Geneva park candidates vow to support recreation, listen to input

GENEVA – Two of the three candidates for Geneva Park District seats said they want to continue the district’s recreation services and listen to the public’s input on what they want.

Incumbent Dr. Peter Cladis and challenger Timothy Fara, seeking two six-year commissioner terms on the Geneva Park District Board, fielded questions at a candidates forum Feb. 16. The League of Women Voters of Central Kane County hosted the forum at the Geneva Public Library that featured candidates in the April 4 consolidated election.

Candidate Douglas Jones was out of town and unavailable to participate, moderator Patty Lackman said.

Cladis, a local doctor, said as a commissioner for the past two years, he sees the park district as a means to promote a healthy lifestyle among his patients – both physically and mentally.

“A strong local resource like the Geneva Park District is vital to our community’s health,” Cladis said.

Cladis said his family has been involved in park district activities since the day they arrived 40 years ago.

Fara said he and his wife moved to Geneva more than two years ago after living in Burr Ridge for 34 years. Fara said he was a commissioner on the Burr Ridge Park District for 25 years and wanted to continue in public involvement in Geneva.

“I wanted to get involved,” Fara said. “I enjoy working for the park districts because it is for the community. They serve the community from young children all the way up to the older adults, having good, quality programs for them. Good quality parks – parks that are educational, parks that are interactive, and mainly parks that are safe as well. Not only that the equipment is safe but that the people around them are safe.”

As to the possibility of having an indoor swimming pool, both candidates deferred to its cost.

Cladis said he was on the board of the Geneva River Rats Swim Team, which fought for an indoor pool for a long time.

When Delnor built its pool, there was a thought that the two would combine efforts “and that didn’t work,” Cladis said.

“I think the possibility of that is unlikely because it is a massive fiscal undertaking,” Cladis said. “St. Charles has two indoor pools that they manage. Maybe Batavia and Geneva can combine the park districts to do something. … It is not something that I think will be in the near future because of the financial burden it would place on taxpayers.”

Fara said an indoor pool was a topic in Burr Ridge for the past 15 years.

“As I was going around canvassing, I had about five or six people ask the same question,” Fara said. “As Peter had mentioned, financially, it is a very big drain on a park district. The cost to build and maintain a pool and to staff an indoor pool is very difficult.”

And with other indoor pools in the area, there is a lot of competition for staff, Fara said.

“From a financial standpoint, it can be a drain if it doesn’t cover its costs,” Fara said.

To a question about what services the park district offers senior citizens, both candidates detailed recreational opportunities, including exercise and trips.

“Things that the older adults can gather, stay close with each other, in the community and be part of the community,” Fara said. “There’s a lot that the park district can offer in different recreational … events and things like that. It’s also a great place to bring grandchildren because the parks here are very educational and very interactive, so it’s a great place for them to have their grandchildren and enjoy what Geneva has to offer.”

Cladis said the most important thing for seniors is the stimulation that physical and recreational opportunities provide.

“As you get older, your brain needs to be stimulated in multiple ways, so puzzles, games, game nights, social gathering activities, I think, are really, really important and the sense of community is important,” Cladis said.

“As we age, our mental and physical capabilities kind of deteriorate,” Cladis said. “So keeping that stimulation is important. Gathering in groups is important, offering education opportunities, ways to keep our minds sharp. So we have recreational opportunities through fitness centers to keep that physical thing going.”

To a question of how the district solicits community input, Cladis said it offers online surveys and encourages the public to attend its meetings.

“If there’s new programs, if there’s new opportunities, they listen,” Cladis said. “I don’t see that there’s that many ways that this park district does not listen to the needs of the community and respond in some way, as long as it’s fiscally responsible.”

Because of the popularity of the game pickleball, the district is constructing pickleball courts, Cladis said, as an example of its response to community input.

Faris said that with his past experience with Burr Ridge, a park district commissioner is there to listen to the community and be fiscally responsible.

“As I was going canvassing for votes, I heard a lot of comments from people about this thing or that thing or this park needs a little work here,” Faris said. “But overall, the Geneva Park District does a tremendous job in what they have to offer.”

Faris said it is important that the public have access to the park district, whether it be commissioners or employees.

“I travel and visit a lot of the parks. I inspect them. I like to see what they are about. I like to engage with people that are using the parks to get their input,” Faris said. “If we’re going to make any changes to parks, we get the local input from the local residents in that area. … I will always make myself personally accessible to anybody that wants to talk to me about the needs of the park.”

The forum is available online at www.youtube.com.