The city of Kewanee and the Kewanee Park District are two separate units of government. But leaders of both units are talking about ways the two can work together to solve problems.
At Tuesday’s City Council meeting, Parks Director Andrew Dwyer proposed some possible joint ventures.
The first issue is the water that will go through the new splash pad under construction in Liberty Park. Dwyer and the park board would like to have the city provide the water at little or no cost.
Dwyer said he hopes for the splash pad to be open by early June and to operate for eight to 10 hours a day through September. The water bill for that could be as much as $22,000, he said.
Councilman Mike Komnick said it might not be a good idea for the city to provide free water, at a time when Kewaneeans’ water bills will be increasing to pay for needed improvements to the city’s water system.
An even bigger expense is looming at Windmont Park, where the lagoon needs to be dredged.
Dwyer said the depth of the lagoon has been reduced by sludge that comes in through the storm drains that feed into it. This has threatened the fish population in the lagoon, he said.
A complete dredging of the lagoon, including disposal of the sludge, could cost as much as $130,000.
For years there was an assumption that the city would contribute to the cost of dredging the lagoon, since it’s part of the storm sewer system. But Dwyer and council members said they haven’t found any written agreement in their files.
Dwyer also said the parks might have a solution to the problem of excessive chloride levels in the discharge from the wastewater treatment plant.
He said there is a well at Windmont that may provide enough “clean” water to dilute the chlorides to an acceptable level.
The well would have to be tested to determine its depth, how much water it can provide and the quality of the water.
Mayor Gary Moore suggested that the park district could take over maintenance of the city’s five parks: Veterans, McKinley, West, Berrien and Francis.
“I think there’s a lot to be discussed here,” Moore said. “We need to schedule meetings.”
Dwyer and the council agreed to take up the matter again at the next council meeting.
