Hopkinton Recreation Committee
Meeting Minutes
May 27, 2008
Meeting called to order at 6:05 PM at the Slusser Senior Center.
Members in attendance: Louise Carr, Valerie Carr, Jim Martin, Lillian Landry, Mark Newton, Jessica Shimen and Recreation Director Justin La Vigne. Guests were Merle Dustin and Patrice La Vigne. ~
Approval of 4/29/08 Recreation Committee minutes:
The minutes from 4/29/08 were approved.
Business:
Justin welcomed the two new members of the Recreation Committee. The Selectman approved their appointment. New members (and even some old ones) will be officially sworn in. Look for letters to tell you when. Committee members generally have a 3-year term, but Justin will check with Nancy. Louise said to just make sure all members’ terms don’t expire at the same time. Justin noted there are still openings. Louise mentioned she knew of another possible member. In the future, the committee may have more positions, such as secretary, co-chairperson, etc..
Justin updated the committee about the status of Summer Day Camp and Kimball Pond. All counselors are hired, including the one to be paid out of the revolving fund. However, Justin is waiting to hire the second counselor until enrollment goes up. All the counselors are in college or have graduated college. The background checks are also complete. Justin said he arranged so that the campers will go to the pond twice a week and will walk with the counselors instead of paying a bus service for the 3-mile ride, pending selectman approval. This may save $2,000 in transportation fees. As of now, camp enrollment ranges from 15 to 22 campers per session, but expect some more as school lets out (third notice about camp is about to go out). Committee members suggested considering a cutoff date for enrollment and having an early
discount for signing up, in order to plan for adequate number of counselors. All the lifeguards for the pond are hired as well. Some are old, some are new. The pond will be updated with a lifeguard dock and 2 chairs on the beach.
Justin said he will be ordering new volunteer shirts for the whole department. Instead of the heavy collared shirts (there are only 3 left), he will order tshirts. He picked out one possibility that says “Got Rec? Hopkinton does” He is coordinating this order with his tshirt order for summer camp and lifeguards.
Justin asked for feedback from the committee about his position, noting that it has grown tremendously over the last 10 years. Most towns have a Parks & Recreation Director, but Hopkinton changed the title to just Recreation Director, although he still has to do some park management. He is also very busy running 2 buildings, coordinating all the recreation programming, running camp and the pond, so he is trying to figure out a way to fit it all in. Ideally, the department needs an assistant director position. But until the time comes for that to happen, there may be other things Justin can do to alleviate some of the duties. One possibility is to relinquish all duties associated with the parks (scheduling, etc.), which is heavy in the summer. Justin has talked to Greg (buildings and grounds
manager) about that, but he said he is too busy. Louise said maybe Don Houston would want to do it. Merle suggested Justin hire a summer position to help with parks and also other summer responsibilities. Justin said the difficulty comes with how to pay this person. The members discussed if HYSA or the schools could fund a park director position. Or maybe Justin can pay for this out of his revolving fund. Justin will look into it some more.
Programs Update:
Scrapbook Workshop at Columbia Hall – Justin reported that there were only a few people, but it’s an event that will grow. Is considering doing a scrapbook club at Columbia Hall.
Meet the Author at Columbia Hall – Again, Justin said there were not a lot of people for the event on Saturday afternoon. The weather could play a role.
Fun Fair – Justin went and said he will do it again. He met a lot of people and gave great exposure to the department.
Where do the Children Play?” Presentation at Columbia Hall – Justin said there were approximately 20 people who attended, even though he expected it would draw in a larger crowd. The speaker was great and the people who attended really enjoyed the program. He said it was great to work with the Little Nature Museum and he plans to work with them again. He also said he may do an encore presentation.
Summer Brochure – Justin showed the committee the finished product, which he distributed at the Fun Fair. He decided he will only make black and white ink copies on colored paper because the cost is too much to do it in color. Plans to put it in kids’ folder at school. This will serve as the third announcement about camp and the second reminder about swim lessons.
Upcoming Events:
Movie in the Park – June 21 on Memorial Field. Justin is organizing details for the movie in the park, which will be E.T. Justin has three large movie posters which he will use to advertise in the schools. The Riverband will open at 7pm and the movie will begin around dusk, which will hopefully be around 8:30/9. The committee expressed concerns about the mosquitoes, but Justin said he will sell or give out bug spray/wipes at the concession stand. Justin said he will need a lot of volunteers for this. Public Works will block off the front lawn for parking, so will need volunteers for this and concessions. At 4pm, the crew shows up to set up. Justin would like volunteers to come at 6/6:30pm. Mark said he got some donations for chips.
Gear Sale – June 28 at Slusser Senior Center – Justin said he set up the gear sale to coincide with the library’s book sale. Some members thought it may interfere with sports.
Fourth of July: Louise talked a bit about the July 4th celebration and about the planning sessions. She asked for feedback about the games, looking to provide more for women, men and teenagers. She is still looking for volunteers to help with setup, parking, raffle, concessions, clean-up, etc. She is still not sure if there will be a road race. There will be 2-3 more planning meetings.
Other Business:
Our next meeting is scheduled for June 24 @ 6:00 PM at the Slusser Senior Center (after Movie in the Park)
We are adjourned at 8:10 PM.
Respectfully Submitted,
Justin La Vigne
| 
