Charles City Parks & Rec Board discusses trails, pool, park projects

By Bob Steenson, bsteenson@charlescitypress.com

A wide-ranging discussion of possible future park and recreation improvements in Charles City took place Wednesday evening at the shelter house at Sportsmen’s Park.

The City Parks & Rec Board talked again about potential changes at the city dog park at Waverly Hill Park and playground equipment improvements at that park, future improvements for Sportsmen’s Park, the potential for an ice-skating rink this winter, ideas for new skate park equipment and an update on the swimming pool.

The board also discussed ideas about improving and expanding the city recreation trail, including the possibility of expanding it beyond Charles City to meet up with other trails.

Cory Mutch, one of the Parks & Rec Board directors, and Mayor Dean Andrews, who usually sits in on the board meetings, talked about a discussion that took place Tuesday evening at The Pub after the regular Bike Around Tuesday bike ride.

Both Mutch and Andrews said they were impressed by the number of people who seemed eager to get involved in helping improve the current Charley Western Recreation Trail through town, as well as explore possibilities for expansion.

Mutch called it kind of a “revival meeting,” referring to bringing back previous interest and volunteers who had worked originally to establish the city trail.

Mutch and Andrews estimated more than 30 people took some part in the discussion about what it would take to re-form a committee and “spark this fire again.”

They focused on those two aspects — “maintaining what we have now, and connections out of town as well,” Mutch said.

Andrews said it has become more difficult to build trails outside of cities, because many of the existing rural trails were created on abandoned railroad track beds under “rails to trails” programs, and there are few of those abandoned lines left.

Nevertheless, he said, “it was a really positive discussion.”

Mutch said it is becoming increasingly important to have recreational trails available for bicyclists, especially trails that connect to other trails and provide the possibility for longer rides.

Many bicyclists have become leery of riding on county blacktops because of the deaths and injuries that have occurred on those roads, Mutch said. Some people have given up riding altogether.

The ride Tuesday evening visited the “ghost bike” installed at the spot where Ellen Bengtson, a young Charles City woman, was killed Aug. 2 last year when she was struck by a pickup while riding on the Clarksville Road.

“If we could connect to Elma, and eventually Clarksville, you’d have about 250 miles you could ride,” Mutch said, referring to the Wapsi-Great Western Line Trail near Elma and the Rolling Prairie Trail and and Shell Rock River Trail near Clarksville.

Andrews said a way to encourage use of the Charley Western Trail through the city, especially for younger riders, would be to place attractions at spots near the trail, such as a splash pad or play equipment.

He said efforts are already being considered on how to close the loop on the Charles City trail, including moving the northern end of the trail so that it goes past the soon-to-be new location of the Milwaukee Road railroad depot, that will be moved this fall and is being considered as a possible trail head.

The city applied for TAP (Transportation Alternatives Program) funds last year for trail work and placed third, with the first- and second-ranked applications both receiving funding.

“They told us to be sure and come back again this year” to apply for funding, Andrews said.

In another bit of trail-related news, Andrews said the city is planning for a ribbon-cutting ceremony on the new Charley Western Recreational Trail Bridge over the Cedar River on Sunday, Aug. 1, with more details to follow.

Also at the Parks & Rec Board meeting:

• Board members gain talked about a request from the city dog park committee to make changes at the dog park at Waverly Hill Park to relocate the small dog part of the park away from the steep hill where it is now.

Parks and Recreation Director Tyler Mitchell said he had talked with committee members about the idea of moving the small dog park farther into the park behind where the shelter house is and they liked that idea, but wondered if the shelter house could be relocated to create more space in that area.

Parks & Rec Board members were unanimous that moving the shelter house was too big a project, and Mitchell said he would tell the dog park committee that idea had been turned down but they could proceed with planning for the other changes.

Mitchell also said the board should talk about fundraising or putting in a future budget money to buy new playground equipment for Waverly Hill Park.

Board President Jeff Otto wondered if the board had ever reached out to the community about the possibility of making donations to the department.

Mayor Andrews suggested the next time someone comes forward with an offer to donate a memorial bench along the riverfront that they be asked to consider donating a piece of playground equipment.

Mitchell agreed with that idea, saying there was little room left for benches on city property along the riverfront.

• Mitchell said the water slide at the swimming pool is operating again, after about a $7,000 expense to replace the motor that pumps water to the top of the slide. He said the numbers of recreational swimmers, water walkers and water Zumba class participants are “way up,” adding “It’s getting used a lot.”

Still, he said, he has gone through three-fourths of the maintenance budget for the pool for this fiscal year which started July 1 and which has to cover part of next season until the fiscal year ends June 30.

The board continues to discuss the process for developing a plan for a new community swimming pool.

• At Sportsmen’s Park, Mitchell said, the pickleball courts will be resurfaced in a month or a month and a half, a $40,000 expense. He also said something will need to be done with the small wooden bridge in the park sometime soon, the steel twirly slide will probably need to be taken down in the next couple of years, and he would like to change the baseball diamond at the park into another softball diamond so all of the girls Little League softball games could be held there.
• Board member Diane Meyer said she would like the department to consider setting up an ice-skating rink this winter, and board members discussed possible locations, including the basketball courts at Sportsmen’s, a parking lot at Sportsmen’s, the former skate park at Lion’s Field Park, and part of the parking lot at the Senior Center.

Mitchell said he could put the topic on the board’s agenda for next month for more formal discussion.

• Mitchell said he would like to look at purchasing some structures to be installed at the former skate park to attract skaters back to that park instead of using other city park facilities where skateboard is inappropriate, such as the pickleball courts.

The structures would be able to be moved if the board decides to create another more elaborate skate park somewhere else.