Parks and Recreation approves pay increase

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The Jamestown Parks and Recreation Commission approved a 25 percent pay increase for seasonal maintenance workers Monday at its monthly meeting.

The commission increased the hourly rate from $8 to $10 to bring in better qualified applicants. Jamestown Parks and Recreation Department Director Doug Hogan said it has been a struggle during the last two or three years to find and keep young adults for these seasonal jobs.

“I had a young man come in (last week) and ask for an application,” Hogan said. “He asked how much we were paying and when I told him $8 an hour, he said ‘I’m going to need more that.’”

Hillcrest Municipal Golf Course Supervisor Marlyn Bertsch said $8 an hour seemed low for the kind of manual labor the department asks these workers to do.

“It’s hard to ask guys to dig in the mud for $8 an hour,” he said.

Hogan said they need to get more seasonal workers in to catch up on some basic maintenance jobs, like painting benches.

In other business, the JPRC:

* heard an update from Joan Morris on the planned improvements to ball diamond 11 in McElroy Park. She said she has sent out all the bids for the $70,000, which is being paid for by money from Jamestown Parks and Recreation, Jamestown Public Schools, Jamestown College and other donors. The work will convert Diamond 11 into a fast-pitch softball diamond. The JPRC authorized Morris to apply for grants through Otter Tail Power Company for the possible purchase of new lights for the ball field. The estimated cost for new lights is $150,000. Morris said she would work with Otter Tail officials to find out how much the grants would cover that costs.

Sun reporter Chris Olson can be reached at 701-952-8454 or by email at colson@jamestownsun.com

Tags: local news, news, parks