The Crookston Parks & Recreation Board met at City Hall on Monday, July 14, 2025.
The agenda for the meeting had four items for discussion.
Night to Unite
The first item for discussion was the upcoming Night to Unite. The annual event is held on the University of Minnesota Campus and will take place this year on August 5. The discussion was centered on setting up a table and being available to the community. “The number one thing we talked about was making sure we have a presence there, and we would like the park board members to sign up for times to be there,” says Park and Rec Supervisor Scott Butt. “I know the City Council will also have people there, so we want to make sure we have a presence and get feedback from people.” The board discussed having a survey available at Night to Unite for people to give feedback on the Crookston Community Pool, which they can then use as planning for the future of the/pool moves forward.
Crookston Sport Center Renovations
Butt gave an update on the renovations that have been happening out at the Crookston Sports Center. “Everything turned out really well. The walking track is now officially done,” says Butt. “It looks, in my opinion, very good. We opened up for walkers today, and people were taking advantage of it. I know a lot of people have stopped in and looked at it and walked on it and have really been impressed.”
As for the outside of the building, some board members say they have heard people say they can’t remember the building being the vibrant blue, as it has faded so much over time. “The building has now been repainted, and the feedback I’ve gotten from people is very impressed for how quickly it was to get the building painted as it’s a really large building, and that they like the look of it,” says Butt. “So very happy with how those turned out, and I just wanted to get the board a report that those were done.”
Pool
Everything has been running smoothly over at the Crookston Community Pool. Lessons are back on the schedule, and usage has been up. A feasibility study could be conducted in the near future for the pool, and that is the starting point for future plans. “I think the number one thing, with the RFP getting ready to be done on the pool, I think we need to keep this on the burner so that we know what way we are going and what the community is looking for says Butt. “Whether that’s to build a new one, to renovate this one, you know, all the different options there could be and find out what is our best decision to walk forward with to the council after we do all this.” Butt told the board that he does not want to take a step backward and let this sit for a month or two, but instead keep it at the forefront of their minds and work in the right direction.
Park Vandalism
Wildwood Park has been the subject of vandalism multiple times this year. The target of much of the vandalism being breaking into the locked bathroom facilities and destroying toilets. The bathrooms are unlocked daily and locked up again at night, and that is when the trouble starts. In the last year, we have had some vandalism to the bathrooms down there. I was asking for the Park Board’s recommendation. Do we want to keep these bathrooms open, do we want to have them closed and only open when people rent the park, and how do we want to move forward with this?” says Butt. “I feel like sometimes when you replace something the third time, it’s kind of the definition of insanity. Are we going to keep doing the same thing over and over?”
The discussion led to some ideas that might help, and the board plans to try these things out and see if they help. The hope is to get the issue resolved because, as Butt explained to the board, it is costing the city money each time. “At some point, you want to say, we need to stop with the vandalism because we are throwing money away for something we have already redone that we could be using to upgrade other parts of the park, and it’s very disheartening.”
The community can help. It’s important you don’t just sit by and watch. “If you see something, please call the police. Call Park & Rec if it’s during the day, at night, call the police and ask them to send somebody down there,” says Butt.”We are just looking for people to be vigilant. Our parks are a wonderful thing, and everybody should be able to enjoy them.”
The next Park & Rec Board Meeting will be on Monday, August 11, 2025