Politics & Government
Plainfield Park Board Members, Soccer Group Discuss Equipment Shed, Field Use
Board members, PSA officials could not get into specifics about missing soccer equipment due to a pending investigation.
Without a quorum, Plainfield Park District commissioners couldn't hold an official meeting this week, but board president Peter Hurtado and commissioner Peter Steinys did have an informal sit-down with Plainfield Soccer Association officials and parents.
Tuesday night's special meeting was originally called by Steinys and Hurtado to address PSA equipment missing from a shed at Renwick Park. However, the meeting was cut short when three board members — Larry Newton, Mary Ludemann and Janet Silosky — did not attend.
Hurtado called the meeting to order only briefly before adjourning due to a lack of a quorum.
While Ludemann said she had to work Tuesday night, both Newton and Silosky refused to attend. Newton said he believed the meeting might devolve into a "bitch session" about PSA, while Silosky said she did not believe the special meeting was the time or place to discuss the issue.
Despite the quickly adjourned meeting, parents stayed behind to talk to Steinys, Hurtado and interim Executive Director Gene Coldwater about scheduling issues PSA was facing when it came to using park district fields.
"We found out there were some challenges with field space," PSA Director of Recreation Kevin Scherry said. "Times and dates we had historically were assigned to other organizations," he added, saying in some cases, organizations from outside of Plainfield were given preferential scheduling. PSA has had a relationship with the park district for 32 years, Scherry said.
"We have other groups that like to use these parks too," Steinys told parents. "You can't stop anyone from using the parks, whether they're a taxpayer or not."
That didn't sit well with some PSA officials and parents, and Coldwater pledged to do whatever he can to address the issue.
"Truthfully, I think it takes three board members to fire me, so I'll just speak," he candidly told PSA parents. Referring to former executive director Garrett Peck, Coldwater said, "The past director gave direction to the sports department to develop a soccer program and don't let anything get in his way ...
"Then Garrett left, and I took over his position," Coldwater said. "Something really bad happened here and I've been trying to fix it. I think I can fix it."
Scherry said scheduling for Saturday games, at least, has been resolved.
"PSA teams will be able to play Saturday recreational games at Plainfield parks on the days we have historically used," Scherry said, adding park district staff are working with PSA to schedule travel team events.
Coldwater said he's gone as far as telling sports department staff to call non-Plainfield organizations and cancel agreements that conflict with local groups in need of field time.
"This was a nasty situation — I'm trying to fix it," he said. "Myself and my staff at Ottawa Street are trying to make it right."
Scherry praised Coldwater for working hard since last week to accommodate PSA.
"Gene has said all along we'll work through this," Scherry said. He also had kind words for the trustees who weren't at the March 25 meeting.
"I'm proud of the board members that didn't come," Scherry said. "They may have been put in an uncomfortable position to vote against an organization that they support."
Hurtado clarifies who owns soccer shed
While PSA and park board members could not discuss details of the investigation into the missing equipment due to a pending police investigation, Hurtado several times clarified reports that PSA owns the shed.Under park district policy, since the shed is on park district property, it, too, is park district property, Hurtado said, even though the equipment inside still belongs to PSA.
Scherry noted that PSA paid for the shed and built it in 2002.
Responding to former park board member Michelle Kelly, who told him his comments regarding ownership of the shed came off as adversarial, Hurtado replied, "I just want to clarify that PSA does not own the shed. The paper said PSA owned the shed."
PSA officials, Hurtado and Steinys had a brief discussion on the missing equipment, originally reported as between 15 and 20 bags.
Since last week, Scherry said two bags have been located, leaving the total number of missing bags at 13 to 18.
Hurtado also defended park district staff against accusations that they may have removed the equipment.
"When people start accusing park district staff ... I don't think that's right," he said.
Scherry said he went to the shed last week to gather equipment for a coaches' meeting. When he arrived, he found that PSA's locks had been removed, and new locks had been installed on the shed.
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