The Kewanee Park District has compiled a list of needed work to be completed in its five-year plan and is in the process of prioritizing those projects.
Brian Johnson, parks and recreation director, said all of the district’s commissioners and employees had submitted their project priorities. That list was included in a report, with top project vote-getters listed. It will be further considered. narrowed and budgeted at future board meetings. The board next meets at 5:30 p.m. Jan. 25.
Several projects at Windmont Park received votes from commissioners.
Of the top three projects listed, replacing the tennis courts and adding a pickle ball field was the top vote-getter, followed by the repair of the spillway and bridge support, and adding another fountain to the park’s lake.
Johnson said the additional fountain idea stemmed from last year’s fish kill in August, wherein a great number of the fish were found dead. Fishing at the lake was banned until an investigation determined the kill was due to lack of oxygen caused by the heat. The lake is stocked each year for the annual spring fishing derby.
The fountain that is in place now is there to provide extra oxygen for the water, and discussion of the topic led commissioners to question whether a second fountain would prevent a future kill.
Johnson said that before another fountain is added he has plans to ask state natural resources officials to study the lake to determine whether the addition would help, noting that the fish kill was the first in memory.
“We need to look at it a little more,” Johnson said. “If it all it takes to prevent that from happening again is another fountain, then we’ll probably put it in.”
Commissioners also selected top projects for the district’s other parks, Baker Park and its accompanying golf course, and the district’s 19th hole restaurant.
At Northeast Park, commissioners prioritized lighting the pool diamonds and soccer fields, as well as added lighting at the parking area there.
At Chautauqua Park, adding trees and updating the playground got the highest marks.
For Baker and the golf course, it was additional trees, a well for hole 15, replacing tee-off benches and specific changes to the course, including larger greens and additional traps. Several drawings of course additions were included in the plan.
The top vote-getter for the restaurant is a plan to add a screened-in patio area and interior improvements.