East Park in Mason City (above). The Mason City Parks & Recreation Board has several projects in mind for 2011.|
The Mason City Parks & Recreation Board met Tuesday evening at City Hall. At the meeting, the board outlined several projects for 2011. Among the projects discussed, with estimated dollar amounts needed to complete:
– Aquatic Center Outer Grates $25,000
– Aquatic Center Splash Grounds Repairs $50,000
– M. Campgrd Debt Repay Schedule $175,000
– East Park Tennis Ct Improv $77,000 ($50,000 grants) = $127,000 Total Project Cost
– New Flexwing Mower $15,000
– Shelter #1 House Chimney Repair $12,000
– Trail Asphalt Repairs $50,000
The Parks Department was budgeted about $400,000 from the City in 2010. The City budget process gets underway in Mason City in December and January.
The aquatic center outer grates are expensive items due to the fact that the pool is curved, so the grates have to be the same exact shape in order to fit, and very few companies make those specific grates, Interim Recreation Department Manager Brian Pauly explained to NorthIowaToday.com. The grates have a five year lifespan, and the current grates are nearly seven years old.
The aquatic center splash ground repairs is also an important project because the splash grounds actually had to be closed in mid-June last summer due to the loss of water, most likely caused by a leaking pipe. Pauly told NorthIowaToday.com that the cost to treat new water for use in the pool is about $13.10 per gallon, a big expense. It is only about ten cents per gallon cost to re-use water in the pool that has already been treated. The high cost of the lost water prompted the closing of the splash grounds until the problem could be isolated. Pauly hopes the problem can be found and fixed later this Spring before the pool is set to open.
