By JAN LARSON McLAUGHLIN
BG Independent News
Thirty years ago as the Wood County Park District worked to pass its first levy, a promise was made to share the wealth with community parks throughout the county. That promise has been kept, and continued again this week as the park board approved $100,000 in grants to 11 Wood County communities.
Over the years, the grants have helped municipalities add to park playgrounds and repair shelter houses – expenses many smaller towns could not afford on their own. The grants have also been used by several communities to make their parks more accessible to people with disabilities.
Following is a list of those communities approved for grants for 2018, the projects funded, and the amounts approved:
- Bloomdale – $4,157 for six picnic tables with two being ADA compliant.
- Bowling Green – $4,332 for a scaler tunnel net on a playground.
- Bradner – $2,479 for an 8-inch balance beam and merry-go-round.
- Custar – $6,900 for a sway bench and rain garden.
- Cygnet – $7,835 for ADA sidewalk, and $1,176 for safety surfacing.
- North Baltimore – $9,873 for safety surfacing, and $4,999 for shelter house roof replacement.
- Pemberville – $6,150 for shelter house conversion, and $2,485 for safety surfacing.
- Perrysburg – $10,000 for shade structure for ballfields, and $1,949 for porch swing bench.
- Walbridge – $14,372 for new basketball court.
- West Millgrove – $9,991 for swing set and safety surfacing, and $4,997 for trash containers and safety surfacing.
- Weston – $8,305 for two shade structures.
Though the Wood County Park District serves all of the county, the grants go a step further.
“This is a way of giving back to some of those communities,” said Neil Munger, director of the county park district.
To make sure the grant selection process is fair, the team that reviews and selects the winners is made up of park professionals from outside Wood County, explained Jeff Baney, assistant director of the county park district.
Also at Tuesday’s park board meeting, Munger went over the district’s draft budget for 2018. The board members will vote on the budget during their December meeting. Included in the budget are salaries raises of 1.5 percent for park district staff.
In other business, park board chairman Denny Parish announced that three members will be leaving the board. Parish thanked John Calderonello, Bob Dorn and Christine Seiler for their service on the board and dedication to the park district.
Parish noted that the loss of three board members will lead to the greatest turnover of leadership on the board since it was expanded from three to five members. Remaining on the board will be Parish and Bob Hawker.
Wood County Probate Judge David Woessner is accepting letters of interest and resumes for appointment to the Wood County Park District Board of Commissioners. The letters and resumes must be received by the probate court by 4 p.m. on Monday, Nov. 27. The Wood County Probate Court is located on the second floor of the Wood County Courthouse, One Courthouse Square, Bowling Green.
