By MIKE COURSON
Great Bend Post
The city of Hoisington is gearing up for the spring and summer seasons. Pool admittance forms were mailed to residents in late February and need to be returned by May 1 to qualify for free admittance. In an effort to keep the pool staffed this summer, City Manager Jonathan Mitchell said concessionaire jobs are open for anyone 14 years of age or older.
"We've never had concessionaires, people just for that purpose at the pool," he said. "We are doing that to try to increase our number of staff so we can be open as we want to be."
The city is also looking for lifeguards at least 15 years of age. The city will pay to train lifeguards it intends to hire. Interviews with potential pool managers are expected to take place soon. The pool is scheduled to open over Memorial Day weekend.
Aside from the pool, Mitchell said a local group has some plans to shore up entertainment options at Heritage Park.
"We have a local service organization, the Hoisington Jets 4-H Club," he said, "that saw a need there and said, 'You know what? We're going to try to address this. We think it would be really groovy to put in a gaga ball pit."
Gaga ball is a "kinder and gentler" version of dodgeball, played in an octagonal ring, where players avoid contact with a ball from the knees down. The Jets have applied for a grant through the Golden Belt Community Foundation, and the city would provide some of the matching requirements for the grant, if approved.