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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2017_08_08 Recreation Commission Minutes TOWN OF MAMARONECK RECREATION COMMISSION MEETING MINUTES August 8, 2017 PRESENT: James Druker, Chairman Dr. Robert Morello William Paonessa Rita Plansky Terry Rainaldi EXCUSED: Nathalie Orans Susan Sigel ALSO PRESENT: Jill Fisher, Superintendent of Recreation Stephen Altieri, Town Administrator Jaine Elkind Eney, Town Board Liaison Vicky Laoutaris, Recreation Supervisor Eileen Puleo, Commission Secretary Maria Ellin, Camp Monroe Director Pam Triano, Camp Murray Director TJ Ostruzka, Hommocks Playground Camp Director Bruno Duarte, Hommocks Playground Assistant Camp Director This special meeting, held at Vintage 1891 Kitchen, 2098 Boston Post Road, Larchmont was called to order at 6:10 P.M. by Chairman Druker. ACCEPTANCE OF MEETING MINUTES: On a motion by Commissioner Rainaldi, seconded by Commissioner Plansky, the Meeting Minutes of June 20, 2017 were unanimously approved as amended. SUPERINTENDENT'S UPDATE: Ms. Fisher reported the following: 1. Applications for the use of the Carpino-Steffens Fields have been approved for the following groups: • Mamaroneck School District • Larchmont/Mamaroneck Football Club • Westchester Soccer Club 2. A copy of an email from Ms. Amy Hagar complimenting the Teen Travel Camp is enclosed. 3. A copy of an email from Mr. Jason Pinto, Village of Mamaroneck Recreation Department regarding the cancellation of their summer camp swim lessons is enclosed. 4. Our Kayaking and Paddle Boarding classes will begin the week of August 14t" 5. Due to inclement weather, the July 24th outdoor concert was postponed until Monday, August 7th. Sponsorships for this year's summer concert series totaled $4,950. 6. The 2017/2018 Fall-Winter Recreation Brochure was mailed out to residents. Program registration is scheduled to begin on Monday, August 21st. Many fall programs will start the week of September 18t" Town of Mamaroneck Recreation Commission Meeting Minutes August 8, 2017 - Page 2 SUPERINTENDENT'S UPDATE CONTINUED: 7. The Hommocks Playground and Pre-School Camps conclude on Friday, August 11t". The enrollment numbers were as follows: Hommocks Playground Camp—434 Pre School Camp— 125 Breakfast Club— 161 Pre School Extended Day—67 Extended Day— 102 Camp Monroe— 71 Teen Travel Camp—61 8. Our summer swim lessons had 78 participants enrolled and our Competitive Swim Team had an enrollment of 115 swimmers. The swim team won 3 out of their 5 meets. 9. Our Multi Sport camps that are held at the end of the summer had 33 enrolled and the Sport Squirts program had 17 enrolled. The First Play Tennis program was fully enrolled with 16 participants. 10. We will be hosting another Outdoor Movie in the Park on Friday, September 8th. We will be showing Zootopia on our new big screen. 11. Our 1st Annual Food Truck Festival is scheduled to be held on Saturday, October 14' from 12:00 pm —4:00 pm at Memorial Park. This event is in cooperation with the Town of Mamaroneck Fire Department. We hope that you can all attend. 12. The Summer Sizzler fitness program had 23 participants. 13. Aqua Jog &Aqua Zumba programs had 28 participants enrolled. 14. The Golf Squirts and First Play Golf programs were a success this summer with 25 enrolled. 15. The Brick Kids program held at the end of August had 18 participants. 16. The invitations for Camp Monroe's Annual Young Artists Show and Camp Central's Sing- Along are enclosed. 17. Our summer Golf instructional programs had 19 participants enrolled. 18. The 4th Annual Invitational Swim Meet that was scheduled for Friday,July 14th was unfortunately cancelled due to bad weather. However, MSC swimmers and parents moved their party inside the ice rink for a night of fun and games. News 12 arrived and covered the event. 19. Tennis lessons for both Youth and Adults will finish up the week of August 14t". The fall series of lessons are scheduled to begin the week of September 11t" 20. Our new Chess Camp scheduled for the week of August 21st has 15 participants currently enrolled. 21. Skating School registration will be available online starting this fall. Online permit renewals will be offered beginning this winter. 22. The Revenue to Expense Report was enclosed for the Early Morning Swim Program. The program came up a little short in revenue because we did not meet the expected number of enrollees. However, we did sell four new pool permits to help offset that. It was suggested to continue this program for the fall season to see if the numbers are there to sustain the program. 23. This summer the Camps participated in the"Camps Care About Hunger" program. All of the food collected was donated to the Larchmont Mamaroneck Hunger Task Force. Photos were enclosed. 24. Work has begun on the 2018 budget. Budget discussions will most likely be held at the September 12th commission meeting. 25. The pool will be opening to the public at 11:00 am as of Monday, August 14th since camps have ended. Labor Day hours will be: Saturday and Sunday 10:00 am —8:40 pm and Monday 10:00 am —6:40 pm. The pool will be closed for post summer cleaning, September 5th— 11th. 26. Landtek is scheduled for Monday, August 28'to aerate, overseed, topdress and fertilize the Hommocks Fields. Town of Mamaroneck Recreation Commission Meeting Minutes August 8, 2017 - Page 3 SUPERINTENDENT'S UPDATE CONTINUED: 27. The first ice rental at the Hommocks Park Ice Rink is scheduled for Monday, August 21st Rob Lunde and Mike Gibson have been busy turning the floor over for our first rental. 28. The Hommocks Park Ice Rink was voted Westchester's Favorite Ice Rink in 2017 by Westchester Magazine. Congratulations to the ice rink staff. 29. On Wednesday,July 28t", NBC/Universal TV Productions used the Hommocks parking lot and the rink arena for staging and feeding of their crew while they were filming a TV show in the area for a new show called The Sinner. A fee of$5,500 was collected for this usage which was deposited into the Ice Rink Trust Fund Account. 30. Preliminary discussions have begun with Weston and Sampson, a consulting company the Town is considering working with to conduct an evaluation of the Hommocks Pool. Ms. Fisher will continue to keep the Commission updated on this matter as it progresses. 31. There was no new information to report on the Kayak Feasibility Study. Ms. Fisher will keep the Commission updated on this matter. 32. The new video surveillance system at the Ice Rink is scheduled for installation at the end of August. 33. New LED Ice Rink pathway lights have been installed and the exterior benches have been refurbished outside of the Ice Rink. 34. Pool patrons were very happy with the new installation of a new giant umbrella that was installed in the mushroom pool area for this summer. CHAIRMAN'S UPDATE: Chairman Druker shared with the Commission that Pickleball is the new up and coming sport. Chairman Druker would like the Recreation Office to look into painting new Pickleball lines on our Memorial Park Tennis Courts and maybe in the future offer a Pickleball program. EVALUATION OF 2017 CAMP SEASON: Camp Monroe: Mrs. Maria Ellin Mrs. Maria Ellin, Director of Camp Monroe, stated that her 71 campers are having a wonderful time this summer. The camp day is broken into seven, 30 minute periods. Daily activities include: arts & crafts, sprinkler, snacks, playground and lunch. Special Guests included: visits by the Town of Mamaroneck Police and Fire Departments and the Volunteer Ambulance Corps. Special Events consisted of Parent Visiting Day, Crazy Hair Day, Treasure Hunt Day, Summer Birthday Party, Field Day, Art Show and the end of camp Ice Cream Social. Parent Comments: • Hold Art Show on a weekend or first thing in the morning. Hard for working parents to go mid-day. • Felt there was a good selection of activities and fun things to do. • All the staff are wonderful! • My son comes home happy every day and tells me very enthusiastically about his day at camp. • My son who has separation anxiety loved Camp Monroe! Town of Mamaroneck Recreation Commission Meeting Minutes August 8, 2017 - Page 4 EVALUATION OF 2017 CAMP SEASON CONTINUED: Thank you to: • Jill Fisher— For always making an appearance on "Opening Day" to see how we are all doing or if we need anything. • Vicky— It has been a pleasure working with Vicky during the summer months. She's always available if I should need anything for camp. I'm thankful for all the new changes that occurred this year. She's a gem! • Office Staff— Michelle and Eileen, thank you for all the hard work you do every day. • Recreation Commission Members for their support throughout the year which has made a difference on the new outlook at Camp Monroe. • Michael Orchanian— For keeping the facility clean. Thank you for repairing all the rooms that were damaged during the flood. The rooms look remarkable! Final Comments: I would like to thank my Assistant Director, Unity Leaders, EMT, Counselors and Crossing Guards for all their hard work. It has been a great camp season. I look forward to another camp year in 2018. Camp Central: Ms. Pam Triano Ms. Pam Triano, Director of Camp Murray informed the Commission that Camp Central enjoyed another successful summer. The camp day is divided into 30 minute periods. Daily activities include: fitness, music, arts & crafts, water play, playground, snack time and story time. Special Guests included: visits from the Town of Mamaroneck Police and Fire Departments and the Volunteer Ambulance Corps. Special Events included Crazy Hat Day, Ice Pop Day, Carnival Day and the end of Camp Sing-A- Long. Parent Comments: Pros • Making friends. • Playground time, Arts and Crafts and Singing. • Loved being dropped off like big kids. • Loved the Theme Days Cons • Too hot. • Going home Suggestions for next year: • To extend the camp day to 1:15 pm for all campers so everyone can eat lunch at camp. Thank you to: • Vicky—for visiting camp and checking to see if anything was needed. • My Staff and my assistant Angela for all they do to make this camp run so well. • The office staff, Michelle and Eileen for all their help. Ms. Triano was happy to have had another safe and successful summer and looks forward to another camp year in 2018. Town of Mamaroneck Recreation Commission Meeting Minutes August 8, 2017 - Page 5 EVALUATION OF 2015 CAMP SEASON CONTINUED: Hommocks Playground: Mr.TJ Ostruzka Mr. TJ Ostruzka, Director of the Hommocks Playground stated that he and his staff were given the responsibility of keeping 435 campers safe and active. The camp day was comprised of six, 45 minute blocks. Activities include: arts & crafts, dance, sports, swimming, game area, black top, field time and rink time. These activities change depending on the day. Special events included: Trips to Playland, Sportime and My 3 Sons. Special Events included activities such as: Crazy Hat Day, Mad Science, Magician, Ice Cream Wednesdays,Treasure Hunt, Ice Pop Day, Pizza Day Friday's, Camp Field Day, Carnival Day, Camp Bar-B-Q/Western Day,Talent Show, Halloween in July, Piñata Day, and DJ Bruno. Hommocks Playground was also visited by the Town of Mamaroneck Police and Fire Departments and the Volunteer Ambulance Corps. Parent Comments: • My daughter has loved everything about camp. She raves about her counselors and how wonderful they are. • This was our first summer at Hommocks camp and he really loved it! He said it was much better than our club camp last summer—so we're thrilled! • I think the camp is terrific—this is our first year and we have been extremely pleased. Recommendations: • Include the money for ice cream in the camp fee. • Raise fees in order to provide more on site entertainment. Thank you to: • Vicky, because we share the same passion for making this camp great and her ideas are helpful to us and I can't wait to see this camp grow and become greater than it already is. • Bruno, for another wonderful summer that would not have been possible without your help. • Thank you to the office staff at the Recreation Department. Thank you for all the hard work you do every day to keep our camp going. Final Thought: The Hommocks Playground camp continues to grow and improve. I am excited to say that we have accomplished our personal goal of sending campers home safe and tired. I look forward to another successful summer in 2018. ADJOURNMENT: There being no further business to come before the Commission, on a motion by Chairman Druker, seconded by Commissioner Morello, the meeting adjourned at 8:30 P.M.