Discussions surrounding lead testing and the Manners Park pool construction dominated last night’s January meeting of the Taylorville Park Board of Trustees.

Board members and other Park District staff spent most of the open portion of the meeting discussing color options for the design of the Manners Park pool.  Landmark Aquatic had presented them with a large booklet of the plethora of options for the various components of the space.  The components included the interior paint, lane lines for the lap pool, water slides, and more.  The board did not formally vote on anything in this regard.  However, board and staff members did come to a consensus on most such matters while tabling others for later.  Once these decisions are completed, the board intends to submit them to Landmark for them to produce renderings of the final design. 

Before the pool, the board discussed the previous findings of lead at Manners Park.  Board President Marlane Miller said she has contacted Midwest Environmental Consulting (MEC) Services regarding further lead testing.  Miller had sent previous reports from another firm to them as part of this consultation.  She said MEC had replied, saying these reports fell well short of what they needed to provide to the EPA.

The board voted to proceed with MEC’s services.

The board also discussed auditing firms.  The Park District will again require an outside agency to do an audit of their operations, per state law.  Sikich CPA LLC performed the audit last year.  Office Administrator Linda Moomey said the board had hoped to find a more local firm to run the audit, but to no avail.

The board voted to proceed on this matter, as well with Sikich.

Maintenance Superintendent Ben Dempsey gave an update on projects his team will work on at the Don Bragg Sports Complex.  They include work on pathways, a dugout floor, and the concession stand. 

Recreation Director Jessica Franks spoke regarding turnout and donations for Christmas in the Park and, in particular, traffic for the lights show at Manners Park.  The numbers are down slightly from last year but still around what they received in the three years prior. 

The next Park Board meeting is tentatively set for February 23.