July 28, 2023 |
Photo – Rawlins Recreation Center – Bigfoot99 file photo
The Rawlins Parks and Rec Department updates the city council on its completed and ongoing projects.
During the July 18th Rawlins city council meeting, Parks and Recreation Director Jason Sehon talked about the city’s Parks and Recreation Advisory Committee. Sehon said the committee uses public comments to make project recommendations to the parks and rec department.
With that, Parks and Recreation Advisory Committee Vice Chairwoman Abby Perry took the floor. Perry said the committee was formed last summer. She said the committee is made of nine adults and at least two school age children. Perry said the young people help guide the committee on what improvements the kids of the city want to see.
Perry led the council through a slideshow of the various projects her committee has assisted with. She began by talking about replacing the plants outside of city hall with ones less susceptible to deer.
Perry said the parks and rec advisory committee teamed up with local organizations to procure the new bushes.
Perry said the committee used the city hall planting project to teach residents about horticulture. She said all the removed plants were given out to the community.
Perry said she has gotten a lot of positive feedback on the new plants outside of city hall.
Perry moved on to the cornhole boards being installed by the horseshoe pits in Washington Park. Perry said the community asked for cornhole boards and the city’s parks department is making it happen.
Perry said parks and rec crews often help with the projects. She said city employees dedicate their time to lower the overall cost and make improvements to existing equipment.
Perry briefly talked about replacing the tennis courts at Washington Park. She said the project is far along in the grant process, but she hasn’t received the money yet. Perry also mentioned that parks staff had replaced the disc golf nets at Washington Park.
Perry mentioned one of the projects that is still in the planning phase. She said city staff are looking into hosting a school dance at the Rawlins Family Recreation Center. Perry said the dance would be a fun activity for kids and an additional source of money for the recreation center.
Perry talked about the proposed mountain bike trail recreation area. Back in March, Parks and Rec Director Sehon told the city council that he and Parks Superintendent Tyrell Perry were investigating the prospect of constructing a bike trail in the foothills northwest of the city. Parks and Rec Advisory Committee Vice Chairwoman Perry said the idea is still being worked on.
Perry said the parks and rec department has begun an alternative turf grass project. She said staff planted region-specific grass in two locations around the city. She said the idea was to allow people to have lawns using more drought-resistant plants.
Perry said the east side of Tully Park has been turned into a demonstration garden. She said the project is designed to show residents the many different types of plants that can thrive in the Rawlins climate.
Perry said the parks and rec advisory committee was working on many more projects. She said the committee will pursue grant funding opportunities to bring the projects into reality.
