Reports of Officers
First on the agenda was establishing new officer appointments for the board, noting that Carl Weidel, Josh Sibley, and Aaron Thede will be up for re-election in 2027. The board agreed to keep the current officer structure, with Weidel as President, Sibley as Vice President, and Sandy Johnson as Treasurer.
The board agreed that the new flagpole looks and sounds great. Director Karyn Sommers-Buck said the flagpole was up for about two weeks without a new flag due to an internal component, with Sibley helping to hoist the new flag after the last meeting. She said the old flag was torn up by the wind at that height, and she properly disposes of them at the American Legion. The board also commented on the new graphics on the main entrance doors, which provided and updated look and limits the glare of the sun.
Director’s Report
Sommers-Buck provided a rundown of summer happenings:
Sign-ups for the charter bus trip to Milwaukee for a Cubs/Brewers game and the kids’ field trips are both half-full, and she’s advertised both events on Around Ptown. She’s already paid for 25 tickets for the bus trip set for June 28th and must pay for the rest by May 28th. The summer field trips for 3rd to 8th graders are to Wildlife Prairie Park, Santa’s Village, Rainbow Falls waterpark, Timberlake Playhouse, and Slick City.
The first Prophetstown Proud Fourth Friday of the season is on June 26th, and the Park District will be overseeing games. She booked the screen and speakers for movie night on Saturday, July 25th. The Park District will offer free swimming on Wednesday nights from 5:30-7:30 p.m. with different themes and activities. The annual 5K and StreetScape will be held Friday, July 3rd.
Coach pitch through Pony League picture night is on Friday, May 22nd, and she’s lined up Dairy Mart Plus Taco Express food truck and Blooms-A-Latte drinks from 5-8 p.m. The travel team started this past week; the league will be done in July. T-ball pictures will be on June 3rd.
Sommers-Buck also thanked the group of volunteers who showed up and provided food at the May meal at Pat’s Table in Prophetstown.
She next provided more information on scholarship applications and financial assistance to review before a possible vote next month, saying she got some of the information from the Geneseo and Sterling Park Districts as guidance. She asked the board if they’d support activities that cost more, or just the field trips. She noted that baseball and softball are the most expensive at a $110 maximum for families and $75 for members, and there’s a $50 maximum cost for other sports. She said there’s always a need and she’s always ready to work with people on costs, whether it’s paying half now and half later. “We work with people in the community to make sure the kids can participate,” she said.
Johnson noted that transportation alone for baseball and softball can be costly and require a lot of effort. The board will take it up again next month, since the next sports registration cycle will be for flag football and soccer in July.
The board next had a lengthy discussion on the proposed land swap with the PLT #3 School District after the Board of Education agreed to move forward at their meeting last month. Sommers-Buck noted that due to the quarter-acre difference in acreage being exchanged, the Park District could take on a larger financial burden when redoing the parking lot.
The last quote she received to completely redo the parking lot and drainage was $80,000. She’ll try to get a general estimate from Stichter’s Construction to redo the parking lot with new blacktop, relining, drainage, and redoing the speed bumps, adding that she’d love to have it done before winter.
She also noted that the bidding process may be tricky since the school’s threshold differs. The board asked if the school or the Park District would secure the bids. Sommers-Buck said that in the past, the Park District would pay the school after any work was done. New State law has a bid threshold of $30,000 for labor contracts and $60,000 for materials and supplies for project bids for Park Districts. Commissioner Kyle Gibson asked if they split the parking lot costs, what’s the percentage and would it be for one time only or all future repairs, with no definitive answer yet.
Weidel asked if they have funds in their budget for another large project. Sommers-Buck said they have the capability to pay, whether through bond funds or reserves, plus the generous investment from the Moore Foundation for the pickleball courts. They also have to pay for the pool stairs project this year so they could fundraise, take out loans, or bond for more next year if needed. She has no update on the stairs project since the company is working to get the permit through IDPH. She also noted that the new fiscal year has started.
Now that they’ve agreed to move forward with swapping the parking lot for the fenced-in courts, they also need to develop a plan. “What do we want to do, and how to do it?” she asked the board regarding the big capital project. They can add new pickleball courts, a shaded picnic area by the courts, or install a new splash pad at the current kiddie pool.
She encouraged the board to think it over and decide what they want to do, such as determining the number of pickleball courts, whether to remove one of the basketball hoops (since the school doesn’t really use them and the Park District has indoor courts), and whether to add a splash pad or just pave over the kiddie pool now for a splash pad later. For that project, they would have to hook into the pipes, with Johnson saying they would have to be careful with that. If they leave the fenceline where it’s at, would they have two or three pickleball courts? Sommers-Buck noted that the current tennis court has lines for pickleball, so they can reconfigure the courts and add the preferred pickleball surface.
Burbach Aquatics, the company working on the pool stairs project, completely rebuilds indoor and outdoor waterparks, Sommers-Buck noted. They could potentially hire them or another recreational company or architect to work on designs for the water features. She noted a huge difference in price between using recirculated water versus one-time use of water; the former requires regular IDPH testing to ensure constant chlorination. For a splash pad, they could set hours and tie it into the pool’s hours.
Sommers-Buck concluded that there will be more conversations on the project, and they can look at other Park Districts and splash pads for inspiration, such as Geneseo, Dixon, Sterling, and Ashlin-Franklin.
The final discussion item was advertising the endowment and charitable giving fund. Sommers-Buck provided the board with general information, reporting that FNB Trust Officer Nick Emmerson said it looks good.
With no action items to vote on, the meeting adjourned until the next one on Wednesday, June 17th at 7 p.m. at the Park District office.
The fenced-in courts, outdoor pool area, and water ponding in the parking lot
