At the Altoona Parks & Recreation Committee meeting on Tuesday, January 6, members discussed the pros and cons of raising fees for the Altoona Youth Softball and Baseball Association’s use of city fields.
   During the 2008 season, AYSB field usage cost $6,645.83. Subtract the association’s annual $3,500 contract payment and $1,400 in tournament fees, and the final cost for taxpayers was about $1,800.

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   Money – where to spend it and where to save it – was the primary topic of discussion at the Altoona Parks & Recreation Committee Meeting on Tuesday, August 12, as members discussed several proposed capital improvement projects for 2009. The projects are all estimated to cost $5,000 or more, which means they are eligible for funding outside of the normal parks and recreation department’s annual operating budget.

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   The Altoona Youth Hockey Association will now have an opportunity to regularly raise funds for the organization, thanks to a unanimous decision made by the Altoona Parks & Recreation Committee at their meeting on Tuesday, July 29. The fundraising will come in the form of a can kennel, which will be placed in the Altoona Hobbs Sports Center parking lot.

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Some Altoona residents may have noticed a giant pile of sand in the parking lot of Altoona Hobbs Sports Center. In a collaborative effort between the Altoona School District and the city, the infield at Greg Bement Field will be renovated.

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   Following the Parks & Recreation Committee meeting on Tuesday, July 8, it was determined that the city would explore the formation of a partnership with the non-profit group Chippewa Off Road Bikers Association (CORBA) to maintain – and in some instances, reconstruct – Altoona’s Otter Creek trails. 

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