Future park improvements discussed, fee for reserving pavilion suggested

April Lynne presented her fellow city council members with an update on the city’s Hoerman Memorial Park since last meeting.

Gate closure at park

Due to repeated vandalism (see story above) and after-dark loitering, the city has discussed closing the park during overnight and late-night hours. Lynne said she checked with the Ozark County Sheriff’s Department, who said officers could lock the cable across the roadway at night, but it is difficult for them to reopen it of a morning because their day crew doesn’t get in until 9 a.m.. City council members said they’ve tried working with the sheriff’s department in the past on closing and opening the gate, and it didn’t work well. 

Lynne said she’s also looking into the cost of installing a more substantial gate across the road. The current barricade is a cable and lock. She said the sheriff’s department also suggested installing additional security cameras at the park for added security. 

Mulch on playground

Lynne said that when she visited the park recently, the cedar mulch that was donated by CedarSafe and installed by the city workers last month was mostly washed away. 

She said she found through her research that other parks use rubber mulch, sometimes with rubber mats over the top and a border around the edge to keep the mulch in place. 

She is currently working on a grant proposal that could pay for those things. She said the mulch would cost $532 per 2,000 pounds, which covers about 142 square feet. She asked if Maintenance Supervisor Mike Davis could help her measure the space sometime at the park, and he agreed. 

Pavilion posts need replaced

Lynne said that her husband and other family members in the construction industry recently took a look at the pavilion and made recommendations, as it needs the posts replaced. 

She said the posts are an odd size, 4x6s, so they would have to be specially ordered. The cost for materials to replace those posts would be around $1,500. She said the other option would be to change the type of bracket that holds the posts to the concrete. The council asked her to see if she could get an idea of how much it would cost to go that route, so they could make an informed decision. 

She said to help recoup some of the cost of repairs and continual upkeep, she thinks its a good idea to charge a fee to reserve the pavilion for parties and other events. There is a sign on the pavilion with the city’s number, directing those who would like to reserve the space to make a reservation. City employee Jessi Price said when people call, city employees take their name and phone number in case anything happens. She said most people say they expect to pay a little fee. Lynne said Ava charges a $25 per hour or $75 per day, while the city of Mountain Home, Arkansas, parks are priced at a flat fee of $35 per reservation. 

Moving water line

The council also discussed moving the water line at the park, as the water spigot installed there has been destroyed time and time again. Maintenance Supervisor Mike Davis said when they replaced it with a frost-free option a  couple of years ago and secured it to a post, someone hooked onto the spigot with a chain to their truck and pulled the pipe out of the ground. The council discussed moving the water line and installing the spigot, possibly in encased in concrete, in an area behind the pavilion that would be harder for people to drive down to. 

Other needed cleanup and work

Lynne said that the grass was getting a little tall, and there were some areas that needed weeds sprayed, and Davis said the city crew will be working on those things soon. He said the wet weather has delayed their mowing and spraying. 

She also mentioned that the light bulbs in the pavilion need replacing, and the grills had a lot of leaves and sticks in them. She suggested maybe having a sign in sheet for various people to go down and check the park and clean things up if they can. She clarified that she didn’t mean only the city workers, but also the council members and other volunteers. 

Lynne said she noticed the graffiti on the inside of the pavilion is written in chalk, and she plans to bring a ladder and wipe it all off when she is down there next. 

“I’m sorry. I don’t want to be picky, I just really want the park to look nice,” Lynne said. 

Fellow councilwoman Lana Bushong told Lynne she didn’t need to apologize, as they are all just happy there is someone taking the reins and focusing on the betterment of the city park.