Committee Report - Youth - 10-24-18 — File 206964

Youth Services Committee Page 1 of 5 Printed 11/2/2018 October 24, 2018 REPORT OF THE YOUTH SERVICES COMMITTEE Attendee Name Title Status Arrived Stephanie Hirsch Chair Present Jesse Clingan Vice Chair Present Katjana Ballantyne Ward Seven Alderman Absent Others present: Jill Lathan - Parks and Recreation, Oliver Sellers-Garcia - OSE, Doug Kress - HHS, Jeff Curley - School Department, Stan Koty - DPW, Anna Fox Doherty - SomerPromise, Annie Connor - Legislative Liaison, Rositha Durham - Clerk of Committees. The meeting took place in the Committee Room and was called to order at 6:00 PM by Chairman Hirsch and adjourned at 7:10 PM. Approval of the July 2, 2018 Minutes RESULT: TABLED 204870: That the Administration report to this Board, by the next Youth Services Committee meeting, on ways to expand open swimming hours at the Kennedy School pool, such as Sundays, Friday/Saturday evenings, school holidays and half-day Wednesdays. Ms. Lathan and Mr. Curley discussed the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) that was submitted to the School Committee for the assessment of the Kennedy Pool and Chairman Hirsch requested that a copy of the MOU be forwarded to the committee. Ms. Lathan reported that she needs to determine what is needed in order to expand the pool’s swimming hours, adding that all school programs will continue to exist and that the schools will continue to have priority use of the pool. There will be open and family swim for the public. Matignon High School and the YMCA have swim meets and need to use the pool. YMCA program use of the pool will be reviewed. There is a significant amount of work involved to expand the pool hours, including establishing an enterprise fund for the operational costs, however, the fund cannot be created until the new fiscal year. Additionally, pools do not traditionally make money. This item will be on the regular School Committee meeting for November 5th. Members were told that the School Committee has been very supportive of this initiative.

Youth Services Committee Page 2 of 5 Printed 11/2/2018 RESULT: WORK COMPLETED 204871: That the Administration report to this Board, by the next Youth Services Committee meeting, on ways to keep the Kennedy School playground open for public use during non-school day daytime hours. Members were informed that the tot lot is locked at 6:30 p.m. and also on Friday nights, so that it is not open over the weekend. Mr. Koty will speak with Mr. Franzen, who may have some issues with the night closures. The Superintendent of Schools does not have an issue with keeping the playground open on weekends, however, the agreement was that it would be open over the weekends when it is not used by the school. RESULT: KEPT IN COMMITTEE 204996: That this Board's Committee on Youth Services organize one or more workshops to ask tweens and young teens about how the city can make sure our community is a great place for them to live. RESULT: KEPT IN COMMITTEE 205284: That the Administration consider hiring a software engineer in the FY19 budget cycle to design and maintain information management systems to link data, such as information related to properties. RESULT: KEPT IN COMMITTEE 205289: That the Director of Purchasing share the process for procuring food, food packaging and flatware for the school cafeterias. The committee was told that an MIT student is working with the city on this matter and that the city’s Director of Purchasing is working with the School Department to hopefully make changes by the end of the school year. It was noted that 20-25 gallons of milk are discarded every day. RESULT: KEPT IN COMMITTEE 205290: That the Commissioner of Public Works share the process of handling different types of cafeteria waste, including recyclables and food waste. Mr. Koty reported that the program is working very well is should be expanded to include other schools by January. The students seem to be taking interest in the program and Mr. Sellers- Garcia said that they understand the sorting method. The “Garbage to Garden” program will be extended for a couple of more weeks as there is much to be learned from this program. There was some discussion about the amount of food wasted by students and that students do not have enough time to eat. RESULT: KEPT IN COMMITTEE

Youth Services Committee Page 3 of 5 Printed 11/2/2018 205360: That the Administration share plans for this summer’s youth jobs program, including the cost to nonprofits for hiring youths and any opportunity to create stipend work for younger teens in local nonprofits. RESULT: KEPT IN COMMITTEE 205361: That the Director of Parks and Recreation and the Superintendent of Schools share their policies and procedures for allocating indoor spaces and outdoor spaces, in particular for local or youth-serving organizations. Mr. Curley spoke about the shift of the gym space and the priority for indoor space as well as requests for time between 6:00 and 10:00 p.m. and on weekends. Parks and Recreation could take over this area to make it a more open and transparent process. Some residents feel that gym use is given to other programs outside of Somerville. RESULT: KEPT IN COMMITTEE 205438: That the Administration consider the following steps to address the field space crisis: petition DCR for a waiver for a reduced expectation to schedule regional uses, cover costs of using Dilboy for teams displaced from less expensive fields to Dilboy, and prioritize youth sports over adults sports for field usage. RESULT: KEPT IN COMMITTEE 205669: That the Director of Parks and Recreation prioritize Somerville youth sports leagues before any adult sports leagues from outside the city until the city’s field conflicts are resolved. RESULT: KEPT IN COMMITTEE 206188: That the Administration update this Board prior to July 12, 2018, on providing public restrooms at public parks, including parks that will be used by programs that would otherwise use Conway Park, including Dickerman Park. Ms. Connor told the committee that the pilot program will end in November and then be evaluated. The portable toilets are cleaned twice a week as per the contract. Chairman Hirsch commented that a constituent reported that the portable toilets were full to the brim this past summer. She will ask constituents to provide some feedback on the program. This program may expand after feedback is reviewed. RESULT: KEPT IN COMMITTEE 206232: That the Administration install portable toilets at playgrounds and the following parks: Albion, Dickerman, North Street, Lincoln (when it reopens), Marshall Street, Chuckie Harris, Kenney, Grimmons, Healey, Hoyt-Sullivan (when it reopens) and Conway, no later than July 2018. See discussion of item #206188.

Youth Services Committee Page 4 of 5 Printed 11/2/2018 RESULT: KEPT IN COMMITTEE 206302: That the Director of Parks and Recreation report on how often the public outdoor pools reach capacity and what, if any, pool staffing or policy changes may enable more people to access pools on hot days. RESULT: KEPT IN COMMITTEE 206643: That the Administration report on how the port-a-potty pilot went this summer, whether or not it can be expanded, and how residents should notify the city if port-a-potties need cleaning. See discussion of item #206188. RESULT: KEPT IN COMMITTEE 206644: That the Director of SomerPromise or Health and Human Services provide this Board with an overview of the Somerville Learning 2030 initiative and how the Board may be involved. Ms. Doherty spoke about the monthly steering committee’s efforts to keep the program on track and said that they are developing a survey to share in the community regarding youth employment and health and wellness. Chairman Hirsch suggested that Ms. Doherty send an invitation to the BOA to solicit feedback on the initiative. The School Committee has already been involved. RESULT: KEPT IN COMMITTEE 206647: That the Director of Parks and Recreation express to DCR the importance of keeping public pools and water fountains open later in the season due to climate change. Ms. Lathan reported that the staffing capacity is insufficient to support the pools fully, as there needs to be 25-1 ratio for life guards, hence, the pool cannot be operated without proper coverage. Many summer life guard employees need to return to college at the end of the summer. Ms. Lathan stated it will be a great opportunity to potentially share lifeguards across the Kennedy and Dilboy pools to get more flexibility in coverage. Alderman Clingan suggested having a list of life guards available for use on hot days so that the pools may stay open longer. RESULT: KEPT IN COMMITTEE 206699: That the Administration provide information regarding the transfer of some Kennedy Pool functions to the Parks and Recreation Department. RESULT: KEPT IN COMMITTEE 206701: That the Commissioner of Public Works report on the materials and practices used for school cleaning in terms of their impact on childhood health conditions, such as

Youth Services Committee Page 5 of 5 Printed 11/2/2018 asthma. RESULT: KEPT IN COMMITTEE 204582: Director of Parks & Recreation and City Solicitor responding to #204160, #203889, and #203733 re: nonprofit soccer and football organizations' use of Dilboy Field. RESULT: KEPT IN COMMITTEE 205531: Parks and Recreation Director responding to #205361 re: the allocation of indoor and outdoor spaces. RESULT: KEPT IN COMMITTEE 205895: 185 citizens submitting a petition to expand access to the Kennedy School swimming pools. RESULT: KEPT IN COMMITTEE 206457: Parks and Recreation Director responding to #206302 re: outdoor pool utilization and capacity. RESULT: KEPT IN COMMITTEE 205532: Parks and Recreation Director submitting the Department's Fall, 2017 youth participation statistics. RESULT: KEPT IN COMMITTEE