By HOLLY GASKILL
Summer sports leaders spoke with the Bluffton Park Board about the upcoming season on Thursday night — this included Gary Napier for farm and junior league, Stacy Herrold for t-ball, Jessica Besk for softball, and Julie Meredith for swim team.
While many of the specifics and maintenance of the rentals remain the same from year to year, there were several questions regarding the concession stands.
Specifically, Besk appealed to the board to open the concession stand closest to the girl’s diamond, citing the inconvenience for families to walk to the farther stand.
Parks Department Superintendent Fiecter said she understood the frustration but that sales have not supported it remaining open through the season.
“A lot of the families are really not happy, and I tell them, ‘Every year, I come, and I ask,’” Besk said.
Besk argued it wasn’t fair to offer it to baseball but not softball when they pay the same fees. Ultimately, the board agreed to support the concession stand on a trial basis.
Similarly, Napier asked if it would be possible to keep the concession stands open longer because they often close before games finish. Fiechter stated this was because the stands are often only able to be staffed by 15-year-olds, which are required to be done by 8 p.m. during the school year and 9 p.m. in the summer.
Several slight changes about diamond utility were also discussed, which Fiechter noted and said she would get back to the leaders. All the teams moved forward with their regular rental agreements and said they would get their paperwork in shortly.
In other preparation for summer events, Fiechter announced fundraising for the Kehoe Concert series has been going well. The department has received donations of $17,575 from various groups and businesses.
The summer concert series will include the bands Simply Queen, Eliminator (ZZ Top), The Dave Matthews Tribute Band, Crush (Bon Jovi), Dan Heath with the Paradise Band and the Cornfield Mafia, as well as a worship celebration presented by local churches.
The department also received $500 from Steve and Yvette Huggins, $1,000 from AdamsWells Internet Telecom TV, and $2,000 from the First Bank of Berne to support Parks Department programming, and general donations of $275 from Trip Kappa and $3,400 from the Huggins-Mann Pretzels Legacy Fund.
The board also completed summer hiring for lifeguards, concessions and other positions.
hollu@news-banner.com
