After appointing Blake Severs as park director last Tuesday, the Macomb Park Board also named him board secretary.
Chris Frankhauser was appointed assistant secretary.
Park Board President Neil Armstrong noted Severs is only the fourth park director since the district’s founding in 1947. The previous directors were Alred “Buck” Knowles (retired 1988), Ray Peterson (retired 2017), and Rachel Lenz, who resigned earlier this year to lead the Urbana Park District. Severs joined the district in 2023 as superintendent of support services and security.
At Tuesday’s meeting, Severs reported that renovations at Patton Park are nearing completion. He said ceramics class registration at Lakeview Nature Center closed August 11, generating $11,000 in fees, with 30 calls on the final day, according to Frankhauser.
Severs added that all students attending high school or college were admitted at half-price on August 23 at the Ball Fore Family Recreation Center.
Severs said the district is hiring for a marketing director and a superintendent of support services. He also announced that McDonough County Emergency Services is funding a weather alert system in Veterans Park, capable of detecting severe weather within a 10-mile radius to warn outdoor sports participants.
Frankhauser reported the district is receiving state and federal funds for its solar energy projects, which include panels at Lakeview Nature Center, Ball Fore Family Entertainment Center, and the park district office.
The board approved the 2024 external audit by Sikich of Springfield and passed a resolution allowing the sale or disposal of old fencing from Patton Park.
Treasurer Phil Weiss reported a general fund balance of $392,144 and a consolidated project fund balance of $385,701 at the end of July.
Armstrong and Commissioner John Hemingway said the family of the late Valencia Pettigrew, a former park board vice president, will attend the September meeting where a vote will be held to name the Patton Park basketball court in her honor.
