HANNIBAL — The number of people becoming “hooked” on fishing in Hannibal is rapidly growing, according to members of the Hannibal Parks and Recreation Department.
HANNIBAL â The Hannibal Parks and Recreation Department has decided that it wants to purchase a dredge in order to keep the new marina accessible to boaters. However, the decisions do not end there.
âWe have got to decide if we want to rent the dredge the first year and make sure it is 100 percent what we want. It is significantly cheaper to do that versus making a major outlay. We hope to make that decision soon,â said Andy Dorian, the cityâs director of central services, during the May meeting of the Hannibal Park Board.
It costs $15,000 to rent a dredge from the Kansas City area company that deals in dredges, which parks department personnel visited last fall when shopping for a dredge. According to Aron Lee, assistant director of central services â parks department, the rental fee would be applied toward the purchase price of a new dredge.
HANNIBAL â The Hannibal Aquatic Center announced it will open May 29 for the 2021 season.
According to a release from Hannibal Parks and Recreation, the aquatic center will open the weekend of May 29, including Monday, May 31. However, they will be closed the first two days of June because schools are still in session. As of June 3, the aquatic center s normal 12-6 p.m. seven days a week schedule will commence.
Aquatic Center Director Jenna McDonald said she has been training lifeguards to pass Red Cross certification in order to ensure complete safety.
âWe are excited to open the Aquatic Center this year,â she said. The aquatic center was closed for the 2020 season out of caution during the COVID-19 pandemic.
HANNIBAL â Plans continue to be developed that would see a roughly one-acre plat of land at Hannibal Regional Airport converted into a prairie area that features native vegetation.
During a recent meeting of the Hannibal Park Board, Andy Dorian, the cityâs director of central services, reported having talked with representatives of two of the Hannibal Parks and Recreation Departmentâs prairie restoration project partners, the Missouri Department of Natural Resources and the Master Naturalists.
Among the preliminary plans is for a controlled burn to occur in the designated prairie area some time this fall. The burn area will then have the seeds of native plants scattered across it.
HANNIBAL â Pickleball players are welcome to join in the fun on Tuesday nights at Huckleberry Park for Open Pickleball Play.
Weathering permitting, players are at Huckleberry Park starting at 5:30 p.m. Players must provide their own equipment.
Tom Batenhorst, Park Board president and avid pickleball player, pointed out that pickleball nets are at the Huckleberry Park courts seven days a week, but there will always be someone to play against on Tuesday evenings.
He encouraged players of all ages and skill levels to take part in Open Play on Tuesdays.
âItâs a social game, you meet different people as you play. And even though itâs for all skill levels, there are some very advanced players, and itâs a strategic game,â he said. âAs with any sport, you can do what you want with it, you can just go for a fun game or try to be a top player.â