Town of Sharon
Sacred Heart Reuse Committee
Meeting Minutes of 4/25/11
Amended and Approved on 5/23/11
Sharon Community Center
Committee Attendees
|
Karen Friedman, Chair |
Jim Michael - Absent |
|
Valeda Britton - Absent |
Ed Keenan |
|
Larry Seggelin |
John Davis |
|
Carl Gladstone |
David Straus |
|
Michael Ginsberg |
|
Other Attendees
|
Michael Gelbwasser |
Todd Usen |
|
Larry Goodman |
Brett McGowan |
|
Cary Nevins |
Todd Arnold |
Chair Report
Chair Friedman opened the meeting at 7:35 PM and thanked everyone for coming. She stated that she wanted to gain a sense of how the fields in Town are currently being used and what the different sports organization would like seen done at the Sacred Heart property.
Discussion
Cary Nevins, representing Pop Warner and SYBSA said that the fields are used from August through November. There are three football teams that practice on the open space; they use the baseball lights and tennis court lights. There is a need for a lot of parking. He also said that the cheerleaders have no space and need to use facilities in Avon.
Mr. Ginsberg asked what Mr. Nevins would like to see in that area. Mr. Nevins said he would like to see it used for recreational use. There is a big need for more field space and he would like to see a football field added. Pop Warner includes football and cheerleading consisting of approximately 180 kids. For baseball there are 800 kids registered for the spring session. He suggested that 1000 people rotate through the fields on a weekend day.
Mr. Davis asked Mr. Nevins to provide an idea of the economics involved. He asked how the fields are maintained at Deborah Sampson. Mr. Nevins said SYBSA pays a yearly fee to the DPW to maintain field’s trash and recycling. They have a full time grounds keeper. The registration fee per child is $100 for spring and $150 for the summer time. $7,500 is paid to the DPW as an annual fee. Mr. Nevins said there is a parking issue more on the SYBSA side as there are not enough parking spots. Pop Warner ends between 8:00 PM or 8:30 PM and the lights need to be on by 5:00 PM. SYBSA has late night games on two fields and uses the lights. He said the crowd is still there until 9PM weekdays and on the weekend through the fall.
Mr. Gladstone said that from a financial standpoint, something has to be done with the building. He said the Committee is looking for a developer to absorb the cost of destruction. He asked if SYBSA or Pop Warner would contribute to taking down the building in order to create a new field.
Todd Usen discussed girl’s softball and said there are 180 girls that play at Ames Street grades kindergarten until 9th grade. He said that he is concerned with safety and feels that if housing is built at the site it will not be safe for kids. On opening day there can be 500 - 800 people near the ball fields for football, soccer, lacrosse, etc.
Larry Goodman of the Soccer Association said all sports have space issues. He suggested an additional field is what’s needed. Soccer uses the fields at Gavin’s Pond for soccer because there is no space at the other fields. The fields behind East Elementary are also used for soccer and lacrosse.
Mr. Davis commented that more fields will lead to more parking needs. He also said that one thing the Committee was looking into was an indoor recreational facility that could be used 12 months per year. It could be good for kids but there will still be traffic issues and suggested a traffic study would have to be conducted.
Mr. Gladstone said the Town does not have money to raise the building and asked if the sports associations would be willing to help lessen the financial impact to the townspeople.
Mr. Goodman said it is challenging to coordinate between baseball and soccer.
Mr. Ginsberg said it would be wonderful to be able to build an all purpose field.
Brett McGowan said the landfill space was taken as a solar energy project. He spoke with Greg Meister of Conservation who said the landfill is 9.5 usable acres. The Recreation Department is working with Peter O’Cain on the parking issues at Sacred Heart. He reported that the fences were taken down at the skate park. He agrees that the fields and parking need to go hand in hand. A multi use field would be fantastic. The Recreation Department would book it and monitor field permits.
Mr. Davis said the Committee is looking for a developer with a profit motive. We need to think of something that will be attractive to a developer.
Chair Friedman thanked everyone for providing their opinion. She asked Mr. McGowan if a private developer would be interested in putting in a pool. Mr. McGowan said a pool is a great asset but a huge money pit. You need to heat water and air as well as the locker room and this is a huge expense.
Mr., McGowan also said that 20 additional spaces were added at the fields.
Todd Arnold a resident of Cedar Street read a prepared statement on his view of Article 2 regarding allowing housing use at the Sacred Heart property.
Mr. Davis said the Committee was asked by the Board of Selectmen to identify the best use for the parcel. The Committee has no decision making authority. The role is to give advice to the Board of Selectmen. The charge is to identify the best use for the parcel. He said he did not view his role as an advocate. Each proposal received was allowed to present their ideas. Mr. Davis said the Committee did not ultimately think the submissions were good uses. They went back to the Board of Selectmen and asked if residential use is the way to go, then the RFP would need to be redone. The Board of Selectmen is not in favor of using the property for residential uses.
Chair Friedman said at future meetings she will ask residents, the Conservation Commission, Planning Board and Community Preservation Committees to attend.
Meeting Minutes
Mr. Keenan moved to approve the meeting minutes of 4/13/11 and Mr. Davis seconded the motion. The Committee voted 7-0-0 in favor.
Next Meeting
5/9/11
Adjournment
Mr. Davis moved to adjourn at 9:00 PM and Mr. Straus seconded the motion. The Committee voted 7-0-0 in favor.
Attachments
None