By City Commissioner Sue Parrigin’s own words it was “Parks Night” in City Hall Tuesday, as the Bowling Green City Commission approved a handful of measures for Bowling Green Parks and Recreation in the commission’s first meeting since all incumbent members and Bowling Green Mayor Todd Alcott were reelected on Nov. 5.

One parks item approved by commissioners was a $70,286 contract with Lexington-based GRW Engineers, Inc. to complete engineering work related to turf soccer field installation at the Lovers Lane Soccer Complex.

“This is an exciting one,” City Manager Jeff Meisel told commissioners. “This would really help improve (and) increase the amount of play on these fields.”

Two turf fields are being eyed for the soccer complex. Meisel said currently, the Bermuda-grass fields have a growing time of only a couple months out of the year. Once the fields are “beat down,” he said, it takes another year for them to grow back.

Meisel said with turf fields, “it’s 365 (days), 12 months of play, year-round.”

Two million dollars were appropriated in the City of Bowling Green’s fiscal year 2025 budget for turf fields. The engineering work from GRW will encompass surveys of existing grass fields, studies for drainage, preparation of construction documents and a cost estimate, according to a city memo.

BGPR head Brent Belcher told the Daily News in June that a turf field is already in use at Lampkin Park, and there are hopes to have six turf fields installed city-wide over the next three years.

Also approved by commissioners was an agreement with Columbus, Ohio-based consultant MKSK, Inc. to develop a 10-year Parks and Recreation Master Plan for BGPR, totaling $193,600.

“Our last Parks Master Plan was in 2014,” Meisel said. “We have pretty much knocked out everything that was recommended in that plan, and feel like it’s time now to do a new 10-year plan.”

The plan will include mapping, public workshops, site proposals and several other features, according to a city memo.

The memo states that MKSK “has performed outstandingly” in drafting the multi-year plans which outlined the Riverfront Park and the Jennings Creek Greenways projects.

Tornado shelters at Lampkin and Hobson Grove parks are one step closer to fruition as well, after commissioners accepted a $125,000 grant from the Federal Emergency Management Agency to cover design work for one shelter at each park.

Meisel said design for five shelters have been funded previously, totaling over $1 million.

City Grants Manager Nick Cook told commissioners that while both shelters will be standalone structures, ideas are floating around of adding a community center at Lampkin that could adjoin the shelter there.

Commissioners will meet next on Dec. 3.