Following news that the Waterloo Park District would have another year to put the project together, a reassessment of the splash pad at William Zimmer Park off Rogers Street has begun, with a more thorough perspective on the plans expected at next month’s board meeting.

Waterloo Park Board Commissioner Michael Nolte – who was recently assigned to the committee for the project alongside fellow commissioner Keith Buettner – discussed progress he had made toward the splash pad in the last few weeks during the park board’s meeting on April 12.

Nolte explained he had put together research on other splash pads in nearby communities, noting that plans for Waterloo’s facility were notably larger than its neighbors.

“We developed a comparison to nearby communities, and our facility is considerably larger,” Nolte said. “It’s nearly double most of the nearby communities, has nearly double the amount of features.”

It was noted the size of the project was originally meant to provide ample space for, in particular, several daycare services close to Zimmer Park.

Nolte said the scale of the splash pad had previously been questioned by a representative of the Illinois Department of Natural Resources, the department providing a $400,000 Open Space Lands Acquisition and Development grant toward this project. The deadline for this grant, previously set for June 2023, was recently adjusted, meaning the park district would need to complete the project by June 2024.

Nolte also brought up the Illinois Department of Public Health permit for the splash pad, which has come up several times amid discussions of adjusting the scope and amenities of the project. He said such a change would only require a small amendment to the permit, which could be processed by the IDPH in a matter of days.

To meet the deadline for this permit, Nolte said the park district would have to simply break ground by March 11, 2024, though he acknowledged construction would have to start sooner in order to comfortably meet the OSLAD grant deadline.

Ultimately, Nolte recommended the board use the additional year to adjust designs on the splash pad in order to work out a denser approach with a smaller footprint.

“We have 14 months to go forward,” Nolte said. “What I’m asking is that we take the time to modify the design to make it appropriately sized to the nearby communities based on the guidance of the Department of Natural Resources and the assessment we did of the other communities, see if we can reduce the cost to a more reasonable amount.”

Nolte added he hopes to put together a full presentation on the project for the next meeting May 10.

Elsewhere at the meeting, the park board approved the budget ordinance that had previously been made available as well as use of a disc golf tournament planned for April 30, provided organizers have the requisite insurance.

Waterloo Park District Attorney Mary Buettner spoke about the park board organizing a government efficiency committee, a new requirement it must meet as a taxing body.

The committee would need to have its first meeting by June 10, though Buettner said this meeting could simply be added to the agenda for next month’s board meeting.

Along with members of the park board, two members of the public would need to be present on the committee. Alan Mitan – who recently ran for a position on the park board – and Waterloo Citizens for a Pool President Amy Grandcolas, volunteered and were selected.

Early in the meeting, Waterloo Park District Treasurer Julie Bradley noted a few items on her report, specifically a $4,200 bid for the annual audit.

Waterloo Park District Superintendent Don Prater spoke about a fire in the Lakeview Park bathrooms was due to an overheated sensor and relayed it mostly just produced a lot of smoke. He also reported that additional pickleball courts in the community are coming together in the next few months.

At the end of the meeting, Nolte offered his commendations to Prater and the rest of the park district workforce specifically for their work on the disc golf course at Konarcik Park.

“I actually received some comments from the community about our disc golf course and the maintenance that’s done on it. It’s outstanding,” Nolte said. “Everybody in the group that I talked to said it was one of the best courses they’ve ever been on.”

Waterloo Park Board Commissioner Gina Pfund also thanked Prater for his assistance with the butterfly garden project, which will be seeing more work at the end of April.

For those interested in volunteering, planting for the butterfly garden – located along Lakeview Drive near the driveway to the fishing dock – will take place Saturday, April 29. Volunteers can arrive at 8 a.m. or after.