The Waterloo Park District Board underwent a change in leadership last week with the stepping down of its president, though discussion also touched on the recently-opened splash pad and the addition of a Peace Pole at Lakeview Park.

Having noted it on the meeting agenda and voiced her plans to other members of the board prior, Gina Pfund announced her stepping down as board president – but not commissioner – partway through the meeting.

“My family needs to be my priority at this time,” Pfund said. “However, I still plan on being an active commissioner. I am not stepping down from that post.”

Following her announcement, a board election was conducted with Commissioner Shelby Mathes nominating Commissioner Mary Gardner for the role. This was seconded by Board Vice President Michael Nolte and unanimously approved.

At the end of the meeting, Pfund voiced her appreciation for Park District Superintendent Don Prater, Treasurer Julie Bradley and Attorney Paul Schimpf.

“I want to thank Don and Julie and Paul for all your guidance in all this,” Pfund said. “Mary, I know you’re gonna do a great job, and I want to thank all the commissioners for allowing me to have this job for a bit. I plan on being as active as I can.”

Discussion on the Waterloo Community Splash Pad focused primarily on community response to the facility and some relatively minor additions and improvements still to be made.

Following the meeting, Pfund spoke to some of the positive feedback she’s heard from members of the community.

“I’ve had many people come up to me with much appreciation for it, stating that it is a positive asset for the youth in our community,” Pfund said. “Very pleased with how well done it is and how nice it looks. I’ve had some who have thanked me for it and said it’s great for the little ones but would like to see a pool for the older kiddos as well as all age groups.”

Within the meeting, Prater in his superintendent’s report pointed to a major problem in parents bringing food into the splash pad which has had a substantial impact on the facility’s filters.

“You can’t eat on the splash pad,” Prater said. “Every day, there’s raisins scattered on the floor or Cheerios or something like that. I try to keep as much of that stuff out of the filters as I can, because the cleaner I can keep those filters, the less I have to backwash that thing and the less I have to shut it down.”

Discussion prompted by Prater’s remarks led the board to consider additional signage reinforcing the food rule as well as the addition of a table outside the splash pad’s fence.

Later in the meeting, the board touched on various other items pertaining to the splash pad, including the expected delivery of the main barn feature the third week of July and the management of final paperwork for the Open Space Lands Acquisition and Development grant from the Illinois Department of Natural Resources.

Nolte also shared recommendations he had heard for a larger trash can in the women’s restroom as well as a universal power supply for the control room in order to avoid issues with potential power outages.

It was also noted that individuals have been entering the splash pad through the large gate in the fence as opposed to the main entrance, with Prater recommending this construction and utility gate be kept locked.

The possibility of a grand opening or dedication ceremony was also entertained, though the matter was tabled until the barn arrives.

Another splash pad item elsewhere in the meeting saw the board discussing the need to contract for water pressure and chemical monitoring, though Prater expressed his key concern was contracting for the facility’s first winterization in order for him and his team to understand what needs to be done for the process in the future.

An additional large topic of conversation centered around a Peace Pole presented by Paul Pecha.

The pole, as displayed in the meeting, is a length of wood prepared by Pecha with placards in four different languages, including English.

It was explained this sort of Peace Pole is a common project in communities around the world, with the pole meant to represent peace, prosperity and other ideals.

“It’s about world peace, but it’s also about community peace and just helping the community,” Pecha said. “They talk about a foundation for economic performance, health, wellbeing, inclusiveness, environmental stewardship.”

Talk about where to place the pole ultimately led to a space near the Lakeview Park walking path being decided as an ideal location.

During discussion on the Konarcik Park disc golf course, Gardner noted that designs for the new signs had been finished with the bid from DE Signs coming in below $500.

The board also approved new safety and employee hiring and rights policies, with Schimpf noting how these items were part of a larger process of organizing previous district policies.

Along with issues regarding food in the splash pad, Prater’s superintendent’s report made mention of the need for the restocking of fish in Konarcik lake and a tree at Konarcik Park that had fallen on the disc golf course and been removed just prior to a recent tournament.

At the top of the meeting, Dawn Rubemeyer of Waterloo Citizens for a Pool spoke about the possibility of the group placing a receptacle for plastic donations at the splash pad location.

WCP has been collecting plastic caps and other such items in an effort to furnish the splash pad. The first round of recycled plastic benches and tables were delivered prior to the facility’s opening, with another round planned for sometime later this year.

With the organization willing to provide a receptacle, a consensus among the board was to discuss the logistics and overall arrangement and get back to Rubemeyer.