Parks staff reports tractor transmission failure, seed display, cameras and cross‑country meet at county park

Ken, parks staff, reported maintenance issues and upcoming park events, including a damaged transmission on a John Deere tractor and several recent equipment repairs and purchases.

“We had the transmission of our John Deere…that would be the bridal, BC shift shaft for the range,” Ken said, showing photos of the damaged part and explaining that the repair may require splitting the tractor. He told the committee the tractor would be repaired if possible.

Ken described seed‑collection displays placed at the nature center to show locally gathered seed varieties and said volunteers helped construct a stairway used by horses. He also said staff had set up trail cameras near dens after a neighboring property captured footage the neighbor identified as a badger.

On events and operations, Ken said Illinois Valley will host a cross‑country conference tournament at the park “this weekend, the eleventh,” and staff have marked and measured a parking layout for that use, including 18‑foot aisles and 90‑degree stalls sized to accommodate larger vehicles. Hunting registration dates were announced: registration was to begin the following day and continue over the coming weekends; tree‑stand placement may begin the next Saturday into November, Ken said.

Maintenance work reported included replacing front and rear wheel bearings and calipers on an F‑450, fixing a leaking hub seal, and using a new HydraX tool to apply herbicide to trees more efficiently. He said the HydraX’s herbicide order was expected to arrive shortly and that the device reduces herbicide use compared with traditional basal‑bark treatments.

The committee voted to pay Ken’s bills as presented.