After being closed for three summers, Sand Park Pool will reopen June 12, in large part because State Senator Steve Stadelman secured $260,000 to make critical repairs and upgrades.

The public pool shut down in 2018 when the Rockford Park District could neither afford nor further delay deferred maintenance that included concert repairs and replacement of filters and chemical controls. At the same time, environmental remediation was about to begin on the former Sand Park landfill site, including the conversion of a sledding hill and golf driving range into a nature preserve.

Senator Stadelman dedicated $260,000 in Rebuild Illinois capital funds for the needed repairs to save the pool as a summertime recreational opportunity for Loves Park families. Besides the pool repairs, state funds awarded through Stadelman also are paying or will pay for LED lighting, new motors for water slides in "Penguin Pond" wading pool and oversized, permanent "funbrellas" to offer shade.

"Sand Park Pool is one of many Rockford Park District amenities that improve our quality of life and make our region an attractive place to live," Stadelman said from the State Capitol in Springfield where the Illinois Legislature was in session. Park District officials announced the reopening during a news conference in Loves Park.

"I believe investing in recreational infrastructure is a smart use of state resources," Stadelman said.

Stadelman recently pledged $2.5 million in capital funds at his disposal to help address $6 million in deferred maintenance that had threatened to permanently close Riverview Ice House in downtown Rockford, among other Park District initiatives for which he has obtained financing since taking office in 2012.

Sand Park was scheduled to reopen in 2020, but COVID-19 prevention required the Park District to close all three of its public pools last season. The other two, Alpine and Harkins, are scheduled to open June 19. All three will require online reservations for two-hour blocks of time.
"Reopening of Sand Park and our other public pools signals, I hope, a return to normalcy this summer despite the ongoing global pandemic -- or at least a big step in that direction," Stadelman said. "It's an opportunity for kids and families to get outdoors and enjoy summer activities that has been sorely missed in Loves Park." 
 

Stadelman: Flying American-made flags is 'the right thing to do'

State agencies and institutions only could purchase american and Illinois flags manufactured in the United States under a measure sponsored by State Senator Steve Stadelman that passed in committee this week.

As a government, we have no business flying our state and nation’s flags if they aren’t made in America,” Stadelman said. “Supporting our local businesses and economies should always take priority. This is the right thing to do.”

The measure would change the Flag Display Act to no longer allow state institutions or agencies to purchase American and Illinois flags from manufacturers outside of the U.S.

“Our state agencies and institutions purchase flags every year,” Stadelman said. “This will ensure those flags are American made.”

Under the Flag Display Act, flags are designated to be necessary supplies for institution and agency budgets.

House Bill 605 passed the Senate State Government Committee without opposition and now heads to the Senate floor for further consideration.
 

Students need to understand consequences of sexting: Stadelman

Schools that teach sex education would be required to include a lesson about the risks of sexting under a measure sponsored by State Senator Steve Stadelman that passed committee this week.

“The last time this curriculum was updated, technology was not as advanced as it is today,” Stadelman said. “This measure would modernize our state’s education standards to include sexting so our children know the long-term effects and consequences of what may seem like a harmless act.”

House Bill 24, introduced by State Representative Maurice West, won approval of the Senate Education Committee on a vote of 10-5 and now heads to the Senate floor for further consideration. If approved there and signed by the governor, the bill would require schools that offer a sex education course or unit to modify their current curricula to include an age-appropriate lesson on sexting and its potential consequences.

“Students need to know about the real-life consequences of sexting,” Stadelman said. “How do we expect them to make an informed decision if they aren’t taught the dangers of sending or sharing sexually explicit messages?”