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Councilmember Michael Ellis made an appeal that the city council appropriate $75,000 for the Parks and Recreation budget for the coming year during a packed-out LaFayette city council meeting on Monday night.

“I think we should continue to support them and give them what they need…” Ellis said. “It’s a great thing to get the kids off the streets and give them something positive to do in the city. It’s going to benefit everybody.”

Many families and children from the Parks and Recreation Department attended the meeting to show their support for the budget request. No action has been taken because the city council has not approved its budget for the coming year yet.

During the meeting, Rachel Vines was nominated and approved to join the Recreation Board to represent District C. 

This comes after the retirement of Kerry Towles from the Recreation Board. 

Montorious Leverett, Yolanda Ratchford and James Pollard were all approved to join the board during the last city council meeting in September. Twyla Pullen, Nell Finley, Danny Williams, Adrian Holloway, Charlene Story and Seneathia Williams are also members of the board. 

“All the people that are volunteering to serve on the board, they are invested here,” Ellis said.  “They’ve got small kids. They will be in it for the long haul, and they work well together.”

The Recreation baseball and softball fields have had improvements. The fence for the softball field was replaced and the city purchased a portable mound for $2,000. The city also approved the purchase of about $20,000 for a portable concession stand.