Peter Claire, Chair

Jeanne Rebillard

Leslie Rohan

Antionette Critelli

Allison Francis

Roger Russell

Tom Werner

Recreation Minutes

June 1, 2004

NEXT MEETING:  TUES., JULY6, 7:00 AT TOWN HALL.

NEXT REC COMMISSION MTG.:  WED., JUNE 2 AT 6:00 AT WEBATUCK CAMPUS, HOME AND CAREER ROOM

BASEBALL – Ken Pomesil, Art Peters,

Connie Mack – 16 – 18 years, can draw from P. Plains, Millerton, Dover, play all over region – southern Connecticut.  Pay $158 for League fee and insurance.  $300 forfeit fee, haven’t used this.  Babe Ruth and Connie Mack do not charge registration fee.  Little League has a registration fee to pay for their uniforms.  Antoinette Critelli made a motion to urge other participating Towns to pay Amenia a fee to offset cost of hosting these programs.  Rebillard:  Rec Committee would handle structure of fees.  Want to turn rec. more into a business.  Art:  Did propose earlier that concession stand is the money-making vehicle – we can’t coach and run concession. 

Another issue is the problem of other towns,   Art Peters:  Ballpark committee fell apart, nobody knew how to take the reins.  Lost retired people who used to groom fields.  The Monarchs,  College Kids – we are looking to bring this back.  Self-funded back then.  Art:  Every year, have to improve the fields.  Town used to pay a maintenance fee so fence company would keep fences repaired.  Rec committee wants to know if programs are operating within their budgeted amount.  Need to know when each team’s schedule to keep lighting costs under control. 

Budget:  Equipment:  Connie Mack (schedule was given to Town Clerk) will not break even because of umpires.  $2,600 is not enough.   11 home games, x $110/game = $1,200 alone. Baseballs are $28 / dozen, game balls are $50/dozen = $400 spent so far.  Snow fence might lower these costs by enabling some fly balls to be recovered.  Could use a dozen / game.  Sr. Leagues use better balls, need 7 dozen baseballs/year.   Bought practice balls.  Shied away from buying bats ($200 each):  kids bring their own.   Catcher’s equipment can run $300 full set and lasts only a couple of seasons.

Comment:  Farm League can offset additional expenses with registration fees and concession money, but I can see you guys (soccer?) can’t do this.   We should calculate costs/budget as a whole for recreation.  Art:  We are all part of Recreation, we want funding to be all together.  Will probably have cost over-run of $100 this year. 

Maintenance:  Need 100 feet of hose to get clay to keep from becoming concrete, nail drag (350 penny nails, lumber to make our own) as drag mat is useless.  The Budget provides for basic costs, need separate line for maintenance, volunteers are not also going to do maintenance.  Roller is broke, tractor probably needs servicing, need to fertilize, seed, test the soil, aerate field, high school has aerator.  Pete Claire:  trying to work out trades in equipment and manpower.  Art Peters:  if it weren’t high school, the fields would not have been prepared.  Little League does not get this work done, however.  Need to budget appropriately, get manpower.  Need between 5,000 - $10,000/year.  Grass, lime, manpower.  Ken:  Should hire college kid to drag, fertilize, paint, cut grass (instead of contract this).  Teachers are could be hired to help with maintenance.  Should have community clean up in fall/spring.

Fundraiser:  P. Claire:  plan to sell signs on fence:  2x4 signs, $50 / sign plus annual rent of $150 or so.  He will check into Little League safety issue, but nothing in handbook about it.  Wooden signs on chains may have been problem in Millerton.  This is stop gap measure for fundraising - still need maintenance line. On off season, could have bake sales at concession stand.  Another possible fundraiser could coincide with rededication of the field.

Fees for out-of-towners:  Pomesil:  His program keeps 18 kids off the streets, and kids tend to pay for this out of their own pocket.  There are only 10 out-of-town kids.  Jeanne:  Maybe it will grow to 30 kids in the future, but it is hard to penalize kids in the same school district, but maybe charge extra fee for Pine Plains, Dover kids.  Art:   How much work do you want to do for 4 extra kids?  Concession is great money-maker:  Ken:  am hesitant to charge $50-type fees.  There are160 kids approximately now in ball programs.  Comment:  Recreation is to going to grow:  don’t want to make money off baseball, soccer, but on other hand, there are other needs in the community . . . Jeanne:  We think you (coaches) are doing a great job and should not be saddled with maintenance responsibilities.   Lights are out again.  Parking lot lights are not on though they are supposed to be on a sensor.  Town dumps gravel at park which is making it increasingly difficult to get to lower fields, It is difficult to park cars, kids playing in parking lot.  Should move playground. Connie Mack is the only team that draws, by and large, from other towns.  Art has asked for $100 for Lyons Club donations from Amenia, Pine Plains and haven’t received anything so far.

Lights:  The lights should not be turned on until the meter is read in mid April (date is never certain) and left off after mid-November reading to avoid being charged for additional 2-month charges.  Lights are “on demand.”  Once on, still being charged kilowatt hours.  New locks were put on lights which is why need schedules are needed from coaches.  Parking lot lights are not on demand.  After middle of the month, Nov., are wrapping up season.  Sunday before Thanksgiving is end of season.  Would like leeway of a week.  Connie Mack, etc. starts first couple of weeks in May to Dec.  Used to be charged for 6 months on, 6 months off – was a good deal.  No longer available.

Soccer:  Field dimensions:  110 yards long, 50 yards wide.  Need (min.) full size regulation field, one smaller field for practice.  Town of Northeast gives $750/year and 45% of participants and Millerton gives $300.  Travel is separate.   Travel league:  $75/person, offsets $35 registration, gives insurance, but no liability for board members.  Kids that play indoor also included in $75 fee.  No other team comes close to this kind of fee structure.  Jeanne:  Should recycle uniforms. Response:  It costs $25 for shirts, socks, shorts.  When recycle, only get half back, never get enough for full team.  But do this for travel uniforms which are $50.  Pete (McCaffery?):  We do make use of Webutuck field in spring, all ready to go and maintenance is taken care of.  Travel program, 5 teams, 15 each, previously ran indoor, but didn’t have enough volunteers to do it this year.  May increase $30 to cover uniforms.  Use town money to paint fields, nets, flags, balls.  There will be a transition in the next year or two, younger parents have to start volunteering.  Pete:  Have same problem, a dozen people do 90% of work.  Parents do help, not as many as like to run concession stand.   Put out sign up sheet, don’t get as many as would like.  Parents are asked to bring baked goods to raise funds.  Insurance alone is $1,400, budget is only $1,000.  We run probably the most effective concession – get $400 - $500 / week, (not pure profit).  Going well.  Older kids’ teams do not have as much parent support for concession.  Soccer was set up as non-profit:  Buy all of our paint, etc.  Opportunities to save money is with joint recreation commission as a way to pay for soccer’s insurance.  Combined works well for soccer, but could disappear tomorrow if paperwork is not maintained, 

Soccer on Baseball fields:  Have to move goals on and off, and beats up on the fields.  Run three soccer teams, tricky to schedule, spring is more of an issue with more active baseball season,

Rec Director:   Need Rec. Director to manage all the teams.   Jeanne:  Looking for director in 2005 to spearhead, facilitate these activities.  What works for soccer may not work for baseball.  Director needs to be part-time year round and need to hire college kid to do maintenance.  Rec Director should conduct baseball registration in March, schedule clean up day, be responsible for planning for pool, soccer fields, and be coordinator of all info.

Antoinette made a motion to update the 1974 Recreation Plan and submit it to Town Board, seconded by Brian.  Unanimously agreed upon.

Respectfully submitted,

 Vicki Doyle