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Pekin school board presses Pekin Park District over pool, court and golf fees
Summary
Board members criticized the Pekin Park District's proposed IGA fees and agreed to allow pool use free this year while asking the Park to put golf fees in writing; members cited unexpected invoices for tennis, driving-range and police fees as driving the dispute.
The Pekin Community High School Board of Education spent a substantial portion of its April 27 meeting examining a proposed intergovernmental agreement (IGA) with the Pekin Park District and disputed recent invoices for pool, tennis and golf use. President Ryan Wrigley led the discussion and said the Park has presented new fee demands the District did not anticipate.
Wrigley said he had “no confidence that any commitments the Park makes today will be honored a year from now. I trust them based on their integrity, but do not believe they will have the means to do so.” Superintendent Danielle Owens told the board she had “no problem paying the $4,300 for tennis or the $4,800 for golf” but urged the Park to stop “nickel-and-diming” the District for additional line-item charges.
Board members detailed several disputed charges and fee proposals from the Park. The Park proposed charging $30 per hour for indoor tennis court rentals (an approximate rental fee of $4,350 for requested dates) and had sought new driving-range fees that the District says escalated from about $800 to $2,000 per team in successive years. The District also received invoices for police presence during graduation and the homecoming parade in the $900–$1,200 range, which board members said they would not pay as presented.
Members discussed options including honoring the current IGA through its term, editing the existing agreement, or drafting a new IGA. Member Joe Alesandrini suggested honoring the existing IGA for pool use and drafting a separate Coal Miners Park-specific IGA within 30 days with written dollar amounts. The board agreed to tell the Park it could use the pool for free this year and asked that any golf fees be provided in writing as soon as possible. The board recorded its concern that the Park’s financial problems (including PTEL at 2.3%, no COVID-19 relief funds, and rising minimum wages) will limit the Park’s ability to keep commitments without formal, written terms.
Next steps: President Wrigley said he would communicate the board’s decision on pool access to the Park District the following morning and requested written confirmation of any new golf fees.
