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Home My Public Portal AboutBay Parcel Planning -- 2024-02-27 MinutesTown of Brewster 2198 Main Street Brewster, MA 02631-1898 Phone: (508) 896-3701 Fax: (508) 896-8089 MINUTES OF THE BAY PROPERTY PLANNING COMMITTEE MEETING DATE: February 27, 2024 TIME: 4:00 PM PLACE: Hybrid Participation — Zoom/2198 Main Street, Brewster, MA PARTICIPANTS: Town Manager Peter Lombardi, Chair Amanda Bebrin, Selectperson Mary Chaffee, Selectperson David Whitney, Karl Fryzel, Caroline McCarley, Thomas Wingard, Patricia Hughes, Peter Johnson, John Phillips (remote), Clare O'Connor -Rice (remote) Liaisons/Representatives: Bill Meehan, Jan Crocker, Sharon Tennstedt, Gary Christen, Kathleen Walker Town Staff: Mike Gradone (Recreation Department Director), Elton Cutler (COA Director), Griffin Ryder (DPW Director) Absent: Vice -Chair Katie Jacobus Call to Order, Declaration of a_Q_uorum, Meeting Participation Statement and Recording Statement: Chair Amanda Bebrin called the meeting to order at 4:00 pm. Ms. Bebrin read the meeting participation statement and Clerk Karl Fryzel read the recording statement. Ms. Bebrin announced all members of the committee who were present, a quorum was declared. There were no public announcements or comments. Public Announcements and Comments None Follow-up on February 15 Community Forum Town Manager Peter Lombardi explained that he would like feedback from the committee on the presentation at the February 15 forum and the Q&A session. Caroline McCarley said that the forum was well managed, and she was impressed with how it went given the amount of information that had to be communicated. Ms. McCarley asked what happened to all of the questions from the forum. Mr. Lombardi responded that these questions had all been saved, and the answers to these questions would used for future content. Selectperson David Whitney said he felt that the presentation went very well. Pat Hughes agreed with Selectperson Whitney, and suggested that the financing information should be communicated again at a later date. Mr. Lombardi agreed that this information needs to continue to be communicated. Karl Fryzel agreed that the presentation was successful, but said that, in terms of the Community Center, the committee and Town need to clarify the future plan for this facility, and do a better job of communicating this plan to residents. Selectperson Mary Chaffee responded that the committee does need to communicate that the plan to be voted on at Town Meeting on May 11 does not include the building of a Community Center, it is to reserve space so that a decision can be made in the future. Mr. Lombardi said that the BPPC 02.27.2024 www.brewster-ma.gov Page 1 of 5 Doc ID: 95af96857f2fdc252f2a435e5e48427bObddc4b7 E W ....:9... $R ST % Town of Brewster 2198 Main Street 3 v - Brewster, MA 02631-1898 o Phone: (508) 896-3701 r — ''<:.--.:..- .: Fax: (508) 896-8089 P, nRPOPF 1 \.• Community Center feasibility study will not necessarily be site specific; rather it will begin by looking at the need in the community for certain programs. Mr. Fryzel said that it is important to strategize how to communicate this, as the committee should not underestimate how residents at Town Meeting in May will react to the plans. Mike Gradone, Brewster Recreation Director, said it was important to keep in mind the current state of the Eddy School when residents mention that it might be a viable location for a future Community Center — the building is not in great condition. Discuss Future Public Access to the Pro ert Mr. Lombardi said that, for this coming summer, there will be resident -only beach access at First Light, and resident -only pool access. The season for the beach will roughly be the same length as last season. The property will open to residents on Memorial Day at weekends, and open June 15 on all weekdays, and, after Labor Day, switch back to weekend openings only. Mr. Gradone has staffing in place for the gatekeepers, and ARPA funding is available to cover those costs. One-off events will also occur where access is not limited to residents, such as Movie Night and Touch -a -Truck. In terms of longer-term public access, the Select Board is working on negotiating a conservation restriction on the northeast corner of the property. Mr. Lombardi explained that longer-term access decisions, including the potential for non-resident access, would ultimately be the responsibility of the Select Board. The plan when purchasing the property was not to restrict access to residents only, and, while it could continue, it would be a challenge operationally and in terms of staffing. Ms. Hughes said that her understanding of the original decision to limit access was because of the condition of the buildings and the safety on site. Mr. Lombardi agreed that this decision was at least partially based on safety and liability. Ms. McCarley asked if non-residents would be able to access the site for this coming summer. Mr. Lombardi responded that, if they were accompanied by a Brewster resident that drove them in with a beach pass, then this would be acceptable, or if they accessed the property on foot or bike. Thomas Wingard said that he would encourage the Select Board to re -open the property to the public more often. Mr. Lombardi responded that they expect to be able to provide access to the athletic fields early on in the phasing process. Clare O'Connor -Rice asked if some signage could be created to notify where people who are not residents can be dropped off, encouraging people to visit. Mr. Fryzel asked if the gatekeeper will eventually be removed, and the beach will be treated under the same rules as every other beach in Town. Mr. Lombardi replied that historically non-residents have been allowed to purchase beach parking permits at other beaches in Brewster — it would be possible to exclude First Light Beach from this list, but this will ultimately be a Select Board decision. Chair Bebrin recapped the main takeaways: access for the upcoming summer would remain the same as previous years, and longer-term access decisions will be the responsibility of the Select Board. Discuss Committee Activities in Advance of Town Meeting Mr. Lombardi outlined possible outreach activities to educate the community about the plans in advance of Town Meeting, including open campus tours, presentations to community groups, media outreach, and tours BPPC 02.27.2024 www.brewster-ma.gov Page 2 of 5 Doc ID: 95af96857f2fdc252f2a435e5e48427bObddc4b7 "'ST''% Town of Brewster o °V 2198 Main Street u� as W Brewster, MA 02631-1898 o Phone: (508) 896-3701 '�— Fax: (508) 896-8089 FFg NPON Apt \,1��:' of other community centers on Cape Cod. In terms of open campus tours, Mr. Lombardi noted that there will be two open campus days where residents can visit the pond parcel. It is the plan to do the same for the bay property, on April 17 from 10am-2pm and April 27 from 1-5pm. Committee members will be encouraged to help on the day to answer any resident questions. The second plan is to visit community organizations to present the plans for Town Meeting, and answer questions. These will be presentations for both parcels, and the help of committee members will be required for these sessions. Town staff are also in discussions with Lower Cape TV and Capecod.com to cover the plans, and taped conversations about the plans ahead of Town Meeting will also be released on the website. Tours of other community centers will also be scheduled, so that committee members and staff can speak in an informed manner about the benefits of such facilities. Selectperson Chaffee said that having an overview of information on the Town website will be important so that all residents feel informed about the articles on the Town Meeting warrant. Mr. Gradone said that information should be provided to the schools to get messages out to working parents. Ms. Hughes agreed that outreach to parents will be important. Peter Johnson said that committee members could attend coffee hours at churches with handout summaries. Selectperson Chaffee said that the Dog Park is another good location for having these discussions. Mr. Johnson suggested that having a staffed table at the Recycling Center might also be a good way of getting information out. Discuss and Vote on Proposed Summer 2024 Brewster Community Pool Program Mr. Lombardi summarized the proposed pool program for 2024, which includes a longer season, beginning June 15 and concluding August 18. The Town plans on opening at 6am and closing on Wednesdays for maintenance. Access will be resident -only, but access will be extended to Town and school employees. The Recreation Commission will work on new program offerings, including the schedule. Another adjustment will involve increasing the maximum number of guests to 25. Private rentals will be introduced on Friday and Saturday nights for a $250 fee, for the birthday parties of residents' children. Pool memberships will not be required in order to take a class. Mr. Fryzel moved to approve the proposed Summer 2024 Brewster Community Pool program as outlined in the packet. Mr. Johnson second. A roll call vote was taken. Clare O'Connor -Rice – yes, Selectperson Whitney – yes, Pat Hughes – yes, Karl Fryzel – yes, Caroline McCarley – yes, Thomas Wingard – yes, Amanda Bebrin – yes, John Phillips – yes, Peter Johnson – yes, Selectperson Chaffee - yes. Update on Shooting Range Remediation Mr. Lombardi provided on update on the shooting range remediation project, noting that it was completed on time and under budget. The area is now cleared and graded, with fences removed. Review and Vote on Draft Annual Town Report Chair Bebrin reported that she had worked on the report recently, and that a draft version was included in the packet for review. Ms. Hughes suggested including a mention of the Reed Hilderbrand team. Chair Bebrin BPPC 02.27.2024 www.brewster-ma.gov Page 3 of 5 Doc ID: 95af96857f2fdc252f2a435e5e48427bObddc4b7 v,,S'n-;% Town of Brewster Cp 9Fm`r , =_ 2198 Main Street 3 D Brewster, MA 02631-1898 Phone: (508) 896-3701 r" —..... Fax: (508) 896-8089 noted that a thank you to Ed Barber, Property Manager, should be added to the document. Mr. Fryzel suggested including mention of the committee's Harwich Community Center visit. Ms. McCarley moved to approve the draft Annual Town Report with aforementioned edits. Ms. Hughes second. A roll call vote was taken. Clare O'Connor -Rice – yes, Selectperson Whitney – yes, Pat Hughes – yes, Karl Fryzel – yes, Caroline McCarley –yes, Thomas Wingard – yes, Amanda Bebrin – yes, John Phillips – yes, Peter Johnson – yes, Selectperson Chaffee - yes. Review Upcoming Approved Interim Uses and Vote on Proposed New Interim Uses Selectperson Whitney said that Brewster Bike Fest would like to host their event at the Bay property on May 18. Selectperson's Whitney's proposed contingency plan is to use the Dining Hall in the event of inclement weather. Selectperson Whitney moved to approve Brewster Bike Fest as an interim use on May 18. Mr. Fryzel second. A roll call vote was taken. Clare O'Connor -Rice – yes, Selectperson Whitney –yes, Pat Hughes – yes, Karl Fryzel – yes, Caroline McCarley –yes, Thomas Wingard –yes, Amanda Bebrin – yes, John Phillips – yes, Peter Johnson – yes, Selectperson Chaffee - yes. Mr. Gradone mentioned that he had been asked about the possibility of using First Light Beach for kite flying events – Wednesday July 10 and Thursday July 25. The committee determined that the dates and logistics will need further discussion. Selectperson Chaffee also noted that the Pan -Mass Challenge Da Hedge event will be on August 4, and that it should also be discussed at a future meeting. Vote on Meeting Minutes: January 9 and January 232024 Mr. Fryzel noted a discrepancy in the listed meeting minutes on the agenda, and the committee decided to postpone the approval of meeting minutes due to the mismatch between the listed and actual dates. Discuss Future Meeting Agenda Items Mr. Lombardi reviewed potential agenda items for the next meeting, including preparing for presentations and reviewing draft materials for community outreach. Next Meeting March 12 and March 26, 2024 Matters Not Reasonably Anticipated by the Chair None FYIs None Adjournment Mr. Fryzel moved to adjourn at 5:23pm. The committee unanimously voted to adjourn the meeting. BPPC 02.27.2024 www.brewster-ma.gov Page 4 of 5 Doc ID: 95af96857f2fdc252f2a435e5e48427bObddc4b7 0 to Town of Brewster 2198 Main Street Brewster, MA 02631-1898 Phone: (508) 896-3701 Fax: (508) 896-8089 Respectfully submitted by Conor Kenny, Project Manager 03/28/2024 Approved:._ _ _ Signed: Accompanying Documents in Packet: Agenda, Community Forum Slides, Community Pool Update, Annual Report Draft, BikeFest Email, 2.5.23 & 2.6.24 Minutes BPPC 02.27.2024 www.brewster-ma.gov Page 5 of 5 Doc ID: 95af96857f2fdc252f2a435e5e48427bObddc4b7