While the new trail through MacIvor Woods was the centerpiece at Tuesday’s Parks and Rec Commission meeting, officials also discussed a few other possible projects.
These projects come after the results of the recently adopted Parks and Recreation Master plan, which was based off resident feedback.
Public Services Director Mike Andrako said the city has been working with a group of residents, along with Mill Creek Cycle and Skate on East Fifth Street, to raise funds to improve the skate park area at Eljer Park. Essentially, if that grassroots effort comes up with $75,000, the city can match that for a total of $150,000 to improve the park.
“We might be able to do something interesting,” Andrako said.
Andrako used Delaware’s skate park as an example of what the city might do. Though Delaware’s park cost twice as much as the city is looking to spend, it provided some good examples of how Marysville’s might look.
The skating surface would largely be concrete, which Andrako said is more rigid and durable than the asphalt on the site now.
“Asphalt’s not a great surface for skateboarding,” Andrako said. “If you go out there right now and skateboard, some of the features are actually sinking down. They sat there so long, and asphalt’s a flexible material.”
The new park might also include concrete ramps and other features built into the concrete base. The current skate park has standalone ramps that can be moved around.
“We’re looking for some concrete features,” he said. “I think we have the room to do it.”
Another expansion the city hopes to improve upon is parking at the reservoir. Andrako said the city would install an entirely new lot on the west side of the trailer lot.
Commission member Mark Reams had strong objections to the placement of the new lot.
“It can’t go there,” he said. “It’s a sledding hill.”
Reams said children who use the side of the reservoir to sled in the winter could run into cars parked in the new lot.
He asked why the city couldn’t simply expand the lot it already has on-site.
Andrako explained that there isn’t a lot of space around the original lot, since it’s next to a ditch. Expanding the old lot, which only has about five spaces, wouldn’t net as many new spots as a new lot, which could hold 50 spaces.
“I guess I just want to keep the sleds out of the lot,” Reams said.
Andrako cautioned Reams against making a decision like this based on preserving a part of the reservoir that’s “used 10 times a year.”
Andrako eventually told Reams he would put up a sign allowing general parking in the trailer lot during the winter.
Andrako also spoke about the potential of connecting the Jim Simmons Trail with the path that connects Main Street to McCarthy Park.
“People talk about it all the time that we need to connect Schwartzkopf Park to Main Street,” he said.
He stressed that the plan is in its early stages, since the city would have to secure some easements to get the trail through several private residential properties.
According to Andrako, the city would use a state-funding source the city would match. He said he’d look into the project further. Everything considered, he said the project is still a couple years out.
“This is something where we’ll assume a certain amount of funding on our end,” Andrako said.