Parks Commission to Consider Removing Lifeguards from Tanners Lake Beach

The Oakdale Parks and Recreation Commission meets at 7 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 15, at . Following are some of the items the commission is scheduled to discuss at the meeting:

• Whether to continue paying lifeguards to supervise Tanner’s Lake Beach.  The city spends $21,000-$23,000 per year to pay a summer beach coordinator and several lifeguards to supervise the beach from mid-June to mid-August, according to a staff report. Staff believes that money could be better spent on other parks and recreation initiatives, the report says. Staff is asking the commission to consider the possibility that the beach would still remain open, with signs warning that no lifeguard is on duty, the report says. 

• Alternative locations for lighted ball fields for use by the Oakdale Athletic Association. City and Oakdale Athletic Association representatives are looking at different possible sites for adding lighting to ball fields because an official from District 622 said they do not support adding lighting and fields north of 12th Street on the property, according to a staff report. Association representatives have said more lighted fields are necessary for fall sports because they can't start using the fields until 6 p.m., and by then it isn’t long until it becomes dark. Possible alternative sites for lighted fields include the east side of Skyview Community School, and property at .

• Adding “Play Trails” at . “Play Trails” place small pockets of nature-themed playground equipment along nature trails. Themes for the playground areas include different types of bugs, plants and forest animals, and each play area includes a sign with facts about its theme. Parks and Recreation Director Bruce Anderson has had preliminary discussions with a possible corporate sponsor, according to a staff report.