Morrison upgrades disc golf course, more rec plans in the works

MORRISON — With upgraded equipment and new signage, a new and improved nine-hole disc golf course is ready for use in Morrison.

Local business representatives, hole sponsors and city officials were on hand Thursday to celebrate the course’s grand opening and ribbon cutting.

“This isn’t a new course but is obviously now a new and improved course,” said Nathan Jacobs, the city’s recreational services director.

Located in Kelly Park in the city’s north end, the upgraded course features new flags on the baskets. New maps and signs guide players through the course. QR codes are posted on signs throughout the course so players can see the layout, and another QR code on the entrance sign leads people to the city of Morrison’s website.

The upgraded course is part of a push to enhance the city’s parks and recreational programming, said Jacobs, a Sterling native who has been with the city for a little over a year. He joined Morrison city staff in the position after 12 years as a military contractor in Kuwait, where he worked in sports and fitness with soldiers there.

“We’re trying to revitalize the parks and make it nicer and get people out here,” Jacobs said.

The city’s No. 1 goal when he started was managing the Morrison Sports Complex, where baseball and softball games take place. Jacobs also had the goal to get recreational programs up and running. A walk through the disc golf course caused him to want to improve it for Morrison residents.

“This has been here for a quite a while and nobody ever really did anything to it,” he said.

The course is open from sun up to sundown and its grounds are maintained by the city. He said costs were minimal due to businesses sponsoring the nine holes. A night disc golf event, complete with glow sticks and stickers on the discs, will be set for October.

Morrison parks

• Kelly Park is one of several parks scattered throughout the city. Besides disc golf, Kelly Park features a quarter-mile walking path, large playground, tennis courts and a picnic shelter. It is located next to Grove Hill Cemetery, just off East High Street.
• The Morrison Sports Complex is the largest of Morrison’s parks and open to the public. The multi-field facility is located on the east edge of town at U.S. 30 and Bishop Road. The 35-acre park features four fields consisting of softball/Little League diamonds, one baseball diamond and a football/soccer field. Also featured are multiple picnic shelters and an extensive walking path. Jacobs said the city is applying for a grant to get playground equipment at the sports complex. If the grant is awarded, the plan would be to break ground next year.
• Located on the south side of Morrison near the Whiteside County Fairgrounds, Waterworks Park at 503 W. Winfield St. is 12.4 acres and offers a baseball diamond, playground, picnic shelter, lots of open green space and parking. In addition, there are two tennis courts available on the east end of the park, as well as a quarter-mile walking path along the lower portion of the park. During the winter months, Waterworks Park is home to the Morrison Winter Park. An ice skating rink is constructed on the tennis courts and maintained by local volunteers.
• French Creek Park at 650 Portland Ave. has ideal space for flying a kite or stretching out in the grass. A walking path extends around the perimeter of the park, as well as along the banks of French Creek. The park also has a playground, picnic shelter and a large parking lot with adjoining basketball hoop. The Morrison Community Garden is also located in French Creek Park.
• Also located on the north side of town at 700 N. Genesee St., Kiwanis Park, which hosts the city’s annual Easter egg hunt, has playground equipment, a picnic shelter and many shade trees.
• The dog park is located next to Kiwanis Park. The dog park has ample space for dogs to safely run off leash. There are two fenced areas for both small and large dogs, a small pavilion and multiple benches.
• Robert A. Millikan Park, 223 W. Main St., is a pocket park named for Morrison’s own Robert A. Millikan, winner of the 1923 Nobel Prize in physics.
• Morrison’s Veteran’s Park is located near Kelly Park and Grove Hill Cemetery. A parking area adjacent to the park offers access to the paved walking paths between memorials, along with benches and a shelter nearby.

As for programs, a new volleyball league was set up earlier this year at Morrison Junior High School. Jacobs said he also is looking at ways to bring pickleball to town by possibly turning Kelly Park’s tennis courts into a pickleball court.

Bingo for seniors over the age of 50 brings in about 30 people, and with requests for a bingo night for younger players, Jacobs is looking at creating a family bingo night. A Wiffle Ball tourney for adults is planned for August.