Rochelle park district board: Spring Lake operations ramping up for May 30 opening

The Flagg-Rochelle Community Park District Board heard updates on Spring Lake Pool from Executive Director Jackee Ohlinger on May 19 as the facility prepares to open for the summer on Saturday, May 30.

Ohlinger said new processes have been put in place at the facility. The pool will open one hour earlier each day, starting at 11:30 a.m. rather than 12:30 p.m. Early access will be available for pool pass holders and all-inclusive REC members at 11 a.m. Adult swim will take place Monday through Thursday from 7-10:30 a.m.

The pricing at Spring Lake Pool will remain the same as it has for the past six years. Eighty-six people utilized a 10% off spring pricing special sold in April for pool passes, Ohlinger said. Admission will be half price after 5 p.m. each day the pool is open this summer.

There will be seven community swims on Wednesday nights from 3-7 p.m. this summer, free to the public and sponsored by local businesses and organizations. The park district is also accepting donations of new kids swimming suits and swimming shirts to make available to those in need.

“It’s a wonderful opportunity for our community to come together and help remove a barrier so everyone can enjoy the pool, build confidence and create a summer of positive memories with family and friends,” Ohlinger said. “We’re grateful for the generosity and support that continues to make the park district a welcoming place for all.”

Ohlinger said a pool painting project at the facility has seen delays and won’t be finished until the fall, in order to not delay the pool’s May 30 opening.

Last month, the board approved the purchase of Bozeman ADA stairs for the shallow end of the main pool from Clearview Pools for $15,400. Ohlinger said the stairs will be installed in June and the installation won’t impact pool operations while it takes place.

The waterfall at Spring Lake has been restored after a utility pole fell into it last summer and a dam had to be put in place to prevent contamination to the lake.

VFW Park

The board unanimously approved a bid for concrete work for the installation of a new shelter at VFW Park.

The park district recently saw the demolition and removal of the previous shelter at the park and approved a $25,865 expenditure for a new shelter from Play Design Scapes. The new shelter will be a similar size to the current one and its location will be slightly adjusted to be closer to the playground.

Park District Risk Superintendent Brent Boardman said the new shelter will be installed in June.

Registration

The board discussed the possibility of changing registration software vendors during the meeting. The park district has been utilizing RecTrack since 2007. Park District Director of Recreation Maureen Stevens said that platform is “not user friendly” for online users and memberships cannot currently be sold online.

The park district is considering a switch to ActiveNet, which Stevens said would allow for better online usability for buying memberships and registering and canceling classes for patrons. ActiveNet would also provide a savings on credit card fees for the district, Stevens said.

The first year of ActiveNet would cost the park district about $2,000 more than its current registration software, but would yield over $10,000 in savings in the following years, Stevens said. The board will revisit the matter at a future meeting.

Officers

The board voted unanimously to elect its officers for the fiscal year. The officers are Tim Hayden (board president), John Dobbs (board vice president), BT Carmichael (commissioner), Dale Wells (treasurer), Joe Lenkaitis (assistant treasurer), Jodie Hart (secretary) and Melody Worthington (assistant secretary).

The officers of the board remained the same as the previous year, outside of Hart moving from assistant secretary to secretary, Worthington moving from commissioner to assistant secretary, and Carmichael moving from secretary to commissioner.