MOUNTAIN LAKES RECREATION COMMISSION
Minutes for October 15, 2013
7:30 PM Borough Hall

Present: Chairperson – Wright, Commissioners – Caputo, Herrera, Petersen, Terhune, Sentowski, Shertzer, Spoto; Rec Director – Lane; Liaison – Holmberg

Absent: Thompson; Liaison to Board of Ed – Mitchell

Motion to approve July and September minutes, moved and approved with no dissent

Rec Director Report

I.  Summer recap
Director Lane presented a recap of the department’s summer events: day camp, 4^th of July, sailing camp, additional programs, internal account audit, facilities review

II. RSchools
The facilities scheduler is live.  BOE has not entered its black-out dates (holidays, concerts, etc) so many dates that were booked are being called back. When a facility is booked, it goes through the approval process, and an email is sent to the requestor. 

Rschools has been working well for Audrey and the Recreation Dept.  Deb Shertzer is using the registration module for the basketball program. Registration link is being sent out to BT and ML schools in the coming days.  Junior wrestling registration is underway.

Director Lane is managing the Rec calendar and asks the commission to submit any rec or hub lakes dates, even scouts and other community non-rec events.  Audrey will post the link to this calendar on the town website. 

III. New Recreation Initiatives:
Lane is currently trying to book the MLHS media center for concussion testing.  Aiming to have the concussion testing here in the end of November for basketball players. 

The Rec Department has purchased a “background check” system.  It will reveal any issues that may arise regarding criminal records, default, indebtedness, etc but not specific details.  Commission recommends that databases that other sports programs are using be coordinated such that there is no duplication. 

Audrey has contacted Patty McElduff to investigate accessing her pool of volunteers for rec needs

Audrey planning to work on the department’s relationship with Lakeland Hills YMCA; potential for cross usage – promoting their programs, have them running some for us.

Midvale dock are being abused – swimming not allowed but is always done.  As we look at renovating the facility, should keep in mind ways to prevent this.  Councilman Holmberg will raise this with Captain Shawn Bennett and suggest increasing police patrols to change the behavior.

IV.  Board formation
Basketball board formation underway
Nicole, Audrey, and Vicki Allison working on track board.  Vicki has agreed to mentor the new board.

V. Events
Tree lighting Dec 8, Menorah lighting Dec 1
Audrey will plan a bus trip to Christmas spectacular in conjunction with the 55+ Group.
Other ideas in the planning stage:

1. karate – perhaps Eagle, want to keep in town, could use cafeterias or partner with Y

2. robotics program over Feb break

3. Golf – maybe at peace pipe.  Mike Riccardi from TGA runs the one in BT. 

4. Revitalized tennis program.

VI.  Presentation to Council
Audrey and Nicole will prepare a Recreation Update to Council for Commission review in November. The presentation will include capital planning recommendations, program revenue and participation and the Updated Recreation Commission Mission.  The Commission will agree on 2014 Objectives for inclusion in the presentation at the November Meeting. The issue of purchasing a motor boat to improve safety for the sailing club will also be considered for inclusion.

VII. Insurance
Director Lane met with the Borough Insurance group last month and is in the process of reviewing each recreation program to ensure that each program is adequately covered.

The Recreation department currently has general liability insurance for all Recreation program participants and coaches.  Audrey is currently working on a Recreation insurance audit in order to ensure that all recreation groups are fully covered.  The audit will determine if affiliated recreation programs are covered on a case by case basis.  If they are not, then Audrey will work with the groups to either make some structural changes to our relationship with the program, or refer them to the Borough insurance agent for a supplemental insurance quote.  It is a priority to evaluate the swim team’s coverage in the short term.  (Many of the affiliated programs (i.e Tritown) are covered through additional independent insurance carriers.)

There was discussion about the current policy of BOE, which requires proof in insurance in order to book facilities.  Recreation may want to implement a similar policy moving forward.

There was also a side discussion about the financial relationship between the girls lacrosse program and the recreation department with regard to finances.  Peter Sentowski shared the MLBT Girls Lacrosse program’s intention to simplify the existing financial arrangement.

Sports Board Document – Deb Shertzer

Basketball feedback: regarding the criteria section of our document:

1. Would like to see more criteria for each member’s responsibility and tenure. 

2. Each board should have a charter with mission and goals.

3. Consider having first aid training for coaches (one per team).

Group agrees that these items should be set by each board, not centrally.  We can provide the charter and mission statement of the rec commission as an example, and various boards should create their own, which must be consistent with ours in spirit.

We should pursue the possibility of having a town employee do the first aid training AED/CPR.  It is likely we have a trainer for this on the fireman or police squad.

Baseball board input:  Make sure that the wording is clear regarding to whom this applies.  Also requested rewording of the section that discusses sharing balance sheets. 

Swim feedback: – suggest defining the term for board membership, rather than term limits.  Add in requirements for a regular meeting schedule.  Concerned that coaches who are teachers would have to do redundant background checks.  (This goes back to the need mentioned earlier to have access to this data from other clubs.)

Girls lax input: This board is working toward greater financial autonomy.  They are happy to work with this commission in defining their standards.  Will consider using our RSchools registration module. 

Sailing program no input.  They are happy to use the document as a resource as they build.

Boys Lacrosse thought they were insured through us – they are not at present.

Wrestling: no comment.

MLBTB Soccer: feedback forthcoming.

Rutgers training is required for many coaches.  Each board should build this cost into the fee charged, so that the cost burden is not on the volunteer.

Deb Shertzer will incorporate agreed upon changes and distribute document for finalization.  The final document will be included in the Council presentation.

Meeting adjourned at 9:08