Council moves to purchase equipment

CELINA - City council is moving ahead with purchasing a challenge course for Eastview Park, as recommended by its park and recreation committee.

Council members passed first reading of legislation to purchase a $238,448 challenger course from GameTime through the National Cooperative Purchasing Program for government bidding and purchasing.

The project will be funded with the remaining dollars from a $350,000 state Capital Improvement Community Recreation award for Eastview Park ball diamond and field improvements.

"If we can at least be able to ... secure this contract, we're going to save 5 percent this year," mayor Jeff Hazel told councilors. "If you want it to go three (public) readings, I suppose you could, but we've got to be able to get this under contract this year."

Councilman Mike Sovinski made a motion to pass the legislation to second reading, which was unanimously approved by his colleagues. He also asked city administrators to provide a map of the site at the next council meeting at 7 p.m. Nov. 13 on the second floor of the city administration building.

The parks and recreation committee, in a bid to draw more people to Eastview Park, had endorsed purchasing what public works superintendent Joe Wolf called the "Cadillac" option: GameTime's Pro5000 course, which will include a timed, 40-yard-dash running lane and three more obstacles than in the Pro4000 course.

The challenge course will allow for competitive fitness activity for both young children and adults, Wolf had said, noting people will navigate their way through and over numerous obstacles.

Wolf had said similar courses can be found in Cincinnati; Indianapolis; and Charlotte, North Carolina. Those courses were financed by NFL teams.

"This is a wonderful addition for our park system," councilman Fred LeJeune said.

As the city has enough baseball and softball diamonds with the new quad at Westview Park, Wolf proposed removing diamond 5 - which he believes is too close to the road for a ball field - and installing the course in its stead.

City safety service director Tom Hitchcock confirmed that location on Monday night.

"It will be on the inside of the path toward the roadway and that still allows enough space for another playground to go in there as well," Hazel said about future amenities.

GameTime likely will install the course next spring. The city, according to the contract, is responsible for all electrical and concrete work.

LeJeune said just as the city's skateboard park has its own unique set of rules, so too should the challenge course.

"It's going to be probably a high-use item, and it's going to be something that many people seek, so we need to make sure that everybody has a fair chance at having an opportunity (to use it), that it's not monopolized just by one group for an entire day," LeJeune stressed.