Peoria Park District Observer Report

The meeting was held through streaming ZOOM on the Peoria Park District Face Book Page. The meeting was called to order at 6:00 PM by President Johnson. Trustees Cassidy, Harant, Petty, Snowden, Williams, Ryan, and Johnson were present.
Trustees approved a one-year deferral for the Donovan Sculpture Garden.
Trustees approved a Welcoming Ordinance that will be posted at District locations. The ordinance will broadly communicate that PPD is open and accessible to all residents.
Trustees were shown a new marketing approach for PPD during the pandemic. Titled “New Ways to Play” it will feature the various activity options of the district such as Peoria Park District Academy that will be located at Proctor and Lakeview Recreation Centers, Yoga in the Park, and mobile movies.
Guidance from the May 27 Trustees’ meeting for addressing the budget challenges presented by COVID-19 included the following:

• Equitable access to healthy and vibrant programming
• Celebrate the value of parks and trails and advocate for the environment
• Prioritize PPD unique amenities
• Support health initiatives and base decisions on public health guidance

The staff informed Trustees that they project a $2 million loss in 2020 if changes are not made. 

​Based on this potential loss and the guidance from the previous meeting, the Trustees were asked to consider the following three recommendations:
​1. Short term closure of the Franciscan Recreation Center for a savings of $50,000.
2. Short term closure of the Glen Oak Amphitheater for a savings of $34,000.
3. Short term closure of the Aquaplex for a savings of $75,000.
The Trustees and staff discussed the need to get public input and feedback on these three recommendations prior to the Trustees’ June 24 meeting when budget decisions would be made. A variety of modes of collecting public feedback will be used, including a Zoom Town Hall meeting and commenting through ppd@peoriaparks.org.
During Citizens Comments, the removal of the statue of Christopher Columbus in Laura Bradley Park was raised. Trustees has also reported receiving calls about this statue. It was agreed that Trustees would need to get more public input and feedback prior to making a decision about removing the statue. In addition, staff shared that there is a policy about adding items to PPD; however, there is no policy about removing items from PPD.
Trustees approved a change order for $19,461 to address the poor to non-existent base of the West Peoria asphalt path near the Franciscan Recreation Center discovered during work on the trail.
The meeting was adjourned at 7:47 PM.                                             Farrell Davies, Observer