By JAN LARSON McLAUGHLIN
BG Independent News
Parks across Wood County will be able to add equipment for kids to play on, safety surfaces for them to fall on, and benches for their parents to sit on.
The Wood County Park District board of commissioners voted Tuesday to approve $100,000 in grants to 18 community parks – allowing cities, villages and townships to make improvements that they might not otherwise be able to afford.
This year, every entity that applied for park grant money received some, said Wood County Park District Director Neil Munger.
“We were able to spread the money out,” he said.
The practice of handing out grants to local community parks began decades ago when the park district passed its first levy. The grant amount has grown to $100,000 a year to reinvest in local parks.
Board member Denny Parish suggested that it may be time to increase the total annual grant amount again.
This round of funding went to:
- Bowling Green – $4,712 for interpretive signage.
- Custar – $10,000 for shelter house construction.
- Cygnet – $8,066 for safety surfacing of the playground.
- Grand Rapids – $2,986 for bike repair station installation.
- Haskins – $12,000 for phase one of playground installation.
- Lake Township – $3,639 for life rings cabinets and posts.
- Luckey – $4,360 for playground mulch safety surfacing.
- Millbury – $11,750 for ball diamond renovations.
- North Baltimore – $693 for pickleball court equipment.
- Pemberville – $4,450 for park signage.
- Perrysburg – $6,590 for concrete trash cans.
- Perrysburg Township – $9,875 for playground mulch safety surfacing.
- Tontogany – $1,779 for park repair replacement project.
- Troy Township – $2,309 for replacement bench.
- Walbridge – $1,838 for shade umbrellas and bases.
- Wayne – $1,817 for replacement playground equipment.
- West Millgrove – $12,120 to move playground for proper safety zones.
- Weston – $1,016 for baseball fence safety cap.
In other business at Tuesday’s meeting, the board bid farewell to Bob Hawker, whose term is over at the end of December. Prior to serving on the board, Hawker was a member of the Friends of the Wood County Park District.
“You are a great steward of the county resources,” board president Tom Myers said to Hawker, who served as a mentor to newer board members.
Hawker was also recognized for his support of park programming – frequently praising staff for creating new programs, and getting people excited about participating in them.
Jim Witter, park district program coordinator, made sure to mention the latest new program offered by the district – teaching humans how to handle confrontation with animals such as bears, deer, cougars or coyotes.
Witter thanked Hawker for his continued support of creative programming.
