By Dave Fidlin
Correspondent
The composition of Whitewater’s Parks and Recreation Board was put under the microscope as city officials begin making changes to the new governing structure of the aquatic center.
The Common Council on Feb. 2 adopted a first reading of an ordinance outlining the membership structure of the board. The review and changes come on the heels of a newly minted five-year agreement, between the City of Whitewater and Whitewater Unified School District, on the aquatic center’s funding structure.
The purview of the Parks and Recreation Board is being expanded next year to include the Whitewater Aquatic Center. Currently, an independent group handles policy and management decisions concerning WAC.
At the heart of the most recent follow-up discussion was representation of the revamped Parks and Recreation Board, which will stand at nine members and include a mix of designees by the Common Council and WUSD’s School Board.
As is the case with most appointed boards, commissions and committees, none of the decisions made within the Parks and Recreation Board are binding; rather, the groups make recommendations to the Common Council for final determination.
But several council members did note an important fact about the potential composition of the board, when the changes take effect: There could potentially be a large number of Parks and Recreation Board members who reside outside of the city limits — particularly since WUSD’s boundaries far exceed Whitewater’s corporate lines.
To help mitigate potential concerns, the council has recommended, when a second reading is presented for final adoption, a provision calling for three of the five citizen members on the nine-member body be residents of the city.
Also discussed was a provision stating preference would be given to a citizen member with business and managerial experience.
“You are overseeing what is, in essence, a business,” council member Stephanie Goettl said, referring to WAC. “So I think that is important. It is something that should be taken into consideration.”
