New Cuba Parks and Recreation Board held its first meeting on Dec. 13, 2025, the first gathering since Nov. 18, 2025, when Mayor Kevin Copling cast the tie-breaking vote to dismantle the board. 

It started with the board reorganizing by appointing new officers. Karen Groom is the new president of the board, along with Vice President Faye Howard and Secretary Stacy Romo.

They jumped to the first topic on the agenda: sports programs and the fair board.

Amy Hendrix, with the Cuba Soccer Program, was concerned that they hadn’t received their written contracts from the city.

“I feel like we are defending a program that we should not have to be defending. We had accusations made against us, and I’m not sure why our program is under fire,” Hendrix said. “Three of the city members had met with my husband at Hood Park...and made accusations against us as lining our pockets and so on and so forth.”

After 15 years of running the program, she is perplexed as to why contract issues are arising. For all the years that Hendrix and her husband, Noel Hendrix, have run the soccer program, they “never heard of a contract,” as none had been previously shared.

Howard said that the board doesn’t deal with the program contracts.

“The city sets up the contract. You should have a contract with the city to use that piece of property,” Howard said. “It has nothing to do with the parks board.”

Dan Edison, former parks and recreation board member, commented on the knowledge of the current board.

“What should be kept in mind is that the majority of you have really no idea what’s been going on in the past nine months. Understood, you haven’t been in the meeting, you haven’t been briefed or whatever rumors that you might have had. You’ve got preconceived notions of everything going on,” Edison said. “(Hendrix) is trying to bring you up to speed on what she’s been put through, but see, you’re kind of giving me the impression that you’re taking the defense.”

The new board president acknowledged their defensiveness by suggesting the former members and youth program were attacking.

“The defense is on this side because you guys are coming at us....I have been paying attention,” Groom said. “I know what’s going on.”

Hendrix explained that the soccer program attorney told her that since they accept the park tax, the parks board has a say over their contracts and that the board “should be the ones helping to write the contracts and work with (them) personally.”

Beth Kight, parks board member, explained that they are here for the programs. She then introduced herself to the crowd.

A retired teacher, poultry barn chairman and long-time resident of Cuba, she wants to “see a rec center be built here.”

“If anyone that knows me, I work hard for everything. I’m not here, I don’t have a vendetta against anything. This is my home now. I want the best for it,” said Kight.

Everyone else then took time to introduce themselves, starting with Michael Dowdy.

“I’m a retired nursing teacher, and I taught P.E.,” Dowdy began. “I know I’m new here. I don’t know what’s going on, but I promise you I’ll do my best job to make you happy, all of you.”

Romo said she is a long-time resident of Cuba and all her kids attended school there.

“I just want to see the parks get better. For the past couple years, they haven’t been great, so I would just like to see them all get a lot better,” Romo said.

Christine Young said she grew up in North St. Louis City.

“When I started getting to the age where I was having children, and that, I didn’t want my kids on sidewalks. I wanted them in parks,” Young said. “I wanted them to express themselves, and play sports and do all these things that we didn’t have available readily down there.”

Groom mentioned that their father had a business in Cuba, but then she had moved away only to come back after she retired.

“I came here to Cuba and got back into the community, and I loved Cuba and I loved the people in Cuba. And I’m just here to make parks better, to make our community better....,” Groom said.

Maurie Smith moved to Cuba about a year-and-a-half ago.

“I wanted to help make things better, get (my daughter) involved with the community and stuff,” Smith said during her introduction.

Howard was a past board member who was reappointed to the new board.

“Actually, I set on the very first park and recreation board that was formed for about, maybe one term. I got on the city council,” Howard said. “I always felt like the park could provide more for everybody, not only the young people, but the older people as well.”

Last to give an introduction was Chris Kight. He grew up as a golf course worker, and currently works with the Cuba School District.

“All I want is to see the community have places where they can go relax and enjoy nature, and change the fishing pond around,” Christ Kight said.

Cierra Kitchen, Crawford County Youth Football president, and Jared Boast, Crawford County Fair president, both introduced themselves to the board. 

Cyndi Mercer, another former board member, had asked where the board was at “with all the stuff that’s impending...things that have been approved, things that are still waiting to be done.”

She further explained that the board hadn’t reached out to any of the former members for prior information, so that the new board is as up-to-date as possible.

Eidson directed a question to Groom.

“What was it about the prior board that you felt needed to be changed?” Eidson asked.

Groom refused to answer, stating that it was “a loaded question.”

Mercer joined the conversation.

“I said that there’s people sitting here that you advised, that the only reason why you’d come on the board, if you got, ever, all of us off the board, and that’s what was told to us,” Mercer said. 

A statement that Groom immediately denied.

Hendrix spoke up and said that Groom had actually said that to her.

“You told me their names in particular..., and that’s why I’m here because this is exactly what I’m afraid of,” Hendrix said. “Our program is being thrown under a bus because we can’t publicly acknowledge people. If we’re going to say it in private, say it in public.”

Groom then rehashed her previous statement.

“Amy, what I told you was, I was asked to be put on the board, and I said I would not be on the board if those, if Dan and Cyndi was on it,” Groom said. “You being removed was a done deal, Cyndi.”

“Oh, so wait a minute. So it’s prior, and you had knowledge of it. Wait a minute. You just caught yourself. Thank you. Glad that was recorded,” Mercer said.

Mayor Kevin Copling, who was in attendance, called for order.

Eidson proposed that the board has a month until the next board meeting to educate themselves on the prior meetings and what they were working on.

Mercer also asked that the board not vote on anything that they either don’t know about or are unsure of, but to table it and educate themselves on the matter.

The board transitioned into a discussion about the city pool and getting advertisements out so kids can get certified as lifeguards. 

Mercer spoke on the subject.

“And one of the things that some of the lifeguards had issues with, over the summer, was the pool constantly closing or them not getting enough hours,” Mercer said. “They want to be doing the pool parties. They want to be doing the teen nights. They want to be doing the movie nights, and the community wants that.”

Recently, lifeguards were given contracts, in which it stated that the city would pay for their swimsuits and certification as long as they stayed for a year. If they left before that year was over, the money for the swimsuit and certification would come out of their last paycheck.

Repairs at the pool also need to be made soon. The pool has the original lifeguard chairs and diving boards, which are in bad shape and in major need of replacement. 

Hendrix also mentioned that the bathrooms attached to the concessions at their facility need to be inspected and repaired. There is water on the floor from leaks; they are not ADA compliant and if looking from a certain spot, it is possible to see people inside.

The board will hold its next meeting at 6:30 p.m. on Feb. 11 at Cuba City Hall.