Park Board members discussed the possibility of constructing a skate park with a resident who made an initial donation for such a facility during a meeting held Wednesday at city hall.
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Park Board members discussed the possibility of constructing a skate park with a resident who made an initial donation for such a facility during a meeting held Wednesday at city hall.
Robert Williams, owner of Impact Audio, made a $250 donation to the park board and asked that the board set up a separate fund to hold donations for a skate park. Williams said he feels a skate park is something that would be utilized by the young people in the community and said that with the aquatic center completed, it is time to look at another project. He presented information on a skate park in Carrollton that he said cost about $30,000. Williams said he has applied for a grant through the Tony Hawk Foundation that could provide up to $25,000 for a skate park.
Board members indicated their interest in constructing a skate park, an idea that has been discussed several times in the past two or three years. Board President Steve Muff said the main issue has always been insurance, but he has been told that insurance rates for skate facilities are dropping and many municipalities are constructing them. The board said its priorities at the moment are renovating Van Meter Park and constructing a restroom facility at the Ebbe Sports Complex, but they are ready to start looking at the issues involved in constructing a park. Board members and Williams agreed that the area off Oklahoma Avenue near where the walking trail will be expanded might be a good place to locate a skate park. Williams said he will bring additional information about the Carrollton skate park to the next board meeting.
The board also discussed change orders for the Trenton Family Aquatic Center, but took no action since the representative from Larkin Aquatics, which designed the facility, was unable to attend the meeting. Park Superintendent Jason Shuler said there is $14,000 to $15,000 in dispute, with the board still owing $17,424.65 to Larkin for the project. It is expected that the issue will be discussed again in December, with a Larkin representative to be present at that time.
In discussing the aquatic center, Shuler said that in its first year, the center came in right on budget and in fact was about $1,000 under budget on expenses. The electrical cost was underbudgeted, he noted, and income surpassed what had been budgeted. However, it was noted that the board had budgeted to lose about $40,000 on the pool, but that included the price of making the payment on the facility. It was noted that it will be many years before the city breaks even on the aquatic center due to making the payments. Muff said that when working with a facility such as a city-owned aquatic center, budgeting isn’t done to make money and that if money is being made, citizens are being charged too much. The hope is that at some point the city can break even when all costs are considered.
In other business, Shuler said there was not enough evidence to bring charges against a juvenile who was accused of breaking louvers in a door at the restroom facility at Moberly Park and he asked the board to consider establishing guidelines on when to take action against a person.
Muff asked if water fountains can be located around the walking trail and Shuler indicated that he will look into that, but noted that to make them vandal-proof, the city would have to spend over $1,000 per fountain. A ditch on the east side of the trail was also discussed, with board members noting it is washing out under the trail. Shuler said he will look into the problem and try to take care of it.
The next regular board meeting is scheduled for Wednesday, Dec. 1.