Colfax accepts donation of gaga ball pit
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By LeAnn R. Ralph
COLFAX — Youngsters may soon be able to play “gaga ball” at the Colfax Fairgrounds thanks to a donation from the Colfax Cub Scouts and their parents.
The first time gaga ball came to her attention, said Amy Horchem at the Colfax Village Board’s July11 meeting, was when her older sons played the game while they were at Camp Phillips for Cub Scouts.
The L.E. Phillips Scout Reservation near Haugen in Barron County is located on 1,400 acres and has five lakes.
After seeing the gaga ball pit at Camp Phillips, Horchem said she then began to see them at other places, such as the Valley Pasture Farm & Pumpkin Patch on County Highway E and at a church in Eau Claire.
What is gaga ball you ask?
Gaga ball is a non-contact game played in an octagonal “pit” that is described as a “kinder and gentler” version of dodgeball.
Players start inside the pit touching the sides, and the ball comes into play after it is thrown into the air and comes down on the second bounce.
The players can “swat” the ball, but they cannot throw it or kick it. If the ball hits you, you are “out,” and the game continues until there is one person left, Horchem said.
Gaga ball is a game that kids can jump into randomly, play, then jump out and walk away, she said.
When the Colfax Cub Scouts were at Camp Phillips this spring, if they were at the building and not out doing something else, they wanted to play gaga ball, she said.
Tiffany Creek Elementary in Boyceville has a Gaga ball pit, and from the descriptions at school board meetings from administrators, teachers and board members with children in elementary school, the game is extremely popular — to the point where parents hear about the latest gaga ball saga at home in the evenings.
The number of kids who would be expected to play the game would determine the size of the gaga ball pit, Horchem said.
The sides of the gaga ball pit would be low enough so that kindergarten or first grade-age children would be able to climb into the pit to play, she said, noting that the rules of the game would be posted on the gaga ball pit.
“They do have a lot of fun with it,” Horchem said.
The owner of Colfax Heating and Plumbing has offered to donate the materials to build the gaga ball pit, and there are enough parents of Cub Scouts to work on building it that the construction could be accomplished in a short amount of time, she said.
The gaga ball pit would be a good project for the Webelos scouts, Horchem said.
Location
Where would the gaga ball bit be located? asked Jeff Prince, village trustee and chair of the parks committee.
What about at the fairgrounds? said Anne Jenson, village trustee and also a member of the parks committee.
The gaga ball pit should be at a location that is easily accessible for kids, Horchem said.
Lynn Niggemann, village administrator-clerk-treasurer, said she had looked at various locations in Colfax, including Iverson Park and the Colfax Fairgrounds.
Horchem said on walks with her dog, it occurred to her the fairgrounds would be a good location for the gaga ball pit because of the playground equipment for younger children.
If families have younger and older children, then there would be something for all of them do, and they could come to the park as a family, she said.
If the village board accepts the donation, it would become the responsibility of the village to maintain the gaga ball pit. The insurance liability would be the same as any other playground equipment, Niggemann said.
Whoever is using the gaga ball pit would have to bring their own ball because there would be nowhere to keep balls for the game and no one to monitor the use of the balls, she said.
Iverson Park would also have enough room for the gaga ball pit and would encourage people to use the park more, Niggemann said.
Margaret Burcham, village trustee, said she has noticed more children and families at the fairgrounds.
If there were space available, a nice location might be at Tom Prince Memorial Park because sometimes older siblings are bored watching their younger siblings play or practice for Little League, she said.
Board members agreed there is not a suitable location at Tom Prince Memorial Park.
A 15-foot gaga ball pit would accommodate about 12 occupants, while the 20-foot pit would fit about 20 players, Horchem said.
Village board members agreed the smaller size should be sufficient.
Fairgrounds
If the gaga ball pit were located at the fairgrounds, Niggemann suggested that it be built between the playground equipment and the stage.
Would it have to be taken down for the Colfax Free Fair? asked Carey Davis, village trustee.
“No,” Niggemann said.
During the Colfax Free Fair there are no exhibits or rides that are set up on that part of the fairgrounds.
The petting zoo is left of the stage and not on the west side, which is where the playground equipment is located, Prince said.
The petting zoo is on the east side of the stage because that location is closer to the other animal exhibits at the fair, Niggemann said.
The gaga ball pit is permanent structure with posts in the ground. At Camp Phillips, the sides were fastened together with angle iron, creating an exceptionally sturdy structure, Horchem said, adding that she was not sure angle iron would be needed for the Colfax gaga ball pit.
The parents have discussed donating all of the material and the installation, and if turns out fund raisers are needed to pay for materials, the Cub Scouts will hold fund raisers, she said.
Horchem said the Cub Scout parents can quickly call a meeting to discuss the details of donating the gaga ball pit and the assembling of it.
Village board members wondered if the gaga ball pit should be on grass or if it should be filled with sand.
Most of the gaga ball pits that her children have played in have been grass, Horchem said.
Timeline
Would the gaga ball pit be installed this year or next year? Prince asked.
Horchem said it could either be built this year or next year.
The Colfax Firefighters’ Ball is in September, and if the gaga ball pit could be built before then, that would work out well because there are always children at the fairgrounds during the firefighters’ ball festivities, Prince said.
If the gaga ball pit is going to be done this year, then the village board needs to take action and “move on it,” Prince said.
The parents can be called for a meeting next week, Horchem said.
Prince wanted to know who would stake out the location of the gaga ball pit, and Horchem said the village should stake it out so that it would be built exactly where the village wanted it located.
Since there are four main posts that would need to be dug into the ground, Diggers Hotline will have to come to locate any electrical lines, Niggemann said.
The Colfax Village Board unanimously accepted the donation of the gaga ball pit.
Jen Rud, village trustee, was absent from the meeting.
The Colfax Village Board’s Parks Committee planned to meet later in the week to discuss more details about the gaga ball pit.
After the parks committee meeting and the parents’ meeting, the village board can receive an update at the next village board meeting, said Gary Stene, village trustee.
“It’s a great idea for the firefighters’ ball,” he said.
Other business
In other business, the Colfax Village Board:
• Approved bartender operators licenses for Michael Buchner (firefighters’ ball); Emily Rubenzer (The Blind Tiger); and Rachel Radonz (A Little Slice of Italy) from July 11 to June 30, 2023.
• Approved adding Rick Olson to the community development block grant housing committee to replace Jeremy Klukas.
