New shelter house on Hartley's radar

Ground won't be broken any time soon, but Hartley leaders are eyeing a new building at Neebel Park.

The city council last month discussed the need to replace the current shelter house on the west side of the park. According to Council Member Ron Hengeveld, it's in rough shape and getting worse.

"It's embarrassing," he said. "It needs to go away, and it's not fixable."

Hengeveld and Superintendent of Public Works Tony Weatherman recently inspected the structure, which was built in 1970, according to online property records. The concrete foundation is cracking and other problems were visible throughout the building.

The shelter house is used extensively during events like Summer Celebration.

"Summer Celebration kind of revolves around that building on Friday and Saturday," Hengeveld said. "We can do better than that."

According to discussion, members of the Hartley Parks & Rec Board are investigating potential grant opportunities to help finance construction of a new shelter house. If possible, it's hoped that it could be built in 2025.

No blueprints have been drawn up and there is no price estimate at the present time.

"It's been on our radar for a few years that we need to do something with it," said Council Member Mary Westphalen.