Vandalia Park Board Holds Meeting

DEBORAH SIMCOX
Correspondent
At last Thursday’s Vandalia Park Board meeting, two of the members reported that the shed doors, as well as the garage door behind the third base dugout were left open at the baseball practice shed. Also, the lights were left on although no one was present. Follow-up was planned to notify those using the practice shed to remedy the problem.
Park Supervisor Kent Torbeck said that they were ahead of schedule with the park season’s preparation and his crew was “back to work.” He noted that he is still waiting for the parts necessary to fix the camera which is not working and that there may be a need to replace some of the mowing equipment.
Airport Chair Mike Radliff reported by phone that he is still working with the state of Illinois regarding the paving around the new hangars. The airport cannot collect rent for the new hangars until the paving is complete.
Baseball/Soccer Chair Steve Hawkins said that the season is starting and he listed some equipment necessary to replace for the Freight Field: a chalk liner to mark the field (the machine will cost around $300) and a frame for the batter boxes (costing $126). Hawkins also had a request from Mark Burns of the Field of Dreams Organization for a water source to reduce the dust on the playing field at Freight Field.
Grounds/Equipment Chair Kyle Hawkins opened an inquiry about adding skate board/roller ramps to the park activities. He showed pictures of one ramp and a discussion about the best location, insurance responsibilities, and signage ensued.
Vandalia Swimming Pool Administrator Lisa Robbins presented a first draft of the Pool Pass Application & Agreement they will be using this year, comparing it to several other community pools, including Centralia. One note of interest; the “Rio” and the “Thong” style of swimming pants will be prohibited.
In Old Business, the 2024 Budget was discussed including the rising utility costs of power and water and the need for other users of the fields, equipment, etc. to share the cost.
Someone inquired as to the ordinances regarding drones in the parks. It was suggested to check with the City to see if they had any ordinances prohibiting drones.