With spring just around the corner, the Great Bend Recreation Commission continued Monday afternoon to look at ways to improve some of Great Bend’s under-utilized outdoor spaces.

Specifically targeting spaces north of Park Elementary School and Heizer Park on Eighth Street, Executive Director Diann Henderson presented the board Monday with information on the Soccer Mini-Pitch system, a modular metal system providing a fabricated court space for numerous outdoor activities.

The system, which includes LED lighting, fencing, goals, benches and Americans with Disabilities Act-compliant access, is a fenced court system that can be assembled in a short time period and customized to meet space and sport needs. The court system comes in three sizes – 60 by 120 feet, 50 by 102 feet and 40 by 84 feet.

The customizable size of the courts are attractive to the commission and the city, Henderson said, because they can be configured to meet the constraints of different outdoor spaces within the city. For example, the space and needs at Heizer Park are much different than the space north of Park Elementary School on 19th Street, a space that she feels has long been under-utilized. The commission has long targeted that site as a potential for outdoor basketball courts, for example.

The modular court systems were initially designed to take advantage of under-used lot spaces in urban areas, Henderson said, but were ideal for taking advantage of under-used open park spaces, as well.

Though the systems are primarily marketed for soccer, a key component of potential improvements being explored at Heizer Park, Henderson noted the court systems can be customized to accommodate a variety of other sports, including basketball and pickleball.

Board chair Andrea Bauer asked Henderson if synthetic surfaces included in the company’s marketing materials would be included in the cost of the system, but Henderson said the concrete or synthetic surfacing would need to be done through a different vendor, but would be included in the cost of any potential project.

With the city’s goal of development of Heizer Park as one of the considerations, Henderson said they have also involved Great Bend City Administrator Kendal Francis and Mayor Cody Schmidt on initial discussions of purchase of these court systems, and a possible cost collaboration down the road. Francis said the project presents a unique opportunity for Great Bend.

“The city is grateful for the recreation commission’s continued commitment to further enhance quality of life in Great Bend through expanded recreation options,” Francis said. “The mini-pitch is a unique attraction that would continue to keep Great Bend in the forefront with innovative and state-of-the-art amenities.”

Henderson said the commission has been looking at this as a potential project since before the onset of COVID-19. Henderson and Assistant Superintendent Chris Umphres were approached by a sales representative from the court’s manufacturer, Musco Lighting, at a conference earlier this year. Henderson said if they proceeded with the project, Great Bend would be the only community in the state of Kansas with such a facility.

The goal Monday, Henderson noted, was to gauge the board’s interest in moving forward with a potential project as the board begins planning potential capital outlay projects for the 2022-23 budget year and beyond, now that other major projects are in the commission’s rear-view mirror. With the board expressing interest in the project, Henderson said she is proceeding with getting a more specific proposal from the company, and hopefully have more details regarding costs and specifications to present at the board’s April meeting.

“I think it’s a cool idea,” Bauer said. “It definitely has a little destination attraction to it, because of the setup of it.”

Floor refinishing scheduled

The board approved a proposal from Great American Hardwood Flooring of Wichita for the annual refinishing of gym floors and the GBRC’s two indoor facilities at 1214 Stone and 2718 18th St.

The proposal is for $5,742.75 and includes the gym floors at both facilities, as well as the exercise studio floor at the Great Bend Activity Center on 18th Street. The project is scheduled annually and is budgeted from capital outlay funds.

Last year was the first year the work had been outsourced and Great American was also chosen then. They were the only company bidding that could meet the Rec’s timeline specifications. The work must be completed in an 18-day window from Aug. 8-26 this summer, in order not to conflict with summer and fall activities taking place at the two facilities. 

The project includes refinishing the wood gym floor surfaces with oil urethane, cleaning, screening back and application of a minimum of two coats of oil-based topcoat. Henderson said the scope of the work is the same as the company did last year.

Initially, Henderson said, the commission also looked at a broader scope of work that included a complete resurfacing and repainting of both wood floors, including logos, but the cost would have been in the neighborhood of $17,000, so the option was tabled for this year. Henderson said this may be a project that the commission looks at next year, however, when they have more time to go through the bidding process.