News : Boggess updates Vinton Kiwanis on Parks and Rec Projects in Vinton

The Crag is now open at the VPRD rec center and several other projects are in the works

If there is one department in Vinton that will make your head spin, in a good way, it's Vinton Parks and Rec. If you think that the department couldn't possibly come up with any more cool projects, well, you'd be wrong.

Among the activities in town that VPRD has available is a new rock climbing wall, "The Crag" which is located at the rec center. Kristie Boyle, an intern with Vinton Parks and Rec talked about the wall which opened on March 1st. If you are interested in booking some time to climb, you can do that by reserving an hour long slot any time from 5-7:00 p.m. Simply call the rec center at 472-4164. The cost for 1 hour is $5.00.

Other available amenities at VPRD is the ability to rent a 1 two-person kayak and 4 single kayaks or bikes to take down the bike trail, both made possible with grants from the Benton Community Foundation. These are available to rent for a day, weekend, or a full week Boggess said.

On Saturday, April 24th, there will be a Community Build Day at the park. Boggess reported that last fall the department received a grant for an $80,000 playground in which the department only had to pay a fraction of the cost. The department will be putting together the playground on that day and can use all of the available hands to help with that.

Boggess talked about the much anticipated Splash Pad which is located at the Kiwanis Park is scheduled to open on Memorial Day weekend. There will be a grand opening that weekend with grilling by Merchant's Grilling, and there will be all kinds of fun at the park that day.

Party in the Park is planned to go on as normal, with some social distancing efforts in place. Boggess said that the bands have been booked and the inflatables are scheduled so plan for a fun weekend!

In the first part of July, there will be a new shelter house going up in Kiwanis Park to replace the one that had to be taken down for the splash pad. It will be a different kind of shelter with the ability to have it completely closed, you can have that or you can open it with sliding doors. Also in the plans are to build a 9 hold Foot Golf Course which consists of kicking a soccer ball into about a 20 inch hole, another rare thing to find in Iowa Boggess believes there are under 10 in the state.

Construction will begin soon on what will be the longest continuous glow trail in the United States. Work for this will begin as soon as the ground thaws and is anticipated to only take 2-3 weeks to complete. When this is completed, there are plans to hold some sort of 5K on the trail either this year or next.

The department is working on plans for a new wellness center, unlike anything you've seen. In talking with people from the school, hospital and the city for nearly 2 years several possibilities have been discussed. There have been some monies committed to the project, from different areas as well. The proposed wellness center will be "cutting edge and out of the box" Boggess said. There are several different options that the center could contain. Boggess said it won't be just a rec center, but that they are looking to put possibly health care services in the building to help care for the community from birth to death in the times that there might not be care from their physicians. Some of the ideas included wellness coaches, occupational therapists, physical therapy, chronic health care, helping people with chronic healthcare issues like arthritis, diabetes, mental health issues, obesity, substance abuse issues in an effort to create a wellness center in a setting where everyone feels welcome. The idea is to create something where smaller groups can meet to walk together then sit and share a cup of coffee, or meet for a game of basketball. The plan is to find a way to run the facility outside the box. Boggess said that they know that there are some hurdles, but he feels that there is a need for this as the community grows.

The department feels that they could pull off both an indoor and outdoor pool, including one inside the facility with retractable walls. Plans have not been finalized for these projects, but they are moving along.

Economically Boggess sees the opportunity that the center would be able to host several youth and adult events, and tournament size events, bringing in possibly 60 basketball teams or 30 volleyball teams in a weekend, possibly 5 or 6 swim meets a year, or wrestling events, and outside the sports arena, it could be the site for car shows or any number of unlimited possibilities. The facility could help with the lack of space for the schools, or for practice facilities, or clubs that travel. He feels the facility will be a drawing point for students to remain in the community. They feel that if we can meet the health needs in the community it will help draw residents as well.

So fasten your seat belts Vinton, things are moving to make Vinton an even better place to live.

Kudos Vinton Parks and Rec, and the support system that encourages them to carry on with all of these projects.