By PHYLLIS ZORN

Staff writer

Peabody residents will soon get a letter in their water bill asking customers to make a monthly donation for repair and replacement of City Park playground equipment.

In June, the city’s insurance company, EMC Insurance, recommended several pieces of playground equipment be removed.

The equipment included three pony swings, a Mitchell merry-go-round built in 1926, gymnastic rings, a multi-axis swing, and two slides. EMC also recommended adding cushioning around and below playground equipment.

N. M. Patton, board member for Central Kansas Community Foundation, has worked with the council on fundraising ideas since then, and told council members Monday that more donors are needed for the project.

Patton said priorities need to be set whether to repair or replace specific equipment.

“We really need to make some decisions on the equipment,” Patton said.

City clerk Jonna Munson presented a draft of a letter to be sent out in water bills. The letter asks customers to consider an amount of their choosing to be added to their bill so the money can be pooled into a fund for improving the playground.

New health insurance for city employees is still under consideration after council members recently decided to withdraw from the state Blue Cross Blue Shield health insurance plan and find a different plan. The cost, the council decided at that time, is prohibitive.

Munson did not have recommendations for the council Monday. She said she has met with representatives of the HUB International and Heartland companies, but is having difficulty being able to compare the policies they offer on an “apples to apples” basis. Munson said she is now talking with a small group representative for BCBS to see what is available.

Mayor Larry Larsen asked the council if the city should take preemptive action about construction work being done at a private residence where a skid loader is starting to tear up pavement by swiveling to load chunks of concrete. Police Chief Bruce Burke said he would talk to the contractor doing the work.

Council member Beth Peter said high school principal Ken Parry is visiting with 18-year-old students about whether they have any interest in learning more about serving as firefighters.

The city has discussed development of a cadet program for 16-to-18-year-olds for several years.