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Talk-Line: Duane Long on the Dixon Project Rock construction · WIXN AM 1460 - Shaw Local Radio

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  Speaker 1: We are quarter passed the hour. This is Tuesday, It's
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  Speaker 1: the fourth of March, the year is twenty twenty five,
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  Speaker 1: and it's time for another informational edition of Tuckline. Here
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  Speaker 1: at AM fourteen sixteen FM ninety five one wix in.
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  Speaker 1: Good morning. I'm Steve Marco. Time to talk to our
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  Speaker 1: friends from the Dixon Park District. Monthly report from the
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  Speaker 1: Dixon Park District, this one for March of twenty twenty five,
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  Speaker 1: features the executive director of the Dixon Park District live
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  Speaker 1: with us by telephone once again to fill in the
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  Speaker 1: blanks to give us what is going on through your
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  Speaker 1: Dixon Park District. Our good friend Dwayne Long joins us
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  Speaker 1: this morning here at w i x N.
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  Speaker 2: Dwayne, good morning, Good morning Steve. It's hard to believe
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  Speaker 2: it's March.
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  Speaker 1: I know it, Yes, I know it. We're about ready
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  Speaker 1: to jump ahead one hour, right, that's right. So this
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  Speaker 1: weekend I think that we set our clocks ahead, Nana.
• 0:45
  Speaker 1: We don't want to talk about the time. We want
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  Speaker 1: to talk about Dixon Park District news and information with
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  Speaker 1: Dwayne today here at AM fourteen sixteen FM ninety five one.
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  Speaker 1: And before we get to some very interesting news that
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  Speaker 1: Dwayne is going to share. We've seen activity along the
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  Speaker 1: Rock River lately and Dwayne's going to give us the
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  Speaker 1: lowdown on that. First, Dwayne, give us a park status
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  Speaker 1: report as we move from February to March and into
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  Speaker 1: the springtime months. You know, how are we looking as
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  Speaker 1: far as the parks are shaping up.
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  Speaker 2: It's that time of year, Steve, when the parks change
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  Speaker 2: a little bit, so they're really soft out there. Any
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  Speaker 2: pull off on the side of the road's going to
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  Speaker 2: leave ruts in the park. Page Parks experience a little
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  Speaker 2: damage down there, not intentionally, but there's a little damage
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  Speaker 2: down there. The lower at Low Park is still closed
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  Speaker 2: the traffic due to the soft ground. You can walk
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  Speaker 2: out there and you can go to the top and
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  Speaker 2: park road closures in Page Park. The construction of the
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  Speaker 2: bridge is starting down there, so there's some road closures
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  Speaker 2: to be aware of that construction area. There's things going
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  Speaker 2: down there every day. So other than that, all the
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  Speaker 2: parks are open ready for you, okay, and maintenance crew
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  Speaker 2: will be out there probably another two weeks getting those
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  Speaker 2: parks cleaned up and Red Ghost to be aware of
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  Speaker 2: the maintenance crew in the park all.
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  Speaker 1: Right, we're not talking boat docks in yet, Dwayne, or
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  Speaker 1: anything like that. Pretty early yet in the year, isn't
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  Speaker 1: it pretty.
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  Speaker 2: Early for boat docks. I did see a fisherman out there,
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  Speaker 2: yes I did. Yeah, yeah, but yes, the ramps are
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  Speaker 2: always open, Steve, but the docks are not in.
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  Speaker 1: Yet, okay, right, And kind of tripping back, I did
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  Speaker 1: see the ice rink go up for a few days
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  Speaker 1: here recently, Dwayne, as we kind of chilled out across
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  Speaker 1: the Shock Valley area, so we got some time in
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  Speaker 1: for the ice rink.
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  Speaker 2: Oh. I was so happy, Steve, because last month I
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  Speaker 2: said that was probably gonna be it, and we got
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  Speaker 2: another week and a half out of it. It was great.
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  Speaker 2: And me and my wife and my daughter actually went
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  Speaker 2: ice skating the day before we tore it down. So
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  Speaker 2: we skated one night and the next day we had
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  Speaker 2: to tear down because it was getting close there. So yeah,
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  Speaker 2: the ice rink has already tore down and put away
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  Speaker 2: for the winter. But we had about about eighteen days
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  Speaker 2: total this year for ice skating. I'll bet we saw
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  Speaker 2: over five hundred people down the ice rank. See, so
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  Speaker 2: three days eighteen days, it doesn't matter to us. The
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  Speaker 2: partnership clubs doing it. It's a lot of work, but
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  Speaker 2: it's worth It's a free program down there, rental skates, music,
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  Speaker 2: lights at night, and then you have trainers that can
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  Speaker 2: help you with the ice drink too if you know
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  Speaker 2: how to skate. So what a fantastic program and it
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  Speaker 2: continues to keep going and getting strong every year.
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  Speaker 1: Dwayne Long is our guest today from the Dixon Practitioners.
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  Speaker 1: He is our executive director with the update for March
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  Speaker 1: of twenty twenty five with us this morning, nine am,
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  Speaker 1: fourteen sixteen FM ninety five one. Let's get right to it, Dwayne.
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  Speaker 1: After checking the parks, let's get right to the situation
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  Speaker 1: down in Page Park. I see a great big crane
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  Speaker 1: now down in the Page Park area, and you mentioned
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  Speaker 1: road closures in Page Park. The project Rock Again story
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  Speaker 1: has started.
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  Speaker 2: I love how you say the situation because there's a
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  Speaker 2: lot of people down there watching this project, just parked
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  Speaker 2: there watching it. It's a big deal for Dixon, it's
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  Speaker 2: a big deal for the park district. So just to
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  Speaker 2: give everybody an update where we're at on that project. So, yes,
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  Speaker 2: a big crane was moved in and they put a
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  Speaker 2: tug boat in the river and they're putting barges in
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  Speaker 2: the river to be able to work on the piers
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  Speaker 2: in the water there. So that's what they're doing right now.
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  Speaker 2: The next step is to start removing some of the
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  Speaker 2: concrete abutments center down there. We're not using them all
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  Speaker 2: for the bridge, and then once those are removed, we'll
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  Speaker 2: start rebuilding a couple on the end for the bridge.
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  Speaker 2: So the steel for the bridge is coming in July,
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  Speaker 2: so they have to have all that done ready to
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  Speaker 2: set the bridge platform in July. So the phase one
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  Speaker 2: of the Project Rock is just focused on the bridge
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  Speaker 2: right now. So you're going to see a lot of
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  Speaker 2: action in that little center down there. Keep your eye
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  Speaker 2: open for road closures. They're going to try to keep
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  Speaker 2: it open as much as they can. High school students,
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  Speaker 2: be careful down there. There's a lot going on in
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  Speaker 2: that area.
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  Speaker 1: Okay, all right, Yeah, putting the word out word of
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  Speaker 1: warning because it is a construction area now and you're
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  Speaker 1: going to see a lot of construction. As you mentioned, Duane,
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  Speaker 1: some of the abutments and I'm assuming those are the
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  Speaker 1: ones on the north end right that are going to
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  Speaker 1: come out, Is that correct? Wayne?
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  Speaker 2: The here and in the river and in the river.
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  Speaker 1: Okay, okay, correct, all right, So there will be some
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  Speaker 1: taking out of the river as well as those north
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  Speaker 1: end A buttonments which were used as the former railroad
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  Speaker 1: trestle will be removed. So that will be one of
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  Speaker 1: the again projects taken under by the construction crew. As
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  Speaker 1: Dwayne mentioned, there's gonna be a lot of closures, a
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  Speaker 1: lot of changes. You know, Page Park, Dwayne is also
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  Speaker 1: going to be refurbished. Is he gonna go kind of
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  Speaker 1: in play with this or how's this going to work?
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  Speaker 2: Now?
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  Speaker 1: As far as the timing of what's going to be,
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  Speaker 1: you know, redone in that area.
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  Speaker 2: Right, So always roads are always paved at the last
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  Speaker 2: part of the project so they don't tear if any
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  Speaker 2: of the road surface. So you're gonna see trail building, roads,
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  Speaker 2: new lights. You're gonna see all that, probably mostly in
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  Speaker 2: year two. Year one is gonna be basically the bridge
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  Speaker 2: to get us through. So, like I said, the steel's
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  Speaker 2: not coming till July, and it'll take you know, the
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  Speaker 2: remainder of the summer probably to get the bridge up
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  Speaker 2: and going. So the bridge and the access off the
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  Speaker 2: bridge to come down to the high school, all that
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  Speaker 2: will be year one roads and trails lights. That'll probably
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  Speaker 2: year two. That's kindative schedules.
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  Speaker 1: Okay, night, so we'll continue to follow it. We do
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  Speaker 1: it monthly with our good friends from the Dixon Park District.
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  Speaker 1: Here at a fourteen sixteen FM ninety five one, giving
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  Speaker 1: you an update what is happening in that important area
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  Speaker 1: of Dixon as we see the Project Rock taking shape
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  Speaker 1: again in our Shock Valley area. Dwayne, let's move away
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  Speaker 1: from Project Rock for just a bit and talk about
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  Speaker 1: other areas of the park district. The Edwards Nature Center
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  Speaker 1: at Lowell Park. You wanted to do a feature that
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  Speaker 1: this morning.
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  Speaker 2: I did want to highlight that, Steve. Last month we
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  Speaker 2: were looking for a director of the nature center, and
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  Speaker 2: within one week of our radio interview we had a director.
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  Speaker 1: Wow.
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  Speaker 2: So that director, her name will be announced April first.
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  Speaker 2: That's where're going to reopen the nature Center for programming.
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  Speaker 2: But in the meantime, I was just out there last night, Steve.
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  Speaker 2: We're remodeling inside the Nature Center. We're gonna get some
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  Speaker 2: new displays. We did some work on the outside between
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  Speaker 2: the highway and low Park where we moved some trees there.
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  Speaker 2: So the nature Center is open more to the public
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  Speaker 2: and visible. So a lot going on to the Nature
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  Speaker 2: Center even though we're closed. We will announce that person
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  Speaker 2: April first, and we're so excited to have a new
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  Speaker 2: person in there and she's ready to go. So exciting stuff, Steve.
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  Speaker 2: It moved fast and we're ready to go April first.
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  Speaker 1: All right, Well, is there anything on the agenda right
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  Speaker 1: now for the Nature Center as far as special activities
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  Speaker 1: during this month of March Dwain.
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  Speaker 2: Yeah, So there's gonna be a lot of new programming.
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  Speaker 2: The programming hasn't been let out yet, but we're gonna
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  Speaker 2: do a lot of different things this year, Steve. We're
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  Speaker 2: gonna do things out of the Nature Center. We're gonna
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  Speaker 2: do more of outdoor education, so we're gonna utilize all
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  Speaker 2: sixty eight years of Low Park, the Rock River, probably
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  Speaker 2: do some canoe trips through the Nature Center. We're gonna
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  Speaker 2: do a lot of stuff out of the Nature Center
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  Speaker 2: and get the kids out in the classrooms and stuff.
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  Speaker 2: So a lot of different things are going to become
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  Speaker 2: in the Nature Center, but a lot of the old
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  Speaker 2: things are still going to be at the Nature Center too,
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  Speaker 2: So just because they've been there doesn't mean they've been
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  Speaker 2: bad Steve. We want to continue those good programs, but
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  Speaker 2: we're going to add some outdoor education coming through the
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  Speaker 2: nature center this year.
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  Speaker 1: Well look forward to, of course those announcements as they
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  Speaker 1: come our way through the Dixon Park District here on WYXAM.
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  Speaker 1: Turning to the facility and recreational activities during this month
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  Speaker 1: of March, daway anything on the calendar.
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  Speaker 2: We have quite a few things, Steve. We have kids
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  Speaker 2: tables three to five March thirteenth. We have a Spring
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  Speaker 2: Break Spark Camp March twenty five through twenty seven, little
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  Speaker 2: sparks every Monday ten to noon, and we have a
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  Speaker 2: half day program. There's no school March twelfth at the facility.
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  Speaker 2: Those are always a big hit. We usually have fifty
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  Speaker 2: to seventy five kids there. It's a great time to
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  Speaker 2: come on up and have some pizza there. The golf
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  Speaker 2: room Steve, twenty five dollars an hour on Washington Avenue
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  Speaker 2: then a big hit this year with our new simulator
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  Speaker 2: get in there. We can rent that till eleven o'clock
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  Speaker 2: at night. There was somebody we rented that thing for
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  Speaker 2: all twelve hours on Saturday. Birthday parties at the facility
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  Speaker 2: another big hit. We've even added more time slots to
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  Speaker 2: reserve for birthday parties since they're a big hit. So
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  Speaker 2: if you want your party, get it at the facility
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  Speaker 2: and also your favorite Steve Farmers Market first. So we're
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  Speaker 2: excited for this year. We had fifty four people last year.
• 9:33
  Speaker 2: We're expecting the same. We're getting all geared up for
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  Speaker 2: Farmers Market. We have a couple of meet We have
• 9:38
  Speaker 2: had a couple of meetings on it. I can't believe
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  Speaker 2: it's that time of year, but I'm surely ready for
• 9:42
  Speaker 2: Farmers Market to start. That means spring is right there
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  Speaker 2: ready to go, see.
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  Speaker 1: All right, and then we'll start in April. Dwayne, is
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  Speaker 1: that rights it?
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  Speaker 2: Registration is April, okay, so we'll get that going and
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  Speaker 2: then usually like a month later.
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  Speaker 1: Start okay, right right, So farmers Market we're going yep
• 10:00
  Speaker 1: for that. On the Dixon Park District calendar, Dwayne lit
• 10:03
  Speaker 1: starts tomorrow the start of the run towards Easter. How
• 10:07
  Speaker 1: about the Dixon Park District in Easter this year? Do
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  Speaker 1: we have anything to say about that?
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  Speaker 2: Yes, we have our Easter egg hunt and that is
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  Speaker 2: coming up here real quick. I don't have the date yet,
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  Speaker 2: but we got We just received ten boxes of Easter
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  Speaker 2: eggs the other day, so we've got over five thousand
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  Speaker 2: Easter eggs sitting at our office and I'm sure they'll
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  Speaker 2: be gone here after Easter. So big event. He wants
• 10:31
  Speaker 2: to release that he's gonna do all the giveaways. It's
• 10:34
  Speaker 2: a big deal. See, we have over two thousand people
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  Speaker 2: come to our facility for an Easter egg hunt and
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  Speaker 2: see if they come, and one hour later they're gone.
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  Speaker 2: So it's a quick event, but it's an exciting event.
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  Speaker 2: And that'll be right around the corner here. Yeah.
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  Speaker 1: Absolutely. Now I'm hoping that you're on before we spring
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  Speaker 1: that upon the public as far as the Easter egg
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  Speaker 1: hunt is concerned. Now, Easter does fall in the middle
• 10:58
  Speaker 1: of the month of April, so hopefully around that time,
• 11:01
  Speaker 1: and it's usually center stage around that time that we
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  Speaker 1: do do the Easter egg Hunt and a very popular
• 11:05
  Speaker 1: activity through the Dixon Park. To issue Twaine, we still
• 11:08
  Speaker 1: have about a minute left to go before we complete
• 11:10
  Speaker 1: our talk line today and we just had, of course
• 11:12
  Speaker 1: a report from the latest park board meeting about your
• 11:15
  Speaker 1: solar farm and the situation there. It's just going to
• 11:19
  Speaker 1: change a little bit, not much in the way of change.
• 11:21
  Speaker 1: It's just going to change hands, so to speak.
• 11:24
  Speaker 2: Is that right, absolutely, Steve. So the solar company that
• 11:27
  Speaker 2: originally approached us decided that they do not or they
• 11:32
  Speaker 2: cannot operate it, so there's a difference. They brought it
• 11:34
  Speaker 2: to us, they got everything going, they got the events,
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  Speaker 2: they got the hookup to comment, and then that company
• 11:40
  Speaker 2: comes out and runs it. Well, they decided they're not
• 11:42
  Speaker 2: going to own and operate it, so they are selling
• 11:45
  Speaker 2: that to another company. And then that company comes in
• 11:48
  Speaker 2: and they operate, build it, and operate it. So that's
• 11:51
  Speaker 2: a big deal. Steve. This is twelve million dollars bill
• 11:54
  Speaker 2: for Dixon for electricians to be able to build this.
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  Speaker 2: So they're looking to start in July. But this company
• 12:01
  Speaker 2: made special provisions for the part district, so starting April
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  Speaker 2: they're going to start paying US rent for that twenty
• 12:07
  Speaker 2: four acres of three thousand dollars a month. So that's
• 12:11
  Speaker 2: a big deal. And also they're going to follow through
• 12:14
  Speaker 2: with their one hundred and fifty thousand dollars donation, so
• 12:17
  Speaker 2: that will be concluded before construction will start. So construction
• 12:21
  Speaker 2: is looking for July to start. It's been delayed twice,
• 12:25
  Speaker 2: so I don't guarantee anything, but we are receiving rent
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  Speaker 2: as of April first on the solar project and that's
• 12:31
  Speaker 2: the biggest deal. You know. We're going to green. The people
• 12:35
  Speaker 2: of Dixon will be able to get twenty percent off
• 12:37
  Speaker 2: their electric bill if they sign up for the community tollar.
• 12:40
  Speaker 2: But the part District is starting to get income from
• 12:42
  Speaker 2: this project. After three years, April first, we will start
• 12:46
  Speaker 2: seeing checks from this and the red checks for the
• 12:49
  Speaker 2: lease of the propty So we're excited to put that
• 12:50
  Speaker 2: in back in the budget and it goes back to
• 12:53
  Speaker 2: keeping everything at three dollars at the facility and hence
• 12:56
  Speaker 2: more income to the Part district without asking the tax
• 12:58
  Speaker 2: faish for more money. That falls right into the street.
• 13:01
  Speaker 1: We went all over the Dixon Park District landscape this
• 13:05
  Speaker 1: morning for you here at AM fourteen sixty and FM
• 13:08
  Speaker 1: ninety five to one, from a park status report to
• 13:10
  Speaker 1: Project Rock, to all of the activities taking place at
• 13:13
  Speaker 1: the Nature Center, to all of the good activities at
• 13:15
  Speaker 1: the facility and all that is connected with the Dixon
• 13:17
  Speaker 1: Park District. Dwayne Long brings us up to date monthly
• 13:20
  Speaker 1: here at AM fourteen sixteen FM ninety five one. Dwayne
• 13:22
  Speaker 1: that will conclude our report for today. Thank you so
• 13:24
  Speaker 1: very much for giving us the update, and it's an
• 13:27
  Speaker 1: exciting time again the build up, especially for the work
• 13:31
  Speaker 1: around the Rock River and Page Park area. Oh should
• 13:34
  Speaker 1: throw in the golf, the disc golf. I understand that
• 13:38
  Speaker 1: we're going to try to expand the Dicks's golf is
• 13:40
  Speaker 1: Lowell Park? Is that right, Duayne?
• 13:42
  Speaker 2: Yes, the board has gave permission to go ahead and
• 13:45
  Speaker 2: pursue nine more holes at low Park.
• 13:47
  Speaker 1: Over that all right, So we'll converse about that a
• 13:52
  Speaker 1: little bit later on, but that is in the works
• 13:54
  Speaker 1: as well, an expansion of the disc golf at Lowell Park. Duwayne,
• 13:59
  Speaker 1: for information, how do they get a hold of you?
• 14:01
  Speaker 2: Dixon partnerstric dot com Waite eight two eight four three
• 14:05
  Speaker 2: three oh six.
• 14:06
  Speaker 1: Those are the website addresses and the phone numbers the
• 14:09
  Speaker 1: connections through the Dixon Park District If you have any
• 14:11
  Speaker 1: questions to go there to check out their Facebook page
• 14:14
  Speaker 1: as well. Dwayne, always a pleasure having you on board.
• 14:17
  Speaker 1: Lots of information shared with us this morning. Thank you
• 14:19
  Speaker 1: so very much for that and we'll see if not
• 14:21
  Speaker 1: earlier in the month of April.
• 14:22
  Speaker 2: Steeve, thank you for having us planning period over for
• 14:25
  Speaker 2: the part district were ready to serve the public.
• 14:27
  Speaker 1: Dwayne Long, the executive director of the Dixon Park District,
• 14:30
  Speaker 1: our guest today on the Tuesday morning talk line Let's
• 14:32
  Speaker 1: Go to Press Now with Kim Lee