The Parks Commission held a workshop on May 7, formulating plans for Jamboreeka to celebrate the 4th of July at Lake Leatherwood, and policies for reserving playing fields at the park for sports teams.
Commissioners also shared that there have been two new changes – Aaron Borey has taken Position 4 and Clarissa Leatherland has given notice, leaving a vacant position.
Food vendor possibilities for Jamboreeka explored reaching out to restaurants and food trucks and finding out whose business licenses would allow them to sell food at the event. The commission will accept applications and choose three vendors, possibly through a lottery. Those interested should have simple menus with the majority of items costing $10 or less.
All applications will need to be in by May 31 to be reviewed and decided upon by June 4. Those chosen will pay a $100 fee to secure their spot, and a $50 additional fee if they need to use electric hook-ups for their food truck or trailer. The soccer club will have a concession stand, and bottled water will be sold throughout the park.
Athletic fields and the forms people need to fill out to specify what groups will be using particular fields and for what transitioned to a member of the public speaking of issues with parking areas and the paths to traverse from sports fields to parking lots. This led to ideas about demarcating handicapped spots and ways to make use of certain areas easier for the loading and unloading of equipment, particularly for the concession stands.
Sign-up schedules were initiated to inform the public which fields will be used on particular days and times, and what athletic groups will be using them. This was suggested to avoid confusion and arrange for those booking the fields to pay a $20 usage fee for the field per day and $20 per hour for using the use of stadium lights.
It was recommended that if a team or group had trouble with those fees, they could seek sponsorship by businesses or reach out to the Parks department to come by an agreement.
This sparked heated words from a woman who pointed out that taxes paid by the public should cover these costs and not require fees. She cursed at the commissioners, causing several commissioners to say she intentionally “riled people up” and was using Facebook to smear commissioners’ reputations. The woman denied this but was asked to leave after it was pointed out that members of the public are not allowed to speak at workshops, and she was using inappropriate language and tone.
Tempers cooled as commissioners defended the fees with a comparison to Berryville, which charges higher usage fees for its fields. Commissioners added that if any group did struggle to pay the fees, they could discuss possible solutions with Parks directly.
Audit goes well
The state auditor said that aside from one issue, Parks is in good shape. Commissioner Beth Giltner investigated that issue and settled it with the auditor.
The workshop ended by announcing that the American Legion will assist with parking for Jamboreeka, and student groups will be allowed to hold fundraising activities during the event.