By COLE REIF
Great Bend Post
As the City of Great Bend, with a number of partners, gets set to put their plans into action for renovations at Brit Spaugh Park, city officials want to reassure all the horseshoe competitors that the horseshoe pits will remain at the park.
RELATED STORY: Great Bend reveals design of Brit Spaugh Park overhaul
The approximate $2 million project will overhaul the south side of the park with
an outdoor basketball court, pickleball courts, two mini soccer pitches,
playground and a restroom facility. The project will wipe out the small baseball
field and old BMX track.
Great Bend Recreation Commission Director Chris
Umphres said the plan will still include horseshoe pits, but they will be
relocated to just north of the Kansas National Guard Armory.
"We thought the horseshoe pits, the people that do that, don't necessarily want the hustle and bustle of the new features," said Umphres. "So if we put up north, we still meet their needs. They're doing their own thing and still throwing horseshoes."
At last week's work session, Great Bend Interim City Administrator Logan Burns said there were several horseshoe competitors that wanted to keep the pits to practice for state tournaments.
Professional Engineering Consultants (PEC) was contracted to design concepts
for the Brit Spaugh Park project. The latest design includes what the area will
look like with four horseshoe pits.
The motion to approve the $101,000 proposal from PEC for design services will
be requested at the Great Bend City Council meeting on Monday, March 6.
Once receiving the construction documents, the city can send the project out to
bid to contractors and ultimately start the project. Construction documents are
expected to take around four months to complete.