The Austin Park and Recreation Board prioritized the order of building projects for 2003 at Wednesday's board meeting. The Riverland Diamonds sit on top of list, followed by playground equipment, Todd Park No. 4 Diamond complex and construction at Bandshell Community Park.

With a likely reduction on local government aid, the board was asked to prioritize projects for next year. Several suggestions were made in regard to cuts, including the city's flower budget.

On reports from board members, council member Pete Christopherson announced the same architect that worked on the Packer Arena has been signed for the central garage project. The council will meet with the architect for a preliminary meeting on Tuesday.

"They'll look over the site and do some soil tests. The interested parties will then be contacted to find what their needs are," Christopherson said.

Hours on the Izaak Walton cabin were once again changed do to recurring mess incidents. According to Kim Underwood, people continue to stay past the scheduled time. "Two weeks after [the previous change on the hours] we have had to call the police twice because people decided to party longer," Underwood said. The rental closing time will be 11 p.m. and the new contract will note that events should stop by 11 p.m. and the premises vacated by midnight.

Park and Recreation committee news

Storage at Riverside Arena will be granted to the Austin Youth Hockey Association and the Auxiliary Club. The parties will use the ticket booth area in the concession stand and underneath the bleachers on the west side of the arena. The club and the AYHA must build their own storage and sign a contract and comply with any regulations.

The board will meet again 5:15 p.m. on Jan. 18 at Austin Park and Rec office.

Roxana Orellana can be reached at 434-2214 or by e-mail at roxana.orellana@austindailyherald.com