ROCHELLE — Although the Flagg-Rochelle Park District commissioners accepted his resignation as president of the board, Mic Brooks is not going anywhere.

Brooks thanked the board, assuring he is still committed as a commissioner.

“I want to thank all of you for being sensitive to my wishes…I want to stay on the board,” Brooks began. “I’m excited about what’s going on with the park district, our committee, our staff. I need to spend a little more time and energy on other things. I hope you will accept this resignation simply as the president.”

Following a short stint with commissioner Bud Norcross at the helm, the commissioners voted B.T. Carmichael as the president, Michael Cruz as secretary, and Tim Hayden as assistant secretary.

Carmichael, in his fifth year as commissioner, said he is looking forward to his new duties as president.

“The biggest part I’m looking forward to is leading this park district. Don [Elliott] and Roger [Bunger] do a great job in the day-to-day office and maintenance side of it, Carmichael said after the meeting. “As a board we need to give them a little direction on where we want to be making improvements to and where the projects are going to be. That’s what I’m looking forward to.”

Skare Park plans

Executive director Roger Bunger explained there is an opportunity for the park district to apply for a grant to help with Skare Park improvements. Shortly after the 2015 tornado, the Rochelle Area Community Foundation established a tornado fund for residents. With $40,000 still in the fund, discussions with the RACF committee pointed to possible use at Skare Park to benefit the entire community.

“We still have a lot of damage that needs to be cleaned up, although the trails and the visible areas have been done, there are still some areas left to be done,” Bunger said.

Along with the possibility to apply for the grant from RACF, at the same time the commissioners approved a proposal for Fehr Graham to develop plans and specifications for the Skare Park project at a cost of $3,500.

“In the proposal, they will identify the project. One area would be the southwest corner of the park. Another part would be a 50-foot strip along the existing trail…timber alongside the trail needs to be cleaned up,” said Superintendent of Parks and Facilities Don Elliott. “We also discussed the buffer between our park and the residents on Skare court. There are timbers and dead trees in that area.”

Elliott explained Fehr Graham knowledgeable on the contract requirements and would be handling the bidding process. The cleanup could begin before the winter.

Capital project committee appointed

One of Carmichael’s first orders of business was to appoint commissioners Tim Hayden and Dale Wells to the new Capital Project Committee. The committee would identify projects over the long term, which would include input from the community as well.

Commissioners approved the budget and appropriation in its tentative form following discussion.