“After the playground,” said Dawn Sonnier, Idyllwild Community Recreation Council chairwoman, referring to other pending board business and the upcoming June 13 through 17 construction of the community playground on the Idyllwild Community Center site.

Other business that will wait until completion of the $100,000 plus project includes recruitment of new board members, a decision about how to recover costs for water and electricity that ice rink entrepreneur Gary Steven incurred this winter, decisions regarding the Idyllwild Skate Park’s future, and plans for another season of the popular ICRC Speaker Series.

With Scott Redeker’s effective resignation, there are only four seated board members out of the authorized seven. Redeker’s resignation also leaves the Speaker Series at least temporarily in limbo. Redeker had managed the series over the last year, securing speakers, co-sponsors and organizing the traditional wine and cheese reception that precedes each speaker. Former director Dick Goldberg had built the monthly event into an ICRC staple, attracting avid audiences for what he had envisioned as a Chautauqua Assembly West series of community enrichment presentations and discussions.

The Idyllwild Skate Park, built by ICRC with financial assistance from previous County Supervisor Jim Venable, also faces an uncertain future. Since termination of ICRC’s CSA 36 county recreation contract, the park has had difficulty retaining staff.

Currently volunteers staff the park. Days and schedules for being open are sporadic, dependent upon volunteers’ schedules. Recent grant applications prepared by board members have not yet proven successful. The board discussed allowing the park to remain open unstaffed, similar to other skate parks that board members have researched.

But that is only a discussion item and no action will be taken on the skate park’s future until after the playground is built. The annual ISP games, which normally are held in July, are being rescheduled for August, also because of the playground build.

The normal July meeting is cancelled. The board resumes its monthly meetings in August.