By Lee Weyhrich
CLAY — The Clay City Council on Monday approved work to be done to upgrade Cosby Lake Park and Bryant Park.
The city council accepted a proposal of $19,500 from Nimrod Long and Associates for architect plans for bathrooms, pavilions, parking lots, fences and additional walking trails at Cosby Lake Park. The council also accepted a $3,750 quote from Nimrod Long on a plan to upgrade Bryant Park.
Only a rough concept drawing exists for the Cosby Lake Park plans at this time.
The previous council contracted Nimrod Long and Associates, but for reasons unknown to City Manager Ronnie Dixon, the master plan was not completed.
“What (Mayor Charles Webster) and I found out in talking with Nimrod Long is that at some point the master planning process was stopped, so they never went beyond a concept drawing,” Dixon said. “What the council that served before thought existed does not. There are no plans for parking lots, fences, amphitheaters and that sort of thing.”
According to Dixon, a stipulation of the city receiving Bryant Park was that it must remain a baseball facility. While there is technically a field there, there is no lighting, fencing, concession area or working bathrooms. The old building at the park is not likely salvageable, and the children’s playground is filled with antiquated wood and metal playground equipment.
Improvements to Cosby Lake Park are estimated to cost around $200,000. The city will not know the cost of the Bryant Park upgrades until after the architecture firm finishes its assessment.