Wheaton parks adds fields, restores sick time payouts

The ability to hit home runs, spike volleyballs and kick goals is going south in Wheaton.

About 52 acres between the Danada Forest Preserve and Alcatel-Lucent business complex will be available for use by Wheaton Park District members by next spring.

Park commissioners approved a contract with the DuPage County Forest Preserve District Wednesday to use and maintain two ballfields, a 1.5-mile fitness trail, a soccer field and two sand volleyball pits.

The park district will begin work shortly on the fields to get them ready for play next year. The work will include fencing at the ballfields, installation of bleachers and portable toilets and turf improvements.

Sick time development

In a complete reversal of fortune from just one year ago, park district employees will once again benefit by not using all the sick days they receive each year.

It was almost a year ago that park district employees cried foul when they learned park commissioners cut a wellness plan that resulted in de facto Christmas bonuses for employees with extra sick time.

A starting park district employee gets 12 sick days a year. An additional sick day is given each following year. Sick days may be carried over to a maximum bank of 30 days. After that, all 12 must be used in a calendar year, or the district reimburses six days and the rest vanish.

That resulted in payouts of up to $920, before taxes, for an employee making about $40,000 a year.

Last year, a different regime of park commissioners deemed the program to be mismanaged and out of control. So they cut the benefit from the budget to save money.

The new regime of commissioners brought the program back Wednesday night.

Commissioner Terry Mee said the reimbursement plan is not unusual in the public sector, so killing the program sends a message of ingratitude to employees who take steps to stay healthy and come to work.

The decision forces district staff to find $35,000 to fund the expected payments to employees.