Yahoo News Panel backs new members of Aurora Aquatics Board
Aurora is looking at appointing two new aldermen to the Aurora Aquatics Board.
The City Council’s Rules, Administration and Procedures Committee recently recommended Mayor Richard Irvin’s appointment of Alds. Ron Woerman, at large, and Brandon Tolliver, 7th Ward, to the board.
The Aquatics Board is made up of five people who oversee the city’s aquatic facilities, basically Splash Country on the far West Side, and the facility in Phillips Park on the East Side.
The makeup of the board is two regular representatives from the city, two from the Fox Valley Park District and a fifth representative that alternates each year between the city and the park district.
This year, 2024, that fifth representative is from the Fox Valley Park District.
The two swimming facilities are operated in partnership by the city and the Fox Valley Park District. The park district manages the facilities, but both share in the costs.
For years, the city was represented on the Aquatics Board by former Alds. Robert O’Connor, at large, and Scheketa Hart-Burns, 7th Ward.
After O’Connor retired from the City Council, he stayed on for one year as the city’s representative. He passed away in 2022.
Hart-Burns was on the Aquatics Board for many years. She passed away suddenly last summer.
Alex Voigt, deputy chief of staff in the mayor’s office, said the mayor thought it was important to keep an alderman at large and the 7th Ward alderman on the board for continuity sake. Tolliver was appointed alderman late last year to replace Hart-Burns.
The vote to recommend the two representatives was 3-1, with Ald. Edward Bugg, 9th Ward, voting against. Bugg said he thought any representatives on the Aquatics Board should agree to get a pool pass and go to the facilities.
Ald. Carl Franco, 5th Ward, another committee member, said most of what the Aquatics Board does is look at things like cost and general management of the pool.
“I don’t see a whole lot of need to go to the pool,” he said.
But Bugg said he thinks it would be “better” if the representatives went to the pools.
“Sitting in a room and discussing in theory is one thing; to go the pool and talk to people at the pool is another,” he said.
Aldermen will consider the appointments at the Feb. 20 Committee of the Whole meeting.
