Philpot retained as president of Quincy Park Board; two new commissioners sworn in

QUINCY — Mark Philpot was retained by his fellow commissioners as president of the Quincy Park Board for a second year. He offered a few words for the new faces on the board at the end of Wednesday night’s meeting.

“I want to thank everyone for coming this evening, and I want to especially thank the incoming commissioners,” Philpot said. “This is a huge undertaking, and the decision you have made to be an active civic partner is definitely appreciated. We’re glad to have you, and we’re looking forward to doing good things.”

Josh Crabtree, a subcontract buyer at Knapheide Manufacturing, and Cecil Weathers, a retired certified nursing assistant and a retired U.S. Air Force veteran, were sworn in as commissioners at the beginning of Wednesday’s meeting. After having just one Black commissioner in its history before 2023, the Quincy Park Board now has three Black men — Philpot, Weathers and Alan Hickman.

Since winning one of four open spots on the board in the April 1 election, Crabtree says he’s been hearing from constituents about park safety and cleanliness. 

“I think the Park District does a fantastic job right now the way they’re doing things, but you read about that dog story that kind of came about in the news again and you have the speaker earlier today (Alexis Allen) finding things left behind with the Avenue of Lights … we have to follow up with those types of things and keep the park safe for everybody who’s there,” he said.

Allen spoke during the public comment portion of the meeting. She brought in to buckets that she claimed were filled with 150 steel cables and about 1,000 zip ties that she found in Moorman Park after she said the park had been cleaned twice by Park District staff.

“The steel cables are very sharp,” she said. “They can easily penetrate mower tires, car tires or even children’s shoes. Furthermore, there is the potential threat of lawn mower blades throwing them at high-speed velocities, on top of them being unsightly. These zip ties can be consumed by local birds, the fish and even dogs who walk in the park regularly.”

Weathers said people have mentioned to him about the possible creation of a “dog run” at South Park for people to safely walk their pets.

“People are just asking me to get involved and help support what’s going on,” he said. “Of course, they always have some other ideas for me. They just want to talk and establish a connection with me. I always tell them I will do the best I can, and whatever I can bring to the board, I will bring to the board.”

David Grimm, who was elected to his first four-year term as commissioner, did not attend Wednesday’s meeting and will be sworn in at a later date.

Barb Holthaus, who has more experience as a commissioner than the other six commissioners combined, was elected as vice president of the board. Executive Director Rome Frericks will serve as board secretary and Brian Earnest, the director of business services, will serve as treasurer. David Penn was retained as board attorney. Along with Philpot, each of them was unanimously approved.

“I am very appreciative and very humbled by this honor that you bestow upon me,” Philpot said. “Thank you for your confidence. I won’t let you down.”

The election of the officers for the board was the biggest development of Wednesday’s meeting, but the new board did approve four projects.

The Rotary Club of Quincy received approval to place a peace pole in the rose garden in the front yard at the Villa Kathrine. Club volunteers will mount the sign and pay for all costs associated with the pole.

Frericks explained in the board packet that planting a peace pole is a way of bringing communities together to “inspire, awaken and uplift the human consciousness.” He said peace poles are now recognized as the most prominent international symbol and monument to peace, with an estimated number of more than 200,000 planted worldwide. The Quincy pole will have eight foreign languages on it.

The Adams County Bicentennial Commission was approved to place a black granite interpretive sign in Washington Park near the intersection of Fourth and Maine. The commission will secure the sign and pay for all costs. The sign will provide images of U.S. presidents who have visited Adams County along with a brief description of their visit on the front. The rear of the sign will have a map showing the location of each presidential visit in relation to Washington Park, as well as a brief history of Washington Park.

The Adams County Bicentennial Commission also was approved to place a stainless-steel time capsule and plaque in Washington Park. The stainless-steel time capsule will be buried west of the Lincoln-Douglas Debate Memorial near the Lincoln Bicentennial time capsule buried in 2009. The filling of the time capsule will be performed during a public ceremony at the Adams County Bicentennial Finale at the Adams County Fairgrounds on Sept. 6. The burial of the time capsule will not be a public event and has not yet been scheduled.

The Friends of the Lorenzo Bull House was approved to place a memorial plaza behind the newly approved sign in the front yard on the corner of 16^th and Maine. Plaques or pavers no larger than 18 inches by 18 inches will be placed on or near memorial benches or on a board-approved memorial plaza. The plaques or pavers must be donated in memory of a person and may contain the name or a person. Friends of the Lorenzo Bull House will pay for all expenses, including installation.

In other action, commissioners learned:

• Indian Mounds Pool is scheduled to open May 30.
• The men’s city golf tournament will be played this weekend at Westview Golf Course.
• 108 slips have been rented at Art Keller Marina in advance of boating season.
• The shelter house at Quinsippi Island is expected to be completed by June 1.