By Jolene FarleyThe Beaver Creek Sportsmen’s Club and the Hills City Council continue to work on upgrading the Rez park.Representatives from the Beaver Creek Sportsmen’s Club and the council discussed installing an aerator and dock at the Aug. 10 council meeting.The aerator, used to improve the water quality, was ruled out because of liability issues, according to Sportsmen’s Club member Roger Jackson. The club had located a used aerator to purchase.An aerator would create spots of open water on an otherwise frozen pond, creating a drowning hazard in the winter.Sportsmen’s Club members also informed the council that they wanted to add a handicap-accessible dock to the water. The group has located a dock to purchase for $8,600 and the city has agreed to contribute about half of the cost, according to Jackson. The dock would be placed at the end of the peninsula and a handicap accessible parking area and pad would have to be added so people in wheelchairs could reach the dock. Jackson met with a blacktopping crew later in the week to come up with a plan for the parking area.Members of the Sportsmen’s Club will inspect the dock to be sure it’s what the group wants at the Rez."It’s looking good on paper, but we’d still like to look at one to see how well it’s built," Jackson said. "We want to make sure it looks nice; we don’t want some junk out there."The council agreed to let the choice of dock be up to the club’s discretion."They’re leaving it up to us to check it out and make sure it’s acceptable," Jackson said. Rez inspectionThe Minnesota Department of Natural Resources sent a letter to the city about a recent inspection at the Rez.Periodic inspections are required of all sites previously funded under the Outdoor Recreation Grant Program. Grants, $10,538 in 1978 and $1,280 in 1979, were obtained for constructing the beach at the Rez and to add a hiking trail. The letter stated, in part:"The beach playground should be checked to ensure it meets current safety standards and the newer playground equipment is not accessible to persons with disabilities, the letter read.The portable restroom is not accessible to persons with disabilities. If restrooms are provided, an accessible restroom must be provided. An accessible parking space and walkway to the picnic shelter should be provided. Also, I did not locate the required funding acknowledgement sign."The points of the letter are very typical, according to DNR Grants Manager Audrey Mularie."These comments are comments I make on 90 percent of the inspections that I do," she said.The funding acknowledgement sign costs less than $20 to purchase, according to Mularie.The council isn’t obligated to correct the other issues immediately, but in a worst-case scenario, someone could file a complaint with the state, according to Mularie.
