The Crooked Crane Trail project has been two years in the making and local governing entities are taking steps to move the project forward.
The Dickinson Park Board approved a joint powers agreement at its roundtable meeting on Friday morning. The agreement includes the city of Dickinson, Stark County and the Dickinson Parks and Recreation District.
The agreement states the city will manage the project by supervising the planning, engineering and construction of the trail. The cost of the trail is estimated at $450,000 and is to be split equally among the three parties.
The city approved the agreement at its regular meeting earlier this week. The county is reviewing the agreement at its regular meeting next Tuesday.
In an unrelated matter, leftover funds from the West River Community Center tennis addition are being used to install a golf simulator.
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"I anticipate we'll get the most usage of it from Thanksgiving through March," director James Kramer said. "Once the golf course opens again, we expect the usage of the simulator to drop."
Commissioners expressed enthusiasm for the project.
"This will provide a great opportunity for the high school and college teams," board President Mike Lefor said.
Kramer is currently researching suppliers and checking prices with the hope of having the simulator installed and ready for customers in January.
The simulator is to be in a secure room which patrons 16 years of age and older using it at a rate of $10 per hour.
"They have similar simulators in Fargo and Minneapolis and they charge about $25 to $28 per hour," Kramer added. "We want to keep it affordable for people here."
Meanwhile, towel service is being restored at the WRCC as of Dec. 17.
"We had a number of patrons express that they wanted the towel service and it is something they are willing to pay for," Kramer said.
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Patrons interested in towel service now pay $25 per year to receive a sticker which allows them one towel per visit. Additional family members can have the service for $15 per year.
"We also came up with a pro-rated system so people can sign up for towel service throughout the year," Kramer said.
In other discussion Friday:
-A new location for the skate park, currently located in Eagles Park, has yet to be found. The park district plans to remove the ramps and put them into storage over the winter.
"We will probably have some public hearings, maybe as soon as in December, to invite the public in on the discussion of where to relocate the skate park," Kramer said. "We have yet to find a location that everyone can agree on."
-The board reviewed a letter submitted by concerned citizen Paul F. Ebeltoft regarding the maintenance of Rocky Butte Park. The board appointed Kramer and Lefor to look into maintenance concerns addressed in the letter, including playground equipment, drainage issues and tree care and stump removal.
