Hastings area residents and visitors will likely see more use of city parks in the near future Department of Public Services Lee Hays told the Hastings City Council Monday.

 

“I have been working with Jon Sporer from the YMCA with regard to getting more utilization of the city park system from the local YMCA,” Hays said in his monthly report. “For the last several years, the YMCA has been utilizing fields at the elementary schools for their youth sports. Recently, the schools instituted a fee for rental of the fields. This makes the use of the city facilities a more prominent issue at this time.”

 

The list of fields and areas needed by the YMCA for area youth, adults and church leagues total more than a dozen recreation activities at different fields for soccer, softball/baseball, sand volleyball, T-ball and flag football. “I would like to see more use of our parks,” Hays said.

 

At Fish Hatchery Park, the older of two restrooms, the one nearest the parking lot, will be demolished and a new structure put in its place using the existing utility leads. The restroom replacement is budgeted as part of the city’s capital improvement plan.

 

The tennis courts at the park have not been usable for some time and will be removed by public works staff and replaced with grass for six-different sized soccer fields, making a total of seven fields for soccer in the park/ The YMCA will stripe and maintain the fields, Hays said.

 

The council also approved Ordinance 563 concerning Riverside Cemetery on its second reading. Councilwoman Brenda McNabb-Stange was the only no vote, saying she disagreed with a change that lets residents buy several burial lots that may eventually go to non-residents.

 

Some changes include:

*each burial space may contain one vault and one cremains, or two cremains.

 

*Opening or closing a burial space is controlled by the city clerk unless it is ordered by the proper authorities, instead of the local health department.

 

*Several clerical responsibilities were moved from the director of public services to the city clerk.

 

*Demonstrations of any kind are prohibited unless authorized by the city clerk.

 

*Correction of an error will be taken after the burial rights owner has been notified and given 30 days to appeal the action to the city clerk.

 

For details on all the changes, go to the city website and click on the city council packet for Feb. 11.