On Monday, the Valley Grande City Council discussed renovating the Valley Grande Walking Trail. The park is in need of multiple repairs, including swings and upgrading fencing.

It’s important for Valley Grande to take these steps toward improving their park to give its citizens a place to stay active and spend time with their families.

We’ve seen with Bloch Park how much an outdoor area can mean to a community. It’s extremely rare to drive by Bloch Park and see no one on the walking trail. Locals frequent the park not only for the trail, but also for the farmer’s market, pavilion and playoground. Chldren can often be seen throwing a football in the grassy areas. It’s not perfect, but it’s a place for families to enjoy outside. Valley Grande’s park is still relatively young — less than a decade old — but it has already become an important resource to the city.

In addition to promoting an active lifestyle with the future renovations to the park, Valley Grande is also pushing for a safer environment.

Valley Grande Mayor Wayne Labbe said safety is one of the main concerns at the park, and the equipment can be dangerous for children.

The city council talked about ways to make the park safer, such as the proposed $260 to be spent on crossties for swings.

On Monday, the council also discussed spending $20 for trash cans that lock if they get tipped over. This shows that Valley Grande is not only dedicated to keeping the park safe, but also keeping it clean and free of pollution.

We commend the city of Valley Grande for maintaining the park and making sure it is safe for its citizens. The city has already made strides toward updating the walking trail.

While there is still more discussion to come, we are encouraged to see there are steps being taken toward keeping an outdoor area in Valley Grande preserved.