Public Properties currently has several projects underway this summer.
Chautauqua Park’s front entrance road has received a new facelift. The road was widened by 3 feet to allow for better traffic flow in and out of the park. Approximately 2,000 square feet of new asphalt was installed. The rest of the park roads will be improved next year.
Shelters, restrooms, and other building structures are all getting new roofs because of the hail damage that occurred summer of 2022. Chautauqua Park, Hannibal Park, Riverside Park, Scott Street Ballfields, and the Big Blue Water Park have been re-roofed. Other City buildings will have their roofs replaced in the coming months.
Hannibal Park’s ball field complex is finishing up the updates that started in the summer of 2022. This includes new pathways connecting diamonds 1, 2, and 3 making them ADA-accessible. A new safety netting system is also being installed for field 4, similar to the previous systems for other fields.
In August, the Public Properties Department will begin a project to renovate the historic waterfall at Chautauqua Park. Improvements will reactivate the waterfall with minimal changes to the historic look of the waterfall and basin. A combination of multiple diffusers will be added to the existing fall. A similar stone will be added to incorporate the new diffusers.
The waterfall was constructed using mortar to keep the stones in place. Existing stones or mortar will be preserved. Black expanding waterfall foam will be used to bond the new stone and repair cracked areas. The reservoir below the waterfall will be built using a 4-ounce underlayment, an EPDM (Ethylene Propylene Diene Monomer) liner, and weight-bearing underground water matrix blocks that hold the water. The reservoir will hold approximately 1,500 gallons of water.
A group of citizens called Friends of the Falls has raised the amount needed to complete the project. They are also working on raising funds to renovate the landscape and lighting around the waterfall.
We hope you take time to experience all the recreational amenities available in Beatrice this summer, from ballfields to trails, and pickleball courts to the water park.
Mark Pethoud
Public Properties Director