By JAN LARSON McLAUGHLIN
BG Independent News
The Wood County Park District Board discussed issues last week ranging from bikes, a dike and a spike in illegal activity.
During the last meeting of 2021, the board also bid farewell to its retiring director Neil Munger, and welcomed its new leader Chris Smalley.
Munger started with the park district nearly 30 years ago, when the district had just three park sites in the county. Now the district has 18 parks, including a quarry, archery range and several wooded areas.
“That has been because of your leadership,” Board President Sandy Wiechman said to Munger at his final meeting as district director. “We’re going to miss you dearly.”
According to Wiechman, Munger insisted on not having a retirement party – so she invited a few key people to his final board meeting.
Wood County Juvenile/Probate Court Judge David Woessner, who appoints park district board members, thanked Munger for his dedication to the people of the county.
“I’d like to publicly thank you for the people of Wood County,” Woessner said. “I’m proud to have worked with him.”
Wood County Administrator Andrew Kalmar, who previously held the position of park director, was once Munger’s boss.
“You really have done a great job,” Kalmar said to Munger.
“I had a great teacher,” Munger replied.
Kalmar credited Munger for adding new properties to the park district.
“You’ve taken it to the next step,” Kalmar said.
And past board president Bob Hawker praised Munger’s leadership with the board.
“The job is easy because of what Neil does,” Hawker said. He credited Munger’s open door policy for the park district’s record of growth.
Munger, in turn, gave credit to the park district staff.
“I told Chris, if you give them the space to come up with good ideas, they will,” Munger said.
Munger noted the irony in Smalley taking over as park district director.
“Chris was my first full-time hire when I was director,” Munger said.
The board officially voted last week to hire Smalley, at an annual salary of $94,182.
Wiechman also announced the retirement of Park Police Chief Todd Nofzinger, who has been with the district since 2007, and Assistant Director Jeff Baney, who has been with the district since 1989.
“We are going to miss you,” Wiechman said.
Also during last week’s meeting, the park board heard updates on the stalled bike park, the dike that could cause flooding problems, and concerns from a park neighbor about illegal activity on park property.
Munger reported that the Rudolph Bike Park is still unfinished, with the proper zoning permit not being attained by the contractor. Zoning requires a 50-foot setback off Rudolph Road, but the project has a 10-foot setback. So Liberty Township has asked that a concrete wall with a fence on top be constructed in that section for safety concerns.
The bike park has multiple pump tracks, each for a different skill level. From toddlers learning to ride a bike, to advanced mountain bikers, the Rudolph Bike Park is intended to provide a safe location for skills development on its three pump tracks and mountain bike skills loop.
Board member Denny Parish updated the board on the legal proceedings over a dike built on private property next to Buttonwood Park, on the banks of the Maumee River in Perrysburg Township.
The dike, which he said was constructed in a flood plain, puts the park at greater risk of flooding. A property owner cannot enhance his own property to the detriment of another, Parish said.
Also at the meeting, Center Township Trustee Doug Wulff spoke with the board about illegal activity on park district property at the deadend of Linwood Road. He reported finding used condoms and drug paraphernalia at the turnaround where a bridge used to cross the Portage River.
“There’s all kinds of illegal activity going on there now,” Wulff said.
The board discussed putting up signage, lights and possibly cameras to deter illegal activity.
