Basketball hoops, trail repairs, stump removal and ADA improvements incoming

Improvements to the city’s parks and trails made to the No. 6 spot on the city council’s 2022-2024 goals list, which have a combined cost of about $100,000. General fund bond money will pay for amenities like new basketball hoops and ADA improvements, as well as trail repairs and stump removal in some parks.

Newton City Administrator Matt Muckler said the ADA improvements to the new trail through Maytag Park would make it easier to travel and more accessible. The city has also thought about adding a trail to the soccer field at Agnes Patterson Park rather than have visitors tread through grass.

New basketball hoops would replace some of the older ones at city parks, most notably Aurora Park. Trail repairs would affect the northern parts of Agnes Patterson Park and other sporadic areas throughout the city’s trail system. Stump removals could take place in all parks and cemeteries affected by the 2020 derecho.

Initially, each parks improvement project started out as four different goals, Muckler said. What the council did during the goal setting session a few months ago was combine them into one goal. Council members instructed staff to find what the highest needs are in those four areas and then address them.