The Hillsboro City Council approved new rental policies for softball fields and tennis courts at the Sports Complex during its March 17 special meeting.

The new agreements were presented by Doug Sisk on behalf of the Hillsboro Recreation Commission.

Sisk said the commission wants to bring its rates more in line with other facilities in the area, with the desire of encouraging more use by baseball and softball tournaments and traveling teams.

“Our fee was actually higher than for Twin Oaks at Manhattan, one of the best facilities in the state,” Sisk said.

Even with the rate adjustment, HRC’s fee would still be higher than two other cities he compared them to, Marion and Abilene.

For example, under the new rate, HRC would now charge $360 for a two-day tournament involving three fields with two three-team round-robin pools per field on one day and a single-elimination bracket the following day. No lights would be used and no tournament director fee would be required.

The previous HRC fee was $450 for the same scenario. The Manhattan park would charge $436 for such an event, Abilene’s fee would be $224 and Marion would charge $100.

The relative rate differences were the same in two other scenarios Sisk presented.

Organizations, groups and individuals who want to rent the tennis courts at the Sports Complex to host a tournament or camp will now pay $50 a day. Requests must be made at least three weeks prior to the event.

In other business, the council:

n approved Mayor Delores Dalke’s appointments to city boards: Steve Vincent to the Library Board to fill an unexpired term, and Gari-Anne Patzwald and Ruby Hilt to full terms as new members; Jonah Kliewer and Evan Yoder for another term on the Museums Advisory Board; and Todd Simmons as a representative on the Marion County Economic Development Council.

n heard from City Administrator Larry Paine that the city has received verbal permission from Solomon Langley, developer of the new housing units at the corner of Washington and Grand streets, to proceed with bids for street and curb repair around the development.

Paine said the work will be a partnership between the city, Langley and Hillsboro Mennonite Brethren Church.

n heard from Paine that the city has been approved for a $30,000 refund from the Federal Emergency Disaster Agency for repair work the city did following the ice storms this winter. Paine said the city can expect “much more than that” to follow.

n affirmed Paine’s suggestion that the city recycling center be permanently unlocked, giving residents access 24 hours a day. Currently, the center is open on Thursday afternoons and Saturday mornings.

The only concern expressed was that without volunteers on site to assist, new people may not know how to properly distribute their recycleables.

Putting up an instructional sign was offered as one solution.

“If it doesn’t work, we can always go back,” Dalke said.

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