Continuously serving Kosciusko County since 1854
There were a couple of nice surprises for Syracuse Parks Board members last night at their regular monthly meeting in Town Hall.
Sherman Goldenberg, immediate past president of the Lakeland Youth Center Board, presented a formal statement from the LYC congratulating the board on its progress so far in achieving its goal of building a community center.
The statement addressed three points of cooperation between the two groups.
1) If the community center is built, the LYC looks forward to being one of its first and most avid clients.
2) The two groups should work together so as not to duplicate programs.
3) LYC wants to explore the possibility of partnering with the town in a summer program this year.
The statement said, "We have a growing demand for gym space and we would hope to work out an amenable, low-cost rental agreement that would help maximize the use of your proposed facility and, at the same time, benefit LYC's constituency to the fullest."
Board president Bill Wight thanked the LYC for the statement that was definitely given in a spirit of cooperation and instructed parks superintendent Michael Hixenbaugh to work out plans for a joint meeting.
The second nice surprise came from Rotary President Bob Smith who told the board his group might be open to constructing a new building on the existing Scout Cabin site, after Ginny Lambright asked if that might be a possibility.
All agreed many people are sentimental about the Scout Cabin in general and they would be happy with a similar structure since the existing one probably isn't worth saving.
The board looked at proposals by Progressive Engineering of Goshen to shore up the roof. Although several ideas were presented, the recommendation included adding a steel beam, reinforcing the trusses and adding columns in the center. This would require footers near the posts and removal of the purlins (crossbars).
Even if the roof is fixed, the board next would have to repair the foundation, the sagging floor and other portions of the aging structure.
The board also agreed not to increase the cost for park use, except for a $10 surcharge for using electricity. Hixenbaugh is to set up a schedule that allows two groups to use the same facility on a given day.
In other action, the Park Board agreed to buy two picnic grills, one for Hoys Beach and one for Ward Park, and to buy some of the 24 Christmas ornaments needed to decorate the parks at a cost of $174 each.
Ski Shows on Syracuse Lake have grown in popularity and are held near the Lakeside Park beach area. More shows have been added to the schedule this year. Hixenbaugh will ask the ski club to consult with the Syracuse Lake Association about additional shows as well as practice time and place.
Of the 936 surveys distributed last month, more than one fifth have been returned. "It still isn't too late, even though the cutoff was last Friday," Hixenbaugh told the group.
Bids for the community center will be opened at 3 p.m. on Feb. 28.
Members of the Syracuse Park Board are Bill Wight, president; Lynn Allegret, vice preisdent; Ginny Lambright, secretary; Nancy Duehmig and Jerry Riffle and Donna Workman, advisor.
