By BECKY KISER
Hays Post
People enjoying the Hays Kiwanis Park will soon want to, and be able to, linger a little longer.
The park at 17th and Harvest Road in east Hays has never had a restroom.
It soon will have one, along with new playground equipment to replace the aging unit purchased in 1991 by the Hays Kiwanis Club.
The improvements are possible thanks to a $40,000 contribution from the Hays Kiwanis Club in January commemorating the 100th year of Kiwanis International. That money was placed in the city Park Improvement Fund and matched with $40,000 from the 2015 Special Park and Recreation Budget–a total of $80,000.
Hays city commissioners Thursday night approved the recommended purchase of the CXT Inc. Cortez Precast Flush Restroom for $40,100 through the State of Kansas Bid Procurement Contract. Plumbing and electrical work will cost another $6,085.
Kiwanis Club members reviewed the proposals and requested approval to purchase the play equipment from ABCreative in De Soto, Kan., for $30,420, which includes labor for an install supervisor from their firm.
Another $2,800 will be required for fall zone materials after the unit is installed.
“I’ve stated on many occasions, the city of Hays’s parks would not be what they are today without the generosity of our local civic groups, and the Kiwanis Park is a prime example of that,” said Director of Parks Jeff Boyle.
The new restroom will be installed across the parking lot from the playground, in close proximity to the water and sewer lines. A sidewalk will be put in between the parking lot and the restroom.
“As the father of a four-year old, they’re playing, they have to go to the restroom and they just take off,” said Vice-Mayor Shaun Musil. He questioned Boyle about the possibility of installing a metal fence barrier against cars in the parking lot to make it safer.
Boyle was amenable.
“We’ve already done something like that in east Frontier Park and north Frontier Park,” Boyle said, “using oil field pipe. It was rather cheap and looks nice.”