Hastings will host the Founders Barry Roubaix Killer Gravel Road Race for the sixth year with the blessing of the Hastings City Council. Scott Tencate and Rick Plite, co-race directors of the event from Trail Blazer Events have been working with city staff on the event for next spring.
City Manager Jeff Mansfield said the city is looking forward to another fantastic bicycle race which brings thousands of competing cyclists and their families into the city. “This has become a signature event for our community drawing cyclists to the area throughout the year,” he said.
Last year, the event had 3,200 racers signed up; this year’s cap is 3,500. The race and Founders after-party will be April 13, 2019.
In a letter requesting permission, the co-chairs said they felt last year’s event was so successful because of the “tremendous partnership with the city officials, city DPS team and law enforcement for their significant involvement in helping to plan and execute all the details of the event.
“A special thanks go out to Jeff Mansfield, Chief Jeff Pratt, Lee Hays and Jim James and the DPS team who spent numerous hours discussing, planning and helping to execute the event.”
A 100-mile race added last year to the 22, 36 and 62 mile races was well received, Tencate said. He noted that more than 60 local organizations work with Trail Blazer Events and 300 volunteers help put on the event. The event organizers donate to local charities every year.
Also Monday, Community Director Dan King said McKenna Associates, the city’s planning consultant, and the city’s planning commission have completed Part 1 of the Hastings five-year Master Plan update.
Part 2 focuses on four issues; dealing with strategies of business growth, housing, infrastructure, and partnership/collaboration and produce a work plan that will result in the development of specific action items that build on the city’s existing assets and are influenced by input from key stakeholders. McKenna’s proposal for its services to go forward with Part 2 of the update for a total of $19,500 was approved.
A copy of Part 1 is available at www.hastingsmasterplan.com.
A request by Debra Sutfin, president of Barry County Grapplers Association, a club of 55 middle school age and younger wrestlers, was approved. She asked that the council recognize their club as a non-profit 501C3 to allow them to get a license from the state to hold a fundraiser. Mansfield said the council has done it before, it just confirms that the city recognizes the group as a non-profit.
A workshop was set for Dec. 10 at 7 p.m. for Rehmann’s audit report.
