1986-02-24
,QUEENSBURY RECREATION COMMISSION
MINUTES OF MEETING
FEBRUARY 24, 1986
Minutes of the regular meeting of the Recreation Commission of
the Town of Queensbury, held Monday, Febraury 24, 1986 at the Queens-
bury Town Office Building, Queensbury, New York. Chairperson Little
called the meeting to order at 7:38 P.M.
PRESENT:
Commissioners Granger, Little, Martin, Teti, Council-
man Monahan, Montesi and Director Hansen
ABSENT:
Commissioners Bly, LaBombard and Lemery
VISITORS:
Bill Morton, Rick Singer, Dick Cutting, Marylee Gosline
and Aaron Fiore (Post Star)
APPROVAL OF MINUTES
Commissioner Granger moved to approve the minutes of the
January 27, 1986 meeting. Commissioner Teti seconded the motion,
which was unanimously approved.
COMMUNICATIONS AND REMARKS FROM VISITORS
Chairperson Little read the letter which was sent to Pat
Tatich, Warren County Planning Department, thanking her for her
efforts regarding the Ridge Road Park funding application.
B. Morton requested to speak on behalf of the Queensbury
Outdoor Recreation and Environment Association regarding Hovey
Pond. Mr. Morton pointed out the pond's potential and proposed
that a vest pocket park be created there. He discussed the pos-
sibility of dredging the pond and advised the Commission that he
knew of a firm which would do this at no cost to the Town. In
addition, he had been in contact with M. Cassidy, District Con-
servationist with the Warren County Soil and Water Conservation
District, regarding the tòp soil and the possibility of dredging.
Mr. Morton presented a sketch of the proposed park and also ex-
plained that additional land surrounding the pond might be avail-
able through donation or sale. He discussed the pond as a fisher-
ies resource and also proposed that the present Town owned structure
on LaFayette Street be torn down to create additional parking area.
Mrs. Gosline spoke regarding her mother's property which is adjacent
to the Town owned parcel, and updated the Commission on the pos-
sibility of a sale.
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Commissioner Teti requested to know the status of the outside
organization which had requested to buy the building and Council-
woman Monahan explained no decision had been made. Mr. Morton stated
that his group would be opposed to the sale of the building to any out-
side organization.
The Commission and Mr. Morton discussed a number of other related
topics, including: the area as a wetland, the use of in-house person-
nel for some construction, a sediment retention basin at the inlet to
the pond, water quality, the sewer system, and a park without dredg-
ing the pond.
Chairperson Little summed up the general consensus of the Com-
mission members present, and stated that they were in favor of making
use of the pond and the adjacent land as a recreational site. She
thanked Mr. Morton for his presentation and explained that the Com-
mission would make a recommendation to the Town Board, who in turn
would make the final decision.
Mr. Rick Singer addressed the Commission regarding off-road
vehicles and the creation of a park in Queensbury for use by in-
dividuals wishing to ride these type of vehicles. He presented a
great deal of information and literature regarding areas thorough-
out the country which had been created as ATV areas, and also talked
about these vehicles and their impact on the environment.
Commissioner Granger explained that the Town attorney, W. Mathias,
was present to brief the Commission on an important matter regarding
land acquisition and that it would be necessary to adjourn briefly
to executive session. Those visitors present were asked to leave
and the Commission adjourned to executive session at 9:35 P.M.
Returning to open session at approximately 9:57 P.M., Mr. Singer
was invited to continue his presentation about ATV's.
The Commission questioned Mr. Singer regarding his information
about Town liability (Cool Insurance letter) and there was additional
discussion regarding the size of an area necessary to adequately
provide some type of vehicle track. The Commission was divided on
exactly what Mr. Singer's responsibility, as a representative of an
ATV organization, was and there was considerable discussion on where
and how the Commission should proceed. Commissioner Martin spoke
out regarding the need for such a facility and what the Commission's
responsibility should be, especially regarding the creation of a
site for this type of activity.
Chairperson Little reiterated that due to weather conditions,
the Director had not been able to analyze the sixty acre river
property as a possible ATV area and that this would be done this
spring. Additionally, the Director was instructed to find out,
for the next meeting, the number of Queensbury residents who have
registered ATV vehicles and also have available for the Commission,
copies of the ATV operation ordinance passed recently by the Town
Board.
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. Ii
Co~~ssioner Granger summed up the discussion by pointing out
that the' Gommission needed to know, from those who owned off-road
vehicles, a number of things, including: types of vehicles used,
whether they desired trails or a test track, type of terrain need-
ed, supervision, who would be responsible and the question of
liability.
Mr. Singer thanked the Commission for their time and was advised
that the matter would be looked into in more detail at a later date.
Dick Cutting was then recognized and made some comments on the
subject of ATV trails and explained the need for some type of small
training area in Queensbury.
He then talked on behalf of the Bay Ridge Fire Company in re-
gards to creating and maintaining an outdoor ice rink in the Bay
Ridge area. Some time ago, the Director had mentioned the possibility
and after checking with both the fire company board of directors and the
membership, for their approval, Dick, who is president of the fire
company, was here to encourage the creation of a rink at the site in
the very near future. The Director explained that the Commission was
completely unaware of the idea of an ice rink in the Bay Ridge area
and that it was to be discussed and hopefully approved for next year.
After further discussion regarding broom ball and the problem of a
water supply in the area, the idea was tentatively agreed on and will
be dmscussed when the present winter programs are evaluated. Com-
missioner Granger, on behalf of the Commission, thanked the fire
company for their input and support.
In an unrelated matter, Mr. Cutting pointed out that many local
individuals were still using the basketball backboard which had been
erected adjacent to the firehouse by the Recreation Department this
past summer, and that the period of liability coverage had ended
back in August. He questioned who was responsible inasmuch as the
Department had left the equipment in place and wondered what could
be done. The Director was instructed by the Commission to check into
the matter and take the necessary action to alleviate the fire company's
concern.
DIRECTOR'S REPORT
The Commission briefly discussed the Director's report and there
was discussion on the indoor soccer program as presented in the reporK.
The Commission was concerned about other activities, including little
league but was receptive to trying the program in late March, pro-
vided it did not interfere with ongoing Recreation Department pro-
grams. The Director mentioned that eventually this program, if
successful, would be scheduled on Saturdays during the winter months.
Councilwoman Monahan had questions about the senior citizen
aerobic dance program and also wondered about whether family trips
for cultural activities could be programed. The Director responded
and said he would investigate what might be available.
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Regarding the tentative subdivision regulation, which the
Commission had received earlier that evening, it was the consensus
that this material should be studied more closely and be discussed
at a later date.
Councilman Montesi spoke next about the need to reinstate an
advisory conservation commission, within the Town, to help the Plan-
ning Board and the Recreation Commission in matters dealing with
undeveloped land, wetlands and the master plan as it pertains to
recreation matters. He pointed out that such a commission would
be helpful, especially in making decisions regarding recreation
facilities, and the question of needs assessment as it pertains to
future recreation expansion. The Recreation Commission was in
agreement and talked about the need for professional seminars and
other conferences for Board members and Commission members to ac-
quaint them with the changing role for recreation planners. The
Director will forward information about the annual New York State
and national recreation conventions when they become available.
There being no further business, the meeting was adjourned at
10:48 P.M. The next meeting will be held on Monday, March 24, 1986
at 7:30 P.M.