2008-02-06
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Recreation Commission Minutes
February 6,2008
RECREATION COMMISSION MEETING MINUTES
Wednesday, February 6,2008
NEXT MEETING MARCH 5, 2008 AT SCHLATHAUS PARK
The regular meeting of the Town of Wappinger Recreation Commission was held
February 6,2008 at Schlathaus Park, 126 All Angels Hill Road, Town of Wappinger,
Dutchess County, New York.
The meeting was called to order at 7:00 p.m. by Acting Chairman Bruce Lustig in
Chairman Ralph J. Holt's absence. Also present were Scott Cheney, Recreation Director,
Kay V onReyn, Acting Senior Director and Bob Sheridan, Maintenance Supervisor.
Commission Members present were Gary Trudell, Meera Dave and Uma Satyendra.
Mr. Chad Ummel was invited as a guest but could not attend.
The minutes ofthe January 9,2008 meeting were accepted with no corrections.
INCOMING CORRRESPONDENCE:
1. a. At the Dec 26th, 2007 Town Board meeting Resolution # 2007-265 was
Adopted - The Town Board accepted our application for a grant to subsidize
Recreation's "Learn To Swim" P~9gram.
b. Also, Resolution #2007- 265 was Adopted - Allowing the carryover of
unused vacation days by six (6) town employees, including Eileen Manning.
2. A revised letter was received from Wappinger Pop Warner requesting the use of
the Town Hall for their registration for 2008. The revision was necessary as their
dates conflicted with Recreation's sign-up dates. Those dates, April 5th, May 17th
and June i\ have now been approved.
3. A letter was received from Wal *Mart Corporate Giving in response to our letter
requesting a donation for our Elks Senior Christmas Party. They informed us that
all requests are to be made through our local store and not through the main
office.
4. a. At the January 9t\ 2008 Town Board meeting Resolution # 2008-7 was
Adopted - The Town Board approved Petty Cash funds for four. (4)
departments including Recreation. A letter requesting a cwection to this
resolution has been sent to the Supervisor to allow.Recreation to maintain a
$200 Petty Cash Fund as opposed to the $100 fund approved in this
resolution. No clarification has yet been received by this department.
b. Also, Resolution #2008-17 was Adopted - approving the salary of Senior
Exercise teacher Sue Borchard. As above, a letter was sent to the
Supervisor advising him that the salary approved was incorrect. Mrs.
Borchard was approved at $20.00 an hour but has been receiving $22.50 an
hour for more than 2 years. It is hoped that there will be no problem in
rectifying this matter.
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February 6, 2008
5. A News Release was received from the office of Bill Steinhaus announcing the
"Quadricentennial" celebration of the 400th anniversary of Henry Hudson's first
trip up the Hudson River. He sees this as an "opportunity to spotlight Dutchess
County to the rest of the world" and bring in tourism revenues..
6. An e-mail was received from Alex Ippolito requesting the use of Schlathaus Park
for a concert, that would include several "Hard Rock" bands. His time frame is
flexible. The Commisssion sighted several problems including noise factor and
parking. No decision was made at this time. Mr. Cheney indicated that with the
proper supervision this might be a good idea for the youth of the area to have this
kind of event to attend. Mrs. Manning will have Mr. Ippolito contact Mr. Cheney
with some specifics. This will be addressed at the next Commission meeting.
7. Employment applications were received from:
a. Donald Grossman looking for employment with our Maintenance Dept.
Copies to Bob Sheridan and Ralph Holt.
b. Vincent La Vacca, also looking for employment with our Maintenance Dept.
Copies to Bob Sheridan and Ralph Holt.
c. Bernarda Perez looking for a position in cleaning and maintenance. Copies to
Ralph Holt and Bob Sheridan.
8. A letter was received from the WCSD with information about their planned
referendum vote for March 11, 2008 seeking voters approval to expend a
maximum of$107 million. Copies of this letter were distributed to each member
ofthe commission. Mr. Cheney has encouraged all to get the word out about the
upcoming vote in March indicating that it would only cost about $12 per
household for 5 years to accomplich what needs to be done.
9. a. At the January 14th, 2008 Town Board meeting Resolution # 2008-39 was
Adopted - The Town Board approved Recreation salaries for our Gymnastics,
Aerobics, Volleyball and Baton Twirling Programs.
b. Also, Resolution # 2008-40 was adopted approving Recreation salaries for our
Winter Basketball Program. As above, a letter was sent to the Supervisor
advising him that the salary of$25.00 an hour approved for Lawrence Brooks
was correct, but the salary of$12.00 an hour for his assistant, Aaron Brooks,
was incorrect. Our assistant instructor has always received $12.50 an hour.
10. A letter and promotional CD was sent to Scott Cheney from Vickie Russell ,
singer / songwriter, requesting a slot in our Summer Concert Series.
11. Faxes received from JVB Landscaping, Inc. and Neave Landscaping, Inc. with
quotes for the repair of the vandalism done to Rockingham Park JVB
Landscaping sent a quote of $4,700.00 and Neave Landscaping sent a quote of
$29,870.73. These quotes were sent to the Sheriffs Office and forwarded to the
District Attorney's Office to determine charges against the perpetrators. Mr.
Lustig asked if, in an unrelated incident, we had heard anything from FEMA in
regard to the flood damage done to our properties in April of 2007. Mrs.
Manning stated that the FEMA report was put together by the former
Comptroller and has heard no word on the outcome of our claim.
12. A letter was received from Angelo Fabrizio ofthe Hudson Valley Nat'1 Adult
Baseball Assn. requesting the use of the fields at Robinson Lane. His request
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February 6,2008
was forwarded to Bill Farrell but was informed that the schedule submitted could
not be approved until the Little League, WCSD and Yankee schedules were set.
13. A letter and application was received from the Dutchess County Youth Bureau
asking for nominations for their annual YEA Awards for Youth and Adults. A
copy of this was given to each member of the Commission so that if they have a
suitable candidate they may respond.
13. A letter and promotional CD was received from the Big Blue Big Band seeking a
booking with the Town. Forwarded to Scott Cheney.
14. A flyer was received from the Banjo Rascals with promotional information.
Forwarded to Scott Cheney.
15. A letter was received from Steven Burchard advertising his "Simply Steven
Magic Show". Forwarded to Scott Cheney.
16. The Summary ofthe February 4th Town Board Meeting indicates that interviews
were held for various open positions including the Recreation Commission.
OUTGOING CORRESPONDENCE
1. Thank You letters were sent out to the Elks Lodge #2609 and to all that
contributed money and raffle prizes that made our Elks Senior parties such a
success.
2. A memo went to the Town Clerk requesting the use of the large meetinj room by
Recreation for Playground Registration on the following days: May 2n and 3rd,
May 30th and 31 st, and June 20th.
3. A thank you letter was sent from Kay VonReyn to Tom McFall of Hannaford's
thanking him for the monthly donation of a birthday cake for Senior birthdays
once a month for the past two years. Ms. V onReyn is hoping to apply again soon.
4. A memo was sent to George Kolb, Code Enforcement Director, from Ralph Holt
regarding the plans for a roadway / walkway to circumvent the fencing around the
mansion and allowing access to the Dutchess County Sports Museum.
5. Bid requests were sent out to three companies to determine who will do the tick
spraying for the eight (8) used Recreation properties.
6. Letters were sent to six (6) area businesses that have signs at Robinson Lane
asking for additional payment to cover the year 2008. Two have responded with
payment thus far.
7. A letter was sent to the Elks Lodge #2609 requesting dates for the use of their hall
for the 2008 Elks Senior Parties. Dates have been confirmed for Wednesday,
December 3rd and Tuesday, December 9th 2008.
8. A memo has been sent to the Town Board requesting their approval for the
purchase of Beam Clay for Robinson Lane from Partac Peat. Mr. Lustig asked
what quantity we are requesting and Mrs. Manning stated that it would be
approximately 25 tons or a truckload.
9. A memo was sent to Supervisor Colsey from Ralph Holt informing him of his
planned vacation from February 4th to March 3rd, 2008.
10. A letter was sent to C.I.A. Security, the company that monitors the fire alarm at
the Carnwath Carriage House, with contact names and phone numbers in case of
an emergency.
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February 6,2008
11. A memo was sent to Supervisor Colsey from Eileen Manning asking that the
above stated inconsistencies be addressed by him and the Town Board, if
necessary. These matters include the Petty Cash amount, the salary of Sue
Borchard and the salary of Aaron Brooks.
Old business included a discussion on the Recreation Guide and its progress.
Mr. Cheney indicated that he was still waiting for some entries to be submitted and for
the final costs from Dick Wambach of Wambach Communications. It is our hope that we
will be able, this year, to get out next years guide in January as other surrounding towns
do. Budgetary concerns will be discussed when we have more information. Mr. Cheney
explained that once we have the layout ofthe guide set, simple text changes will be much
more cost effective. Dick Wambach has worked with Supervisor Colsey in the past
setting up the website for the Town of Fishkill. The Recreation web site, when done, will
be more user friendly than just a PDF file of the guide. An actual index will allow a user
to go directly to the information he or she requires eliminating the need to search for the
information.
New business included discussing the Easter Egg Hunt. Mrs. Manning asked for
volunteers to help with the set-up and the festivities. Besides the Commission members
we usually ask Eileen Ennesser, Hilde Droge and Florence Graff to help out. 1000
Plastic Easter eggs are to be filled on Monday, March 10th and supplies for raffle Easter
Baskets will be purchased soon. This year we hope to ask for donations from stores to
help fill the baskets with goodies. Scott Cheney has agreed to be our Easter Bunny this
year. In the event that, because of the weather, the Easter Egg Hunt must be cancelled
the rain date will be set for the following Saturday, March 22nd at 10:00 am. Volunteers
will be arriving at 9:00 am to help set up the refreshments. The maintenance crew will
set up as much as possible the night before the event.
CHAIRMAN'S REPORT
Mr. Holt is on vacation and left no specific information to be discussed at this
meeting.
RECREATION DIRECTOR'S REPORT
Mr. Cheney started by stating that the Recreation Guide is coming along and the
discussion above covers where we are at.
Meetings have been set with Cathy Dutcavich of the American Red Cross
outlining classes for First Aid, CPR and RTE training for our camp councilors. A
meeting has also been set with Ron Young of Cross Court to arrange dates of use for our
"Learn to Swim" and "Adult Learn To Swim" Programs. Peter Shea has agreed to return
as instructor for our Golf Program. He will be working in affiliation with the East
Fishkill Golf Center in Hopewell Junction.
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February 6,2008
Mr. Cheney noted that there has been some concern about our ability to draw
Marching Bands in for our Community Day Parade. While we will still probably still
have the Marching Bands as usual he thought it might be a possibility to have a "Battle of
the Bands" on stage during the festivities after the parade. We could award first, second
and third place prizes having one group perform every half-hour and that would fill in the
afternoon with music. Since we have already received four requests from new bands
seeking spots in our Summer Concert Series it might be a good opportunity to hear them
during this type of competition. Mr. Lustig noted that Carnwath, when available, would
be an excellent venue for Community Day.
Mr. Cheney pointed out that the Town Trip Schedule is now available and
includes our standard trips to Foxwoods, Mohegan Sun and the Radio City Christmas
Spectacular. We have decided to try something different this year with regard to the
NYC Shopping Spree. We will be running the trip mid-week instead of on the weekend.
Our trip consultants say that the city is much less crowded with shoppers. Also included
is a tour of Fort William Henry and boat ride on Lake Champlain, guided tours of
Madison Square Garden and Yankee Stadium and our theatre trip this year is to see the
"Jersey Boys". We have tried to include something for everyone.
Last year Mr. Rottkamp advertised a number of summer recreation programs as
the "Carnwath Summer Programs". Because of the uncertainty ofthe status ofCarnwath
we will be making arrangements to hold these programs elsewhere. Schlathaus is a
possibility for guitar and babysitting. Theater camp need a larger venue still to be
decided.
Mr. Cheney asked Ms. V onReyn if she might ask the Seniors if any of them
would be interested in mentoring any mid-level, or Junior High School, children. It
would just require 40 to 50 minutes once or twice a month. Some students are in need of
affection and understanding and would benefit greatly from a program like this.
Suggestions include simple board games or tutoring in photography or a craft allowing
interaction between the generations.
MAINTENANCE SUPERVISOR'S REPORT
Mr. Sheridan began by informing the Commission about the squirrel problem in
Town Hall. Evidently, he gained access to the building through some outdoor vent and
found himself trapped in the wall between the Assessor's and Recreation's offices. He
was found dead inside the wall and was removed by an exterminator after Joe DeRosa of
maintenance opened up the wall.
A tree was reported down on the property of a resident on Carmine Drive. The
map made it look as though the tree fell from our Reese Park property but it was actually
property owned by the village. Subsequently, the tree was taken care of.
One January 14th we had a snow storm that required us to do plowing and
sanding. The dump truck was out of service for a while with a clogged diesel filter. We
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February 6,2008
were able to repair that easily. Also on the 14th CIA Security called to say that there was
no signal to the carriage house at Camwath. Mr. Sheridan determined that the power was
out because of a downed tree limb in the area. He asked that a thank you be sent to
George DeVoe of Central Hudson in thanks for their prompt repair of the transformer.
Also on the 14th of January the Rockingham fields were tom up badly by vehicle
damage. Those responsible for the damage were arrested. Mr. Sheridan picked up John
Hartung, one of our Senior photographers to take pictures ofthe damage for our records
and for the insurance company.
On January 15th we finished replacing the ceiling tiles in the courtroom and on
the 16th replaced the toilet in the judges chambers.
On January 18th Mr. Sheridan met with Ralph Holt and Town Engineer, Bob
Gray to check out the possibilities of the path / roadway to circumvent the fenced in
portion of the Camwath property. Greystone, the former tenant ofCamwath, evidently
had the same plans for a similar roadway as blueprints were found on the Camwath
property.
Maintenance replaced a urinal in the men's room at the Police Barracks.
Mr. Sheridan, Supervisor Colsey and Ralph Holt met with the ADT
representative to talk about the installation of an alarm system at Camwath. Plans for this
system had started under the previous Supervisor's administration bu~ were dropped and
never completed. This system will be able to be monitored from designated computers as
well as by the police. Once the initial system is set up it will be easier to set up cameras
in other location, specifically our playgrounds. Mr. Cheney mentioned that that feature
would be an enormous selling point to parents who send their children to our Summer
Camps. On the night of Jan. 14th, at the Town Board meeting, Mr. Holt gave a
presentation on the amount of vandalism prevalent in our parks, including that same
day's events at Rockingham. These events show a real need for a system to be put in
place.
It was discovered that a door lock was broken on one of the archive rooms.
Platt's locksmith didn't know when he would be able to get to the job so Mr. Sheridan
sent Fred Youngman to take a door handle and lock off another door that used the same
key and repaired the door.
While Little League sign-ups were taking place on January 26th, Joe DeRose
stripped and waxed the floor in the Town Clerks Office.
On January 29th, Mr. Sheridan replaced the gate locks on our parks to use a
common key. Copies of these keys were then given to the Supervisor's office and the
Sheriff s office.
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February 6,2008
On January 30th we experienced a power outage at the Barn. Also that day we
received another water delivery at the Barn. The accounts for both Montfort and
Schlathaus have not been able to be regulated with either phone calls or letters. They
have been leaving water even when no empties have been left out. Mrs. Manning will try
re-contacting Poland Springs. She was informed with her last phone call that a
supervisor would be e-mailed. Mrs. Manning asked to be copied on that e-mail but it has
not yet been received.
While Little League sign-ups took place on February 2nd, Joe DeRosa stripped
and waxed the floors in the Courtroom.
On February 4th the pressure toilet tank in the women's room at the Police
Barracks started leaking. The water was shut off. A new toilet will have to be ordered
because parts are no longer available for that type of fixture.
On February 5th we started sorting through the enormous number of keys that
were in the key box at Town Hall. Keys need to be located for various rooms and closets.
Rodney Diaz has been working on them at night.
Joe DeRosa finished putting in the vents in the Cablevision room where they will
be putting the cameras so that the Town Hall meetings can be televised.
Weare still waiting for a decision to be made on the disposal of the computers in
the basement at Schlathaus Park. This proposal will be discussed at the February 25th
Town Board meeting. We are still waiting for an oil delivery at Carnwath. The 15,000
gallon tank is down to 2,000 gallons. The tank should be filled to 50% capacity for
maximum efficiency and for monitoring purposes. Mrs. Manning said that the Town
Board needs to sign the voucher in lieu of not having a Comptroller.
Mr. Lustig asked about the status of the pool at Carnwath. It was thought that we
should have filled it in the Fall to maintain it's good condition. Mr. Sheridan said that it
was in the hands of Mr. Holt and Mr. Sheridan didn't want to take responsibility for
filling it in the event that somebody got hurt. It is not certain why it was emptied and by
who.
ACTING SENIOR DIRECTOR'S REPORT
Ms. V onReyn said that in January the Senior Center had no closings due to
weather but did have two delayed openings. A new, simpler "Bad Weather Policy"
appears in the February newsletter, based on the school closings for the WCSD. The
average attendance at the Senior Center is up from last years numbers. Our January
event, with an attendance of 57 seniors, was "Some Like It Hot". A very nice article on
the party was featured in the Poughkeepsie Journal on the following Saturday. Movies
are now being shown three times a month and a knitting group has been formed and
meets on Thursday afternoons.
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Recreation Commission Minutes
February 6,2008
Ms. VonReyn explained that a page has been added to the Senior Newsletter to
keep the senior population up-to-date on all that the Office of the Aging has to offer. She
hopes to make this an on-going feature. We sent out 11 cards of get-well and sympathy
to center seniors. We have two new members and have not lost any and that's always a
good thing.
GARY TRUDELL'S REPORT
Mr. Trudell said that he had the opportunity to take home a copy ofthe Carnwath
Master Plan and read through it. It indicates that the planning for Carnwath is meant to
be in the hand of the "Friends of Carnwath". It seems that the only work that was done
on the property has been to regularly maintain it and fix problems when they occur. It
might be a good idea to invite members of that committee to a Recreation meeting to
determine a path for the future. Many ofthe thoughts that this commission has come up
with are referenced in the Master Plan only on a grander scale. For example, the portable
stage that we suggested was an amphitheater in the Plan. In December the Master Plan
was accepted as a "plan" for the future with no specific approval to move forward with
any of its contents.
Mr. Trudell explained that some features of the plan could be a part of the
Recreation function like the toboggan run and the ice skating rink.
Mr. Sheridan mentioned that, in a meeting, Supervisor Colsey asked Ralph Holt
ifCarnwath is a part of Recreation. Mr. Holt said it was. The Supervisor then suggested
that the Parkland Fund be used for any work that needed to be done there. Mr. Sheridan
said that he would rather see that money go toward the Tennis Courts. Their condition is
so hazardous that we may need to close them for the Summer. He also suggests that the
playgrounds need to be brought up to standards per our Town Safety Inspector, Doug
Haan. Using these funds for Carnwath would also effect work done on the Soccer Fields,
the new land at Robinson Lane and the purchase of new playground equipment.
Mrs. Manning pointed out that any work done at Carnwath comes out of a
general account #1640.4 and has not been notified of any changes.
Mr. Lustig said that he feels that the commission should first decide how the
Parkland fund should be used and then presented to the Town Board. The $30,000
contribution from Alex Reese is going to be used to renovate the downstairs room of the
chapel and also to complete the caretakers quarters in the administration building. The
copy of the Master Plan was given to Mr. Lustig.
UMA SATYENDRA'S REPORT
Ms. Satyendra stated that she has gotten involved with the Senior exercise
programs and finds them organized, friendly and inspire her to do more exercise.
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BRUCE LUSTIG'S REPORT
Mr. Lustig began by informing the commission of the meeting between
Supervisor Colsey, Joan Pagones ofFishkill, and Jim Purdy and Doug LaPerche ofthe
Wappingers United Soccer Club. Supervisor Colsey is willing to support soccer by
putting grass on all the fields at Airport Park. Mrs. Pagones is willing to share the
expense since her town's youth are part of the WUSC by seeking a grant for this project.
She is in favor of using turf over grass as it is more durable. Mr. Lustig explained that
redoing all the fields in grass would cost only slightly less that doing one large field with
the turf. One large field can then be converted into a different configuration and used in
many ways. The effects of rain and snow are negligible on turf. Re-doing the fields in
grass would not allow use of the fields for 12 to 15 months.
Mr. Sheridan wants to know what the next step is in getting him his truck and
mower since it has been approved by the Town Board and Spring is right around the
comer. This will be discussed with Ralph Holt when he returns from vacation.
Eileen Manning
Recreation Secretary
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