THE JOURNAL & TOPICS NEWSPAPERS | WEDNESDAY, APRIL 30, 2008
Park Dist. Board Can Phone Into Meetings
By RICHARD MAYER
Journal Reporter
Mt. Prospect Park Dist. Board of Commissioners officially adopted an ordinance last week allowing elected trustees to participate in open park district meetings by audio or video technology.
The ordinance states that a board member may attend a meeting by audio or video conferencing if they are unable to attend in person due to personal illness or disability, employment purposes or family or other emergencies.
The explanation of the members or members attending the meeting by audio or videoconference will be recorded in the minutes of the meeting.
If it is determined by members of the board who are physically present that voices are not sufficiently audible, then the board will not permit that trustee's attendance at the meeting.
Additionally, if a board member wishes to attend an open meeting via audio or video, that member must notify the recording secretary of the board prior to the meeting, unless advance notice is not possible.
In regards to closed meetings, a quorum of commissioners of the board must be physically present. Other members of the board who are not physically present at a closed meeting may not participate in the meeting by means of audio or video, because under such circumstances, the confidentiality of the deliberations of the board could be inadvertently compromised or inhibited, according to board members.
According to Park District CEO Walt Cook, this rule came to the forefront a couple years ago when the law changed allowing this type of flexibility.
In other park district news, Cook said there have been no further on the Mt. Prospect Golf Club's plans to improve its water irri!gation system.
Design concepts have been introduced to Mt. Prospect Park District board members for a new irriga!tion system to cover more areas of the golf course. However, renderings need to continue to be tightened up before any future plans can be unveiled.
The original drainage system was in!stalled in 1983. Cook has stated that golfers are playing on fairways that are "gradually shrinking in size."
A new system would cost approximately between $1 million-$1.2 million. However, Cook said this project is long-term and wouldn't begin for at least a couple years.
The Mt. Prospect Golf Club, 600 See Gwun Ave., was origi!nally built in 1927.
The park district serves most Mt. Prospect residents and Des Plainesites who live west of Mt. Prospect Road.