Town engineer Mark O’Dell reported that plans are ready to go out for bid on the replacement of tennis and basketball courts in Chesterton Park. The park board agreed unanimously to request bids for the projects.

The courts will be centrally located in Chesterton Park, northwest of the baseball field at 5th St. and Porter Ave.

Park Board president Vincent Emanuele expressed concern about wear and tear on the Dogwood West soccer fields, currently being used by the Chesterton High School soccer teams. “Why are they not using CHS fields?” he asked.

O’Dell, as a representative of the Duneland Soccer Club, which seeds and stripes the Dogwood soccer fields, said he was not sure of the reason.

Emanuele said the Duneland Soccer Club has priority use of the fields, since they have an agreement with the Parks to help maintain them. O’Dell replied he would talk with the soccer coaches about having the older kids come out to help coach some workshops and would try to find out why the school fields at the High School, Westchester Intermediate and CMS are not being used for team tryouts.

On that note, O’Dell presented the board with a donation to the park gift fund of $810 from the Duneland Soccer Club.

Pop Warner may soon have a standing agreement for use of a football field within the Dogwood West complex. After previous discussions, O’Dell, as town engineer, examined field layout schemes for Dogwood, with the idea of fitting in a football field with spectator bleachers which could then be shared between the Pop Warner and Duneland Soccer clubs.

O’Dell and Park Superintendent Bruce Mathias presented concept drawings of field configurations in Dogwood that might make such a field possible.

That field, when it is completed, would be named in honor of Jerry Wenzel, a long-time coach and youth organizer.

Wenzel was a lifelong advocate of youth sports, especially for challenged kids, said board member Roy Flaherty. “He was also part of our initial park programs for youth.”

In addition, there is space for a couple additional youth baseball and softball fields in the east unit of Dogwood, O'Dell said.

Board member John Kroft, who lives in Morgan Park, said he’s thrilled to hear a noisy playground in Coffee Creek Park. “It’s great.”

Superintendent Bruce Mathias said he’s received complimentary phone calls about the new equipment at Golfview Park as well.

Two new concrete bleacher pads have been poured for the adult softball fields in Dogwood Park, Mathias reported.

The board agreed unanimously to reduce the team fees for the weather shortened softball season to $350 per team.

The board also voted unanimously to have a letter of commendation and thanks put into the employee record of park employee Mike Billings. Billings went above and beyond in his efforts to ready the park department for its recent MS4 Inspection, board members and superintendent Mathias agreed. “He was our real star,” said board member Roy Flaherty.

Posted 8/5/2009