Board considers Judge Lewis Park changes
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By Jeff Snyder
MOUNT AYR, Iowa — Estimates to repair the little league baseball fields gave the Mount Ayr City Parks Board pause at its most recent meeting. The board discussed bids it received for leveling the ball fields and the numbers were somewhat shocking.
One bid came in at north of $450,000 while another bid that was quoted earlier in the year came in at around $80,000. The low bid was submitted by the same contractor that recently completed work on the fields at the Mount Ayr Community Schools this past spring.
The current little league fields are pitched in such a way that flooding is a regular occurrence. The board, along with the Mount Ayr City Council, had previously budgeted funding for these repairs but neither the city nor the board were prepared to commit to such an expensive undertaking.
Along with the field improvements, the fencing around the perimeter of the fields was also slated for replacement. Due to the large disparities in the bids, the board elected to table the issue for now until such time that further discussions can be had with construction consultants and further clarification with the contractor that submitted the low bid.
The board was inclined to accept the lowest bidder if the bid could be verified since several months have past since the bid was received. Along with the little league fields the board also discussed the future possible addition of Pickle Ball courts that had previously been proposed. Final bid analysis is also needed for this project to allow for additional examination of the surface below the existing west side tennis courts. Subsurface integrity is critical in determining long term durability for the new courts. Contractors will complete their examination of the ground slated for the court installation and report back to the board with their findings. There would be two pickle ball courts installed along with a divider fence between the east side tennis courts and the proposed pickle ball courts. The repair of the east side basketball court is being considered in the same bids as the pickle ball court. This repair would include resurfacing the concrete and placement of new backboards and rims. The Parks board agreed to reconvene once all the additional information could be gathered allowing for a final approval meeting to be held with the city council who controls the funding for all of these projects.
