Should Decorah have an official sledding and tubing hill?

A guest comment from Ted Sojka of Decorah (a former manager of Nor Ski Runs):

After a week of great snow I am wondering if there is any interest in a sledding hill in Decorah?

Recently after the last big snow, I have seen kids slide down driveways into the street all over town, down the dike and down the slope next to First Lutheran Church onto a street. It is not their fault that there is no sledding hill in all the acres of parks in this city blessed with abundant park land and facilities.

A hill that does not end on a street and is free of traffic does exist in Decorah.

A hill was actually built in Decorah, by hundreds of hours of volunteer work and the equipment and manpower of the National Guard, and the cooperation of Luther College. The ski part of the ski hill is gone, but the hill and its warming chalet are still there, built by the Decorah Ski Association and the many families who used the facility, on a 99 year lease with Luther College.

Seeing a site like it at a park in Dubuque, with hundreds of sledders and tube riding people, gave me the idea. Also a local renter of summer inner tubes, who is getting out of the business said it would be a great idea. There are others who still rent tubes and this would give them another season to work with. Maybe rent the tubes from an enclosed trailer as they do on a tubing hill near Stevens Point, Wisconsin called "Powers Bluff."

When we had a school closing and lots of snow, moms and dads brought carloads of kids and dropped them off for a day of fun on that property known as Nor Ski for many decades. They could do this again with a sledding facility. A temporary road along the edge of the field, a tank of gas for the warming hut, and it would be in operation with little of no expense. Kids could walk up the bunny hill to the terraced flat and sled or tube down to the field at the bottom. Lots of good exercise.

Luther College is working with the city on a possible indoor pool on the College Prairie and other projects that promote good community relations. Maybe Luther Physical Education students in recreation program studies could man the warming hut along with town volunteers? It would not create any more liability than unsafe places in town or on the college hills on campus where sledding and XC skiing now take place.

Outdoor activities like ice skating, snow shoeing and XC skiing give people a life long sports experience and a working relation with this winter season.

Lots of "maybes" in this thought, but let your council person know if you are in favor of this activity.

Happy New Year.
Ted Sojka