The Crookston Park Board met on Monday in the conference room at City Hall and discussed several topics, including updates on the pool feasibility study, summer activities at the Crookston Sports Center, and youth baseball tournaments.
POOL FEASIBILITY STUDY
The first topic of discussion was an update on the feasibility study conducted on the Crookston Community Swimming Pool. Interim City Administrator Darin Selzler told the board that AE2S Engineering has provided some preliminary findings, but did not meet the city’s July 6 deadline to complete the study. The study has been a consistent topic of discussion since it was recommended to the board last year.
Selzler provided a handout to the board members so they could review the initial report and have questions ready as the study continues. Selzler stated that the study has been extensive and has included on-site visits, including an additional visit scheduled for next week. Other work still needed for the study includes an operating cost analysis, a visit from a pool technologist to assess the long-term viability of the pool equipment, and a detailed cost analysis to correct observed conditions that have not been reviewed. Selzler was informed by AE2S that they plan to have the study completed by August 13.
Parks and Recreation Director Scott Butt told the board that, so far, the results from AE2S are promising and show that the current facility has strong bones and just needs some work in areas such as the HVAC system, fire safety measures, and the removal and replacement of the concrete masonry unit exterior veneer. He acknowledged that not having the full results by the deadline was disappointing, but they want an efficient review of the pool to ensure any future decisions are made responsibly. “Very happy to get something in the hands of the park board members so that they can read through it and see what AE2S has come to the conclusion of so far,” said Butt. “So as of right now, things look promising, and we’ll wait for August 13 when they bring us the full report, and we’ll go from there.”
Board member Carol Gregg provided an update to the board following the National Swimming Pool Day free swim at the pool on Saturday. She said 93 people signed in for the free swim and was happy with the turnout, as the weather may have drawn more people to the pool. She also reported that Trey Everett has finished the mural on the front wall of the pool building, which was completed with no cost to the city, as Fin and Fit provided Everett with the supplies and he volunteered his time to paint the mural.
BASEBALL TOURNAMENT
Butt then provided an update on the summer baseball tournaments being held in Crookston. In addition to the Class 8A and 8AA high school tournaments held in June, a 12UB youth baseball tournament occurred on Saturday and Sunday at baseball diamonds 5 and 6 at Ray Ecklund Park. The tournament was a success despite the extreme heat conditions and saw nine teams compete over the two days. The complex will also host an American Legion sub-state tournament from Friday, July 17 to Sunday, July 19. Butt has been satisfied with the success of these tournaments and continues to pitch the idea of Crookston permanently hosting the Class 8A and 8AA tournament games. Butt said, “We had the two high school tournaments in the spring, we had the 12UB tournament this past weekend, and then this weekend, we have the Legion substate. So, we’re very thankful to have those tournaments in town, and we’re going to continue to push to keep bringing them in.”
CROOKSTON SPORTS CENTER UPDATE
The final item on the agenda was updates from the Crookston Sports Center. Butt reported that a board cleaner was working to get the ice rink boards ready to go, and that work had been done to replace the glycol in the cooling system and replace some defective O-rings. The current plan is to get the rink ready to test the system and put down ice ahead of the Blue Line Club’s Youth Hockey Camp scheduled for July 27-31. “We’ve got the board cleaner in today, and then McFarland’s and Dry came in, and they replaced some O-rings that were leaking,” explained Butt. “Now we’re getting the system back up to where we’ll be able to turn it on, and hopefully by the end of the month, we’ll be able to turn it on and make sure everything’s working right, so that come the winter when we go full bore, everything’s in great working shape.”
Additional discussions included the upcoming Night to Unite event on August 4, as the department will have a table and set up the bounce houses. Butt mentioned that the bounce houses have been well-received in the community, with multiple rentals scheduled over the summer, which he appreciates. “I feel like the bounce houses have been very well accepted, and people are renting them,” said Butt. “And we’ll have them at Night to Unite, so we’ll be able to get more exposure with them. All in all, I think this has been a very good summer for us, and we’ve been busy. I think as we just continue to work forward, we’re just hopefully going to stay busy, and those bounce houses will get lots of use.”
The next park board meeting is scheduled for Monday, August 10, at 4:30 p.m. in the City Hall conference room.
