FAIRMONT– The Fairmont Park Board heard a list of facility updates needed at both the Sylvania Park Bandshell and the Lincoln Park Shelter during its meeting on Tuesday. The updates were determined by a recent assessment by Wold Architect and Engineers that looked at a number of city structures.

Matt Efteland of Wold gave a virtual presentation which touched specifically on the Sylvania Park Bandshell and the Lincoln Park Shelter.

He shared that Sylvania Park Bandshell was originally built in 1926 and that improvements were made in the 90s and early 2000s but that it’s been awhile since any major work has been done.

“The roofs, gutters and downspouts are all in disrepair,” Efteland said.

The paint it also peeling, the wood is rotting and the stucco is in need of minor touchups. The outdoor electrical panels and lighting have also been determined to be outdated and there’s a need to provide more accessible parking stalls.

Efteland said replacing the roof has been identified as the number one priority.

The estimated project cost to pursue all recommended repairs and improvements is $430,000.

However, to pursue only code requirement and deteriorating items such as the roof and gutters, wood trim, stucco and electrical panels would be $164,000.

Moving to the Lincoln Park Shelter, Efteland said it was built in 1937 but has seen a significant amount of modifications since then. However, a number of problems remain including a lack of accessible parking spots.

Other concerns include cracked foundation walls. The windows and entry door are also in poor condition. The basement is also unfinished and in poor condition and there is a gas unit heater only but the building is missing insulation.

Efteland said they recommend a number of fixes including replacing windows, patching and repairing the foundation and replacing the floor insulation. A new furnace and HVAC is also recommended.

The project cost to pursue all recommended repairs and improvements is $302,500 while only addressing the code requirements and deteriorating items such as the windows, foundation and insulation would be $158,000.

Board Member Monica Shelgren questioned whether there was much for historical structure left to which Nemmers said no. Board Member Jodie Whitmore asked if they leveled it and rebuilt it, if it could be done at the same location. Nemmers said it could be re-built at the same location.

Efteland provided loose figures on how much it would cost to build a new structure but it’s dependent on what would all be included for the kitchen and other features.

As the presentation was meant to be informative for the board, Nemmers told them to think the proposals over before the next board meeting.

“There’s a lot of projects out there and we’ll have to decide as a group which ones we want to focus on because there’s not enough money for all of them,” Nemmers said.

In other news, in Parks and Street Superintendent, Nick Lardy’s absence, Nemmers provided a parks update.

He said they met with a lighting vendor for bringing lights into Veterans Park and that it’s budgeted for in 2022. They’re also looking at pricing for shade structures to place at Veterans Park though estimates have come in higher than what was budgeted for.

Fairmont Community Education and Recreation Director, Stephanie Busiahn, also provided a positive update and said they’re in full swing for the summer. She said they’ve partnered with LiveFit for gymnastics programs and that all four programs were full.

Busiahn also shared that they have 87 children signed up for T-ball this season, but just four parents signed up to coach so have needed to look for volunteers.

The summer reading program has 55 students participating. They’ve partnered with Fairmont Elementary School for staffing for the program, as it’s blended with summer school.

In addition to that partnership, we’re partnering with the summer playground program,” Busiahn said.

For that program, there are about 70 students signed up, which is a big increase from previous years.

“There’s some growing pains but it’s good to see kiddos out using the parks,” Busiahn said.