12 Van Tassel Drive

Gales Ferry, Connecticut 06339

TOWN OF LEDYARD

Parks & Recreation Commission

Meeting Minutes - Final

Chairman

Kenneth DiRico

Regular Meeting

Tuesday, September 20, 2022

7:00 PM

Parks & Recreation/Senior Citizens

Center

CALL TO ORDER

Chairman DiRico called the meeting to order at 7:05 p.m. at the Parks and Recreation Building.

II.

ROLL CALL

Commissioner Jessica Cobb

Commissioner Thomas Olsen

Commissioner Loretta Kent

Chairman Kenneth J. DiRico

Commissioner Lucrezia Finegan

Commissioner Shaileen C. English

Present

Excused

In addition, the following people were also present:

Director Scott Johnson

Gary Paul, Town Council Liaison

Justin and Xavier DeBrodt, Boy Scout Troop 16

III.

IV.

CITIZENS COMMENTS

None.

MEMBER COMMENTS

None.

REPORTS

Directors Report September 2022

PARKS AND RECREATION COMMISSION

Director’s Report September 2022

Please note this update for your review.

1. Commission Meeting:

The regular meeting of the Commission is scheduled for Tuesday,

September 20th, 2022, at 7:00 PM, in the Ledyard Senior Center. Please

contact the office immediately if you will not be able to attend.

2. Fields:

All fields have been overseeded, dethatched, and fertilized. With the

recent rain we are seeing the fields bounce back nicely from the drought

we have been in.

3. Erickson Park:

The walking path has been sprayed with weed killer, next step is to till

and possibly bring in stone dust to top off the path. The recent rain

washed out the boat launch. Russell recommended talking to Joe at PW to

see if he might be able to create a swale that would direct the water runoff

to the side of the boat launch preventing a loss of material.

4. Christy Hill:

The parking lot lights have been installed. Everything is installed and we

are just waiting for Eversource to make the connection.

5. Irrigation Issues:

With the recent drought we have identified 2 irrigation issues.

Judge Crandall: Irrigation heads are too low. Water is hitting the

grass blades and water is not covering the intended area. This is

evident by little green circles surrounded by grass that went

dormant during the drought. Working on getting the irrigation

company out to look and give an estimate.

Depta Field: We have noticed 2 corners of the field are not getting

enough water when there is a slight wind. Mike just spread the

remainder of the topsoil and those heads are scheduled to be raised

and replaced. To resolve this issue, we will extend those 2 zones

adding another head to each corner that would spray back into the

field. This will create an overlap ensuring those corners are

watered.

6. New Preschool Playscape:

The new playscape for the Donahue property is currently at a freight

company in Plainfield. Currently coordinating the offloading and

installation of the equipment. Installation could start as early as next

week! Following the equipment installation, the safety surfacing will be

installed.

7. Playscapes:

We have started a massive playground overhaul. I have started preforming

audits on our playscapes to identify everything needed to bring our

playscapes into compliance.

I have started marking out the use proper use zones.

With the use zones marked out Russel can then put the playground

borders in the correct location. In addition, he is replacing rotten

sections with new lumber.

The next step after the borders are corrected is to bring in new

wood fiber. Currently getting quotes with hopes of starting to get

material to the playscapes as early as next week.

8. Aljen Playscape Vandalism:

We hade some vandalism at the Aljen playscape. It appears someone tried

to cut a section of the slide out with an electric saw. Working on pricing

for a replacement slide so the police repot can be filed and an insurance

claim submitted. Unfortunately, it is one of the older playscapes and the

slide ID tag is no longer there. Pictures have been sent to the playground

rep who is trying to identify the slide so we can get an estimate for a

replacement.

9. Gales Ferry Community Center Ramp:

The ramp behind the community center is in bad shape. Russell is going

to screw some of the decking back down, so it is usable. However, this is

only a temporary fix, and it should be replaced. Possible CIP project for

FY23-24.

10. Parks & Rec Truck:

Still waiting on pricing under the state contract. Have been told we should

have pricing October 18th. Purchasing a truck outside the state contract

will cost us and additional $20-30,000.

11. Ledyard Transition Academy:

Meet with the Ledyard Transition Academy regarding possible work. We

discussed park maintenance and more specifically spreading of the

playground wood chips. This is not only a great opportunity for the kids

but also a tremendous help to the department.

Motion to accept the September 2022 Directors Report.

APPROVED AND SO DECLARED

Loretta Kent

RESULT:

MOVER:

Thomas Olsen

SECONDER:

Cobb Olsen Kent DiRico Robinson

Finegan English

AYE

EXCUSED

VI.

APPROVAL OF MINUTES

Motion to Approve Regular Meeting Minutes of August 16, 2022

APPROVED AND SO DECLARED

Jessica Cobb

RESULT:

MOVER:

Thomas Olsen

SECONDER:

Cobb Olsen Kent DiRico Robinson

Finegan English

AYE

EXCUSED

VII. OLD BUSINESS

Boy Scout Skate Park Project Proposal

Xavier DeBrodt from Boy Scout Troop 16, presented a proposal for a skate park to be located at

Highland's Lake. The commission had some questions regarding the insurance and maintenance.

CONTINUE

RESULT:

Little League Infield Projects at Aljen Heights and Christy Hill

Discussion:

Park and Recreation can handle the maintenance of one field within the current budget and

adding a second field can incur additional funds. The commission is moving forward with the

Christy Hill infield project as the Aljen Heights project requires additional upgrades prior to the

instillation of a new infield. The Aljen Heights project will be reviewed at a later date.

Motion to approve the instillation of infield at Christy Hill location.

APPROVED AND SO DECLARED

Thomas Olsen

RESULT:

MOVER:

Loretta Kent

SECONDER:

Cobb Olsen Kent DiRico Robinson

Finegan English

AYE

EXCUSED

Proposal to return the dual-use baseball/softball field at Blonders Park back into a baseball only

field.

APPROVED AND SO DECLARED

Thomas Olsen

RESULT:

MOVER:

Meredith Robinson

SECONDER:

Cobb Olsen Kent DiRico Robinson

Finegan English

AYE

EXCUSED

Boy Scout Bat House Project Proposal

Boy Scout turned 18 and is unable to peruse the project.

Motion to remove item from agenda.

APPROVED AND SO DECLARED

Thomas Olsen

RESULT:

MOVER:

Loretta Kent

SECONDER:

Cobb Olsen Kent DiRico Robinson

Finegan English

AYE

EXCUSED

VIII. NEW BUSINESS

Discussion and possible action regarding possible Boy Scout donated bench.

Discussion to move new bench to Donahue park with the addition of the new playground.

Motion to place second donated Boy Scout bench at Donahue park.

APPROVED AND SO DECLARED

Thomas Olsen

RESULT:

MOVER:

Meredith Robinson

SECONDER:

Cobb Olsen Kent DiRico Robinson

AYE