MEEKER | The Eastern Rio Blanco Recreation and Park District (ERBM) Board met Tuesday for regular business and discussion on some of the district’s “in-the-works” projects, including a revamp of the pond at Circle Park, expansion of the existing trails system, and an overview of the proposed skate park.
After regular business, Sean VonRoenn, ERBM Executive Director, requested direction from the board on the Circle Park pond project. “Circle Park has all kinds of infrastructure issues … I don’t have a figure on what all of those improvements are,” VonRoenn said. After discussion by board members, it was decided the best course of action would be to continue on with the planning process rather than jump into construction and gain as much information as possible to present to potential partners. The district is hoping to collaborate on the project with other community entities.
Next, the board discussed the ongoing trails project, with a request for VonRoenn to continue discussion with community partners on how best to proceed.
The board was also presented with preliminary plans for a proposed skate park, which would utilize some of the elements from the former Fay Action Park. VonRoenn and the Board agreed to seek input from local kids on design specifics.
Unaudited numbers for fiscal year 2017 came out about $570K under budget, lowering the total fund dip from capital improvement projects down to $1 million (from $1.6 million).
The next fiscal year will pose an interesting challenge, as oncoming board members after the election this May will be treated to an intensive workshop to address the growing cost of employer-provided health benefits and will also need to address a PERA increase and minimum wage hike.
