The soccer season finished Saturday, Oct. 12th with a tournament for the older groups, and flag football finished up with a tournament on Wednesday, Oct. 16th. Director Karyn Sommers-Buck said it was an amazing fall season with no rain or cold temperatures – a welcome change after previous rough years weatherwise.
She thanked all the coaches and refs who stepped up to lead, the PLT School District for use of the fields, and all the players for making it a fun experience. Check out the park district’s flag football photo album and the soccer tournament photo album on their Facebook page.
The next sports program will be elementary basketball skills, open to boys and girls in kindergarten through 3rd grade. The park district will coordinate with Erie for one night of practice in each town each week when the program starts in November.
Two pickleball clinics have been scheduled for November 8th and 9th, with registration info available at the front desk. The Reindeer Dash is also set for Saturday, Nov. 30 at 4 p.m. on Main Street as part of Prophetstown’s annual Christmas festivities.
New Business
In action items, the board approved the purchase of a leg curl machine from Johnson Fitness at a cost of $2,875 plus $340 in delivery and assembly charges. The TKO seated leg curl machine will replace a similar machine purchased in 2012 that’s had ongoing issues. Sommers-Buck said Commissioner Tom Green tried to fix it but it’s no longer fixable. The new machine will offer a “greater range of motion.”
They also approved the annual general obligation park bonds in the amount of $125,000, with a rate of 3.7%; last year’s rate was 4.4%. “We don’t need more, and there’s no need to go backwards. We’ll keep it the same,” said Commissioner Carl Weidel.
Sommers-Buck reported that one bid was received from Stichter Construction for a small area of concrete work in front of the facility to the flagpole and planted area, but she’s still waiting on a couple other companies to respond. The work will consist of redoing the concrete, leveling it out to allow it to contract, and sealing it so moisture doesn’t get in. The board tabled any action until next month.
Commissioner & Director’s Reports
Sommers-Buck said the movie in the park, tentatively scheduled for Saturday, October 19th had to be canceled since the company she works with didn’t have the right-sized screen for that night. She had the date nailed down with the city but felt the smaller screen would limit the viewing experience. The next plan is to have an indoor holiday themed movie night in November or December. She has submitted an application to the Moore Foundation for movie equipment.
The pillars in the swimming pool area are set to be repainted once they figure out a material to help with peeling paint. Sommers-Buck said the last time the pillars were painted was in 2020, but she wants to apply a different material on the lower parts where the paint peels due to frequent splashing and more water contact. She also reported that Gary Sutton completed work on the trim of the pool building.
Sommers-Buck presented follow-up information about starting a park district foundation, following Green’s wish to investigate more. She talked to Nick Emmerson of FNB, who said they could be under the umbrella of their “Funding New Beginnings” foundation work. He offered to come and speak to the board, with the commissioners agreeing it’s a good place to start.
Sommers-Buck reported that the State Fire Marshal recently inspected and gave a passing grade to the boiler and pool heater. She made an offer to a candidate for the Facility Manager position, but that person’s employer gave her a counteroffer so she’s waiting to hear back. If this candidate falls through, they’ll have to restart the search. She also received two applications for part-time employment opportunities for early morning and weekend shifts.
Members still have an opportunity to let the park district know what they’d like with equipment as part of a facility redesign process – follow this link to fill out the survey!
The next regular meeting of the Prophetstown Park District Board of Commissioners will be on Wednesday, Nov. 20 at 7 p.m.
