Peoria Park District Observer Reports

​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, and Johnson were present. Trustee Ryan was absent.
Exec Director Cahill reported that $8,000 worth of annuals purchased for PPD beds will not be able to be planted; therefore, the PPD will be holding a Plant Sale on May 16 and 17 from 10am-5pm at Luthy Botanical Garden following appropriate safety guidelines. The plants will be sold to cover the cost of the plants and the staff time. Cahill also reported that PPD is evaluating the submission of an Illinois Department of Commerce grant to fund public infrastructure projects.  The grant is due June 15th. A potential site for improvement with these grant funds is Glen Oak Park.  At a press conference, PPD announced the cancellation of PPD camps through July 3.
The Planning Division reported that Logan Park has a grant to host ten Farmer’s Markets.
Development reported that community outreach is being done to boost operating funds and that a new database for donor information has been acquired without cost.

Golf operations reported that the PPD Partner to Play program started out with a successful season, selling 2,000 rounds of golf more than in 2019. Then the COIVD-19 virus hit and halted the progress. The virus necessitated a number of adaptations to prepare for reopening that occurred on May 1. Many new restrictions are in place including the use of carts limited to people with physical limitations. With these new restrictions, PPD will host a maximum of 25% of their regular golf customers. For example, the Kellogg course would normally see 312 golfers per day but now will only see 78 golfers per day. The changes to the golf program also include new computer software/templates to meet the new scheduling requirements resulting from the new guidelines. Noble Center is now the Golf Call Center. Staff are being trained in the new scheduling templates and procedures.
Trustees approved by unanimous roll call vote the placement of Vernon Gudat Memorial Bench on Grand View. The bench will be near the Gudat home and expenses are covered by the Gudat family. Vernon Gudat was a firefighter who lost his life in 1993.
During the Citizen Request, trustees were asked when the RiverPlex would reopen. The response was that there is not currently an established reopening date.
President Johnson complimented Executive Director Cahill and PPD staff for the cross training and positive messaging that has occurred during the pandemic.
The meeting was adjourned at 7:03 PM.                                               Farrell Davies, Observer