Park board approves clogged sprinkler solution

The park receives effluent water, or wastewater, from Marshall Municipal Utilities to water the course. For the past several years, particles in this water -- including things like needles and condoms -- have caused severe blockage in the golf course sprinklers, parks Director Jeff Stubblefield said at the park board meeting Wednesday evening, Oct. 7.

"We're getting the water and the waste," park board Vice President Wayne Crawford said.

Park officials have agreed for MMU to install a strainer, which will cost the park $10,000 in $200 payments over the course of 50 months. MMU will be responsible for the upkeep of the strainer as well.

Although some park board members may have felt the deal was not quite fair, Stubblefield said the strainer will pay for itself.

"I'm spending at least $12,000 a summer in labor," Stubblefield said, referring to the many manhours required to clean the plugged sprinkler heads. As well as being time-consuming, this work was also dangerous because of possible contaminants in the water.

In other business, Stubblefield welcomed new member Harry Ming to the board.

Ming has recently moved back to the Marshall area, and Stubblefield said he "has been a very good park supporter in the past."

In her report, Recreation Supervisor Lori Godsey discussed past and future events at the park.

The Aquatic Center is now closed, Godsey said. The pool's final event was the doggie plunge, in which 73 pooches participated.

"It was a great success again," she said.

Godsey said that Santa Fe Trail Days, held at the park this year because of courthouse renovations on the Marshall square, was a success.

"I would love to see it back here," she said.

Godsey is preparing for the park's annual haunted house, which will be Oct. 29-31 inside the pool house.

She also said the grill at the golf house will close Oct. 30.

"I would like to commend you all on a great job with the lunches this year," board member John Angelhow said. "That's been a wonderful thing for us."

In his report, Stubblefield told board members about a $1,000 donation the park received from the Walmart Foundation after a group of Walmart employees performed volunteer work at the park.

"It's a nice partnership," he said. "I appreciate them coming out and helping us."

Stubblefield asked the park board to reorganize its standing committees. Crawford, Nancy Kleinschmidt and Angelhow will be on the Aquatic Center committee. Olive Malter, Scott Fann, Mike Lamberson and Harry Ming will be on the golf course committee. Crawford, Malter, Kleinschmidt will be on the play and recreation committee. Lamberson, Fann, Kleinschmidt, Ming, Crawford and Sam Untiedt will be on the budget committee. Untiedt, Angelhow and Hill will be on a combined committee to cover the baseball fields, tennis courts and skate park.

Kleinschmidt was not present at the meeting.

The park board's next regularly scheduled meeting is Wednesday, Nov. 4, at 5 p.m.

Contact Sydney Stonner at marshallbusiness@socket.net