The Park Board and Corporation met on Monday evening. The Board did not have a quorum so could take not actions, but the Corporation did. (For an explanation of the two, see here.)
The president of the Board announced that one corporation board member was stepping down so there is an opening for a new member. The members present agreed that they wanted to spread word of the opening so anyone who was interested could apply.
There was some discussion of soccer and then attention turned to the status of improvements being funded by the Parks for People monies. The dog park is almost finished and would be if November had not been so cold. There was concern about whether the grass for the soccer fields at the Monnett site will be ready for games in August. Weather has delayed work on other improvements at the Staddon-Monnett park: a walking trail, entry gates, and new basketball courts. They were the basis for the $50,000 state grant and have to be done in the first round of improvements. The three new ball fields for Brookside are still in the planning stages. The original plan was for two bigger and one smaller field. Three bigger fields would make the facility much more attractive to tournaments that pay money for using facilities and so plans are being re-worked. Apparently the company doing the planning is slow. All the ball fields need to be done at the same time and the cost of doing them and upgrading the rest room nearby will be about the same as the cash collected so far by the campaign. (Many pledges are being paid over three or five years.)
There are a number of new or special events that are on the drawing boards for this year. There may be a vegetable garden for children, in part to help them learn that food does not originate at the grocery store. The LaRue Pool will celebrate its 70th birthday this June and a pool party or two is being planned. Prairie Arts Council may be abandoning its Art Camp and the Park may take it over. There is the possibility of a family camp-out night in June that will be fun it the weather is decent. If the walking trail at Monnett is ready by June, it may see its grand opening with National Trails Day. Most or all of last year's programs will be continued this year.
The next meeting will be on February 4.
The Jasper County Drainage Board also met on Monday. There was a public hearing about vacating some easement along a ditch. A person who owned a lot in a subdivision discovered that the lot was not buildable because the adjacent ditch had a 75 foot easement, taking up a large part of his lot. His request was denied because the Commissioners said that several years ago they had adopted the policy of denying all requests that would reduce easements. There then followed discussion of the Kankakee River and of the Kankakee River Basin Commission, most of which I did not understand because I do not know the people or the background of the issues discussed.
In other news, SJC will host a memorial service for the late Fr. Kostka, C.PP.S. in the gymnasium on Saturday at 1:00. Fr. Kostka recently died at the ripe old age of 104.
I noticed over the weekend that SJC has removed many dead trees along US 231 and in the grove east of the Science Building. The emerald ash borer hit the campus trees hard.
Workers have been busy working on the new Autumn Trace building. About half of the roofing trusses were up as of Tuesday.
Winter weather has returned. After some unseasonably warm day, we have more typical January weather and even some snow flurries.
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