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1-22-2020 Minutes

Recreation and Parks Board
1-22-2020 Minutes

MINUTES

RECREATION AND PARKS BOARD:                           LOWER ALLEN TOWNSHIP

REGULAR MEETING:                                                      JANUARY 22, 2020

 

The following were in ATTENDANCE:

 

BOARD MEMBERS:                                                          TOWNSHIP PERSONNEL:

Greg Mahon                                                                            Thomas Vernau, Township Manager

Susan Parry                                                                             Wendy Hayden, Township Representative

Richard Grove                                                                        Tina Thomas, Recording Secretary

Scott Duncanson                                                                    

Robert Pelles  

Charles Angelo

 

 

Mrs. Hayden called the January 22, 2020 Regular Meeting of the Recreation and Parks Board to order at 7:00 pm.

 

REORGANIZATION AND ELECTION OF OFFICERS

Mrs. Hayden asked if there were any nominations for Chairman. Mr. DUNCANSON nominated Mr. Mahon as Chairman. Ms. PARRY seconded the nomination. Mr. GROVE moved to close the nominations and Mr. ANGELO seconded the motion. Motion carried 6-0.

 

Mr. Mahon then thanked the Board and Mrs. Hayden and announced nominations for Vice Chairman. Mr. PELLES nominated Ms. Parry for Vice Chairman. Mr. GROVE seconded the nomination. Mr. DUNCANSON moved to close the nominations and Mr. PELLES seconded it. Motion carried 6-0.

 

Mr. Mahon asked for nominations for Secretary of the Board. Mr. GROVE nominated Mr. Angelo. Mr. MAHON seconded the nomination. Ms. PARRY moved to close the nominations and Mr. PELLES seconded the motion. Motion carried 6-0. 

 

APPROVAL OF MINUTES

 

Mr. GROVE moved to approve the minutes from the November 20, 2019 meeting.  Mr. PELLES seconded the motion.  Motion carried 6-0.

 

PUBLIC COMMENT:  WASS PARK

 

No one from the public is present to comment. Mrs. Hayden reported that leaf collection and snow removal are being completed as necessary. General maintenance is taking place as weather allows. Repairs to the dugouts are underway; replacement boards have been purchased to replace rotted boards.

 

LIASON REPORT – COMMISSIONER HOLTZMAN

Commissioner Holtzman is absent; Mr. Mahon announced that Commissioner Black may now be the liaison to the Recreation and Parks Board.

 

RECREATION AND PARKS STAFF REPORT

Mrs. Hayden provided the following Parks Operation Staff update: 

 

  • Park staff has been busy cleaning up debris and trimming trees in all parks.
  • All equipment from the little tots playground has been brought in for re-painting; Mrs. Hayden stated that this is typically done every three years.

 

ACTIVITIES REPORT

Mrs. Hayden provided the following Activities update: 

  • Most of the athletic field requests have come in from groups that regularly reserve the athletic fields. Contracts are being typed and executed. Pavilion and Barn reservations are coming in steadily, with many Saturdays already having been reserved.
  • Preparation for the annual Easter Egg Hunt will kick off in February. Residents from the Woods at Cedar Run are looking forward to filling the eggs again this year. Mrs. Hayden said she would be reaching out to the Hershey Company in early February to request a candy donation for the event. She will also be purchasing some candy and dropping everything off at the Woods.
  • The Easter Egg Hunt will be held at LACP on Saturday April 4th from 10 – 11 am. As in past years, volunteers are needed to staff the pavilions and spread the eggs. Discussion ensued regarding finding a volunteer to be the Easter Bunny. Mr. Angelo is considering providing DJ services from a centrally located pavilion such as the Keystone Pavilion. He does have a wireless microphone that could reach other locations. The Board agreed to help with spreading out the Easter eggs.
  • Gardeners Gathering is scheduled at LACP on Saturday April 25th from 10 am to 1 pm. Mrs. Hayden has been using a vendor website to reach out to potential vendors in the area. She has not received any responses as of now. She said that Michaels only does classes within their building and she did not hear back from Highland Gardens. She suggested focusing on the plant swap. Ms. Parry said that Seed Swaps are becoming popular. Gardeners bring seeds along and swap for other seeds. She also suggested the Penn Cumberland Garden Club. Mrs. Hayden said that they are usually busy on that Saturday. Mr. Grove will look into contacting someone about foraging. Ms. Parry suggested tree planting as an idea and Mr. Angleo said he would make contact with some wineries for a grape growing presentation. Mr. Mahon stated that he hopes the Board can lock some ideas down by next month and encouraged all Board members to think of groups that might be willing to do a presentation.

 

NEW BUSINESS

Mr. Tom Vernau was present at the meeting to share his idea of starting a Recreation Ad Hoc Committee, similar in nature to the recently held Public Safety Ad Hoc Committee. He stated that parks, trails and open space are important to residents. He would like to begin advertising to the residents and inviting them to attend as early as February. He plans to meet for several months and educate members on where the parks are located, how big they are, and what amenities are offered. He would like input on what types of recreation people would like to see in the parks. This information would be organized into a final report by staff and presented to the Commissioners.

 

Mr. Vernau spoke about the Cedar Run Park still being unfinished with a grassy section to the south. Money is available in escrow for an approved park project. Mr. Vernau would like the opportunity to put in playground equipment for older kids in this location. He would like to see what the public wants and he would like involvement from the Parks and Recreation Board in the meetings. He plans for decisions on potential projects to go through the Parks and Rec Board. Mr. Duncanson asked if West Shore Rec could be involved in the process. Mr. Vernau said that input from West Shore Rec is welcome but his primary interest is in hearing from the residents. The meetings could meet in various locations and focus on different recreation subjects. Mr. Angelo suggested that members of the Pedestrian/Bicycle Committee may also be interested in participating in the Ad Hoc Committee. Mr. Vernau said that he will lead the meetings but would like Parks and Recreation members to attend when possible. He is thinking about a format like the Strategic Planning meetings where people can put ideas up on a board. Mr. Grove spoke about the Comprehensive Plan having a lot of park information in it. He suggested it would be helpful to review it to see what has been suggested in the past.  

 

Mr. Vernau plans to use the Township website, Facebook page, and newspaper to advertise. Neighborhood Facebook pages would also be helpful. The Rec Board is in favor of the Recreation Ad Hoc Committee and happy to participate.

 

Mr. Vernau said the goals of the Recreation Ad Hoc Committee would be reminding the Commissioners of the importance of parks and recreation and make sure the Township knows where to spend resources to get the most use as interests change over time. Mr. Vernau would like to plan activities for the pocket parks in the spring. He would like to have signup sheets for people to indicate what events they would like to see and another for volunteers. Park Tours were suggested as another good outreach event.

 

OLD BUSINESS

Ms. Parry asked if there were any updates on the Disc Golf project. Mr. Vernau said that the gentlemen who proposed the idea are coming in for the Board of Commissioners meeting at the end of February. The Township wants to see the layout changes, confirmation that turf tees will be installed, and information on the sponsors plaques as well as who they are getting as sponsors. Mr. Mahon added that he did walk the course last fall and some hole locations were moved. He feels that the current layout is pretty good, with the exception of possibly the first hole. Mr. Vernau invited the Recreation and Parks Board to come hear what the gentlemen coming in to talk to the Board of Commissioners have to say. The Board thanked Mr. Vernau for coming to tonight’s meeting and for his interest in parks and recreation.

 

ADJOURN

The Regular Meeting of the Recreation and Parks Board adjourned at 8:07 pm.

 

Next meeting is Wednesday, February 26, 2020 at 7:00 pm.