Jill Schramm/MDN Deven Mantz, right, responds to a question at the park board candidates forum in Minot City Hall Tuesday, as Chelsea Kirkhammer awaits her turn to respond at right.

Two newcomers vying with an incumbent for the two open seats on the Minot Park Board stressed the need to maintain park facilities and manage public dollars well at a candidate forum Tuesday.

Deven Mantz, who works for BNSF Railroad, and Chelsea Kirkhammer, who previously worked for Minot Area Community Foundation before committing full time to her family, fielded audience questions at the forum sponsored by Minot Area Chamber EDC.

Kirkhammer said Minot has good facilities and needs to maintain them to remain “fresh and revitalized for coming generations.”

However, she added a common theme among the district’s user groups is a need for more time in the facilities.

“Our youth programs continue to grow,” she said. “We just have to look at each user group’s needs and what is fiscally responsible for each of those areas.”

“Just building new facilities all the time is not really the way to go and it’s not fiscally responsible,” Mantz said. He said he would want to keep the park board on course in maintaining and enhancing existing facilities.

Mantz said he supports downtown greenspace use but is not a fan of development that brings additional costs and maintenance. The flood protection project is expected to create new green spaces along the river.

“We only have finite resources and we need to spend them wisely, and I think that we should be more concentrating on wintertime activities,” Mantz said. “We don’t have a lot of summertime. So we need to be realistic about that. We need to have a little bit more indoor space.”

Among indoor activities on the rise is various martial arts, and he would like to see the park district direct resources to cater to that interest, Mantz said.

Kirkhammer also supported enhancing existing activities and increasing indoor activities for adults.

“It’s more just maintaining the facilities that we have, really taking initiative to make those improvements and to direct attention toward growing what we currently have,” she said. Many of the existing park activities, from movies to yoga, can be incorporated into new green spaces, she said, noting there are many opportunities to be creative.

Both candidates said they have talked to residents who have identified areas they would like the park board to address. Mantz said maintenance on North Hill ball parks is a concern, while Kirkhammer said the need for additional lighting at ball fields and improved disability access at outdoor facilities is on people’s minds.

Both Mantz and Kirkhammer indicated support for the park district’s 10-year facility plan, which includes updates to Minot Municipal Auditorium and adding on to Maysa Arena.

“The path that the current park board has set out for the future is something that I am on board with. I would be excited to have a seat at the table to give my input on further revisions, if necessary, but I support the plan,” Kirkhammer said.

“Looking to the future is really important. We need to be fiscally responsible with our money, and, in order to do so, you can’t just make decisions off-hand and go with them,” Mantz said. “We need to make sure that we are on the right path. I think Minot Park Board has done a great job at that.”

Incumbent offers remarks

Cliff Hovda, who is seeking his fifth four-year term on the Minot Park Board, was unable to attend the candidate forum. However, he did prepare remarks that were read.

“I feel it’s been a privilege to be involved in making our park system better each year,” Hovda said in his statement. “We made significant improvements while still being very aware we are stewards of the public’s money.”

He listed numerous improvements made in the park system, from the Pepsi Rink in Maysa Arena to new zoo habitats and walking paths.

“This is a remarkable list of accomplishments while being very fiscally responsible. These are all good long-term investments for the city,” Hovda said. “My background as a former school administrator, a guidance counselor and teacher has given me skills in collaboration, supervision, community relations and decision making, which have all served me well as a commissioner. I hope to continue to bring my experience in long-term planning, budgeting and implementation to the Minot Park District.”