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Henry County park staff report aging wiring, evaluate new reservation software
Summary
Park superintendent Kate reported repeated electrical outages, warned that much park wiring and poles are deteriorating and may require a significant future appropriation, and described a possible move from CivicRec to Active Net/Reserve America with a one-time transition estimate of about $5,000 and added donation/volunteer features.
Kate, the park superintendent, told the Henry County Park Board that recent power outages were handled quickly by the grounds crew but underscored that much of the park’s electrical wiring and several poles are old and patched together and would require larger, permanent repairs if a major failure occurred.
At the board’s meeting on Dec. 16, Kate said interim repairs have been performed by the grounds crew and outside utilities have helped in some instances, but that a full inventory and replacement program may require an additional appropriation. “If we had, like, a tree fall down on 1 of our lines, we would not have nearly enough line to actually repair it,” she said, and later summarized that the poles themselves are “rotted and old.”
The comments came as part of a broader superintendent’s report that also covered the park’s online reservation system. Kate presented Active Net/Reserve America as an alternative to the county’s current CivicRec system. She said Active Net could match or slightly undercut current costs while shifting merchant processing fees to customers and offering expanded functionality — smaller reservations by the hour, event-planning tools, volunteer sign-ups and donor/donation project pages. Kate estimated the one-time transition cost “would probably be around $5,000.”
Board members explored operational impacts. One member noted the park’s rental rates are still low compared with nearby city facilities and urged a careful review before raising fees for 2026 reservations, particularly because many reservations were already made under the 2025 rates. Kate said Active Net’s ability to show event types and tiered pricing could allow the board to charge different levels for larger or specialized events.
The superintendent said she would bring more detailed cost figures and a demonstration of the Active Net system to a future meeting. The board did not take a formal vote on the software change at this meeting.
The board also discussed short-term plans for holiday events: Christmas in the Park was canceled for weather and rescheduled as a shorter event, and staff are preparing flyers and outreach for upcoming fundraisers such as fireworks.
