Mitchell excited about new Parks and Rec projects that are on the horizon

By Kelly Terpstra, kterpstra@charlescitypress.com

As far as his job as Parks and Rec director was concerned, Steve Lindaman was somewhat of an institution in Charles City.

The longtime city official retired last May after 37 years holding the post. His replacement – Charles City native Tyler Mitchell – is settling into his new role and eager to begin new projects in his hometown once the winter freeze finally melts away.

“I want to keep going off of what Steve did. I don’t want to change direction totally and then everything he worked towards is kind of going down. I don’t want that by any means,” said Mitchell, a 2011 Charles City High School graduate.

One undertaking Mitchell is ready to tackle is the 92-year-old siding on the Wildwood Golf Course Clubhouse.

“I think they’ve just replaced boards as far as I know,” Mitchell said. “I still think that’s mainly the original siding to it.”

The clubhouse was completed in 1928 and the milled wood siding that wraps around the clubhouse’s limestone foundation is starting to show its age.

“The siding on the clubhouse is something that we’re looking at different options of trying to do just because the old wooden siding is rotting out in a bunch of locations,” said Mitchell. “We’re just looking at saving enough money up to redo as much as the clubhouse as we can.”

Mitchell said his department has allocated about $65,000 and there is another $50,000 budgeted for fiscal year 2021 that may go toward some of the project.

“We’re hoping that covers at least from like the ballroom to the bar area. The down below stuff we can get to later on,” he said.

Mitchell said he is looking to get some quotes on the cost of replacement siding this spring.

“It’s to the point now where it should have been done awhile ago,” he said. “Now is the time that we’ve got money saved up to just side it and make it last a long time.”

Mitchell also said the women’s restroom in the clubhouse was recently fixed after the subfloor had rotted because of a water leak. The old floor was replaced with a vinyl plank and a new toilet was installed as well.

One goal Mitchell has for the clubhouse is to incorporate activities that would let patrons use the clubhouse year-round. He said the complex is not insulated and pipes have to be winterized because they run above ground. After that work is done in that section of the clubhouse to make it more accessible during the winter, a golf simulator could be purchased.

Golf simulators allow anyone the opportunity to swing a club indoors through a graphically enhanced driving range.

“We just figured simulators are a great way to draw people in so they can play all year round,” said Mitchell.

He said all kinds of different games could be played on the simulator such as lacrosse, tennis or football.

“It depends on what software we get and the pricing.”

The City Council approved a contract this past Monday to resurface the tennis courts at Sportsmen’s Parks this summer for $115,000. Mitchell said that project cost will more than likely be split with the Charles City School District.

Work will begin at the courts after the spring tennis season is over and will fix cracks that have become a nuisance on the playing surface.

“Besides the cracks, there’s little chunks that are starting to go on the tennis courts,” Mitchell added.

Mitchell has worked with the Charles City YMCA to come up with a solution to address where the CCHS and youth soccer teams will practice. The old practice field at the College Grounds is currently not in use because of construction of the new athletic complex.

Mitchell said the high school soccer teams will practice on the Wildwood ball diamonds. The youth soccer squads in Charles City will also play their games on that field.

“We want to keep building that relationship,” said Mitchell. “I think we’ve done a great job of working together since I’ve been here. We both want the same thing – to make the city the best and offer as much as we can.”

Mitchell was also happy to announce the chance to hire a full-time park superintendent. The position could be filled by early June at a $40,000 salary plus up to $31,000 for benefits, insurance, etc.

This position would work closely with Mitchell and help him free up some of his time to focus on other areas of concern in the department.

“Our seasonal employees won’t have to start as early or work so late,” said Mitchell. “Just maintenance-wise on our equipment is going to be a huge thing.”

Mitchell has also talked about re-evaluating the mowing schedule in the city limits and the various parks around town. The superintendent position will help decide some of those issues as well.

“I think just the general help of watching closer, the when and how often we’re mowing will just be a big benefit itself,” said Mitchell.

Mitchell also said some of the pieces for the newly constructed water slide have been delivered. The project was approved last summer for a cost of $73,000 and includes building a new support structure out of galvanized steel to reduce future rust issues.

The fiberglass slide was transported to Fischer Bros. LLC of Chippewa Falls, Wisconsin, a water slide restoration company. A new gel-coat interior finish and paint job is also part of the work.

The deadline for the slide to be completed is May 15. Mitchell said he hopes the Lions Pool can be opened by Memorial Day, barring cold weather. Mitchell said there will be more shade available at the pool and a new speaker system installed.