The Crookston Parks and Recreation Board met Tuesday afternoon at City Hall to discuss updates on three main summer projects and elect two new representatives for the board. The meeting began by discussing plans for a third baseball field and plans for a potential baseball tournament after the Fourth of July with teams from other local counties and North Dakota. They hope to get at least eight teams for the first year but are open to eight to twelve teams.
Election of Officers
The board then began a small election of two new members. As two Park Members had resigned their seats over the winter, the board brought in Physical Education Teacher Lon Boike and Social Studies Teacher Tim Moe to be elected for the Park Board. The board voted and elected both men to become new representatives for the board.
Open Spring/Summer Jobs
The board then heard an update from Parks and Recreation Director Jake Solberg regarding the open jobs they still had for the upcoming Spring and Summer. They have recently sent out multiple ads on social media and radio stations to reach out to people for the openings but still have many seasonal positions that need to be filled. “We have a lot of seasonal positions open. I don’t have an exact number. But we do have a lot of coaching positions open for baseball and Fastpitch; we have lifeguards, we have park maintenance and staff, we have Club Kid positions. We have a lot of seasonal positions open at the Park and Rec right now,” said Solberg. To compensate for the many open positions, the board plans to reach out to Recreational Course Head Eddie Walker at the University of Minnesota Crookston to recruit any potential students to apply.
Summer Projects
The board finished the meeting with a discussion about progress and updates to three summer projects they have planned. The first was a Storage Building for the Jim Karn Field and Ray Ecklund Complex, which will hold summer equipment for baseball field maintenance machines and equipment, like infield groomers, bases, rakes, and lawnmowers. The second was making sure a new Batting Cage had the proper materials to be built so teams could use it to practice their batting for the season.
The last was a standing hut that was previously used as a concessions stand during games but is now used for bathrooms at the fields for employees and spectators. It is also used by umpires to recuperate and cool down after or between games they officiate. “We did some painting a couple of summers ago inside. Now what we did is upgraded all the toilets, urinals, and the sinks.” Solberg exclaimed. He also updated the board about a frozen pipe that they had fixed last week for the plumbing to have it ready for the upcoming spring season. Plans to upgrade the roof and other rooms that need a lot of refurbishing are still in progress for the forthcoming months.
Their next meeting will take place on Monday, March 21, inside the City Hall Council Chambers.
