County staff and meeting participants reviewed readiness and public-use plans for a newly completed pavilion and an adjacent building at a county park, covering bathroom access, rental rules, cleaning fees, pond management and outreach. Staff said the main building will remain locked for now, with the restrooms accessible from the outside, and that reservations for private rentals will not be taken until next summer. Ken, staff member, said, "The bathroom is so for now, the bathroom is open at all times." Shavona, staff member, described pond maintenance and said, "I don't treat it for algae...it does have a small period where it does get algae," explaining why staff have decided not to use chemical treatment now.

Why it matters: the discussions shape how residents and groups can use the new space and what costs and operational limits they should expect when the county opens the facility for events. Staff repeatedly emphasized the facilities are partially ready but will be marketed and staffed more fully next year.

Staff described public-access logistics and rental policy options. The building itself will stay locked except during scheduled meetings; bathroom doors are accessible from outside. Staff said they have received inquiries about private rentals and plan to make the pavilion available for booking starting next summer. Staff said they will set a refundable fee tied to cleaning cost rather than an arbitrary flat rental rate; earlier examples mentioned in the meeting were $100 for small events and $200 for larger events, but the staff said they will ask the cleaning contractor for a current per-event cleaning price and set the refundable deposit to cover that cleaning charge.

Staff discussed cleaning and floor maintenance for the building interior: the floor material is porous and requires deep cleaning, sealing and waxing to protect against heavy foot traffic. A staff member advised bringing in the contractor who would perform regular post-event cleanings to estimate cost; that estimate will determine the refundable cleaning deposit.

On park programming and outreach, staff said they plan to hold an open house in spring but also discussed producing material and short video spots this fall or winter to promote the site. Matt Klein, a local media/vendor mentioned by staff, was cited as someone who produces short promotional videos; staff said they would explore outreach through print and digital media and contact the local newspaper to arrange photography and coverage.

Pond and habitat management: Shavona explained the pond receives a steady inflow from artesian wells at about 55 degrees and said cooler, shaded water helps limit algal growth. She cautioned that treating small ponds with copper-based algaecides can reduce oxygen and harm fish and that starting chemical treatments typically requires continuing them year to year and oxygen monitoring. She said staff are not planning active chemical treatment at this time.

Site infrastructure, accessibility and program-space details: staff noted one adjacent building has an existing bathroom but is not ADA-compliant without more extensive work (ramps/elevator). Staff said the building was designed so it could be converted for naturalist programming or office/storage use in the future but that full ADA compliance for the upper level would require more work and expense (for example, an elevator or ramp and wider doors).

Security, booking logistics and community use: staff described the installed camera system (internet-based, solar-powered trail cameras) and said the system can detect entries on the park’s front and record them for staff review. They reported having had inquiries from Illinois Valley Community College’s cross-country team about using the park for meets and said organizers have already used the trails for practices. Staff said they will not take reservations until next year but have already had informal requests and will track recurring users (weekly or school uses) to determine whether to schedule regular cleaning and staffing. Staff also discussed providing grills at the pavilion and adding sidewalks to connect the campus of shelters and buildings; sidewalk and additional concrete work are planned for spring 2026.

Funding and grants: staff said some of the finish work is already budgeted in the current maintenance budget, and they are pursuing outside grants. Staff reported an upcoming meeting with NCSEG (scheduled for October) to explore grant options; those grants were described as not immediately available but potentially applicable to future program or restoration work.

Ending: staff said they will prepare a cleaning-cost estimate and a rental-fee proposal for the board to review later this year, will pursue modest outreach this fall and plan a fuller public open house next spring. In the near term the bathrooms will remain open from the exterior and the main building will remain locked except for scheduled events.