By COLE REIF
Great Bend Post
The Great Bend Recreation Commission and the City of Great Bend are working out the details to add a playground at the Sports Complex, on the south side of town. The Great Bend Kiwanis Club donated $50,000 to the Rec’s foundation to add the playground to the facility.
Great Bend Rec Director Chris Umphres said he is getting a feel for how far that donation will go.
"We're kind of playing middleman for Kiwanis," said Umphres. "They're the ones that donated the money. I'm trying to spend that wisely out there. I've reached out to some playground places to see what they can do for that amount."
The city is considering assisting with a net structure to protect the children, groundwork and landscaping around the playground. Umphres said the proposed location for the playground will be west of the pavilion, between fields three and four.
"We're going to help with the install," said Umphres. "I have that playground safety certification so I'll help with the legal aspect of making sure everything is put in right. We'll do a community build on it. It'll be a small enough piece that we should be able to install it in-house."
Umphres plans to present more details to the Rec Board on Feb. 12 and make a presentation to the city council on Feb. 20.