Ball Field Rules/Guidelines

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The City of Ida Grove Youth Ball Fields will be open on June 2nd for use of our Rec Center Summer League softball and baseball teams to practice only if they meet the following guidelines:

  • The coach of the team needs to submit a plan and get it approved by our Rec Center Director, Chelsea Gross, to start practicing. The below guidelines must be met to get your plan approved.
  • No Dugouts can be used for practice. Players equipment must be lined up along the fence 6’ apart.
  • Parents must remain in their cars or drop off and pick up players after practice.
  • Players should use their own gloves, helmets, and bats as much as possible.
  • Coaches are responsible for enduring social distancing is maintained between players as much as possible. This means additional spacing between players while playing catch changing drills, so that players remain spaced out.  No congregating of players while waiting to bat.
  • Players must bring their own water/beverage to consume during and after practice. No shared drinking fountains, or coolers can be used.
  • Coaches must sanitize shared equipment before and after each use.
  • Anyone showing symptoms of COVID-19 is not allowed to practice
  • Coaches should be knowledgeable of their player with preexisting health conditions and work with health officials to take additional precautions as needed.
  • Players will be encouraged to bring their own hand sanitizer.
  • Coaches must ban the spitting of sunflower seeds.
  • Coaches are responsible for tracking absences for the purpose of noting possible COVID-19 cases.
  • Contact public health if a positive case of COVID-19 is reported.
  • Signs must be posted indicating no one should participate in practice or attend games if they currently have symptoms or have been in contact with anyone with a confirmed COVID-19 diagnosis in the last 14 days.

 

Right now, all leagues have cancelled their games.  There are no games scheduled at this time.  If we decide to do games this summer, there will be more guidelines for fans and concessions.   We are hoping to possibly play some local towns or split some in town teams to play each other.  Nothing is set up for games yet.

We are opening this to give the kids something to do outside and be a part of a team.  This must be done safely.    Teams will not be approved until they have a plan that meets the criteria above.

The Rec Center Director, Chelsea Gross, has the authority to remove individual players or teams that do not follow the COVID-19 rules set in place in this document.

This is also subject to change, depending on what happens in the future.

Ida Grove Mayor,

Devlun Whiteing

City Owned Parks Opening

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Council voted during their regular city council meeting on Monday, May 4, 2020 to open some portions of City owned parks and allow for recreational use as follows:

The City of Ida Grove Parks and Trails will be open to the public for recreation, but due to COVID-19 concerns playground equipment, restrooms, and picnic shelters will remained closed until further notice.  All drinking fountains will be turned off.  Tennis courts are closed due to the overhaul.  Basketball courts will be open to shoot baskets for members of the same household.  Team sports, pick up games and contact play are prohibited.

The city has installed caution tape around playground equipment; please stay off of it.    We are asking residents to do their part to keep family, friends, neighbors, and the community safe.  Signage will be posted at each park regarding the closures.  The City’s priority is protecting the health and safety of our residents and continue to serve the public.

When visiting a public space, use your best judgement and act responsibly. Bring your own sanitation supplies with you and adhere to recommended guidelines of keeping social gatherings to less than 10 people, with members of the same household, and observing social distancing standards of staying at least 6’ from others.  If you do not feel well or have been sick stay home.

From the Desk of the Mayor

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Important information from the desk of Ida Grove Mayor, Devlun Whiteing:

Lot’s of things happening this week. The city council met on Wednesday to discuss the opening of three city facilities. Rec Center, City Hall, and the Library. The council decided May 1st was too soon and we are setting a goal to have a partial reopen plan by May 15th. We want our employees and the community safe and have the right PPE and policies in place for our employees before we partially reopen. Stay tuned for more information. Reminder the Governor still has pools closed so our pools are closed until further notice.

With the Confirmed Covid-19 positive test at one of our manufacturing facilities, I have been talking to state senators, and our Ida County Emergency Management sent out an official request for a strike team to come to town to be proactive in our town and county on tests. No answers yet but as Mayor I am really pushing to get some more testing done around here. Hopefully we can get some proactive vs reactive testing done.

With the Governor’s plans to start Opening Iowa I really trust our local churches and businesses will have plans in place to follow exposure risks when they reopen. Social Distancing, Cleaning and extra cleaning, keeping the capacity to 50% and keeping people 6’ apart. Limiting the number of people to 10 or less in a group. We really need to do our part to keep ourselves and our community safe. The city is happy to work with these organizations to help them if needed. We appreciate our businesses in town and our churches. We want to reopen but want to do it safely.

I plan to work with the city council to open some green spaces in parks to encourage people to get out for some fresh air and help their mental health. I am personally trying to write a policy to open green spaces. Hopefully sooner than later.

I say this every week due to the importance of thanking all of our citizens for being strong and doing the things they need to do to keep our community safe. So many people have volunteered to help clean at facilities to help them reopen. We have a great town and great citizens.

Feel free to reach out to me with any concerns or questions.
[email protected]
Very Humble and Proud to Serve Ida Grove
Mayor Devlun Whiteing.

City Operated Facilities Update

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The Ida Grove City Council met last evening to discuss the reopening of City Operated Facilities. It was decided that the facilities shall remain closed to the public at this time. Council will re-evaluate mid-May to see where we stand case-wise to determine if it will be appropriate to open at that time. During the next couple weeks, the City will be working to finalize safety plans and securing PPE for staff prior to opening. On behalf of all City employees, elected officials and the Mayor: we appreciate everyone’s patience and understanding while we work out the best plan possible while keeping the best interest of everyone in mind.

Iowa Foundation for Parks and Recreation

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The City of Ida Grove was recently notified of receipt of the 2020 Mini Grant through the Iowa Parks and Recreation Foundation.  The City was awarded $500 to go towards sprucing up the shelter house located at City Park.  The chimney has already been removed and the roof has been patched.  Next steps in the project are to replace rotting boards and re-paint the shelter house.  We look forward to seeing the finished project by late Summer and are grateful for the generosity of the Foundation for the funding assistance.

Trees Please!

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As most of you know, the Ida Grove City Park is full of ash trees, which are subject to the Emerald Ash Borer.  Knowing this, the City applied for the Trees Please! grant through MidAmerican Energy and was recently informed of grant award!  The typical award amount for this grant is $1,000; however, the City of Ida Grove was awarded $2,000 in funding towards the project!  Thank you to MidAmerican Energy and the Trees Please! grant for this wonderful opportunity to plant some new tree species in the City Park!  We look forward to beginning this project!

We’re Going on a Bear Hunt…

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Ida Grove Community Partners has shared this excellent idea to get families outside this weekend and have a little fun!  

Photos of your “Bear Hunt Expedition” can be shared to the Ida Grove Community Partners Facebook page by clicking the following:  Ida Grove Community Partners

We hope you all enjoy and have a great weekend!

Upgrading Ida Grove

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We thought we would spread some cheer today and share with you all the new and exciting things happening in town.  This week, Godbersen-Smith Construction began work on the tennis courts located in City Park.  The finished project will feature 1 tennis court and 2 pickle ball courts.  The upgrade is from a very generous donation from the Godbersen Foundation!

Also happening this week is the beginning of construction work to install the last set of lights at the ball complex by the High School.  A big Thank You to the Ida Grove Kiwanis for their hard work and dedication to get this upgrade completed!

Firemen Bell

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Photo Credit:  Amy Forbes

The Firemen Bell was officially hung in Godbersen Park this morning!  Thank you to all who have contributed to this project along the way!  Thanks to Ladwig Construction (Ross Ladwig) and John Tietsort for assisting Public Works hang the bell.  This project was one that could not have been completed without many hands from the community and we appreciate all of you!

WANTED: Heritage Days Committee Members

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The City is looking for new members to join the Heritage Days Team! We have scheduled an informal public meeting to be held on Tuesday January 15th at 6 pm in the Council Chambers. This will be a time to ask questions, form committees, brainstorm, make suggestions and more. We need many volunteers to work together to make 2019’s Heritage Days Celebration the best yet!!

Outdoor Pool Survey

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Here at the City of Ida Grove we strive to provide our community with quality service and amenities. Please let us know your thoughts and opinions on our outdoor pool by taking part in a brief, anonymous survey found here: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/MCM62XJ . We want to provide the best experience possible to all of our pool-goers so your input is much appreciated. Thank you for your time.

 

Closings

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Due to the weather, the Ida Grove Recreation Center will be closed today.

 

Complete Heritage Days Schedule

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Our Heritage Days schedule for Friday, June 23rd, Saturday, June 24th, and Sunday, June 25th. Enjoy!

 

Relay Iowa Is Coming to Ida Grove!

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Relay Iowa Comes through Ida Grove

Runners and support staff participating in Relay Iowa will be in Ida Grove on Friday, June 9th, 2017.

Relay Iowa is the World’s Longest Relay Run! Teams of up to 12 participants run 339 miles to cross Iowa over a long weekend. Runners build their own team and then work together to break down the distance into segments of their choice.

There will be many people and extra vehicles in and around Ida Grove for this event. The route from Anthon to Ida Grove can be seen at http://www.mapmyrun.com/routes/view/859820157. The route from Ida Grove to Lake City is shown at http://www.mapmyrun.com/routes/view/859995567. Please watch for the runners and their support on your way to and from work to help keep them and yourselves safe.

Keep your eyes peeled for runners during this special event

Daylight Savings Time Reminder

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Spring forward one hour at 2 am Sunday, March 12th

Daylight savings is tomorrow Sunday, March 12th. Remember to set your clocks ahead one hour before hitting the hay. This is also a good opportunity to replace the batteries in your smoke and carbon monoxide testers. Enjoy the rest of your weekend – and, remember – once the temps warm up again, you’re going to love that extra hour of sunlight!

 

2nd Annual Youth Triathlon!

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One Month From Today Is Our 2Nd Annual Youth Triathlon!

This is for ages 9-16. You can participate as a team or as an individual. You will start by swimming laps at the outdoor pool, followed by riding your bike on the trail, up hamburger hill, and finish with running around the track at the High School. This is a really fun event for the kids.

Registration forms are available at the IGRC. Any questions, please contact Chelsea Gross at 712-364-3716.

 

More Information

Don’t Forget to Buy Ducks!

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The Heritage Days Committee in partnership with Ida Grove Community Partners is sponsoring the annual Duck Race during Heritage Days. The race will be held Saturday, June 25th at 2:30 in the creek at City Park. Prices for ducks are as follows:

Prizes include (2) 1/2 hog, $500.00 in Chamber Bucks, a men’s and women’s watch and much, much more.

If if you have any questions please let me know! Thanks!

Pool Opens June 2!

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It’s starting to look a lot like SUMMER around here!! The city crew is working hard to get the pool ready for opening day, which is June 2nd! All passes will be available once the pool opens. Prices will remain the same:

$115 for a family

$70 for an adult

$60 for a student.

Rec Center members get a discount.