Parks and recreation outlines events, repairs and phased electrical upgrades for Summit Park and other facilities

James Richards, deputy director of Harrison County Parks and Recreation, told commissioners on Jan. 8 that parks staff are focusing on winter programming, routine maintenance and a set of low-cost facility improvements intended to increase use.

Richards listed planned events including trivia nights, flea markets, line dancing, cornhole and an indoor Hot Wheels racetrack slated for February; he said many activities "don't cost the parks any money" because they are driven by community participation. He also said staff were arranging for bouncy houses that can be used indoors or outdoors and that wrestling and scheduled flea markets remain on the calendar.

On facilities, Richards said crews have removed and replaced leaking plumbing fixtures and tile, and are converting lights to LED. For restrooms, he said a concrete bathroom at what he called "Skelter" (a county park referenced in the meeting) is estimated at "less than $10,000" for supplies and construction. He described a small electrical problem at Summit Park that, by trenching conduit and reconfiguring the service, he expects to reduce costs by an estimated 80 percent compared with prior options.

"We can probably get that done and the bottom done relatively cheap," Richards said of planned lighting and electrical work at Summit Park, adding that county crews will do demolition and most of the non-electrical work while electricians will perform required wiring and service hookups. Richards said one electrician has offered reduced rates and that the county can phase work so the commission sees incremental costs and progress.

On lighting specifically, Richards said the county received competitive pricing for LED retrofit options for the upper and lower fields and that an aluminum mounting frame will be built to support the lights. He recommended metering the upper field separately (installing a pole meter and a separate breaker) so the county can isolate usage and control invoices for the top and lower fields independently.

Richards gave several cost details and timelines during the presentation: an electrical fix at one facility was estimated at about $900; the concrete restroom at Skelter was estimated at under $10,000; and an electrician told staff he could complete initial upper-field work in about three weeks after receiving authorization. Richards said the county intends to perform much of the labor in-house to limit expense and that any contracted electrical work would be limited to licensed electricians for hook-up and final connections.

Commissioners asked about parking at one park, and Richards said a reconfiguration could create approximately 50 parking spaces but the meeting transcript did not include a clear cost estimate for that work. He also said the department is preparing to rewire bathrooms, replace damaged storage structures and eliminate overhead wiring by running new conduit underground.

Why it matters: The county's plan emphasizes low-cost, incremental improvements and community-driven programming to increase park use in the winter months while limiting outsourced expenses. Metering and separate breakers for park services aim to enable better cost control for evening and day use.

Ending: Commissioners asked staff to coordinate with the softball league and other user groups before altering field infrastructure, and Richards said he would provide regular weekly updates on costs and progress as work proceeds.