Trustees advance Kennedy Park fundraising and planning; AED purchase deferred

Trustees discussed next steps for Kennedy Park’s renovation and capital campaign during a lengthy update that covered grant applications, a revised fundraising “ask,” volunteer and marketing plans and outreach to potential donors and state officials. The board also considered whether to buy a weatherized, monitored outdoor automated external defibrillator (AED) for the park and deferred that purchase pending further review and grant research.

The discussion matters because Kennedy Park is the central piece of the village’s multi‑phase parks effort and trustees and volunteer organizers are actively seeking outside funding to reduce the local funding burden and to make the facility a tournament‑style destination that they say could drive hotel and local business revenue.

Trustee and staff updates focused on fundraising strategy after two recent foundation rejections. A staff member identified as Jamie said two foundations — Impact 100 and the Davis Foundation — provided feedback that the board’s original $14.5 million ask felt too large for a single grant and recommended breaking the project into smaller, phased requests. “We would have the funds for this field that we are almost done with the engineering for and would go out for bid in March,” Jamie said, adding the next field’s construction is estimated at between $800,000 and $850,000 based on plans by Rettler.

Trustees and volunteers described forming a targeted fundraising and outreach approach built off a strategic plan. Marcus Nelson and Tim White (participants in the volunteer-led planning group) were described as working to produce a revised ask letter and supporting materials. Trustees discussed meeting with state funding allies; one trustee said a meeting with a state official (Pat Snyder) is scheduled for March 7 to discuss possible support tied to the state’s budget surplus and urged board members to craft “rock-solid” asks for specific items.

Volunteers and trustees also discussed marketing and donor recognition. Options include preserving donor names on a dedicated project site, breaking donation “buckets” out on the community foundation page, and eventually spinning the friends group into a standalone nonprofit to simplify fundraising. Staff said current donation routing uses a community foundation fund established through the youth baseball nonprofit and recommended reducing friction by updating that page and allowing donors to designate subprojects (for example, hockey or lighting).

Trustees and volunteers raised planning and implementation issues: coordinating the master plan and phasing (REI’s plan uses different field numbering than the village’s master plan), the need for a structural engineer for retaining walls, and aligning bid timing so responsible parties and warranties are clear. Staff said REI is helping source a structural engineer and recommended single‑bid packaging where feasible to avoid responsibility gaps.

On the AED request, public safety and operations staff presented cost estimates for a weatherized, monitored outdoor AED cabinet (vendor package with four years of cellular monitoring) and for the device itself. Staff described two cabinet approaches: an unlocked cabinet available 24/7 and a locked cabinet that a 911 dispatcher would open remotely by providing a code. Staff noted the monitored, heated/cooled cabinets cost in federal grant‑range figures quoted to the board (cabinet plus monitoring package about $5,200; AED device additional). Concerns from trustees and volunteer members included theft and vandalism risk, limited dispatcher ability to issue door codes at very busy events, and whether a device should be sited now or as part of a future concession/construction plan. The board did not take a purchasing vote and directed staff to pursue grants and return with more information.

Trustees set follow‑up tasks and near‑term meetings: a March 7 meeting with the state contact, continued work by the volunteer strategic team (Marcus and Tim), and a plan to finalize the targeted ask letter and a schedule for public updates and newsletters. Staff also flagged that the draft strategic plan and related assets (video footage, a draft plan on SharePoint) are available for trustee review.

The board’s conversation included frequent emphasis on public outreach and transparency — trustees and volunteers proposed regular “did you know” items for the village newsletter, targeted donor asks for specific construction items (for example, “concrete for the hockey ice”), and more visible photo/content from current park use (outdoor ice, tournaments) to demonstrate economic impact and build momentum.

Ending: Trustees directed staff and volunteer contributors to continue the fundraising work, pursue grant opportunities for both park construction and equipment (including grants for an AED), and return to the board with refined cost estimates, recommended grant targets and a calendar for follow‑up milestones.