BY EILEEN PERSIKE
Editor
The Town of Newbold has allotted $45,400 for the Outdoor Recreation Committee budget this year. That money will be used to further develop the Newbold Outdoor Recreation Area (NORA) which will feature a disc golf course on the 34-acre property in addition to the existing 1.4-mile hiking and snowshoe trail. The recreation area is located on Ole Lake Road, just west of Hwy. 47 North.

Committee chair Pete Cody said the budget is somewhat flexible, in that they may get a little more than the initial figure. He outlined the committee’s priorities.

“As soon as the frost is out we’ll put in a two-stall privy,” Cody said. “It will be handicap-accessible. A crew from the Blackwell Job Corp will be constructing the building.”

Clearing the fairways of fallen branches and trees from the winter is next on the agenda, followed by dragging and then seeding where necessary. Cody said the committee will hire local contractors for jobs such as leveling and dragging the fairways, but will also rely on volunteers.

“We’ll be placing 14 benches, some on the golf course and some on the hiking and snowshoe trail,” he said. “Setting the tee pads will take a while, and if we have time we’ll put in the baskets at each hole.”

NORA does have an additional $34,000 in the bank, which Cody said he and others have fund-raised in the past year and a half, but they still need more.

If the work gets done, the course could open late summer or this fall. If not, the construction will continue into 2018.