Photo by Noah Clooten
DEVILS LAKE — Andy Hokanson needs help over at Creel Bay Golf Course.
In the Devils Lake Park Board’s meeting on Tuesday, Sept. 23, superintendent Hokanson stressed the need for more workers. The issue he raised highlighted the topics brought up in the latest monthly meeting.
The difficulty, Hokanson explained, is finding somebody who fits the hours and pay that he can offer. Creel Bay and the Board’s resources only permit them to hire a part-time worker for a maximum of 30 hours a week, for roughly $20 or less per hour. There’s enough work for about three more people, Hokanson said, and he’s had to do a lot of overtime work lately.
Hokanson emphasized the need for some more help out there to take some of the weight off his shoulders. The board deliberated a little bit about whether they could afford to hire a full-time worker, and how to generally go about this difficulty.
Conversations continued about matters relating to Dockside Entertainment, where the meeting took place.
Particularly, the staff strategized ways to attract more visitors. They recently held a pickleball night that was a hit, with 13 attendees. There was even some interest in doing it one night a week going forward, or at least monthly if they can keep decent numbers.
Dockside recently added three new employees, with early reports that they’re doing well.
They also had NDTC stop by recently and look at converting some TVs to have the capability to show sports games. Commissioner Kelli Heilman noted, in particular, that the golf simulators are generally underused. The board agreed that it would help if people could watch games on TV while they hang out at Dockside. They brought up an estimate of $130 a month to bring in that feature.
The board also briefly discussed the idea of starting various leagues at Dockside. They recently proposed a coffee-time bowling league for older people, and admitted the reception was “average at best.” But they also have adult golf and youth bowling leagues in mind.
Another feature they’re looking to bring to Dockside is a donor wall sign. It’s creatively designed with fish to represent the donors. There was some deliberation over the cost of the sign; it’s going to be at least $2,000 to install, with the potential to go up to $5,000 if they wanted to make it fancier. There was some slight hesitation among the board members over the cost, but they ultimately agreed it was worth it to honor the donors. It’ll likely be on the lower end of that range.
NDTC also has a team-building event in Dockside scheduled for Oct. 9. It’s a private beer-tasting competition. The reason this was of note to the board was that typically, alcohol isn’t allowed in Dockside. But the board can review on a case-by-case basis.
In this instance, they noted they’ll likely need to shut down Dockside to the public during this specific time interval. The board members agreed that the room where they were having the meeting was a logical spot for NDTC to hold its event. They added that they’ll make sure to put a sign outside and post on Facebook that the event is happening. It’ll also be up to NDTC to be in charge on the day of the event.
Parks & Facilities manager Brent Schmitz also gave some updates on Burdick Arena. He said the compressors are up and running, with consistent temperatures, and he hasn’t had to add or drain oil. He’s still waiting on the dehumidification from Klemetsrud Plumbing & Heating, as discussed in the last meeting, but he’s confident he can get that going soon.
There was an incident during public skating in the Burdick recently. A kid fell, and another kid accidentally skated over his wrist. The mom suggested that the staff be trained in First Aid, as they weren’t immediately prepared to handle the situation in the moment, according to Schmitz. There was some general discussion amongst the board members on how to go about this.
Indications were that the kid was eventually helped, and nothing more serious came from it.
On a lighter note, Lake Region Painting Service stopped by Bill Jerome Arena to check on the ceiling. They’re looking to start working on that around the second or third week of October to have it ready by Nov. 3. Staff is close to done refreshing the lobby at Bill Jerome, and they redid the bathrooms a little bit. The windows were mentioned as something that might still need replacing.
Schmitz finished his remarks by noting that he could use somebody to help drive the zamboni in the ice rink.
He’s also still waiting on estimates for concrete work at Ruger Park and the handicap parking at Dockside.
The park board’s next meeting is scheduled for Oct. 23.
