As the final school bell of the year has rung, the State Track & Field Tournament is now behind us — congratulations to all of the athletes and students who represented their schools and communities so well — and softball, baseball, soccer, and many other summer activities begin filling our parks and schedules, we officially welcome the summer season in Avoca. The City of Avoca would like to thank our residents, businesses, volunteers, boards, and community partners for helping make our community one we can all be proud to call home. From beautiful parks and recreational amenities to community celebrations and neighborhood pride, Avoca continues to thrive because of the people who care deeply about this community.
Community Pride & Nuisance Reminder
Earlier this spring, the City mailed a “Common Nuisances” informational mailer to properties throughout the community as a friendly reminder regarding property maintenance standards and City ordinances. Throughout the seasons, the City will be sharing brief, informative “Code Reminder” posts on our socials (Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn) to serve as public service announcements and educational reminders for residents and property owners. We always strive to equip you for proactive, voluntary compliance!
Beginning July 1, 2026, the City will begin stricter enforcement of nuisance and property maintenance ordinances. We respectfully encourage all residents and property owners to review their properties during the month of June and proactively address any concerns before enforcement begins.
Please help us keep Avoca clean, safe, and beautiful by taking care of the following common issues:
Remove or properly license unlicensed or inoperable vehicles;
Ensure vehicles are parked legally on improved surfaces and not illegally parked in streets, alleys, yards, or other prohibited areas;
Keep grass and weeds maintained below the City’s 6-inch limit;
Safely repair or remove dilapidated, unsafe, or dangerous structures;
Remove garbage and recycling tipper carts from the public right-of-way within 24 hours of collection.
We sincerely appreciate everyone who takes pride in their property and helps contribute to the overall appearance and safety of our community. Thank you for proactively helping keep Avoca beautiful!
Avoca Swimming Pool Opens for Summer Fun!
Summer fun officially begins at the Splash Aquatic Center! We are excited for the pool to officially open for the season on Monday, June 1st. Regular pool operating hours will be 1:00 PM to 8:00 PM daily. We hope these hours provide children the opportunity to enjoy daytime swimming while also allowing families time to enjoy the summer season together after work and throughout the evening.
We encourage families to stop by City Hall to purchase their individual, senior, or family pool passes in advance to help reduce lines at the pool entrance as excited kids eagerly await opening each day, while ensuring everyone can enjoy a full season of summer fun. We also recently held an evening pool membership sign-up event, which was well received. We plan to continue offering these opportunities in advance of future pool seasons and hope to begin them even earlier next year for added convenience to families.
Fun Pool Facts!
Did you know the Avoca Swimming Pool holds approximately 300,000 gallons of water? The pool was last painted and sealed in 2020, which is a major maintenance project typically needed every five years. Due to last year’s water restrictions, the work had to be postponed until this season. This year, the City hired a specialty company from Illinois to complete the project. Despite having a tornado strike their shop the very week they were scheduled to come to Avoca, they rallied and still arrived just a few days later to complete the work. In addition to repainting and sealing the pool, several infrastructure repairs were also completed, bringing the total investment to more than $40,000. The pool is fresh, updated, and ready for a fantastic summer season! We are also excited to announce the return of “the snake” this year. While new pool chairs are planned for next season, families are encouraged to bring their own lawn chairs this summer and enjoy a relaxing day at the pool. We are proud of our pool as it is one of our amazing amenities for children, family and visitors!
The City would like to extend a tremendous thank you to everyone who worked tirelessly preparing the pool and facilities for opening day, including:
Public Works Director: Michael Chapman
Public Works Team: Bailey Walker, Jeff Sage, and Donnie VonEschen
Pool Manager: Tina Scrogge
Mayor Tom Bruck
Mayor Pro Tem Deb Calhoon
Our dedicated lifeguards and concession staff
The Culture & Recreation Advisory Committee
City Hall Team: Cydney Shriver, Teresa Hoepner, Wendy Dierking
We are especially grateful to have 17 lifeguards and four concession workers this year, helping make this a safe, enjoyable, and exciting summer season for our community. This is going to be a fabulous “Summer Time Fun” season in Avoca!
Swimming lessons are scheduled for Monday, June 15th through Friday, June 19th. Registrations are due by 4:00 PM on Monday, June 8th at City Hall. Watch the City’s social media pages (Facebook, Instagram) for special announcements regarding swim lessons, pool events, and special activities throughout the summer. Our long-term goal is to continue expanding pool programming and recreational opportunities for youth and families.
Avoca's Swim Team Program
While the City does not organize, manage, or oversee a swim team program, we remain supportive of community efforts to potentially re-establish a local swim team in the future. We appreciate the many years of dedication, passion, and care that helped shape the Avoca Area Swim Team into something so meaningful for generations of young swimmers and families. The impact made through the program over the decades is undeniable, and we recognize how important swim team has been to our community.
While we cannot change the past, new leadership in Avoca is focused on moving forward in a positive and productive direction. Due to the dissolution of the previous conference in which Avoca participated, it was unfortunately not possible to organize a team or conference on short notice for this season. However, there has been community interest in exploring opportunities for next year, including identifying volunteer leadership or coaching support and potentially partnering with nearby communities or conferences for competitive opportunities. As we continue working to strengthen recreation opportunities within our community, we want residents to know that bringing back swim team is something we care deeply about.
We are thankful for everyone who has supported the program over the years and remain hopeful about what the future can hold for swimming in Avoca. The City would be happy to help connect interested individuals with past volunteers and supporters to assist in those discussions. If you are interested in helping explore future possibilities, please contact City Hall at 712-343-2424.
AvocaDays & Summer Events
Please make plans now to participate in the upcoming AvocaDays Community Celebration, July 3rd, 4th, and 5th and all the exciting events planned throughout the summer season. We are incredibly fortunate to live in such an active, welcoming, and beautiful community with outstanding parks, recreational amenities, local events, and community spirit. We encourage everyone to get involved, volunteer, attend events, and celebrate our wonderful community together. Let’s make America’s 250th Anniversary Celebration one for the books!
A very special thank you goes to Cydney Shriver, the City’s Community Relations Coordinator, for the incredible amount of time and energy she invests in promoting Avoca. From taking amazing photographs and drone footage to coordinating activities at the golf course, swimming pool, parks, and throughout the community, Cyd works tirelessly to showcase everything that makes Avoca special.
Avoca’s success is built upon the dedication of past, present, and future community leaders, volunteers, businesses, staff, and residents who continue striving to make this community all that it can be. Thank you for helping make Avoca such an amazing place to live, work, and raise a family.
Shawnna L. Silvius
Avoca City Administrator