By Jeremy D. Wells
Carter County Times
The splash pad in the Grayson Sports Park will be open this summer. Most of the elements have been installed, and they’ve even had it running a few times on manual, park manager Grant Harper said during the last regular meeting of the park board. But before they can automate the sequences, they need to get electric installed – something Harper said he was expecting later that same day. Then they need to get fencing installed, both around the splash pad for the safety of children, and around the controls area.
While he had hoped to have it open by Memory Days weekend, Harper said it might be the first weekend of June instead. The fences are important, though, he said, and he wouldn’t want to open without all those safety features in place.
Something else Harper is working to get into the park this summer are softball tournaments. Those are still a little way out, he said, because softball travel team season hasn’t started yet. This is due to rules that prohibit students involved in middle and high school sports programs in Kentucky and West Virginia from participating in travel team sports at the same time. They are in the works, however, and baseball tournaments are already being scheduled.
Because of these upcoming events, Harper said he has been advertising for seasonal workers for the park. He said he has advertised for, and hired, some event workers already.
He’s also considering hiring a custodian for the park, but is still feeling out the responsibilities and need. He thinks it will be a more critical position once the splash pad is open, and park traffic increases.
The third position he is looking at is a sponsorship and social media coordinator. In addition to working on sponsorships and promotion for the park, this individual would keep up with the parks social media presence. Social media accounts, he noted, take a lot of time to keep up with properly, but are necessary for providing information to the public on the park and its events.
Harper also discussed increasing security in the park, including upgrading security systems with cameras that can be accessed wirelessly and monitored remotely. He told the board he has also purchased signage for the park with closing times listed. The signs – one with an 8 p.m. closing time and the other marked for 10 p.m. – will be traded out seasonally, as park closing hours change.
He also plans to order speed limit signs for inside the park, to remind drivers of the need to keep speeds slow around the playing children.
Once the current round of improvements have been completed, Harper said, an amphitheater cover, basketball courts, and asphalt are all “high on the list of next steps.”
He told the board there are a “ton of options” for amphitheater covers, and that he is exploring what will work best for the parks needs and budget.
There is also additional fencing work that will be needed, but that has already been budgeted for, Harper noted.
The next meeting of the park board will be July 14, at 10 a.m., followed by the Grayson Tourism Meeting.
Following the park board meeting last Thursday, the tourism commission briefly discussed the upcoming Memory Days event and work on the Blue Goose building in advance of the holiday weekend, before adjourning.
The next Tourism meeting will be June 9, and 10 a.m. in the Grayson city building.
Contact the writer at editor@cartercountytimes.com
