During the Luverne City Council’s March 24 meeting, council members considered new and ongoing projects in the city, including updates on a splash pad installation and a new event coming soon to Luverne.  

A splash pad was planned for installation at Turner Park, was set to be completed by the beginning of summer, but has been postponed. The delay stemmed from installation costs, currently $50,000 over budget from recent bids. 

Council members discussed new estimates for the construction. Rising costs since the project’s start in 2019 include pricing of the water recirculating system. 

“[We are] going to hopefully have the engineer see if he can get it rebidded without the recirculation system in it, so it would be fresh water in – fresh water out,” said Edward Billings, Jr., councilman for District Five. “That’s the most expensive part of it, because you have to have the pumps, all the pipes and everything. We’re hoping that [adjustment] can bring [the project] closer to [the budget].”

The council approved Lisa Michele Oliver, administrator of the popular social media page, Crenshaw Cares, to host a Fourth of July celebration at Turner Park. The council granted the application, pending organizers acquisition of all necessary insurance.

“I hosted the Fourth of July event in Rutledge last year… and Mike [Flint] asked if I would host another one,” Oliver said. “The more we talked about it, the more I realized that the first one already outgrew Rutledge, so we wanted to do it in Luverne. The goal is to fill the park.”

The event, Stars & Stripes Over The Lu, is set for July 4 from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. and will feature vendor opportunities, a student scholarship and more. Details will be announced in the weeks leading up to the event.

In other business, the council:

* Approved a project from Troy and Michelle Andaluz for the creation of an RV park and Airbnb location near the end of Luverne city limits on U.S. Highway 331 geared towards hunters visiting the area;  

* Discussed the restructure of the Glenwood intersection to straighten the intersection and remove the current curves; and 

* Talked about the Luverne Fire Department’s new fire truck, which Councilman Kip Smith states that they hope to have it finished by the middle of April. 

The Luverne City Council meets the second and fourth Monday of the month at 5:30 p.m. at the Town Hall. The next meeting is set for April 14 at 5:30 p.m.