The Trenton Park Board approved a date for the Chillicothe Mudcats baseball team to play in Trenton last Wednesday evening.
The game will be played at Burleigh Grimes Field July 10th. Mudcats General Manager Doug Doughty reported this year’s team includes Logan Eickhoff from North Central Missouri College and Brett Pearson from Carrollton. Doughty said the crowd at last year’s game at Trenton was one of the biggest. Park Superintendent Jason Shuler commented attendance seems to grow every year, and he would like for the team to play in Trenton more often. Doughty said the team plans to have a commemorative t-shirt again like last year.
Jackie Soptic with Trenton Rotary informed the board the Rotary Club is working on a grant and wants to put the funds toward helping Bright Futures Trenton. She noted that, in the past, the club had used a grant to buy a handicap chair and frame for a swing for disabled children. Soptic said the Rotary Club needs a plan from the board regarding what it will do with the handicap playground equipment and submit the information with the new grant application. Park Board President Duane Helmandollar said he would look into that information.
Helmandollar reported he found out Friday about how much money the Park Department will lose from Shopko closing. He said the decrease in sales tax collected will take a significant amount out of the budget. The finance committee is to meet again to prepare a report for the next Park Board meeting.
Trenton Family Aquatic Center Manager Alexis Whitney reported inclement weather days and school make-up days will interfere with getting the pool ready and opening day. She said opening day would have to be pushed back, so lifeguards can be trained.
Whitney recommended the pool opening either May 31st or June 1st to allow for one week to train employees. She noted the pool also has to be filled for one week before anyone can go into it. Shuler said there is lots of cleaning involved before opening the aquatic center. It was decided opening day will be May 31st.
Whitney reported she wants to hire about 31 lifeguards for this season, which is how many started last season. She said there were about 24 still at the pool at the end of the year and noted starting with a higher number of lifeguards helps out with those who leave or are forced to leave the job.
Whitney reminded the board this is her last year as manager of the aquatic center. She would like to see an advertisement for an assistant manager position or manager trainee that includes something about the person taking over the manager position next year. She said she believes hiring a manager trainee would overcome problems with workers not wanting to come back after this year. Whitney noted the lilypads for the pool were delivered and can be installed.
Board member Gary Schuett reported the grounds committee is looking into a possible grant from the Department of Conservation regarding native species. He said he will find out more specifics Thursday. He believes the grant is $800 and that it could be used to help with planting and assistance for native grasses, shrubs, and trees.
Shuler said some of the native plants could be put around the Moberly Park sign. Helmandollar suggested looking at the area around the disc golf course. Shuler reported 20 Fall Fiesta Maple trees were ordered to replace trees damaged by deer in the fall.
The playground unit for Moberly Park was delivered shortly before the January Park Board meeting. The unit will be installed this spring when the weather permits. The installation will include a two-foot concrete retaining wall on the east side of the fall zone.
Work is also being done on the bathroom renovation at Burleigh Grimes. Shuler reported stall dividers and stools were installed, and fresh water lines were removed and replaced. A urinal was delivered with the wrong type of discharge, and it was taken back to swap for the correct type. He noted the project is not far from completion.
The Park Department has assisted the Street Department since December 1st with forming and pouring concrete for the new asphalt plant. All major pads have been poured, and the retaining walls for the control building are being poured.
Shuler said the Park Department has been actively removing snow at the Safety Complex, Rock Barn, walking trail, Eastside and Upper Moberly parks parking lot, and around the airport hangars and fueling station. One plow is down, and it will be taken in to be fixed.
