Public commenter: Friends of Kennedy Park raised virtually no funds in two years, committee told

Jim Hasson, a resident of 502 Harold Street, used the public-comment period at a Parks Committee meeting to sharply criticize the Friends of Kennedy Park and village officials for what he described as a lack of progress on fundraising and unclear partner responsibilities. Hasson said the group established to raise non‑taxpayer funds for Kennedy Park has not remitted money to the project since June 30, 2025, and that the committee’s published figures show $35,194.93 on hand. "Not 1 red cent was taken in by the Friends of Kennedy Park towards this project since 06/30/2025," he said. Hasson added that in the previous 60 days he could find no evidence of meetings, mailings, or other fundraising activity.

Hasson said the fundraising group had delivered about "two‑tenths of 1 percent" of the project’s estimated cost over two years and that two paid marketing consultants hired by the village had quit because of what those consultants told him was poor communication and lack of engagement. He asked committee members to state "three specific things" they had done to advance the project and pressed for clarity on maintenance costs for both the existing and proposed facilities. He also said open‑records requests returned no memorandum of understanding between the village and other users such as local youth baseball and DC Everest and called the absence of written agreements "irresponsible and unacceptable." He warned that without clear, written roles the project could become a taxpayer burden.

The remarks occurred during the public‑comment portion of the agenda; the committee did not take a formal vote on the matters Hasson raised during the meeting. Committee members and staff acknowledged the comment period and continued with scheduled agenda items including construction and fundraising updates for other park projects.