MEETING DATES
Mr. Armstrong moved to establish the regular meeting nights of the Commission for calendar year 2005, as follows:

January 26, February 23, March 29, April 27, May 25, June 29, July 27, August 24, September 28, October 26, November 30, 2005 and January 25, 2006.
All meetings begin at 7 p.m. and are held Wantage Township Municipal Building, 888 Rt 23, Wantage, New Jersey.

Ms. Vanden Heuval seconded the motion. Upon roll call, Ayes: Stella, Vanden Heuval, Pfeil, Armstrong. Nays: None. Absent: Henry. Abstain: None.

OPEN PUBLIC MEETINGS ACT COMPLIANCE
Mr. Armstrong moved to approve the resolution of compliance with the Provisions of the Open Public Meetings Act for 2005, as follows:

WHEREAS, the Board of Recreation Commissioners of the Township of Wantage desire to continue to keep the public informed of its activities and comply with the Open Public Meetings Act, N.J.S.A. 10:4-6 et seq.,

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED,

(A) The Board of Recreation Commissioners, in the County of Sussex, New Jersey, hereby announce that they shall hold their regular 2005 meetings and the 2006 Organization Meeting at the Municipal Building, 888 State Highway Route 23, in the Township of Wantage at the dates and times set forth on the schedule attached hereto and made a part hereof.

(B) The newspapers, to which all notices required by the aforesaid Act are to be sent, shall be the New Jersey Herald, and the New Jersey Sunday Herald.

(C) The public place at which all notices shall be posted shall be the bulletin board situated in the Wantage Municipal Building.

(D) Any person requesting copies of any regular meeting schedule or revision and any advance written notice of any regular, special or rescheduled meeting, in accordance with the aforesaid act, shall be charged in accordance with the existing fee schedule of the Township of Wantage for each and every notice to be so mailed. No notice shall be mailed to any person unless prepayment of the aforesaid annual charge has been received. The Secretary, upon request for notice of regular and special meeting shall estimate the number of special meetings to be called, based on the previous year, and require of person(s) seeking notice, to deposit the appropriate sum with the Secretary. If said sum be expended at the rate set forth, applicants will be requested by the Secretary to deposit a reasonable sum for additional notices. No refunds will be made of unexpended amounts. Notwithstanding the foregoing, any notices requested by the news media shall be mailed to the news media, free of charge.

(E) The rules of procedure by which this body operates are hereby amended to provide that at the commencement of every meeting, the presiding person shall announce publicly, and shall cause to be entered in the Minutes, a statement to the effect that adequate notice of the meeting has been provided, specifying the time, place and manner in which such notice was provided; or, if adequate notice was not provided, the nature of the urgency and importance of the matter to be discussed and the substantial harm to the public interest likely to result in the event of a delay; that the meeting will be limited to discussion of such matter of urgency and importance; the time, place and manner in which notice of the meeting was provided; and either that the need for such a meeting could not reasonably have been foreseen at the time when adequate notice could have been provided and specifying the reason why such could not have been foreseen or alternately that such need could have reasonably been foreseen at a time when adequate notice could have been provided, that such notice was not provided and the reason therefore.

(F) The Secretary shall forthwith post a copy of this resolution and schedule included herewith upon the bulletin board of the Municipal Building and transmits copies thereof to the newspapers designated herein.
Ms. Vanden Heuval seconded the motion. Upon roll call,
Ayes: Stella, Vanden Heuval, Pfeil, Armstrong
Nays: None Absent: Henry Abstain: None

OLD BUSINESS
Review of Interested Candidates for Board Vacancies
The members of the board held an open discussion with Mr. Greg Williams of Quarry Road, regarding Mr. Williams’ interest in being appointed to the Board of Recreation Commissioners. After review and consideration of Mr. Williams’ credentials,

Ms. Vanden Heuval moved to recommend the name of Greg Williams to the Mayor, for consideration of appointment to the Board of Recreation Commissioners, for a full 5-year term running through 12/31/09. Mr. Pfeil seconded the motion. Upon roll call, Ayes: Stella, Vanden Heuval, Pfeil, Armstrong. Nays: None. Absent: Henry. Abstain: None.

At this time, Don Henry joined the meeting.

The members of the board held an open discussion with Mr. Bill Hardy of Holland Road, regarding Mr. Hardy’s interest in being appointed to the Board of Recreation Commissioners. After review and consideration of Mr. Hardy’s credentials, Mr. Pfeil moved to recommend the name of Bill Hardy to the Mayor, for consideration of appointment to the Board of Recreation Commissioners, for a full 5-year term running through 12/31/09. Ms. Vanden Heuval seconded the motion. Upon roll call, Ayes: Stella, Vanden Heuval, Pfeil, Henry, Armstrong. Nays: None. Absent: None. Abstain: None.

Review of Field Use Policy
The members of the Board reviewed a proposed Field Use Policy for municipal parks. After review and consideration, Ms. Stella moved to approve the policy, as follows:

WANTAGE RECREATION FIELD RESERVATION, POLICIES & PROCEDURES
Purpose of this document:
The purpose of this document is to provide a clear, concise, and fair means for which the fields at Woodbourne Park and Lott Road are requested and utilized by all participating groups.

Key Fundamentals:

1. Field requests and use are based on a specific set of policies that have been created and approved by the Wantage Recreation Commission (WRC). Requests and policies are detailed within this document.
2. Field use is based on necessity of the group, club etc – for example size of the organization and its members ie Wantage residents vs. non-Wantage residents.
3. NO one organization, group, club etc. has any seniority over another.
4. WRC will be responsible for basic field upkeep and preparation for the upcoming event and/or season.
5. WRC has made the initial capital investment for the fields and some basic sports related equipment (i.e. bases, goals and benches) – each group will be responsible for their own equipment for example, but not limited to the following: bases, goals, benches, balls and uniforms.

Field Request Criteria:
   Field use will be based on the following:

1. Proper filing of a facility request form
2. Presentation of specific need to the WRC
3. Recognized Wantage clubs or groups
4. Wantage residents vs. non-Wantage residents
5. Prior violations and or complains of facility use

Field Request Policies:

1. There will be two (2) formal meeting dates to request & review field usage with the WRC. The February meeting will cover the spring and summer season and the May meeting will cover the fall season.
2. All requests for fields must be made in writing to the WRC and must be accompanied by necessary insurance certificates.
3. All requests must be specific when requesting field reservations, for example “we would like to reserve the field #7 at Woodbourne for Monday, Wednesday & Fridays from 4-6:30pm August 1st 2005 – November 15th 2005”. "Blanket reservations for 'all week, all the time, all season’ are not sufficient information to be given consideration, and will be returned for further details before being reviewed by the WRC."
4. All league contacts are required to submit a master game & practice schedule to WRC by the first week of designated season, listing dates and times. WRC must be notified, within a reasonable amount of time, of any changes made during the season. Failure to comply will jeopardize acceptance of future applications.

Field Policies:

1. The decision of the WRC is final when it comes to any matters and/or issues concerning the fields.
2. Any damage to the fields, access roads and/or facilities must be reported to the WRC as soon as possible.
3. Should access keys be needed by an organized club/group, keys will be given to the president or a designated representative. This person will be responsible for these keys and will need to return the keys to the town hall at the completion of the event and/or season.

NEW BUSINESS
Ms. Vanden Heuval distributed a compilation of “Recreation Events for 2005”, representing a synopsis of projects that the Recreation Commission has, historically, undertaken. Ms. Vanden Heuval asked the members of the Board to review the list for accuracy and completeness, and to consider volunteering for handling the various assignments for this year.
The members of the Board agreed to give further review and consideration to this list at the February meeting of the Board.
General discussion took place regarding the 2005 municipal budget for Recreation. Mr. Doherty informed that the proposed budget for 2005 is $30,000, and stated that he would provide a breakdown by project regarding 2005 anticipated costs.

OPEN PUBLIC SESSION
Mr. Armstrong opened the meeting to the public, for any questions or comments.

Ms. Jill Space inquired regarding the extent of participation that was possible for members of the general public in coordinating recreation events.

Mr. Doherty explained that it was up to the Board of Recreation Commissioners to decide how much to empower a member of the public. Mr. Doherty explained it was entirely acceptable, if the Board chose to do so, that a member of the public be given rights and privileges to participate, plan and/or handle projects for Recreation the same as an appointed member of the Board, with the one exception being that there would be no voting power at Board meetings. Mr. Doherty stated his belief that historically, the success of the board derives from its ability to find members of the public willing to help carry out the management decisions made by the voting board members during the course of the year.

Mr. Armstrong inquired if it were possible to appoint alternates to the Board. Mr. Doherty explained that the enabling ordinance in Wantage, which creates the Board of Recreation Commissioners, does not include the appointment of alternates.

There being no one else present wishing to address the board at this time, Mr. Armstrong closed the meeting to the public and the Board continued with the regular order of business.

ADJOURNMENT
There being no further matters before the Board for their consideration at this time, Mr. Armstrong moved to adjourn the meeting. Ms. Vanden Heuval seconded the motion. Upon roll call, Ayes: Stella, Vanden Heuval, Pfeil, Henry, Armstrong.
Nays: None Absent: None. Abstain: None.
Mr. Armstrong declared this meeting to be adjourned.

Respectfully submitted,
Jim Doherty,
Board Secretary pro tem