Park & Rec Board holds 5-year plan public hearing

PLYMOUTH — During the September meeting of the Plymouth Park and Recreation Board, there was a public hearing to allow residents to voice their opinions on what they would like to see on the department’s 5-year plan.

Prior to that meeting, a survey has been available on the department’s social media and website as well as in paper form. When the public hearing was officially opened, Recreation Director abby Collins shared the overview of the survey results with the board and those in attendance.

Two thirds of the responses were people that resided within city limits and about 98 percent of responses live in Marshall County. There were 228 responses that rated the parks as high

quality while 117 responses rated it as neither high nor low quality.

Some of the highlights included restrooms being improved, specifically the restrooms at Price’s Pond, by the softball field and by the tennis courts. Other highlights included the restoration of the wooden park, adding security cameras, and replacement of the C league diamond score board.

One of the bigger portions of the survey was about the public pool. Those that liked the current setup made up 43.4 percent while 50 percent favored a new pool/splash pad combo. The general consensus was not to get rid of it completely and don’t have just have a splash pad.

Collins told the board that there were some people on the survey that suggested renovations to the existing pool. She then listed the following reasons why the department can’t do that:

• The concrete is cracked/distorted, even under the lining in the pool area. Repairs can only be made to concrete for so long before it needs to be replaced.

• Water and sewer pipes need torn out and replaced.

The department is losing 150-200,000 gallons of water each season to leaks in the water lines.

• There are plumbing and sewer line issues throughout the building. The only solution is to tear it out and begin again.

The survey overview mentioned some events/ activities/programs that people would like to see. Some examples of those include live music, movies in the park, plays in the park, festivals, adult events, food truck events, kids classes, and exercise classes.

The survey overview then mentioned some facilities that people would like to see. Some examples of those include trail expansion, reception hall/ recreation gym, camera/ security system, expand the frisbee golf, sidewalks along the streets, update the girls’ softball facilities, outdoor exercise equipment, and more seating throughout the parks.

The public had a chance to weigh in on what they would like to see. Here are some of the responses during the meeting: permanent Pickleball courts and a sports facility similar to Newton Park.

In his report, Superintendent Mike Hite stated that “everything seemed to go pretty well” as far as the Marshall County Blueberry Festival. In other park board business, the board approved a request from The Boys and Girls Club for a family pool pass to be donated for their fundraising efforts.