It was a relatively quiet start to the year for the Waterloo Park Board as commissioners discussed the ongoing splash pad project, the budget for the coming fiscal year and other park district activities.

Regarding the splash pad at William Zimmer Memorial Park off Rogers Street, Waterloo Park District Superintendent Don Prater offered a report as he noted he had recently met with Waterloo Director of Public Works Tim Birk – who is helping to oversee the project – and local contractor JP Fitzgibbons.

“It’s actually a little ahead of schedule and – knock on wood – it still looks like we’ll be under budget,” Prater said. “The electric and the plumbing and the framing, that’s all up already.”

Prater pointed to good progress being made on the splash pad’s concrete as well as the adjoining building’s furnace ductwork and other construction, adding that Birk would likely be providing a detailed update at next month’s board meeting.

Early in the meeting, Waterloo Park Board President Gina Pfund reported that the first of two $200,000 donations from the city for the splash pad had been received earlier in the day.

Another substantial splash pad update came from Amy Grandcolas of Waterloo Citizens for a Pool which – aided by a donation from the William Zimmer Family Fund – has been participating in an ABC Partnership Program with Green Tree Plastics in order to donate furniture like shade structures and benches to the project.

Grandcolas expressed that good progress had been made in the campaign, with about 50-60 pounds of plastic being donated over the past few months.

For more information on the program, including drop-off locations and acceptable donations, visit the Waterloo Citizens for a Pool page on Facebook.

Grandcolas also requested that the board select colors for the splash pad’s shades, with commissioners ultimately opting for black frames and dark green sails.

Closing the splash pad discussion, Waterloo Park Board Vice President Michael Nolte said he would continue to look into rules and hours for the splash pad, possibly reaching out to the project’s feature supplier Raindrop for recommendations based on other projects they’ve worked on.

Another major topic of conversation at last Wednesday’s meeting was the 2024-25 budget, with Waterloo Park District Treasurer Julie Bradley offering an overview projected from last year.

Major budget items Bradley noted included the splash pad, new tractors and mowers, a tot lot at Zimmer Park – commissioner Shelby Mathes suggested the Waterloo Optimist Club would likely pay for this as it has at Konarcik Park – as well as employee salaries.

Smaller points of discussion throughout the meeting also included approval for Prater to get the heater in his park district truck repaired, positive behavior among kids at Lakeview Park amid recent snowy weather and the coming installation of a new rules sign for the skate park at 316 N. Library Street.

At several points in the meeting, commissioners touched on and expressed their sympathies for the Jones family following the apparent suicide of Jack Jones at Konarcik Park on Dec. 30.

Closing the meeting, Mathes mentioned that Harrison Tuttle, the 19-year-old boy who died in November following a collision on his motorcycle near Millstadt, had been a prominent figure at the skate park.

Mathes added that his family had requested his memorials be sent to the Waterloo Optimist Club, totalling $3,100.