Park Department public meeting notes: 24.03.04

A Quincy Votes! member attended the recent Park & Rec Board meeting. While care has been taken in their creation, these notes are not official meeting minutes and may contain errors or omissions. 

Highlights:

• Park Department has three Community Preservation Grant requests pending.  Will most likely be heard at the April Community Preservation meeting. (Three requests are related to pickleball courts, improvements to Ruth Gordon Amphitheater and street hockey rink.)

• Board gave approval for department to work with Troop 42 on details around a weekend scouting event (Oct. 11 - 14th) at Pageant Field.  Dates are reserved for the Troop, and the department will work on logistics, fire permits, etc.

• Forbes Hill:  there will be another public meeting.  Construction is ongoing.  After public meeting, the City will go to bid on basketball and tennis courts.  (Tennis court will likely be lined for pickleball too).   There will be at most two tennis/pickleball courts so there will not be an influx to the neighborhood).  Water line is going in that will result in increased water pressure for the neighborhood.

• Faxon Park:  Commissioner spent time on Monday over there. There is a lot of opportunity, and a lot of work.  Neighborhood wants the main park kept wooded and natural.  There will be a picnic pavilion installed in "middle field".  In space called "new overlook, aka, old high school site" they are considering installing multiple pickleball courts, as it is far enough away from all housing to not be a noise issue.

• Squantum School Construction:  There will be no loss of parkland.  There will be temporary use of some grass space for construction material and the location of modular classrooms.  The playground equipment is not impacted.  The board will get a presentation by Brian LaRoche on what is going to go where, possibly at the next meeting.

• Next meeting is April 8th (NOT April 1st).  5:30 PM.  Koch complex (in the back, through employee entrance).

Natural Resources Commissioner Dave Murphy provided the park department updates.

More detailed notes:

I. Minutes:

• Approve minutes from February 5, 2024 meeting / approved

II. Correspondence and News:

• Notice of available openings / distributed.

Thank you note for a donation addressed to the Board

III. Requests:

1. VETERANS STADIUM:

Nathan Knowles  representing Quincy Youth Football request use on Sundays from September 8 through November 17 for youth football games. Typical game day runs from 8am to 6 pm. Additionally, they request use for practice at various times during the season.  /  Comments: this is a youth group with long standing ties.  No problems.  Approved.

2. FAXON FIELD/TRACK:

a. Nathan Knowles representing Quincy Youth Football request use on Saturdays from September 8 through November 2 for youth flag football games. Typical game day runs from 8am to noon.  / Approved.

b. Lori Kephart of Community Life Church at 158 Washington St. Quincy requests use on Saturday July 20, 2024 from 4 pm to dusk for a Summer Fun Night. / This has been done in the past.  Very positive event.   Approved.

3. KOCH COMPLEX COMMUNITY ROOM: Christine Cugini Veterans Agent for the City of Quincy requests use on Saturday May 18, 2024 from 8 am to 3 pm for a Veterans Outreach. / Approved (for Board room, there is senior Olympics going on that week).

4. PAGEANT FIELD:

a. Justin Kusy of the Adams Montessori School requests use on Friday June 14, 2024 from 11 am to 2 pm for a Field Day.  /  Comments:  this would not interfere w/ Flag day preparations.   Approved.

b. Lori Kephart of Community Life Church at 158 Washington St. Quincy requests use on Sunday / Comments:  been done in the past.   Approved.

c. Diana Castro-Kaes of Quincy requests use on Saturday July 6, 2024 for a 5k Walkathon Fundraiser to benefit Filipino Cancer Network serving individuals and families. Fee: $225   / Comments:   Walking laps  Approved.

d. Nathan Knowles representing Quincy Youth Football request use on weekdays from July 22 through November 15 for youth football practice. Typical practice runs from 5pm to 7pm. / Comment:  don't typically permit practice, Doc will work with youth groups to accommodate practices from mid-summer through fall.  

e. Cathy Bacani of 999 Hancock St #313 requests use on Saturday September 14, 2024 from 10 am to 6 pm for a Family Birthday Party. Fee: $225.   Approved.

f. Ray Theberge representing the Boy Scouts Troop 42 in Quincy requests use from Friday October 11, 2024 thru Sunday October 14, 2024 24/7 for a Scout Camporee. They are hoping to use the Koch Center building as well for headquarters for their leaders and a meeting space during that timeframe. Many details yet to be discussed. / Comments:   City has a strong relationship w/ the Troop and has partnered with Eagle candidates to do projects.  There is a benefit to the City, Ray is developing a curriculm to share w/ Scouts, not just historical sites, but restaurants.  They want to reserve the dates, so they can start reaching out to other troops for that weekend.  The ask is to approve the reserve of the dates, and the Park Department can give a formal presentation on the event at a later time.   This is essentially and overnight camp, and we will keep the bathrooms open the entire event.   The comment is that they place will be cleaner when they leave then when they arrived.  They will most likely need a fire permit.  Parking, logistics, etc. will need to be worked out.  Approved to reserve the dates.

5. WENDELL MOSES FIELD:  (Behind Squantum School)

Lily Keener requests use on Friday nights between April 26, 2024 and June 21, 2024 for Squantum Youth Tee Ball Games.  Approved

6. SNUG HARBOR SOCCER FIELD:

Richard Wekhweya of the HarborView Residents Committee/Quincy Housing Authority requests use on Sunday March 24, 2024 for field events in conjunction with a Palm Sunday community outreach program.     Approved.

IV. Old Business: • None

V. New Business:

• Set next Park Board Meeting: April 1, 2024, 5:30 pm

• For the Board to be aware:  City is building a brand new Squantum Elementary school, the park will remain intact.  There is a need for a use of some space of the park for construction needs, and for modular classrooms.  There will be some impacts during construction, but no permanent changes.   Brian LaRoche will come in to give a briefing on where the mod classrooms and material laydown will occur (maybe next meeting).  There is a paper street that runs through the grass area, that is not technically park land, but wanted Board to be aware that school construction planning is progressing.   This is not a loss of park land.  There will be impact mostly on gym classes of the school.  The equipment on the playground will not be impacted. 

Next meeting is moved to April 8th.  (Not April 1st).  5:30 PM.

VI. Projects:

• Commissioner’s report VII. Executive Session: (if needed

• CPC applications submitted.  Likely making presentation at April Meeting.  (Pickleball courts, improvements to Ruth Gordon Amphitheater, and inline skate part)

• Forbes Hill:  final public meeting then we will go to bid on construction for basketball, tennis, lined for pickleball.  Any use will be respectful of the neighborhood.  Goal is to have it done by summer rec program starts in early July.   Site is very hectic right now.  Foundation of the club house has been poured; water line is going in.  Waterline will service club house and entire Forbes Hill will benefit from the new line in that water pressure will be better.  The site is very confined and what they are doing is difficult.  Trying to manage parking needs with the neighborhood.   Contractor has been running street sweeping more often.  Mentioned a member of Forbes Hill Friends group was lauded for all the work he is doing, picking up trash, removing poison ivy by hand, and more. 

• Have done brush clearing and Gardner Property (City purchased years ago), Yellow house was purchased by National park department.  Gardner property is next to it, by the Eventide Nursing Home.  There is a footbridge across the brook.   Cleaning that area up.  (This is open to the public)

• Faxon Park: working w/ Counselor Ash.  The park has expanded over the years. There is significant opportunity as well as cleanup.   There was damage of the ball fields (by a car).  Long awaited upgrades:  Picnic pavilion on middle field.  Still discussion placement of bathrooms.  Spent time today going on immediate needs.  (Washouts of exit road, trails being washed out), drainage issue by basketball court.   Making the parking stone instead of mud/dirt.    There is a lot of work to be done up there.  Our original plan was a robust plan of Faxon Park and the community said, no, we like the wooded nature of it.  So now focus is on complimentary usage (of the original 57 acres).  But there are opportunities elsewhere.  The "new overlook" provides view of the ocean.  Likely be the location of the pickleball courts.  Lot of work to be done, design, engineering, site work.  Tremendous potential to improve walking paths, adding picnic pavilion, permanent restroom building. 

• Michael Casinelli:  Recognized for a work-related certification he received.