Recreation - 8 April 2009

MINUTES of the MEETING of the RECREATION GROUNDS COMMITTEE held on
8 April 2009 in the COMMITTEE ROOM, KNEBWORTH VILLAGE HALL at
7.30 p.m.
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Present: Ms Elisabeth Smith (Chairman), Mr John Bantick, Mr John Hunt, Mrs Rosemary Pateman, Mrs Caroline Presland, Mrs Carol Smith, Mr Anthony Titmarsh and the Clerk

1. Declarations of Interest

Mr Hunt declared that he is president of Knebworth Tennis Club

2. Minutes

Proposed by Mr Hunt, seconded by Mrs Smith

RESOLVED “that subject to Mr Hunt being present the minutes of the meeting of the Recreation Grounds Committee Meeting held on 4 March 2009 are approved.”

Unanimously agreed.

3. Financial Review

Income £4,470 is 0.3% under budget and expenditure at £42,305 is 17% under budget. The capital expenditure for the year is £2,598. It was agreed that any unspent capital budget should be carried forward for the play equipment, floor, street lights and pavilion.

4. Knebworth Bowls & Tennis Club Lease

A second draft of the lease has been received and is to be forwarded to the clubs.

5. HCC Lease

A plan of the leased land has been received from HCC identifying car parking on the entrance road to the park.

The title deeds for the land owned by the Parish Council have been delivered to Foreman Laws to voluntarily register it, together with the access road. Registration usually takes five weeks.

6. Football Club

Knebworth Youth FC has requested that the junior pitch adjacent to the A1 be rotated through 90 degrees and an additional 7 a side pitch be marked south of it. Next year the club anticipates an additional two boys and one girl’s teams and an additional 7 a side pitch is required. The layout could cause problem with balls interfering with games being played on the A1 pitch and vice versa and would result in football being played on the old cricket wicket.

Proposed by Mr Bantick, seconded by Ms Smith and

RESOLVED that “ the junior pitch layout be revised with the addition of a mini pitch, all costs relating to the revised layout including movement of the goal posts are to be met by Knebworth Youth FC. Should there be any problems arising from the revised layout the club will also bear the cost of reinstatement to the original layout.”

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Agreed.

The hire charge for 2009/10 for Knebworth Youth FC is to be reviewed at the next meeting.

7. Pavilion Repairs

Cussens & Sons has inspected the heating system and prepared a report. It suggests that there are items missing form the original design. H&W Design, the M&E contractor, which designed the system, would audit the system for £100. If it has not been constructed according to the contract it would be a latent defect which would be the responsibility of the architect. The committee agreed to the audit.

8. Pond

Mr Turner, CMS, has inspected the pond and recommends that the vegetation in the pond be reduced during September or October. The clerk is to obtain a quote for the work.

9. King George Vth Playing Fields

A resident has complained about the uncut area to the south of the playing fields being unkempt. In January last year a hedge was planted and a two metre margin has been left to help the habitat. The meadow area at the south is only slightly longer than the surrounding area with no evidence of wild flowers. CMS has recommended that the area should be left to see what grows and the wildlife it attracts. Wild flowers can be planted but would either have to be plugs or seeds scattered in the autumn after the ground has been prepared. It is a long term experiment which is to be closely monitored.

10. Benches

A resident has requested the reinstatement of the benches which were situated in Stockens Green and Gipsy Lane. Another would like the bench in Kerr Close removed. The committee agreed that there should be some debate on the location of benches at the Parish Meeting.

Proposed by Mrs Smith, second by Ms Smith and

RESOLVED that “an earth anchors metal picnic bench be purchased for Lytton Fields at a cost of £946.”

Agreed.

Knebworth Youth FC has also requested that benches be installed adjacent o the J1 and A2 pitches and has agreed to contribute towards the cost. The clerk is to obtain a quote for four benches.

11. Equipment Maintenance

The triple has been inspected by Colin Hayden. The blades do not require sharpening and should last the season. He has been instructed to undertake the very minor repairs required.


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12. Weekend Litter Picker

The weekend litter picker is to start at Easter and continue through until the end of September for one hour on both Saturday and Sunday.

13. Youth Project

In light of recent damage the Youth Project has requested a formal agreement with the Council. A draft was circulated and subject to amendments was approved.

14. Any Other Business

14.1 Litter
Mr Bantick reported that a resident is picking litter up in Watton Road and depositing it in bags in the Recreation Grounds. The groundsman is concerned that this will overburden the bins in the recreation round during the summer months. It is to be monitored.

14.2 Lytton Fields Fence
The fence at Lytton Fields requires repair adjacent o Gibbons Way. The chain link fence is not substantial enough as the youth make holes in the bottom and climb over the top to retrieve their footballs. The clerk is to obtain quotes for palisade fencing.

14.3 King George Vth Gates
This is to be discussed at the next meeting.

14.4 Apple Trees in Rural Areas
There is a project to plant apple trees in rural areas and Mr Titmarsh suggested that they might be planted in the gaps on the eastern boundary. The clerk is to obtain more information.

14.5 Tennis Hut
The hut was broken into over the weekend. The police have been notified.

14.6 Youth Shelter
The radio in the youth shelter has been repaired and the anti climb paint painted on the roof.

14.7 Next Meeting Date

The next meeting will be held on 19 May 2009.


There being no other business the meeting closed at 9.20 p.m.