PARK AND RECREATION BOARD
NEWTOWN TOWNSHIP
MINUTES OF OCTOBER 1, 2003
Approval of Minutes: Mr. Clancy moved to accept the minutes of October 1, 2003. Mrs. Sutton
seconded and the motion passed 6-0.
Mr. Harp thanked the Board for its hard work over the past year, and said
that he looks forward to working with them next year.
Mr. Clancy thanked the Board for a wonderful experience his first year with
them.
Mr. Davis moved to adjourn at 10:00PM. Mrs. Kelly seconded and the motion
passed 6-0.
The Newtown Township Park and
Recreation Board met on Wednesday, October 1, 2003, in the Newtown Township
Building. In attendance and voting were Andrew Levine, Vice-Chairman; John
Davis, Joel Grosso, Kathy Kelly, and Susan Sutton, members. (Anna Marie
Zambriczki arrived later). Also in attendance were Richard Weaver, Township
Supervisor; Russell Strover, Township Naturalist; and Bill Wert, Park and
Recreation Director.
Call to Order
Mr. Levine called the meeting to
order at 7:00 PM.
Re-organization
Mr. Levine said that Bernard
Bires, former chairman, will not be returning to the Board, and the Township
Supervisors have asked him to re-organize the Board, electing a new Chairman
and Vice-Chairman.
Mr. Davis moved to nominate
Andrew Levine as Chairman. Mr. Grosso seconded and the motion passed 5-0.
Mr. Davis nominated Mr. Grosso
as Vice-Chairman. Mrs. Kelly seconded and the motion passed 5-0.
Mr. Levine then asked that the Board
members begin to consider a way to acknowledge Mr. Bires' many years of stellar
service to the Park and Recreation Board and to the Township.
Presentation by Rock Newtown
Girls Softball Association
Mr. Pat Cawley, President and Mr. Joseph Garvey, Vice President of Rock Newtown Girls Softball Association, were present to speak to the Board about their "wish list" for the 2004 season.
Mr. Cawley said that the Rock
Softball league has had a very successful season. The league has grown from 24
to 32 teams. They have re-opened the snack shed at Helen Randle Park and have
hosted a tournament at the park. They are very excited about all of their
teams, especially the growth and success of their competitive travel team. He
said that it is the goal of the Rock Girls Softball Association to develop a
solid program that girls in their teens will continue to participate in. He
said that as the girls turn 16 they begin to look to other leagues for
competitive programs.
Mr. Cawley presented a list of
three requests for the Board to consider: permanent lighting for Helen Randle
field 6; a better drainage system for field 1, with improved maintenance for
both fields 1 and 6; and fenced in bench areas for all fields.
Mr. Cawley said that the lights
would extend the playing time into the evenings in early spring and also help
to enable the League to remain competitive with the other Townships in the
travel league. He said that the Rock has investigated the costs of purchase and
installation and gotten prices from Armor Electric, who installed the High
School lights and from Musco of Iowa. He said that the Musco lighting would
cost about $30,000. He also said that the Rock would be willing to work with
the Township to help with funding for the lights.
Mr. Garvey said that the Rock
would work toward raising funds for the lights, but that the lights are
necessary, both for competitive tournament play, and for teams in the regular
season. He said that the tournaments can bring as many as 480 children, with
their families, to Newtown. He said that these families spend the day, eating
lunch and dinner in area restaurants.
Mr. Levine said that residents
who have attended Park and Recreation Board meetings have expressed concern
about field lighting and about tournaments. The Board agreed that it would be a
good idea for The Rock to gain the support of the nearby residents, especially
in Tyler Walk, before they present the lighting request to the Board of
Supervisors. They also thought it might be helpful to provide some numbers to
support the claim that hosting a tournament provides economic benefit to the
Township.
Mr. Wert said that the Township
Public Works Department would work with both the Rock Girls Softball and with
Newtown Little League to improve field maintenance and drainage.
Mr. Cawley said that the request
for fenced in bench areas was for the safety of the players.
Mr. Levine moved to recommend
to the Board of Supervisors that they approve the installation of permanent
lighting on field 6 of Helen Randle Park, with the condition that Newtown Rock
Girls Softball and the Township coordinate funding efforts and that there is no
opposition from the community; and to approve fenced in bench areas to promote
the safety of the players. Mrs. Kelly seconded and the motion passed 5-0.
Mr. Grosso said that the Rock
Softball's input would be important in the planning for the development of the
Woll Tract for active recreation.
Mr. Cawley thanked the Board for
their consideration. He said that the lighting that the league is considering
is very direct and is not very visible beyond the field areas.
Newtown Little League
Mr. David Felker, President and
Mr. Howard Lemonick, Vice President of Newtown Little League presented their
"wish list" for the Spring 2004 season.
Mr. Felker asked the Board to consider a list including ten requests:
Mr. Felker said that the fenced
and covered dugouts, the rebuilding of fields, and the fencing along Sycamore
Street were all considered necessary for player safety. He said that the
relocation of the fencing at the front field, the practice pitching mounds and
the lights are requested to help the players have a better learning experience and
to make them more competitive with neighboring leagues. They would also be
better able to host some tournaments, although typically, little league
tournaments are not as large as those hosted by Girls Softball. He said that
there has been an injury caused by flying gravel at the parking lot.
Mr. Felker said that the Little
League had also been investigating the Musco lighting that Mr. Cawley had discussed for the girls
fields. He said that the lighting produces minimal light polution, and is set
on a timer to go off at a predetermined curfew time. He said that the Little
League would also want to be involved in fundraising efforts to help defray
costs.
Mr. Grosso asked if the
additional playing time afforded by lighted fields would cause additional wear
and tear. He also asked if the practice times would be extended after dark on
school nights.
Mr. Wert said that he did not
think that the fields would be adversely affected by the additional playing
time, as baseball does not tear up the fields the way that football and soccer
do.
Mr. Weaver said that he was aware
that Lower Makefield limits evening practices to two nights a week, ending by
8:00PM during the school year.
Mr. Felker said that a similar
curfew would be adopted in Newtown.
Mr. Wert said that the Public Works Department would
work with the Little League on the pitching mounds requested. He also noted
that permission to install a fence along Sycamore Street at Little League
expense had already been given in the 2003 "wish list". He said that
he was not sure that it would be possible to re-locate the fence as requested
in item 7. He said that the area would have to be measured.
Mrs. Zambriczki arrived at this
point in the meeting.
Mr. Levine said that the Planning
Commission would have to review the paving of the gravel parking lot, as this
would increase impervious surface.
Mr. Wert suggested that Little
League also provide some data to support the claim of economic benefit to the
Township when hosting tournaments.
Mr. Davis said that, because some
residents had expressed concern over the hosting of tournaments, it would also
be important to include data on the number of Newtown children participating in
these tournaments. He also suggested that the Little League gain the support of
the neighbors for the installation of lights on the fields.
Mr. Levine moved to recommend
to the Board of Supervisors that they approve requests 1 through 7 and 9 with
the condition that logistics and funding be worked out with Mr. Wert and the
Board of Supervisors, and that the Planning Commission be consulted about
paving of the parking area and installation of lights. Mr. Davis seconded and
the motion passed 6-0.
Mr. Grosso told Mr. Felker that
the Little League would be consulted as part of the planning of the active
recreation fields at the Woll Tract.
Agenda Change
New Business
Newtown Yardley Road
Associates (Newtown Office Park)
Mr. Bill Messick was present to
show plans for the development of 9.2 acres on Newtown Yardley Road at Friends
Lane. The plans call for 4 two-story office buildings, with a 40,280 square
foot footprint, for general office and medical uses. He said that some local
dentists have shown interest in locating to this office park. He said that he
had calculated the fee in lieu of open space at $52,001.
Mrs. Sutton moved to recommend
to the Board of Supervisors that they accept a fee in lieu of open space for
this project. Mrs. Kelly seconded and the motion passed 6-0.
Approval of the Minutes of
September 3, 2003
Mr. Grosso noted that page 3,
paragraph 4 should read "in the capital planning budget".
Mrs. Kelly moved to accept the
minutes as amended. Mrs. Sutton seconded and the motion passed 5-0, with Mr.
Levine abstaining.
Review of Community Center Ad
Hoc Committee Report
Mr. Levine said that he had
spoken to Mr. Jim Worthington about attending this meeting. Mr. Worthington was
unable to attend, but will attend a future meeting to discuss current and
future involvement of the business community in recreation activities.
Mrs. Sutton said that she had
reviewed the Ad Hoc Committee Report and did not feel that a need for a
community center had been demonstrated.
Mr. Levine said that at a prior
meeting a resident had requested that this Board review and discuss the report.
He asked Mrs. Zambriczki to comment on the report, as she had been part of the
Ad Hoc Committee.
Mrs. Zambriczki said that in the
early 1990's she had participated in an informal committee that was formed to
address the recreational needs of teenagers. She said that as the children get
older, the various sports team opportunities dwindle, and many of the children
are no longer interested in sports. She said that this committee began first to
go to locations where teenagers congregated, and then they held Sunday evening
meetings at the Township Building with teens. The teens all said that there is
nothing to do and no place to go after school or on weekend evenings. For the
most part, the teens were looking for a place to just hang out with friends,
listen to music and to talk. They showed little interest in organized
activities. This committee sponsored a few "battle of the bands"
events at God's Love Luteran Church that were well attended.
The committee felt that if a
place were established for the teens, such as a community center, that it could
also be used during the school day by senior citizens. It would also have been
nice to have some rooms for the Park and Recreation department to use for its
programs and classes.
Some few years later, the Board
of Supervisors appointed the Ad Hoc Committee to investigate the viability of a
community center. The Acme property was about to become available to the
Township for lease, and, because of its location within walking distance to the
High School, seemed like a good temporary location for such a center.
At the time that the report was
completed and presented to the Board of Supervisors, it had become apparent
that the Board of Supervisors was favoring inviting the YMCA to build in
Newtown, and that renovation of the Acme would be too costly for a short
term community center location. The
committee was disbanded and the matter was dropped.
Mrs. Sutton said that she thought
that there had been some improvement in the availability of teen activities,
specifically the teen dances sponsored by the NAC. She also said that the
senior citizens that she knows are already very actively involved with the
Council Rock Senior Center, which they feel is more than adequate.
Mrs. Zambriczki said that the Ad
Hoc Committee, and she personally, felt at the time of the report, that a
Community Center would have met the needs of the teens more than a YMCA would
have. She said that there are already plenty of gyms and sports related
activities in Newtown. What her informal committee had learned was that many
teens were looking for a place to go without having to participate in a
structured, supervised activity.
Mrs. Kelly said that she did not
feel that there is enough for teens in Newtown. She said that she agreed that
what the teens need is just a location for hanging out with friends, not
necessarily with organized events and programs.
Mr. Levine said that he thought
that it might be a good idea to approach some of the business leaders in the
community and request that they make a commitment to help with some teen activities, and some meeting
space.
Mr. Davis asked if Mr. Wert felt
that the Park and Recreation Department was being given adequate consideration
in the planning of the proposed municipal expansion.
Mr. Wert responded that in some
of the proposals the Park and Recreation Department would be given space in the
current Public Works building. In some plans Park and Recreation has been given
four meeting rooms and the use of the kitchen. He said that he hoped that the final
plans would still include meeting space for Park and Rec, because right now
they are at the mercy of their hosts at area health clubs, churches and
schools.
Mr. Grosso said that when this
Board had evaluated its priorities at the July 2, 2003 meeting they had agreed
that active recreation was the Board's number one priority. He said that he
would like to see space allocated to Park and Rec in the municipal expansion,
and he would like to continue to work with the business community to provide
some teen activities, but he felt that the Board should continue to recommend
to the Board of Supervisors that development of active recreation facilities is
the top priority. The rest of the Board expressed agreement with Mr. Grosso on
this.
Shade Tree Commission
Mr. Strover reported that he had
recently replaced three Liberty Elm Trees at Roberts Ridge Park.
Clark Nature Center
Mr. Strover provided copies of
some aerial photographs of the Clark Nature Center, on which he had outlined
the property lines, existing trails, trails in progress and streams. He noted
that the property is larger than they had thought, and that he has discovered
an already existing trail from the property to Helen Randle Park.
Mr. Wert said that he was
investigating the possibility of a lease agreement with PECO for a trail up to
Twining Bridge Road. He said that Horsham Township has a trail system along the
PECO wires, and he would like to speak to the Horsham Park and Rec Department
about their trail.
Mr. Strover reported that picnic
tables had been installed at the property, along with some benches along the
trails.
Mr. Wert said that Jeffrey
Marshall of the Heritage Conservancy had visited the Clark house and Barn this
week. Mr. Marshall said that he thought that the house was probably constructed
in the mid 1800's, and that it had been built in one piece. He suggested that
this might not have been the original house location. He suspected that what we
had thought was the springhouse might have been the original house. He also expressed
great interest in the construction of the barn, which is constructed of hand
hewn beams and asymetrical gables, which are of a German influence. Mr.
Marshall would like to continue to research the history of the buildings on a
volunteer basis.
Roberts Ridge Park
Mr. Levine reported that the Roberts Ridge Sub-Committee had met to review the Pennoni plan. They have suggested the following changes:
Mr. Wert said that parents will
prefer having the restrooms closer to the playground area.
Mr. Levine said that the
Sub-Committee felt that they wanted to preserve the open aesthetic, and they
did not feel that the expense involved in locating the restrooms near the
playground was justified. The plumbing costs will be considerably less if the
restroom is located close to the parking lot.
Park and Recreation Director's
Report
Mr. Wert reported that there is a
5% increase in revenue and an 18% increase in participation in Park and
Recreation Department Programs.
Mr. Wert reported that the
Staples field has been rough graded. The area is large enough to provide two
practice fields or one regulation playing field. The arrangement with Council
Rock North High School to use this field for ninth grade teams was never
finalized.
Supervisor's Report
Mr. Weaver reported that the
Board of Supervisors had voted to approve the proposal that the Park and
Recreation Board had recommended for improvements to Silver Lake Park.
Mr. Levine said that control of
the geese in this park cannot be handled by the Park and Recreation Department.
He said that the Federal Government must be involved in any goose control
program, as these animals are protected.
Members Comments
Mr. Levine said that he had
organized a Yahoo Group for the Board.
Mr. Levine moved to adjourn at
9:30PM. Mr. Davis seconded and the motion passed 6-0.
Respectfully Submitted
______________________________
Mary Donaldson, Recording Secretary