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Murray Parks Pool, Lighting Not Up To Standard, But Would Require Substantial Investment

Murray Calloway County Parks and Recreation / Facebook

Murray-Calloway County Parks and Recreation is looking to replace outdated lights and other amenities at their facilities, but they need a substantial amount of money to make those investments.

Parks Director Tab Brockman says many projects involve fundraising in the community in addition to help from the city.

“It’s a continuing challenge, a continuing struggle and our community is very good to support us,” he said. “With that said the magnitude of the projects we’re talking about here are beyond the scope of what a community our size can raise funds for.”

Brockman says the No. 1 project is the city pool, which could cost up to $3 million to replace.

“The pool currently is losing about 3,000 gallons of water a day,” he said. “It’s 40 years old. It has served a life cycle of what most pools do. In fact, the one in Mayfield was built the same year and it’s been closed for almost a decade.”

Lighting on sports fields in the parks is also one of Brockman’s major concerns. A Monday meeting at the Chamber of Commerce will address the cost of those lights.

“Our ball fields are being lit to 38 percent of the national safety standards by Little League and by parks and rec and by Kentucky High School Athletics Association,” Brockman said.

Just those two projects together would cost several million dollars, more than Brockman says the community could raise.

At Monday’s meeting the parks department will discuss how its budget looks in comparison to other nearby parks systems. A referendum is also on the November ballot for a 5 cent park tax on every $100 word of assessed property that would generate about $1 million annually.

 

Whitney grew up listening to Car Talk to and from her family’s beach vacation each year, but it wasn’t until a friend introduced her to This American Life that radio really grabbed her attention. She is a recent graduate from Union University in Jackson, Tenn., where she studied journalism. When she’s not at WKMS, you can find her working on her backyard compost pile and garden, getting lost on her bicycle or crocheting one massive blanket.
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