The Waterloo Park District Board met last Wednesday for a fairly brief meeting to start the year, mainly touching on procedural items while also voicing plans for the future and continuing to recognize longtime contributions to the district.

A larger discussion item on the agenda concerned the possibility of a new comprehensive plan for the park district which, as it was discussed, last developed such a plan in 2012, a 2019 update only serving to adjust the names of commissioners.

Waterloo Park Board President Mary Gardner noted that the idea has been floated for a while now, suggesting that having a more concrete goal to move forward with a comprehensive plan would serve the district in several ways.

“It was brought up during the efficiency report, it’s been brought up before, and having heard from the community member who came and just asked about what our goals were and things like that, I think it’s something that we do need to think about,” Gardner said.

Through conversation among board members and Waterloo Park District Attorney Paul Schimpf, it was noted that such a plan would not come together very quickly, likely taking upwards of a year to complete.

Schimpf also stressed the necessity of public participation in the process.

It was further noted that a comprehensive plan would not only serve the park district well in providing direction for the future but would also be helpful – if not mandatory – for future grant applications.

“If we’re going to move forward as a body of progression and growth in this community, I think that we do have to take a look at what we do and where we’re gonna go,” Gardner said. “What’s the next thing that we are looking to do to improve our parks?”

This being the first real discussion concerning a new comprehensive plan, it was agreed among the board that commissioners would check out the previous plan and continue discussion from there.

Discussion on future matters briefly turned to the Waterloo Community Splash Pad and its largest water feature as board member Gina Pfund has been keeping in contact with Rain Drop Products in order to secure the promised barn structure for the facility.

Her contact at the company having assured her over the past few months that the barn feature was on the horizon amid assembly delays, Pfund reported that the barn is still on the way.

“He says about the barn, ‘It will be surface prepared, painted and assembled. It is very likely that we will ship it already assembled so a crane can set it in place,’” Pfund said.

A brief discussion among the board and Waterloo Park District Superintendent Don Prater led to the agreement that Rain Drop would be paying for a crane and other such needs as the district and company have previously come to an agreement on the price for installation.

Gardner also provided an update on an ongoing project, reporting positively on progress made toward signs for the Konarcik Park disc golf course.

“The templates are finished, so they will be ready for the spring,” Gardner said. “It took a lot longer, but with the money that we have, we’ll be able to do other stuff because the time was given by a person from Waterloo that did it.”

In his monthly superintendent’s report, Prater reported no big issues with the recent harsh winter weather, though strong winds prompted him to take down first responder flags out of concern for damage, with Shawn Kennedy from the City of Waterloo ordering additional flags.

Prater also noted that ice had been removed from the splash pad’s canopies and the timer for the lights at the Optimist Skate Park had been reset after an apparent malfunction.

Action items addressed in the meeting chiefly concerned a review of the district’s safety policy and an adjustment to the powers of the district president, allowing the president to spend up to $200 on matters such as office supplies and life events and sympathies as well as designate representation for civic events and approve the use of district equipment beyond its specific purposes.

It was explained that this resolution was meant to further allow the president flexibility on smaller matters between regular meetings rather than needing to call for a special meeting.

With a short agenda given slow winter activity, the meeting closed with a recognition of Waterloo Park District Treasurer Julie Bradley for her lengthy and continued career with the district.

“Julie has been with the park district serving and working for us for 35 years, and we could not do this without her,” Gardner said. “She, along with Don, is very instrumental in everything that we do, so we appreciate you, and we’re glad you’re sticking around.”