An unusual aura of equanimity emanated from the chambers of City Hall Monday night as the Council learned that Minonk will be the recipient of a new water park. To add to the placidity the Council approved the purchase of an ambulance to replace the old worn out ambulance.
A presentation of the proposed new water park was made by Ned Leiken, president of the Millennia Group which is funding the water park. The water park will be located south of the shelter at the New Millennia park at the City's north side. An illustration of the proposed water park is shown to the left. For a bigger picture of the park, click here.
The theme of the water park will be The Minonk Mining Company which pays homage to Minonk's history of being a mining town. Water will spill out from an elevated water tank and will spill down through various outlets. There will be a railroad track along with water jets randomly placed and a few water cannons for shooting water. The platform of the water park will be of a stained decorative concrete with several motifs. There will be stone sitting ledges on several sides of the park. The water jets are activated by stepping on various buttons or triggers and the jets will be randomly activated, shooting water anywhere from a few inches to 6 feet. Security cameras will be stationed around the splash park to monitor any reckless or destructive activity.
The water will be just like the normal drinking water and will be controlled by a clock which can be adjusted to different times. The water park will normally be in operation from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. and will be available to the general public. The water can be turned off whenever there is a sudden demand for water by the City. The water will be paid for by the Millennia Group but it will probably be billed at a reduced rate. There is no entrance fee involved and residents of other communities will be welcome to use the facilities.
Water parks or slash parks are becoming a popular recreational facility for different communities. They are already installed in many larger communities such as Miller Park in Bloomington. Leiken said the park should be a big attraction for Minonk and expects a good response from the public.
Bids for constructing the water park will be opened on March 21st and the cost is expected to be around $200,000. Plans are to have the water park ready in time for the annual July 4th celebration this year. The Millennia Group is a not for profit organization that has spent over $1.2 million in developing the New Millennia Park at the City's north edge.
New Ambulance
The Council approved the purchase of an ambulance with 57,000 miles for $51,125 with a trade-in of the old one which had 95,000 miles. The ambulance is a 2006 Ford and is to be purchased from Foster Coach Sales of Sterling, IL. The ambulance was formerly owned by Toluca which traded it in for new one on a 6 year rotation. According to Deb Stewart, ambulance chief, this type of ambulance would sell new for $170,000. Alderman Nick Fiorini said the purchase of the ambulance at this reduced rate will save the City a lot of money in light of the fact that money is very tight now for running the ambulance operations. Fiorini said the old ambulance has broken down twice on ambulance runs and definitely needed to be replaced.
Council Comments
Alderman Justin Faulk thanked the Minonk Township for putting in gravel and making a parking lot on the township's land at the northeast corner of Veterans Park.
Mayor's Comments
Mayor Bill Koos thanked the Millennia Group for the presentation on the proposed water park and also thanked everyone involved in the ongoing budget process.