The Wood County Park District commissioners elected a chair and vice chair of the board and welcomed two new board members at the January 10 organizational meeting.
Serving as chairman this year is Tom Myers, and Sandy Wiechman has been named vice chair.
The commissioners introduced new park board members Rebecca Ferguson and Wendy Headley.
“We look forward to the knowledge you bring to the board,” said Ms. Wiechman.
Park Director Chris Smalley added, “It’s great to have you on board and I look forward to a busy year.”
Mr. Myers, who is entering his sixth and final year on the board, expressed appreciation to the women, noting that serving on the park board is a volunteer position. He believes that the women will “bring new perspectives which is incredibly important.”
“Having seasoned people with new members brings new and old perspectives together,” added Bill Cameron, park commissioner.
“We have learned a lot and want to help you learn too,” Ms. Wiechman explained. “Don’t hesitate to ask questions.”
She encouraged the new commissioners to speak with employees to familiarize themselves with park operations. “We have a wonderful staff, and our department heads are dedicated,” she said.
Other Business
In other business, the park board:
•Authorized the park director to look into acquiring a credit card and revising the employee manual to reflect usage of the card.
With more vendors not taking purchase orders, the park district is planning to get a credit card “to improve our purchasing power,” Mr. Smalley explained, adding only authorized staff will be allowed to use the card.
•Renewed participation in the Owens Community College center for law enforcement and professional development training consortium at a cost of $500. Training will be provided for the park district’s seven officers.
•Established mileage reimbursement at 65.5 cents per mile in accordance with IRS standards.
•Accepted the Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance grant. The funds will be used to purchase portable radios and related accessories for the park police from P&R Communications at a cost of $30,208.
•Authorized the park director to purchase employee dishonesty and faithful performance of duty coverage through the public entities pool.
•Received an update on the condition of the floor at the Otsego shelter building at Otsego Park. Andrew Kalmar, assistant director, said a review of the floor in the basement by a structural engineer revealed that steel I beams were installed sometime around 1990 and serve as a reinforcement. Those reinforcements are keeping the floor structurally sound, he explained.
Mr. Kalmar noted, however, that there are no reinforcements in the southeast corner of the building which houses a utility room.
“But there is lots of plumbing near the ceiling which will need to be removed and lowered to accommodate the steel frame,” he explained, adding, “The next step will be to obtain a cost estimate for the steel frame and relocating the plumbing.”
The next park board meeting will be held at 3 p.m., Tuesday, February 14, at the park district administration building, 18729 Mercer Road, Bowling Green, and is open to the public.