Bud Miller Park could be seeing upgrades to its Amphitheatre as early as this year.
The Amphitheatre Rehabilitation Project is in the City budget for 2018 that could see the 34-year-old structure being repaired so residents can use it for festivals, events, weddings and social gatherings. Mayor Gerald Aalbers says the City wants to make the park more functional for people with disabilities.
“The major upgrade is the rehabilitation completely of the seating area and the access for all citizens. No matter what challenges they may face we want to ensure that people that use bud Miller, all people can use the park so there’s some upgrades that way.”
The structure still has its original wood that has been deteriorating over the years. The space is also dipping due to many years of freeze and thaw cycles, which have created tripping hazards.
The City applied for grant money from the federal government for the project last year but were not successful in the application process. The upgrades were brought to council last week and Aalbers says they are waiting to see the final designs of the project before it moves forward.
“We have engineers that have done some work on it and staff that have done some work on it. Council hasn’t quite seen the final product and I think that’s what we really want to be before we spend $424,000 and change. We want to make sure the community has a chance to see it as well.”
The project will be back in a future council meeting.