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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. -2- 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. -3- . 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. -4- 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.