Cedar Lake board approves Potawatomi Park drainage, art camp instructor and a children’s street-sweeper naming contest; defers fleet repairs

Cedar Lake’s Parks & Recreation Board approved several operations items at its June meeting, including drainage work at Potawatomi Park, an Art Camp instructor agreement, and a street-sweeper naming contest for children; it deferred a separate fleet-and-equipment-repairs discussion.

Potawatomi Park: Board members said the lookouts at Potawatomi Park are complete and the next step is installing a catch basin and drainage to prepare for a small paved parking area. "I will motion that we give Mr. Kubiak to go ahead to please install that drain so that we can prepare to pave that small area for parking," the Chair said; members voted by roll call in favor. The motion authorizes in-house grading and connection to a nearby storm sewer and directs the contractor (Mr. Kubiak) to begin the initial drainage work.

Art Camp instructor agreement: The board reviewed "Exhibit B" in the meeting packet and accepted an instructor agreement for an art class scheduled June 15–18, 12–2 p.m., for children ages 6–9. The Recreation Coordinator reported a tuition structure of $120 for residents and $125 for nonresidents and said 13 children have already registered against a 10-student cap with a three-person wait list. "We're actually at already 13 people," the Recreation Coordinator stated; despite the registration exceeding the stated max, staff said they had asked the instructor to accommodate one additional student. Members approved the agreement by roll call.

Street-sweeper naming contest: In a light-hearted community engagement item, the board approved a contest allowing local children to submit names for a newly acquired street sweeper; entries will be posted on social media and the town website and the winning name will be forwarded for town council recognition. Board members discussed including a small prize; one member suggested setting a prize amount.

Deferred fleet repairs: Board members found the packet exhibits for fleet and equipment repairs to be incorrect and agreed to defer that agenda item to the next meeting so staff can correct the materials. A motion to defer was carried by roll call.

Why it matters: Approving drainage work and program agreements clears the way for small capital and community programs that affect park access and summer youth programming. The Art Camp approval, in particular, responds to immediate community demand, with registrations exceeding the published capacity.

Next steps: Staff will coordinate with Mr. Kubiak to begin the initial drainage work at Potawatomi Park, finalize Art Camp logistics given the registration numbers, and return corrected materials on fleet and equipment repairs at the next meeting.