Cold weather delays plans for Davis Park shelter house

Thursday, February 14, 2008

"I'm getting older and I doubt if I'll see this in my lifetime," Jim Novak, parks board president, said of the unfinished enclosed shelter house that was among the promised projects from the first parks capital improvement sales tax. Novak has made completing that project a priority of his tenure as parks board president.

The proposed enclosed shelter house is planned to be built in Davis Park.

Robin McHugh, parks and recreation director, told the board during a special meeting Tuesday night that the city has received the plans for the building, but now they need to get an architect to stamp his approval on the plans before they can proceed. And they cannot get an architect to stamp the plans until they get a soil sample from the building's location when the soil thaws out.

"We can't go to bid until we get the stamped set of plans, because it won't meet the city codes without it," Jeff Post, parks board member said.

The man who designed the enclosed shelter house is not a architect, but an engineer with Allgeier Martin who builds houses on the side and did the design on his own, not as an Allgeier Martin project, McHugh told the board.

The city has a contract with Allgeier Martin for engineering services.

The enclosed shelter which was estimated to cost around $100,000 to construct three years ago is now estimated to cost about $140,000.

Post told the board that he is concerned about the rapidly rising construction costs affecting the cost of the community center complex as well as the other projects from the current 1/2-cent parks capital improvement sales tax.

"Two years ago we could have built a lot for $3 million. We need to get started now," he said before the board voted to ask the city council to hire an architectural engineering firm for the capital improvement projects design and building phase of the community center.

The city is estimating that they will have about $3.5 million to spend on the community center project and the parks board is wanting to look at their alternatives, which include, building a new community center, rehabbing the current facility or closing Hunter Street on the north side of the current community center and adding a new double gym and other new facilities and re-furbishing the existing facility.

Parks do not generally make money for city's and Nevada's Charter acknowledges this fact and says that city parks are not expected to make the city money. At the same time, the parks board needs to keep the losses as small as possible.

In the case of the Frank E. Peters Municipal Golf Course, it loses in excess of $100,000 per year and the parks board is actively looking at ideas to reduce that as much as possible.

During Tuesday's meeting, a number of ways to increase the revenue at the course were discussed, including the sale of beer at the course.

"I think it will be a revenue source and won't increase drunkenness at the golf course," Marci Pritchett, board member said.

"There's drinking there already and we might as well get the revenue," Jim Rayburn said.

Jessica Schwarz, parks and recreation assistant, told the board that she had checked with some of the surrounding cities and that several were considering permitting the sale of beer at their golf courses.

However, before they go any further with the idea Robin McHugh said that she would check on any increases in insurance or other liability issues.

"If it won't pay for itself, it's not worth doing," Novak said.

The board also voted to ask the city council to approve several promotions that Ray Crawford, golf course manager, had proposed to increase play at the course, including:

* Reducing the weekday tournament fee from the current $1,200 to $800. The course averages about $200 per day from normal play.

* Offering a pro-rated season pass starting in August. The pass would be available once per person at the discretion of the golf course manager.

* Fifteen rounds of golf for $150 on Monday through Friday, including any holidays that fall during the week.

* Give a $25 gift certificate for merchandise at the clubhouse to a pass holder who brings a friend in to buy a season pass for the first time.

The board is also planning to consider holding a city championship golf tournament, with the proceeds going to parks and recreation and to add a vending machine in the clubhouse with sandwiches.

Comments
Respond to this story

Posting a comment requires free registration: