By DAVID DUPONT
BG Independent Newsa
The Wood County Park District Board of Commissioners Thursday (7-13-23) gave director Chris Smalley approval to seek money from TMACOG to help pay to repave the Slippery Elm Trail.
The trail that runs 13 miles between Bowling Green to North Baltimore is 28 years old. Smalley said other trails in the area need repaving at about 20 years.
That the Slippery Elm Trail, which he called “a regional gem,” is a tribute to the maintenance provided by the park district.
The money would come from the $1.5 million in TMACOG’s transportation alternative program, Smalley said. That money is available to entities in Lucas and Wood counties.
By passing the resolution the board agrees to abide by the provisions of the grant, including the sharing the cost. Smalley said the district would have to match at least 20 percent of the cost. The larger the match the better the chances are that the application would be approved.
This is the first time the district has applied for money from TMACOG.
Smalley said the cost of repaving would be about $80,000 a mile, or just over $1 million. They’d probably not ask for that amount, though. He said the district would like to seek funding to pay for about seven miles, or $560,000. It could seek funding for a smaller project. The match would come from the district’s capital improvement fund, which has about $300,000.
If the district doesn’t receive the funding it would have to do the repaving in shorter pieces. The grant would “allow us to get more done in a shorter window in better timing.”
The applications are due in early August with a decision in late October.
Assistant Director Andrew Kalmar said that it would probably be early 2025 before the project could start.
Smalley also announced that the district has completed the acquisition of its most recent park, the bike pump track in Rudolph, just off the Slippery Elm Trail.
After a bumpy start because of miscommunication over village zoning regulations, the park was opened a year ago. Now it’s paid off.
Commissioner Sandy Wiechman said the park staff went “above and beyond” to get the park up and running.
It is well used with after school hours and weekends the busiest times.
Smalley said the park district hosted a meeting of the Outdoor Parks Association at the facility a few weeks ago. About 30 representatives from park districts in Northwest attended.
Many asked questions about the pump track. Several districts are considering adding them, Smalley said.
The board also approved its “statutory” budget, a preliminary document. The actual budget will be approved in December.
Smalley thanked Board member Sandy Wiechman for pushing for 3-percent pay raises for staff be included in the budget which was passed with the approval of board chair Tom Myers, Wendy Headley, and Wiechman. Board members Rebecca Ferguson and Bill Cameron were absent.
It’s still a competitive hiring market, Smalley said.
The commissioners also approved sending the district’s well-worn Durango to the county auction as surplus. The vehicle has more than 200,000 miles.
Still, it should fetch a little money. That’s a bonus given the service the district has gotten out of it, Smalley said.
