The Manhattan Park board took steps to secure an additional $2 million bond to help fund the Round Barn Farm restoration project and fund a park in the Stonegate subdivision.
In March 2025, the board approved a $2.25 million bond for the Round Barn Farm, which at the time was all that was anticipated to complete the renovation project of the historic round barn.
“Nobody anticipated the cost estimates to be as high as they did as they came in when we did the first bid,” Executive Director Jay Kelly said.
“We got the entire barn restored for $900,000, and the cost of building some walls and a couple of staircases came back at nearly $2 million, which is why we won’t be doing that,” Kelly said.
They revised the interior buildout plan, and Kelly said that since they needed to go through the process of securing more funding, they wanted to make sure it covered everything, including furnishings. The new bond is expected to cover everything.
Andrew Kim with Speer Financial attended the meeting and gave a bond presentation, explaining the type of bond, the legal nuances, and what the process would look like to secure it.
Kim said that the park district had plenty of revenue, over 300% available, to repay the bond without increasing taxes. The bond is a general obligation bond with an alternate revenue source, guaranteed by taxes, but structured so it’s highly unlikely they’ll need to rely on taxes.
The ordinance approval essentially “gets the ball rolling,” Kelly said, and the board could still decide not to approve the bond if the terms weren’t right. For example, interest rates could rise to the point that it wouldn’t be worth issuing the bond. The park district must provide public notice and hold a bond hearing.
Kelly reviewed the bond payment schedule, including other debt, noting the park district would carry the same amount of debt over time, with the 2026 series bond payment increasing as other debt falls off.
The board is expected to adopt the ordinance at the December meeting to secure the bond, and the park district expects revenue from the Round Barn Farm events to ultimately pay for the bond. In the beginning, the barn could not sustain the debt payments by itself, so additional corporate revenue will help supplement payments. However, Kelly explained that the barn’s revenue should later be able to take over.
Financial Audit Results: Clean, Unmodified
The good news is that the park district’s finances are in good order, at least based on the 2025/2026 audit results presented. Lauterbach and Amen’s Jasleen Kaur attended the meeting to present the audit results, which were a clean, unmodified opinion, the highest and best level of assurance auditors can provide.
“This was a very smooth audit,” Kaur said, referring to having the information available to review and to how the process went.
Vandalism Running Rampant; Dirt Bikes Damage Parks Again
“Vandalism seems to be ramping up, for some reason. It’s all over the place,” Kelly said.
Park district officials are frustrated with the influx of destructive vandalism throughout its parks. The Central Park bathrooms had to be closed again because individuals kicked in doors, broke handles, put holes in the walls and caused other damage. A bench at the Leighlinbridge Park was ruined, and graffiti has been scrawled all over park equipment at the various parks.
Notably, kids riding dirt bikes have created a makeshift track, leaving deep ruts and damaging Round Barn Farm.
“We’ve had the cops out there four or five times,” Kelly said, but unfortunately, the kids then go off-road where the police have been unable to catch them. He noted it seemed to be the same group of kids, but he couldn’t be 100 percent sure.
The board discussed options for motion cameras or alternative ways to help secure the park.
“Here’s the problem: Bob and I chase a small group of kids down on the Kubota. They stopped, and we escorted them into White Feather [subdivision], where they came from,” Kelly said.
“Typically, the response to any authority is — it lacks respect, I’ll just say that,” Kelly added, noting that getting caught didn’t seem to deter the kids.
Dirt bikes also caused significant damage to Round Barn in the spring of 2025, the Vedette reported.
Park District Prepares for Fall Events, Move to The Station
The Park District’s annual Trick-or-Treat Trail at the Round Barn Farm is scheduled for Oct. 24 from noon to 2 p.m.
Winterfest is scheduled for Dec. 4. The Round Barn will be unavailable because it will be under construction, but they cleared out the garage to make room for Santa’s Workshop.
The park district hopes to hold the first board meeting at The Station in December. The park district is installing IT systems while staff at the Hansen Community Center prepare for the move.
The Park District purchased the former Fire Station 81 on Park Road in July 2023 and leased it back to the fire district while its new fire station was under construction.
The Station is expected to be a multi-use facility that will offer rental spaces, house The Den’s before- and after-school program, provide additional program space, and house the district’s administrative offices. The former apparatus garage bay will provide a climate-controlled shelter for the fleet of vehicles and equipment. The Hansen Community Center will be the home of the Recreation Department and will stay in operation following the administrative move.
