Sunday, August 7, 2011

Communities begin plans to use mineral lease funds to upgrade parks and recreation Dan Rodgerson

Utah Basin Standard
8/28/06

For more than 15 years, parks and recreation facilities throughout Uintah County have been held together by bailing wire and duct tape, but all of that is changing with the influx of mineral lease funds. But with a multi-million dollar budget for the county special recreation district and concrete plans flying off the drawing board, those days are gone hopefully forever.

The centerpiece of the improvements is a $15 million recreation center, featuring a lap pool, leisure pool, two water slides, indoor basketball courts and learning centers, to be built at the southwest corner of South Vernal Avenue and 500 South. Negotiations are currently underway with a contractor, with the district hoping to break ground by the end of September, said assistant director Robin O'Driscoll.

We will be pushing the architects, construction crews and everyone involved to get the job done and have set a target completion date of November 2007, said Rodgerson.

Funding for the recreation center comes from a $7 million no interest loan from the Community Impact Board, with the balance being paid by Uintah County from funds that it receives from oil and gas development on federal lands within the county.

Talking with residents at specially called meetings held throughout the county, the recreation district is designing park improvements that address the individual needs of each community rather than imposing a one-size fits all design.

In Jensen, where the core of the communitys park was formerly a parking lot, the emphasis is on greening-up the area.

In July, with the help of lots of community volunteers, we irrigated a dirt field, thereby creating a playing field and have planted shrubs around the perimeter, Rodgerson said. In September ww will be installing new playground equipment.

Future projects in the Jensen area include constructing an all-season restroom, he added.

In Tridell, the first phase for bringing in new recreational opportunities involves improving the town park's entrance and parking lot.

In the past, the park has been mostly gravel. We are adding greenery to enhance the esthetics, said Rodgerson. Residents have also expressed an interest in creating a walking park and increasing the size of the pavilion so that it can accommodate larger families.

Avalon residents have asked for a community center with a playground and indoor facilities such as a basketball standard.

The district has had to disappoint one constituent group. In Lapoint, where we purchased 14 acres adjacent to the LDS church, within walking distance of the school, children said theyd like us to build a Taco Bell, Rodgerson chuckled. When they understood what we can and cannot do, they have really provided valuable input the planning and design stages, he said.

Rodgerson said in his travels to the various communities, he has noted that there has always been an interest in improving community parks, but that the funds to do so just werent available. It's nice working for a well-funded agency.

Rodgerson has been the business administrator for the Uintah Recreation District for nine months, having moved to Vernal from Greenville, South Carolina, where he was the director of a similar agency.

Dan Rodgerson Reseume

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