That was more than evident at the July park board meeting. In an effort to bring the Chalet "to the next level," she wants to hire her friend who is an I.T. professional. She thinks this guy is just the ticket to get more people into the Chalet and increase their sponsorships and revenue flow. How about hiring a park and recreation professional? Or better yet, a marketing professional. Oh, wait, they had one that they let go when they needed to free up salaries because they were short on money. Why anyone would dump their one and only marketing professional just as they are re-opening a newly renovated facility is really beyond reason.
Pettrone went head to head with Ernie Moon about the wonders her friend will do if just given the chance. She wants to give this guy a one year contract to work part time from his home to bring the Chalet out of its financial slump. Wasn't that what the renovation was supposed to do?
By charging their main tenant, Brad Martin's sister-in-law Sue Keck, HALF of what other
facilities are charging for court time, they will never get out of their financial slump. The Chalet rents their court space for $25 per hour. The Max in McCook charges $65 per hour. The Chalet is quite a bargain for Keck, don't you think? No wonder she transferred almost all the practice sessions from McCook to the Chalet. Does she pass this savings on to her players?
Presently, there is no one in charge at the Chalet with a park and recreation background. The last manager they hired over there was fired after less than two months. The assistant manager is a political hire who has no experience running a facility or in parks and rec. Now they want to hire an I.T. guy to "fill in the holes?" How about hiring someone that knows what they are doing???
When Colleen brought up a motion to hire Wawach, it was not seconded by either Moon or Burke. This left Pettrone quite stymied and she stated that she will bring this matter up every time they meet until it is approved. Get ready for a
During the consent agenda, Ernie Moon brought up the $2500 monthly payment to park lobbyist Bob Molaro questioning if the park is getting any return on the $30,000 per year they are doling out for his "services." Pettrone quickly jumped to Molaro's defense as did a member of his staff in the audience but neither could pinpoint one thing that Molaro actually did other than the $389,000 that was promised to the park over a year ago. None of which has yet to come through. Pettrone stated that they paid Grant Seekers $1600 per month and got nothing in return. Hmmm, so now they pay almost a thousand dollars per month more and still have seen nothing in return? That makes a lot of sense. It would be understandable if the economy and the financial outlook for that state were different; there might be monies available that Molaro could seize, but that does not appear to be the case at this time. Maybe they should put him on a commission basis instead of a monthly salary. That would surely save the park money and they would only have to pay out based on a return. Just something to think about.
Other issues that came up included a discussion of the 4th of July. The fireworks were again spectacular and if you watched them from a location other than the park district, you really missed on a wonderful ground show and the musical montage that accompanied them. The park is looking for ways to raise funds for 2011 and if you are interested in joining a fundraising committee contact Katherine over at the park district.
As a side note, we had a chance to speak with Willow Springs Mayor Alan Nowaczyk after the park board meeting who assured us that the sidewalk grant has not gone by the wayside. He stated that the village engineers are doing some preliminary work on it. The Village of Willow Springs has less than five months to get this together or they will lose this unprecedented opportunity. If the Pleasantdale School Board and superintendent Mark Fredisdorf reached out to Mayor Nowaczyk in regard to this project, it might help to become a reality. But, hey, this is Willow Springs we're talking about. If it was Burr Ridge, Fredisdorf would be all over it. He has yet to contact the Village of Willow Springs in regard to this grant. Of course that goes both ways. Has Mayor Nowaczyk reached out to Fredisdorf?
We challenge any of the current school board members to add this matter on a future agenda for discussion. It will be a sure sign whether they can think and act independently of Fredisdorf or remain puppets of his. Will they have the guts to put the safety of kids first? Only time will tell.
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