Regional parks district approves first-ever budget

QUINCY — The Quincy Valley Regional Parks District is projected to generate about $4.5 million in revenue and spend about $2.08 million in 2025. District commissioners approved the district’s 2025 budget Tuesday. 

All the district’s income in 2025 will be its property taxes. Commissioners also approved a resolution authorizing the collection of property taxes for 2025. Property owners will pay 50 cents per $1,000 of assessed property value to the district.  

The district is projected to spend about $2 million for design and engineering of the new indoor sports and activity arena, known as the Q-Plex, and the new Quincy Aquatic Center. The district will pay $30,000 for administrative services from the city of Quincy. The other major projected expense is $25,000 for insurance, legal, audit and other costs.  

Formation of the district was approved by Quincy-area residents in November 2023.  

“Because our election wasn’t certified until Nov. 27 of last year, we weren’t able to make the certification levy deadline by Nov. 30,” said Executive Director Pat Haley. “So, we put that on hold for all of 2024 and now we’re going to start collecting in 2025.” 

Because the parks district won’t collect taxes until 2025, it’s borrowing operating money from the City of Quincy. Commissioners authorized acceptance of a loan of up to $2.5 million from the city until the district starts generating its own revenue.  

Money raised through the district must be used for specific projects — the only ones authorized are the Q-Plex and the aquatic center.  

The parks district includes the cities of Quincy and George and the area within the Quincy School District, minus the Douglas County portion of the QSD. It will manage the Q-Plex and the aquatic center when they’re built.  

Quincy city officials did some work on the Q-Plex project before the district was formed and came up with a preliminary design for a building with a steel frame covered by a membrane. Commissioners authorized hiring ALSC Architects, Spokane, to oversee the Q-Plex project. Haley said the building will be designed by Legacy Building, which specializes in membrane-covered buildings. 

The aquatic center design contract was awarded to NAC Architecture & Trinity NAC, Spokane.

The Q-Plex is scheduled for construction in Lauzier Park 13th Avenue Southwest. The building will be about 143,000 square feet, enough room for a football field or multiple soccer fields, two or four fields depending on the number of players. The fieldhouse also will have indoor courts that can be configured for basketball, volleyball or pickleball, among other sports. 

The existing pool is actually two pools, the original community pool that’s now called the lap pool and a separate waterslide. The lap pool was open for 2024, but had to be closed for part of the 2023 season while the city replaced drain covers that were no longer in compliance with state regulations. Haley said in an earlier interview that the lap pool also appears to be leaking.  

The existing pool is in East Park and the new pool will remain there, but will be relocated. A new parking lot is planned as well. That will require changes in East Park and other parks around town, which will be funded by the city of Quincy. 

Moving the pool will require moving the East Park softball field, which is the only softball field in Quincy with lights. City officials plan to build lighted softball and baseball fields in Lauzier Park, and Public Works Director Carl Worley said in an earlier interview that the first phase of the city’s upgrades to Lauzier Park will be construction of the softball field, along with a new parking lot.