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Talk-Line: Duane Long with an update on Project Rock · WIXN AM 1460 - Shaw Local Radio

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  Speaker 1: We are quarter past the hour. This is Wednesday. It's
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  Speaker 1: June eleven of twenty twenty five, and it's time for
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  Speaker 1: another informational edition of talk Line here at w YAX
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  Speaker 1: in Radio. Good morning, I'm Steve Marco. It is time
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  Speaker 1: for our monthly look at news and information from your
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  Speaker 1: Dixon Park District. And who better to deliver the goods
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  Speaker 1: than the executive director of the Dixon Park District. He
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  Speaker 1: is lied with us by telephone once again for the
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  Speaker 1: June report. Our good friend Dwayne Long joins us in
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  Speaker 1: the spotlight this morning here at WYS and Dwayne, good.
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  Speaker 2: Morning, Good morning Steve. It's going to be a beautiful
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  Speaker 2: day to be in the parks.
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  Speaker 1: Finally today, well, it's going to be a warm day
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  Speaker 1: across northern Illinois and again a nice day to be
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  Speaker 1: out and about, and the parks are robust with activity. Dwayne,
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  Speaker 1: let's start off our talk line as we usually do
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  Speaker 1: with you, give us the park status report, take us
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  Speaker 1: around the parks and tell us what's happening, if anything,
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  Speaker 1: you know as far as infrastructure things like that works
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  Speaker 1: within the parks.
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  Speaker 2: Sure, ste let me start off by a couple of
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  Speaker 2: weeks ago, I got a text your home somebody said
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  Speaker 2: saying how busy Low Park was so pretty proud of that.
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  Speaker 2: That park has come back in the last five years
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  Speaker 2: after COVID brought Low Park back. It's very busy out there,
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  Speaker 2: a lot of people at Low Park. So that was
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  Speaker 2: good to see Mail Park down by our new playground.
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  Speaker 2: We're getting new eighty A sidewalks put in down there,
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  Speaker 2: going to the shelter and around at the playground. So
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  Speaker 2: such a busy place down there.
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  Speaker 1: Steve.
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  Speaker 2: We're finishing the whole block with sidewalk and courtesy of
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  Speaker 2: the City of Dixon helping out and partners up on
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  Speaker 2: that project with us. So the need was there, so
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  Speaker 2: we went with all sidewalks for the whole block of
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  Speaker 2: Custer Avenue. That's never been done before. So the other thing,
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  Speaker 2: of course, Page Park. There's going to be the Pride
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  Speaker 2: Festival in Page Park this weekend. We leased the grounds
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  Speaker 2: to them, so we don't have much to do with
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  Speaker 2: the event, but it is in Page Park down near
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  Speaker 2: Project Rock construction zone, so it will be busy down
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  Speaker 2: there this weekend. The construction crews have made accommodations to
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  Speaker 2: have that event down there. Other than that, Steve, the
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  Speaker 2: parks are looking good. Green grass all trimmed and manicured
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  Speaker 2: and ready for people to come out. All right and
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  Speaker 2: enjoyed the part.
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  Speaker 1: Give me an update on a couple of things, Dwayne,
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  Speaker 1: that I have a question about now. I did hear
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  Speaker 1: did we have anything as far as infrastructure or road
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  Speaker 1: work in Lowell Park? Did we have anything going on
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  Speaker 1: right now in Lowell Park?
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  Speaker 2: We do not. We did close the road last week.
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  Speaker 2: We had some tree damage from the storms that we
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  Speaker 2: had to close the road for about two hours, and
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  Speaker 2: so we cleaned out the shoulders of the roads from
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  Speaker 2: the trees overheing the roads and we had a tree
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  Speaker 2: come down during the storm. So just a couple hours
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  Speaker 2: of closure out there. Other than that, no road repairs.
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  Speaker 2: Everything looks good at low Park.
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  Speaker 1: Okay, And Dwayne, there has been talk and you can
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  Speaker 1: bring us up to date on this. There has been
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  Speaker 1: talk about putting some fencing around the playground area John
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  Speaker 1: Dixon Park. That was an issue that was brought up
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  Speaker 1: during the recent park board meeting.
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  Speaker 2: Do you have anything else for the Dad, I do so. Yeah,
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  Speaker 2: that was brought up to the board last month about
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  Speaker 2: putting a four foot black fence play a Chainley fence
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  Speaker 2: around the playground at John Dixon's Park. And we've had
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  Speaker 2: a couple of citizens reach out over the last couple
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  Speaker 2: of years, and I learned a little bit Steve. Children
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  Speaker 2: are diagnosed with wandering or eloping they call it. So
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  Speaker 2: these parents were just wondering if we could put a
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  Speaker 2: fence up around the inclusive playground at John Dixon Park only.
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  Speaker 2: And they were helped bringing with the cost of the
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  Speaker 2: fencing too, so it wasn't like they were just calling
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  Speaker 2: up with a concern. They were actually had a resolution
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  Speaker 2: to it to help pay for it. They've got some
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  Speaker 2: estimates and we're reaching out to other people and then
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  Speaker 2: we'll finalize that at the board meeting and see if
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  Speaker 2: the board decides to do that. So, yeah, it'd be
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  Speaker 2: just around the new inclusive playground John Dickson Park. There'd
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  Speaker 2: be one opening and then also there'll be enough inside
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  Speaker 2: the fence that there'll still be benches and picky tables
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  Speaker 2: inside that fence so you can sit there and watch
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  Speaker 2: your children. So kind of a neat little thing. My
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  Speaker 2: daughter lives in Chicago, so I see fencing around the
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  Speaker 2: playgrounds all the time. It's kind of unique in Dixon
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  Speaker 2: and we only have one playground at E. C. Smith
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  Speaker 2: that has that, so we may have another one here
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  Speaker 2: if the board decides to go that direction.
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  Speaker 1: Well, and and John Dickson Park, Let's face it two,
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  Speaker 1: Dwayne has been you know, a hub of you know,
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  Speaker 1: a busyness, let's face it to you know, with the
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  Speaker 1: music in the square every Friday, you know, through Dixon
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  Speaker 1: Chamber and Main Street. We've got some patuny festival events
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  Speaker 1: you know, located in John Dixon Park as well. Uh,
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  Speaker 1: you know, just you know interesting that you know, we
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  Speaker 1: see this come about and you know possibly you know,
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  Speaker 1: making its way into the park, probably hopefully not hampering
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  Speaker 1: you know a lot of these activities that are going
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  Speaker 1: to be taking place.
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  Speaker 2: Absolutely not Steve, and that was the first question that
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  Speaker 2: was asked to me, What was what do the Friday's
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  Speaker 2: music And it will not touch that at all. The
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  Speaker 2: fencing will be within ten feet of the playground, so
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  Speaker 2: it's just not going to encompass the whole at all.
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  Speaker 2: It'll be just a ten foot out from the playground
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  Speaker 2: around the playground. So actually, you know, your kids can
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  Speaker 2: go inside this playground and be inside the playground and
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  Speaker 2: then they'll have an opening that'll come out to the sidewalk,
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  Speaker 2: so no the car show for Petunia vests. Everything goes
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  Speaker 2: on in John Dixon Park, and we got to remember
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  Speaker 2: we got busy roads around John Dixon Parks. So it's
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  Speaker 2: a safety issue and that's the reason we're considering it
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  Speaker 2: and the and they're helping with the cost of the
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  Speaker 2: de fencing. Our maintenance staff would graciously put that in
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  Speaker 2: and save about five thousand dollars in labor, so a
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  Speaker 2: fairly cheap project, but it could be a big safety issue.
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  Speaker 2: But it will not change anything in John Dixon Park.
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  Speaker 2: We love how that park's used with the car show,
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  Speaker 2: Friday Music in the Park, so many other events, and
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  Speaker 2: just the general people using the shelter and walking in
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  Speaker 2: John Dickson Park every day will not be hampered at all.
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  Speaker 1: By this time, the executive director of the Dixon Park District,
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  Speaker 1: Dwayne Long, our guest today on w i XN and
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  Speaker 1: today's talk line spot Like Dwayne, let's talk about Project Rock.
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  Speaker 1: You mentioned it at the outside of the program. How's
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  Speaker 1: that going in page Park?
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  Speaker 2: Now? Sure, I'll be brief because it's all over the headlines.
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  Speaker 2: There's pictures in the paper today. So just the piers
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  Speaker 2: are being constructed, and just a little bit about the piers.
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  Speaker 2: They're being stamped and colored to look like the stone
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  Speaker 2: bridge in Page Park. So that was the whole concept
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  Speaker 2: when we first started doing this. The city decide we
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  Speaker 2: want to match that existing stone bridge, so the stone
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  Speaker 2: on the bridge, the pedestrian bridge will mimic the stone
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  Speaker 2: on the stone bridge and Page Park. So that's kind
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  Speaker 2: of neat. Those are starting to take shape. As I
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  Speaker 2: said before, the steels coming right after Portunity Fest to
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  Speaker 2: set the trust is on the bridge. All trails are
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  Speaker 2: close to being constructed already up through the woods and
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  Speaker 2: around Page Park, so they've got the gravel base on
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  Speaker 2: those already, and the switchback taking is taking shape. So
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  Speaker 2: the switch back is how you were going to get
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  Speaker 2: off the pedestrian bridge down in the Page Park. That
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  Speaker 2: is shit in the soil already and they're starting to
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  Speaker 2: construct the switchback. So hey, everything's looking good down there.
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  Speaker 2: I spent all day down there. I've got an interview
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  Speaker 2: at ten o'clock to day down there. Spending quite a
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  Speaker 2: bit of time down there, but it'll be worth It's Steve.
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  Speaker 2: This is a huge project. The transformation of this park
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  Speaker 2: is going to be unbelievable, and we're just excited for
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  Speaker 2: them being on time. And actually a little head I.
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  Speaker 1: Was going to say, you know, what's the clock look
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  Speaker 1: like to wait on this? Are we ahead of schedule
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  Speaker 1: or are we behind schedule? And it sounds like we're
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  Speaker 1: in front.
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  Speaker 2: Of the piers. The piers are right on schedule, and
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  Speaker 2: the trails are way ahead of schedule. So there's kind
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  Speaker 2: of two parts to the project, Steve. The bridge is
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  Speaker 2: kind of an own little thing there, and then the
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  Speaker 2: trails and the road repairs another. So we're way ahead
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  Speaker 2: on trails and roads. We're right on time with bridge.
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  Speaker 2: So everything looking good. You know, the construction world, the
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  Speaker 2: first thing everybody says, you're always behind. We're not behind
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  Speaker 2: on this one. We're right on time all right.
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  Speaker 1: With the of course, the activities this weekend, as you mentioned, Wayne,
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  Speaker 1: in and around that contry ruction area, it's going to
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  Speaker 1: be kind of a busier area in and around that
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  Speaker 1: construction and I got to believe Dwayne, and I'm hoping
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  Speaker 1: that we can visit. We'll just have to wait and
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  Speaker 1: see how the calendar pans out before the Petunia festival.
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  Speaker 1: But with all of that activity taking place very close
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  Speaker 1: to that construction area, Dwayne, it's going to be, you know,
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  Speaker 1: a very tight area, do you believe maybe you know
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  Speaker 1: down there for the for the upcoming seasonal.
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  Speaker 2: Resolutely see for the Pride Festival, Platunia Fest, and don't
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  Speaker 2: forget about band concerts at the bandsheld all that's going
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  Speaker 2: to continue on. We've talked about this a year ago.
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  Speaker 2: Everybody in these groups are very understanding. I think they
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  Speaker 2: all know what the finished product's going to be. Their
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  Speaker 2: event's gonna have more parking, their events gonna have lights there,
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  Speaker 2: events gonna have street painting, so they're all aware of
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  Speaker 2: It might be a rocky year, but the next twenty years,
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  Speaker 2: twenty five years, thirty years down there is going to
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  Speaker 2: be great with parking and lighting. So I think all
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  Speaker 2: groups are understanding. The public is just going to have
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  Speaker 2: to be understanding of these events. These people are doing
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  Speaker 2: the best they can with the situation. But the Tunia
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  Speaker 2: Fest will be right down there where it always is,
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  Speaker 2: Pride Festival, and the band concerts will be right there.
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  Speaker 2: So we're hoping everything goes smooth. Yes, there will be
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  Speaker 2: some hiccups. We just know that it's construction. But we
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  Speaker 2: got to tolerate to get the good product. All right.
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  Speaker 1: So again that word from Dwayne and our park district
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  Speaker 1: about the project Rock construction that continues to pace well
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  Speaker 1: ahead again, as Dwayne mentioned, ahead of schedule in our
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  Speaker 1: Dixon area. Dwayne, We're going to devote the last portion
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  Speaker 1: of our talk line then to talking about recreation, the
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  Speaker 1: facility park programs taken away. I mean, where are you
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  Speaker 1: going to start with this now?
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  Speaker 2: Well, I want to start with our kayak launch that Steve.
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  Speaker 2: I know you were very interested when we were constructing
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  Speaker 2: that last year if you remember. It's hard to remember back,
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  Speaker 2: but it was kind of a rough year for the river.
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  Speaker 2: It was flooded for a month and the season there.
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  Speaker 2: So this is our first full year. The water's got
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  Speaker 2: a good level on it right now. So our kayak
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  Speaker 2: canoe launch at Low Park. You cann kayaks for twenty
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  Speaker 2: dollars an hour. Just use your credit card and use
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  Speaker 2: an app and you just unlock the cage there, your
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  Speaker 2: kayak ore and life jacket comes out for you. It's
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  Speaker 2: a neat little system. Anybody eighty accessible kayak launch. It's
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  Speaker 2: the only eighty accessible place to get in the Rock
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  Speaker 2: River above the dam from here to Oregon. So it's
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  Speaker 2: kind of a neat little thing. I just want everybody
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  Speaker 2: to keep that in mind. It's open and live and
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  Speaker 2: ready to go. Farmer's Market Wednesday and Saturday seven and twelve,
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  Speaker 2: the biggest farmers market in the thirty four years I've
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  Speaker 2: bet at the Dixon Partner Strict. Pretty happy with that.
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  Speaker 2: We also got tent camping in the Metals and you
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  Speaker 2: can go out there. We got three designated spots you
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  Speaker 2: can primitive, tent camp and Metal This is the second
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  Speaker 2: year we've done that. We're promoting that. A lot of
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  Speaker 2: recreation things going on. It's that time of year. The
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  Speaker 2: Dixon Partner Strict GOP outing is August fifteenth. Spart Camp
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  Speaker 2: Steve is this week. We just did two hundred and
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  Speaker 2: ninety kids yesterday facility and we got this Thursday again
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  Speaker 2: for Spark Camp, and then we have another Spark Camp
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  Speaker 2: July fifteenth to seventeenth, Steve. If I can touch on
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  Speaker 2: Spark Camp, it's unbelievable camp for Dixon for the youth.
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  Speaker 2: We had something similar to that when I was the
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  Speaker 2: youth at the Dixon Partners. You went to individual parks
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  Speaker 2: and had a little spark camp if you will. So
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  Speaker 2: what we've done is just combined it for over two
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  Speaker 2: hundred and ninety kids and it's unbelievable. It was a
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  Speaker 2: great day. We had seventy pizzas for lunch. It was
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  Speaker 2: just a big camp. So fifteenth and seventeenth if you
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  Speaker 2: want to get involved and here, you can come out
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  Speaker 2: Thursday at nine o'clock this Thursday at the facility if
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  Speaker 2: you want to sign up late and come on out
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  Speaker 2: and enjoy it. Also, we got the tennis lesson is
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  Speaker 2: June ninth through the twenty sixth. July seventh through the seventeenth,
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  Speaker 2: we have a volleyball camp June sixteenth through the eighteenth.
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  Speaker 2: We have two teen escapes trying something new with that
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  Speaker 2: age group that we lack here at the Dixon Partner
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  Speaker 2: strict age group, the teenagers. So June twenty sixth will
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  Speaker 2: do something at low Park and or July tenth will
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  Speaker 2: go to Lamont Corey. So that's a rope course up
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  Speaker 2: in Lamont Corey Kids table June twenty fourth and a
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  Speaker 2: three on three our first three on three basketball tournament,
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  Speaker 2: yes ly twelfth. Hilariy and Louise Court. I'm pretty happy
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  Speaker 2: about that. And Louise I talked to her last weekend,
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  Speaker 2: she will be on site for that tournament. Wonderful, all right,
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  Speaker 2: that'll be neat. And the last thing Steve we talked
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  Speaker 2: about off air is the OSF Tennis Classic July first
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  Speaker 2: and second and July fifth and sixth. Steve, a lot
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  Speaker 2: going on at the Dixon Park District and our community wants.
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  Speaker 1: Again absolutely surrounding a lot of outdoor special events coming up.
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  Speaker 1: Of course, a lot of those activities that Dwayne mentioned
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  Speaker 1: will be associated with the Petunia Festival, the Tennis Classic,
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  Speaker 1: the Three on Threes, all of that associated with the
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  Speaker 1: Dixon Petunia Festival. So a lot connected onto some upcoming
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  Speaker 1: events that utilize theon Park District. And like I said,
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  Speaker 1: I'm hoping to get Dwayne long on before the Dixon
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  Speaker 1: Petunia Festival in order to get our parks in line
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  Speaker 1: for the upcoming festival first part of July. Dwayne, the
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  Speaker 1: busy time at the Dixon Park District. For registration information
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  Speaker 1: on a lot of these events, how do they connect?
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  Speaker 2: Go to DIXONPARTIESEA dot com or give Jana a call
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  Speaker 2: at eight one five two eight four three three erho
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  Speaker 2: six at the facility and she will guide you to
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  Speaker 2: wherever you need to go. She'll get you signed up
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  Speaker 2: for whatever you need to get signed up for.
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  Speaker 1: And again go to that Dixonparkdistrict dot com website for
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  Speaker 1: immediate information, schedules, things like that. Again, the Dixon Park
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  Speaker 1: District that reports into us every month right here on
• 13:38
  Speaker 1: wix and Dwayne, that takes care of our report for June.
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  Speaker 1: Busy time for the Dixon Park District as we spring
• 13:43
  Speaker 1: into summer, and we thank you so very much for
• 13:45
  Speaker 1: the report today.
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  Speaker 2: Steve, thanks for having the Dixon PARTISERC and hopefully I
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  Speaker 2: get to talk to you before Petunia Best.
• 13:51
  Speaker 1: The executive director of the Dixon Park District, Dwayne Long,
• 13:54
  Speaker 1: our guest on the talk line today here at WIXN
• 13:57
  Speaker 1: eight thirty News Next with Tim Lee, Don't the Fool
• 14:02
  Speaker 1: Thing