By MARGARET L. WILLIS

The Chesterton Park Board met for the first time in 2008, with a new board member present. Eric Witt replaces Ted Jacobs on the board.

The board reorganized, with Vincent Emanuele re-elected president, John Kroft as vice-president and Roy Flaherty secretary.

Board members welcomed Witt, saying his involvement with the Duneland Extreme Sports organization is a positive connection to that group. The board members also thanked Ted Jacobs for all his time and service to the parks.

New meeting time,

public outreach

The board set a new regular meeting time, as part of Flaherty’s blue print for increasing public involvement.

The new meeting time will be at 6 p.m., still on the first Tuesday of each month.

Flaherty said he hopes the earlier meeting time will increase public attendance, as well as allow for time on meeting nights for the board to hold extra workshops or special meetings if needed.

Flaherty’s other ideas to promote public participation include each board member serving as a ‘contact’ person for a couple parks, so that the public feels they can approach a specific person with any concerns.

Each board member will visit each of their parks a few times each month and act as a liaison between community groups, the public and the board. All board members agreed they feel the system is a good idea and plan to discuss it further next month.

Flaherty said he would also like to see the park board spearhead some fundraisers to benefit the Park Department’s Gift Fund, which are discretionary funds.

Flaherty’s ideas include a car show, a Fall Festival and soliciting support from the big organizations which use the park regularly. “I’d like to see them give a little back,” he said.

The recently adopted Recreational Impact Fee is restricted, board members noted, for acquisition of land. Funds generated through the impact fee may not be used for general maintenance of parks.

Volunteers for the Park

The board welcomed a letter from the Porter Cove Homeowners Association stating their goal of ‘adopting’ the segment of the Prairie Duneland Trail from Pearson Rd. to Babcock Rd.

The mutual assistance is a welcome offer, board members said. Nancy Hyatt, secretary of the association, wrote that residents hope to police the trail for litter and damage. They will keep the section clean and immediately report maintenance issues to the park department.

The Duneland Diamond Association renewed their agreement with the park department. Chris Hall said the baseball association will help maintain the baseball field at 5th St. and Porter Ave. and asked for priority use of the field for scheduled games and practices. The board agreed, emphasizing that the group must share the field with the Senior Baseball League, which uses it on Sundays.

In his superintendent’s report, Bruce Mathias told the board he and his crew had been busy with snow removal in parks earlier this month, then, suddenly, with cleaning debris from storm drains.

In the meantime, he and his crew have been working on the new maintenance building and its water and sewer hookups.

There are four bids in so far for concrete work in the maintenance building. “Once the concrete floor is in, the rest will go fairly quickly,” he said.

Local attorney Greg Babcock appeared before the board to request a letter to the Plan Commission spelling out the agreement worked out with the Park Department for Springdale Subdivision. That development, along 1050 N near Crocker, will include 23 paired patio homes and 48 single family homes, along with some commercial development along the western edge of the development.

Under the agreement, the subdivision developers have made a $60,000 up front donation, in lieu of a park land set aside, to the Park Department and will also pay the Recreational Impact Fee recently adopted by the town.

The board agreed unanimously to send a letter to the Plan Commission.

Posted 1/9/2008