Kimball could become a recreation destination

Recreation was high on the list for the Kimball City Council at their regular meeting on Tuesday, April 18. Council heard one local company’s offer to build at Janicek Dam before hearing a request to limit access to Gotte Park.

“We would like to build a remote control course (at Janicek Dam),” said Jerry Deines, manager of Z&S Construction. “It would keep kids off the street with them (remote control cars) and it would be in a safe spot.”

Deines said the company wished to complete the project at no cost to the City of Kimball. Z&S would do all the work, donate the equipment, maintain the course and if the course is not used or is not well-maintained, they would also be responsible for dismantling it.

“We would just donate the time to clean it up, put the top soil back and get it planted,” Deines said. “It won’t cost you guys anything. I don’t know about liability though.”

The ground would be bladed and caliche would be hauled in to build up the parking area, according to Deines, but since lighting would be an issue, the course would remain daytime use only until such a time that lighting is installed out there.

Though there is not a local RC club or racing circuit, if built, the track would be the only one in the region and was well received by council as a potential weekend destination for avid RC racers, making Kimball a destination and potentially bolstering local economy.

“I think it is phenomenal. Anything Z&S does, they have done top-notch and they continue to support this community,” Kim Baliman said. “And what if this could bring 200 people to an event over the course of a weekend?”

“I have had a lot of interest from people in Sidney and Scottsbluff, that would come use it and help get events organized,” Deines said.

This is just one of several ideas for the use of the property, including a dog park and walking trail.

“If the walking path goes in there, parents can go do their walking while the kids play,” Deines added.

“If we could talk Dave (Haack) into blading a (walking) track while he is out there, it might be worth our cost to pay the liability,” Warner said. “Since I have been on the board we have been talking about turning this area into a recreation area and we have yet to have anything done. I think that once we get one, some of these other things will trickle in as well.”

Council directed City Administrator Dan Dean to investigate the matter further and move forward with this proposal just prior to hearing a request to close access to Gotte Park from Fourth Street.

Brought before the council by Adams Street resident Mark Green, the request to close Fourth Street access from Gotte Park would make Adams Street safer for residents there, particularly youth.

“When people come around the corner on Fourth Street, it gets kind of nerve-racking with kids riding bikes at the (north) end of (Adams) street,” Green said.

Though many residents on Adams Street cut through Gotte Park to get to Highway 30, Green said that, after talking with many of them, the inconvenience of driving a block east to Jefferson Street to get to the highway is not a concern for them.

“It would eliminate a lot of cut-through traffic on Adams Street,” Green said. “There is a lot of traffic that goes down that way.”

Reduced traffic through Gotte Park would potentially help the City Street Department as well. Green said that he talked previously with Kimball Street Department supervisor Jim Shoup, and learned that the park does not have the same base layer as city streets so increased traffic does more damage in the park than elsewhere.

“He (Shoup) said it would be nice to eliminate the city street traffic going through the park because then he could get the park fixed up and it should stay in shape a lot longer,” Green said.

Damage to the park and the safety of Adams Street residents is one concern, but the biggest benefit is protecting the youth in the park itself.

Council member James Shields, whose home borders the park back-to-back, said that the park becomes a racetrack of sorts at times and he has often seen drivers “drifting” and spinning their wheels near the basketball courts.

“I think it would be really beneficial, not making the park a through street. I think it would make the park safer too where you have kids playing and walking across there,” Green concluded.

Council will hold a public hearing at the upcoming City Council meeting, scheduled for May 16, to decide the Gotte Park matter.