update on the grant to replace the swing sets at Memorial Field and upgrade the area to current standards. Mr. Robalino will inquire about this also.
Old Business –
Softball Pitching Clinic. This will be revisited in January.
Women’s Softball League. After a brief review of this matter, the motion was made to table it to later in the year and take up the question again for 2012.
Fingerprinting. Questions regarding the fingerprinting of volunteers remain unresolved pending the June 13 Mayor and Council Meeting.
Pending Field Permit Requests. None.
Hiring of New Secretary. The job description was approved unanimously approved. The job will be advertized to the public. The goal is to hire a new secretary for the July 6 public meeting. John O’Grady asked Maura Henyecz, Neil Gouldsbury, and Patrick Matthews to serve as the Selection Committee.
Memorial Day Parade. Mr. O’Grady acknowledged those who participated in the parade as representatives of New Milford Recreation. He also expressed his disappointment with the low turnout. Maura Henyecz spoke to the need for coaches to encourage participation and the Recreation Commission to push for more involvement.
Concussion Training. It was agreed that it may be best to hold this in September to capture fall sports and basketball, indoor soccer, Jr. Football, etc.
T-Shirt Drive.The drive continues through the end of softball.
New Business –
New Field Permits Requests. None.
Fishing Derby. The New Milford Alliance is hosting this annual at HardcastlePond on Saturday June 18. It was pointed out that the Recreation Commission is responsible for the pond.
Peter Rebsch inquired about the availability of La Barbera Field for soccer games this fall. John O’Grady said we are looking at Wednesday or Thursday evenings as possibilities. John Bigger needs to look at the field, get measurements/size requirements, see about nets, and any other requirements.
On motion by Maura Henyecz, seconded by Joe Albanese, the meeting adjourned at 10:33. Next meeting will be June 15th at 8:00.
Respectfully submitted,
Patrick Matthews
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