The Havana Park District
On the right you see an
image which will link you to three recent Park District Basketball games
with photos by Tim Oest. 
January/February Park District Notes
Tables and chairs have been ordered for the Nature Center. The new building was used recently for a Havana Rotary Club meeting, Eagle Days, and several park district meetings. Rental fees for the Nature Center were set as follows: $30/hour/non-alcoholic rentals; $40/hour/alcoholic rentals; two hour minimum; building is available only when Nature Center is closed. We hope to have our Grand Opening soon!
All paperwork has been submitted to IDNR for grant reimbursement for boat ramp repairs. The amount of the grant is $103,400.00 and is expected to arrive soon.
Because of expanded recreational programming, we realized that we needed more heat at the gym, so a new furnace was recently installed. We keep the gym temperature at a cool 58 degrees. Even so, an average winter heating bill is $ 1,800!
Our youth book club held it’s first meeting on January 25. The Havana Public Library was very helpful in selecting our books. Our next meeting is February 22 from 3:30 - 4:15 pm at the Chester Center. This is a free program, and snacks are provided!
Winter brings a lot less vandalism to the parks with the exception of this holiday season. Someone kept pulling down the Christmas lights at the Chester Center. After repairing them every day for over a week, we decided to remove them from the building. Dog owners who don’t clean up after their dogs are also a menace to our parks. It was sad to see the children in our dance classes step into these messes and carry it into the Chester Center on their ballet shoes! PLEASE CLEAN UP AFTER YOUR DOG!
Are you over 55? You may be interested in our Senior Advisory Council! We recently met to discuss what the Park District can do for you. Our first event is the “Forever Young Play Date”. Havana Healthcare and Riverview Estates will be helping us provide an afternoon of cards, shuffleboard, ping pong and other games on February 22 from 11:00 am - 2:00 pm. Free Lunch! There is no fee for this event, but you must call our office to make a reservation.
Line dancing is a fun activity and a great workout! Classes run February 18-March 18 from 5:00 - 6:00 pm. You don’t need a partner, and a variety of music is played - country and rock!
Our High School Chorus will perform the National Anthem on March 27 at the Peoria Rivermen game, so join us for an evening of great fun! Bus leaves at 5:30 pm. Fee is $25/person and includes transportation and ticket. This event is for all ages.
UPCOMING EVENTS
We are very busy working on new programming for youth and adults. Look for the Princess Tea Party, I Carly Party, Wizards of Waverly Place, Youth Book Club, Battle of the Bands, Cheerleading and Youth Volleyball programs in our next brochure!
Please visit our website for more information on all our programs. If you have questions or comments, please email Jill @ havanapark@casscomm.com.
2009 Park District Year in Review
by Jill Hills
JANUARY
~ Park Commissioners reviewed a request by Robin Johnson who wanted to construct a restaurant in the Oak Grove School. No action was taken.
~ New Commissioner George Caton was installed to fulfill the remainder of Commissioner Nate Turner’s position.
FEBRUARY
~ Park Commissioners approved the purchase of the Township Building on Plum Street for $100.
~ The Park District began partnering with Mason District Hospital in offering fitness classes to hospital employees. This has been a successful program for everyone.
~ Sherry Graham was granted permission to set up her food wagon at Riverfront Park for a fee of $150/month. She will stay through September.
MARCH
~ Maintenance department secured a lease for a Gator for baseball/softball field preparation. Gator will also be used for Riverfront Park events.
~ The Board again considered adding gates at the entrances to Riverfront Park to keep people out of the park during floods. People continue to drive around our barricades and through the water. The roads throughout Riverfront Park are being destroyed by this.
APRIL
~ The Board considered repairs to the pool shell that would alleviate the cloudy water issue. Nothing was done to the shell with the exception of some touch-up painting.
~ Signs were added to the parks regarding the clean-up of dogs. It seems that the signs are helping.
~ We were fortunate to have seven campsites used on a long-term basis at the campground. The flooding of the campground really affects revenues.
~ Commissioner Badger presented his idea for the construction of an observation tower at Riverfront Park. The anticipated cost to the Park District would be approximately $100,000.
~ Election results: George Caton - 642 votes. Max Thompson - 562 votes. Jenny Kachanuk - 502 votes. George will serve a 2-year term; Max and Jenny will serve 6-year terms.
~ EPA will not allow the Fire Department to burn down Oak Grove School.
~ Jill received a grant for $500 to purchase traffic barricades, signs and gloves for the maintenance department. The grant was from IPRF (Illinois Public Risk Fund).
MAY
~ Jill has been assisting the Mason County Health Department with a grant called “Wise Kids“, and also helping Mason District Hospital with a separate grant called “Women‘s Healthy Lifestyles“.
~ Havana Optimist Club graciously donated $3,000 for pool expenses for 2008.
~ Fred Ray was elected Park Board President, and George Caton was elected Vice-President.
JUNE
~ Career Link has provided six employees; this will greatly help the maintenance staff. One employee will work at the pool, and one will work at the Chester Center.
~ Pool revenues are down because of the cool temperatures. Riverfront Park continues to be underwater. Campground is shut down because of the flooding.
JULY
~ Havana Youth League is preparing the fields this year. This has greatly helped our maintenance staff.
~ Rainy weather made the pool chemicals difficult to regulate. Jim replaced the impeller and seals on the main pump and replaced the filter controller on the wading pool. Another sand filter blew also.
~ Because of the extended flooding situation, sink holes have been found throughout Riverfront Park.
~ Commissioners discussed purchasing property from Steve Boggs that is adjacent to Veterans Park. This property would be used to construct restrooms.
~ Vandalism was exceptionally high this month: globe light shot out at river front; profanity spray-painted on HAVANA sign two days before Catfish Tournament; several cars were “keyed” during Tae Kwon Do at the Chester Center; unauthorized swimming at night at the pool; brown paper towels forced down drains and flooded restrooms at Rockwell; “no swimming” signs run over and demolished; park areas damaged by truck and boat parking on grassy areas; underage drinking and probable drug parties at north end of Bellrose Island; broken playground equipment; profanity scratched into glass doors at the Chester Center.
AUGUST
~ Horrible storm created havoc at Rockwell and Riverfront Parks. Many trees were destroyed. Volunteers helped maintenance staff clean up quickly!
~ The Township building was sold to Todd Mendenhall for $ 18,000.
~ Vandalism continues with dumped trash cans; portable toilet tipped over; American flags torn down; and bathroom doors pulled off hinges.
SEPTEMBER
~ Wes Hilst was instructed to remove irrigation equipment from park property.
~ A teenager was arrested in the vandalism to the bathroom doors.
~ Park Board voted to provide another $6,000 for the bike path grant. This will be used at the railroad crossing.
OCTOBER
~ The owners of the Schrader Street property next to the campground did not accept our offer.
~ Maintenance staff made improvements to the docks with new wood and floats.
NOVEMBER
~ Bob Skoglund is interested in purchasing land on Bellrose Island. This will assist him in dredging the marina.
~ Riverfront Park is flooding again.
DECEMBER
~ Successful new recreation programs that were offered this year are: youth ballet, tap, jazz, and modern; adult Line Dancing; Hannah Montana Party; Aerobic Rhythms; Turbo Kick; Basic Step; Kids Fitness; and Friday Fright Night.
~ Both river front projects are done! Reimbursement for the boat ramp projects has been submitted. Reimbursement for the Nature Center will be completed soon.
November Park District Notes
by Jill Hills
POLAR EXPRESS! All Aboard! Get into the Spirit of Christmas and take a seat on the Polar Express where the bell rings for all who truly believe! Join us on Saturday, December 19th from 6:00-9:00 PM as we read this popular story and watch the movie. Games, crafts, hot chocolate and cookies will add excitement to your evening. The party welcomes kids of all ages! Fee: $20. Pre-registration is required.
Havana is famous for its basketball teams, and the Park District provides adult men with the opportunity to continue to play after high school! All games are played in the Park District Gym, and we are fortunate to have seven teams registered this year. Games begin December 7th.
Thanks to Ted Connolly, our First Annual Christmas Dance was a huge success last year! This year’s Dance will be held on Friday, December 18th. We hope that all junior high students will attend and wear their best! Ted will again be taking group and individual photos.
GHOST TOUR! Sixty-five brave souls investigated the Park District Gym in October and learned all about hunting for ghosts! Several different ghost-hunting groups from Peoria and Springfield have been searching the gym recently, and their findings are fascinating and scary! We plan to offer more of these “Ghost Tours” in the spring.
If the Ghost Tour wasn’t scary enough for the kids, we offered our Annual Halloween Lock-In on October 30th. Sixty-five kids and chaperones stayed up all night playing basketball, dodge ball, board games, and movies. Snacks were also provided by the Park District.
Line Dancing classes provided class members with a chance to strut their stuff! We learned a variety of dance steps to country and rock music. In addition, it was a great work-out! Instructor Carla Murray will return to teach classes in the spring.
We have rescheduled the Hannah Montana Party for February.
The Chester Center was used by the Project Thanksgiving Committee on November 26th. Over 800 meals were served and delivered!
We are so excited to have 42 kids playing in our 2nd/3rd grade basketball league! Games are played on Saturday mornings from 10:00 AM - 12:00 PM. Everyone is invited to come and watch! Special thanks to the following coaches: Rusty Sarnes, Mark Smith, Troy Wickman, Steve Fornoff, Troy Fletcher, Mark Clark, Rick Wagoner, Todd Baldwin, Ryan Fletcher and Aaron Session.
Rusty Sarnes also does a wonderful job with our Lil’ Hoopsters Basketball program. We offer four Sessions; Session II begins December 5.
You asked for it; you got it! We’ve added two more fitness classes to our schedule. With this many classes, you have no excuses! Get into shape NOW! Here are the added classes:
Beginning Step with Kayla Thursdays @ 4:30 PM
Turbo Kick with Kelsey Mondays @ 3:40 PM
*For a complete list of our fitness classes, please visit the adult programs section of this website.*
Childhood obesity is becoming a huge problem in the United States. When your children are out of school on holiday breaks, send them to the Park District Gym for basketball, volleyball, pin bombardment and more! Here are the dates for Open gym: December 23, 28, 29, 30 and January 4th. Kids of all ages will be supervised for this activity, and hours are 1:00 - 3:00 PM. There is no fee!
Another way to get your child into shape is to register them for our Kids Fitness class. Angie Spring, our Superintendent of Recreation who also holds a Bachelor of Science Degree in Physical Education will whip them into shape using a variety of games, contests, and plyometrics. Weights and different exercise balls add to the enjoyment of exercise!
UPCOMING EVENTS
We are very busy working on new programming for youth and adults. Look for the Princess Tea Party, Youth Book Club, Battle of the Bands and Youth Volleyball programs in our next brochure!
RIVERFRONT NEWS
The bridge and barges are now in place, and after a few minor adjustments, they will be opened! When the floor painting is done inside the Nature Center, it will also be open to the public. The improvements to the boat docks are now complete. Landscaping in both areas will begin this spring.
The Park Board approved the expenditure of an additional $6,000 to the City for railroad access for the bike path to Veterans Park. The City continues to try to finalize plans for the path.
Please visit our website for more information on all our programs. If you have questions or comments, please email Jill @ havanapark@casscomm.com.
September/October
by Jill Hills
RIVERFRONT PARK:
The Nature Center is very close to completion! The floor must be re-painted, and the handrails on the deck need to be installed. Concrete work will be finished after the bridge and docks are set. We are awaiting permission from the Corps of Engineers so that the contractor can install the walk bridge and floating docks. The low water level has created some problems for completion of this project.
BOAT RAMPS:
The ramps are finished! We will be making improvements to the boat docks next week. We have been able to use dirt from the marina dredging for bank stabilization. Because of all the rain we’ve received, we may need to wait until spring for grass planting.
POOL:
The pool report is completed, and it is no surprise that this summer was not a good swimming season for outdoor pools. Cool temperatures were not ideal for swimming, so attendance was down this year. Total pool attendance in 2001 was 10,797; in 2005 it was 7,625; and in 2009 it was 5,309. Where are our swimmers? Fortunately, we had very few repairs. We will need to paint the pool shell before next summer, but we don’t foresee any major repair problems next year.
RECREATION:
Our new youth dance classes are going strong thanks to our new instructor, Kelsey McCausland! She also teaches our new, very popular fitness classes. Kayla Johnson is doing a great job as a Basic Step Instructor and also as a substitute group fitness instructor.
Softball games have been canceled and postponed because of all the rain, but tournaments finally begin this week! Standings are:
1st Keystone River Rats
2nd Wolter’s Drug
3rd Cade Walljasper
4th Stag Tap
5th P. J.’s Pub
6th Jason Layton
JTF (Junior Tackle Football) is finished for the season. Big thanks to Prairie Ridge Veterinary Clinic and Havana Rotary Club for your donations! Our league has two divisions: lightweights and heavyweights. Games were played against Camp Point, Beardstown, and Lewistown. Inter-squad games were also played. We thank Rod Yetter, Chris Snider, Martin Bowers, and Jeff Norton for coaching. Thanks, also to those who assisted on the sidelines and in the booth: Gale Rampley, Theo Hodgson, J. D. Weaver, and Bill Knake. Finally, we would like to thank Chad Heffren for his help and Havana High School for allowing to use the field.
WE WANT LINE DANCERS! This new class is a combined dance/fitness class that is held on Fridays from 5:30-6:30 PM at the Chester Center. You don’t need a partner, and you don’t need any dance experience. Just show up and join us for a great time! Classes will be offered October 23-November 20. Drop-in fee for each class is $5.
Good News! No vandalism in our parks recently!
Please visit our website for more information on all our programs. If you have questions or comments, please email Jill @ havanapark@casscomm.com.
by Jill Hills
RIVERFRONT
PARK: Jill Hills commended Jim Barrett
and all staff members on the fantastic job they did cleaning up the parks
after the storm on August 11th! It was especially wonderful to
have volunteers help get the parks looking beautiful again. Those volunteers
were: Fred Ray, Rhonda Jones, Merle Krohe, Larry Bohm, Larry Ginglen and
Steve Waterworth! If I missed anyone, please let me know! The pool was shut
down after the big storm because a tree had fallen on the fence; in
addition, it took employees all day to clear out debris. The branches in the
pool created huge problems with the chemical balances as well. Overall, the
Park District was very lucky that there was not considerable damage done to
shelters, buildings, playground equipment, fencing, etc. throughout the
parks. Pool attendance
was down this year. More Free Swim Days were offered this year, however.
Thank you to the sponsors of these Free Swim Days! The kids are thankful,
too! We had less repairs this summer; one of the sand filters blew apart
again, and we also had costly electrical problems resolved. BOAT RAMPS:
The contractor was able to push the new concrete slab into the river for the
north boat launch, but difficulties arose when the piece went into the river
too far. Engineers and the contractor are working on a resolution to this
problem. RECREATION:
Kelsey McCausland will teach youth and adult dance lessons in addition to
some brand new fitness classes! The Park District is very fortunate to have
Kelsey teaching classes. She majored in Kinesiology and minored in Dance at
Western Illinois University. She will be a great asset to our programs! We have 46 boys
playing Junior Tackle Football this year, and we are so pleased with these
numbers. Our valuable coaches do a wonderful job with this fairly new
football program. Rod Yetter has been such an important asset to the
program! Thank you Havana Rotary for your donation! Six softball
teams will begin playing at Veterans Park on August 20th.
(weather permitting). Hopefully this league will continue to grow. We would
love to host tournaments at Veterans Park very soon. VANDALISM:
Vandalism was not too bad this past month. Trash cans were dumped; flags
were pulled down; and the portable toilet was tipped over at Veterans Park.
Bathroom doors were torn off hinges at Rockwell Park. We didn’t experience
any problems at Rockwell Park this summer, and this is quite unusual. Please visit our
website for more information on all our programs. If you have questions or
comments, please email Jill @
havanapark@casscomm.com.
Havana cleans up debris
Dozens
of trees in city parks were toppled by strong winds
By KEVIN SAMPIER of the Journal Star
Volunteers spent Wednesday hauling away the
remains of 100-year-old trees by the truckload from city parks, hoping to
have the storm debris cleared before an annual weekend event.
"It looked like a tornado hit it," Havana's Director of Parks and Recreation
Jill Hills said Wednesday of Riverfront Park, which sustained severe tree
damage from a storm that blew through the area early Tuesday.
Dozens of trees, some more than 100 years old, were toppled by strong winds
and littered the park.
Chain saw-wielding volunteers and park district staff cut through bases of
felled trees that were as wide as a small car.
"The
park has a lot of old trees," she said. "We lost quite a few."
The city's dump was quickly filled to capacity, and park district crews were
forced to stack the wood in a different park, leaving them to decide whether
they'll burn the piles or rent a wood chipper.
"We're just stockpiling it," Hills said. "We're not sure what we're going to
do with it."
Superintendent of Parks Jim Barrett said hundreds of truckloads of wood had
been hauled between Tuesday and Wednesday, and the effort continued
Wednesday afternoon to ready the park for an annual car show on Friday.
"It could take another day to fix this one," he said of Riverfront Park,
where the car show is scheduled. "If we have to rope some of it off, we'll
have the car show."
Rockwell Park also had severe damage, including enough branches and debris
in the local swimming pool to force its closure Tuesday. "There's some major
damage there," he said. "It looks like a war zone."
But it isn't the first time the weather has taken a toll on the city.
Residents dealt wi
th
nearly continuous floods recently and are now spending the week cleaning up
tree limbs.
Ameren CILCO crews repaired downed power lines Wednesday afternoon,
and a pile of tree branches more than 15 feet tall sat on the Mason County
Courthouse lawn.
"It's been a real rough year," Barrett said. "The whole town is hit. They've
been cleaning it up for about 24 hours."
Despite a few lights, no real structural damage was done to any of
the park district's buildings or picnic shelters, which are surrounded by
the trees.
"We really lucked out," Hills said.
by Jill Hills
The main priority of the park district is to get the boat docks in at Main Street. The river level has not allowed us to finish the repair work on the new ramps, so boaters have been using the Main Street launch. Docks will be put in at Main Street on Monday, July 20. We are sorry for the inconvenience.
I have been working with several individuals to find stimulus money for road repairs at Riverfront Park. The extended flooding that the roads received created much damage. The estimated cost to blacktop the road is $30,000. The estimated cost to blacktop the road and parking lot is $ 70,000.
Pool attendance has been lower than usual because of the cooler temperatures. "Free Swim Days" provide kids with a chance to get free admission to the pool. Many thanks to the sponsors for these Free Swim Days: Wal-Mart; Petefish Skiles Bank; Stevens Implement; State Farm; County Market; Optimist Club; Ace Hardware; Kennedy Sarff Real Estate; Farnsworth Group; Oney's; Havana National Bank; and two anonymous donors. Everyone greatly appreciates your donations!!
Our last Brown Bag It performance was not well attended because of the extremely hot and humid weather. It was decided to keep the Brown Bag It event in June rather than change it to September. Perhaps a “Farmer’s Market” could coincide with the events. Because there is no fee to attend, this program is costly to the Park District. Ideas for revenue were discussed, but no action was taken.
Signs for “keeping parks free of dog messes“ will be constructed in Rice and Riverfront Parks. It is unbelievable how many people allow their dogs to create messes in the parks! This has become a huge problem for the Park District.
Now that the asbestos has been removed from Oak Grove School, the Board considered the possibility of selling the property. Jill will contact the Park District Attorney to discuss.
The Board accepted a bid from Todd Mendenhall for the sale of the Township Building.
While the Park District owns the ball diamonds at Veterans Park and 10th Street, the Havana Youth League (HYL) manages the league. Tarps to keep the fields dry greatly improved the fields this year. The adult league begins in August. Commissioners continue to search for a plan to construct flushable toilets in the park.
New officers for the Park Board: Fred Ray: President; George Caton: Vice-President; Board Secretary: Jill Hills; Board Attorney: Steve Morgan; Treasurer: Atwater Agency.
More vandalism takes place during the summer months. Here are the latest acts of vandalism:
~ light globe shot out at Riverfront Park with arrow and/or BB gun.
~ profanity painted on HAVANA sign (2 days prior to Catfish Tourney).
~ cars “keyed” in front of Center during Tae Kwon Do class.
~ trespassing at the pool at night
~ brown paper towels were forced down drains at Rockwell Park restroom; water was left running full blast; restroom flooded.
~ “No Swimming” sign run over by boater at Main Street.
~ damage to property when truck and boat trailer parked on grassy area at Main Street--plenty of room to park elsewhere throughout the park.
The Park District hopes that more community awareness will help alleviate vandalism. Please call the Park Office (543-6240) if you see anyone abusing your parks. All calls are confidential.
Havana Park District Information:
The Havana Park District Board of Commissioners: David Alan Badger, George Caton, Fred Ray, Max Thompson, and Jenny Kachanuk.
The Havana Park District Staff: Director of Parks & Recreation - Jill Hills, Superintendent of Parks - Jim Barrett, Superintendent of Recreation - Angie Spring.
Phone Numbers: Administrative Office - 309-543-6240, Parks/Maintenance Department - 309-543-6720, District Gym - 309-543-9200, Pool - 309-543-2842
The Havana Park District Board of Commissioners meets on the third Wednesday of each month at 7:00pm at the C.I. Chester Center.
