Jackson Park and Recreation commission approves minutes and financial filings; dog park work delayed by wetland delineation

The Village of Jackson Park and Recreation Commission approved meeting minutes and filed the department’s financial reports and service-analysis spreadsheet, and received updates on the Jackson dog park, the nearly completed Jackson Community Center and long-term rental agreements with outside partners.

The actions and updates matter because they set the department’s budgeting and program priorities for the year, clarify partner rental commitments for the community center and affect the timing of two ongoing capital projects: the dog park and remaining punch-list work at the community center.

Commissioners voted to approve the minutes from the Nov. 19, 2024 meeting and to place the current financial stat pack and the semiannual service-analysis spreadsheet on file. Kelli, a Park and Recreation staff member who presented the stat pack, summarized the department’s year-to-date position: “we are at 17.55% revenue and 16.36% expenses. And we like to see see that especially at the beginning of the year that our revenue is more than our expenses.” The transcript records the motions and unanimous “aye” responses but does not list a roll-call vote tally by member name.

On the Jackson dog park, staff reported the project timeline must be pushed back because the village needs a wetland delineation completed by the state DNR before bidding. The delineation is weather- and vegetation-dependent; staff said DNR requires vegetation growth to perform the delineation. Staff also noted a scheduled meeting with engineering firm MSA on April 1 to advance the package for bidding.

The commission received a construction update on the Jackson Community Center. Staff said most remaining items are weather-dependent (parking-lot asphalt, EIFS painting and play-area work) and that the project remains within budget with contingency funds still available. Change orders cited in the meeting included door hardware and IT coordination (some doors originally specified did not meet IT/security requirements) and grading work. Staff said the splash-park contractor, Aqua Tile, needs temperatures of about 60 degrees to install the finish surface and is targeting mid-May for that work; staff said they expect a more definitive timeline after an upcoming construction meeting.

Staff reported long-term rental agreements with the Boys & Girls Club and a local church (the transcript uses both “Cattlebrook Church” and “Kettlebrook” in different places) are completed. The agreements were described as 20-year terms with reviews every five years and built-in cost-of-living increases at each review. According to staff, the Boys & Girls Club will be invoiced twice yearly (March and October) and had been invoiced for March (a $15,000 installment was mentioned); the church’s payments were described as quarterly. The transcript does not provide the full signed contract texts in the meeting record.

Other business included a Monte Carlo Night fundraiser report (staff said the event netted “a little over $20,000”), a review of the 2025 events calendar (including the biennial Culpeper and Merriweather Circus in August and an adjusted Easter egg-hunt time to avoid a school PTO event), and program enrollment updates: morning 4K has 19 children and afternoon 4K has 17, with a program capacity of 22. Staff noted scheduling issues for special-education support because multiple incoming classes will require district-provided special-education teachers.

In public remarks at the end of the meeting several residents and board members thanked Kelli for her service and retirement; one speaker said the village will host a small staff wellness luncheon to recognize her. The commission adjourned following a motion that carried on an apparent unanimous voice vote recorded as “aye.”