The Harrison Parks Commission met on Tuesday, Feb. 4, for the monthly meeting.
Executive Director of Parks and Recreation Chuck Eddington introduced the newest board member, Josh Earl, who is the City Council liaison.
Eddington reported that daily passes at Creekside continue to be a big hit. “We sold close to 900-day passes during the month of January.”
The indoor playground at Creekside is under some repair work. It was decided carpet squares should be placed on the existing floor to be more durable. “There are at least 50-60 kids in their playing every weekend with parents standing to the side watching.”
Last month, the Commission heard from Officer Kent, who asked for memberships for children in the foster care system. He reported that there are 22 host families in Boone and Newton Counties. Staff member Kim Fulton looked into the feasibility of administering the program.
She reported that three agencies keep records for foster families. This would be possible because foster parents have paperwork on each child that documents their situation.
The commission voted to allow foster families to have a free membership as long as they had the correct paperwork to show on the foster children.
CFO Luke Feighert reported that Creekside is at a break-even point as they wrap up the numbers for the almost three months open in 2024.
Memberships continue to climb, and the 1,000 members before January 1 were hit. The latest number of members was 3,070. Chuck laughed and told the group that Luke had raised the number to 5,000 members by the end of 2025.
The group discussed some updates that members had brought to their attention. The glare on the scoreboard from the court is being addressed. It’s unsure if the lights or the windows cause it. But it is being investigated.
Tod Curry reported, “The Jumpstart League (Be Elite Basketball) was a huge success. Families from the out-laying areas enjoyed Creekside, and several enjoyed a tour, but they were blown away by the facility. We have 600 students from grades K-4 and 5-6. Our area goes from Salem to the East and Huntsville to the West. The families were very impressed, and after the Mayor’s introduction, we hope they spilled over into downtown.”
Mayor Jackson reported that he called all the downtown restaurants, and they all had great Saturdays. One said it was the best Saturday in two years.
Rotary is partnering with the city to build four outdoor pickleball courts. Work has already started on the site, and the staff hopes to complete it before the summer.
Men’s basketball leagues begin next week. Currently, there are nine teams signed up to play.
The weekend cornhole tournament brought approximately 100 participants from four states. This was a warm-up situation for a larger state/regional tournament scheduled for June 7-8 with twice the number of teams.
The court curtain installation is complete and working well.
The public is invited to the Tim Reeves Soccer Field dedication on March 17.