Board Approves Negotiations to Purchase Two Parcels Totaling Over 200 Acres
Geauga Park District Board Regular Meeting - May 18, 2026
Meeting Details: The Geauga Park District (GPD) Board met on Monday, May 18, 2026, at 8:30 am at Big Creek Park Meyer Center, 9160 Robinson Rd, Chardon, OH 44024. This meeting was in-person only with no virtual attendance option. This Observer makes a request to GPD Executive Director John Oros (joros@geaugaparkdistrict.org) for the Board packet in advance of the meeting in order to better understand the substance of the matters on the Agenda.
Public Comment Policy: The Park District Board does not have a formal policy and in practice never permits public comment.
Board Attendance: Present were Commissioners Howard Bates, Ray Guarino, Sally LaMarca, John Ralph and Frank Stein.
Staff Attendance: John Oros, Executive Director; Matt McCue, Deputy Director; and Jessica Alpers, Administrative Assistant. Also in attendance were Ron Leyde, Fiscal Officer/Treasurer; Lucas Beamer, IT Manager; John Kolar, Chief Naturalist; Sandy Ward, Marketing Coordinator; Mike Rose, Chief Park Ranger and Todd Hicks, Legal Counsel from the law firm of Thrasher, Dinsmore and Dolan.
Public Attendance: Members of Protect Geauga Parks and this LWVG Observer.
Pledge of Allegiance: Recited.
Approval of Agenda/Addendum Items: There were no items added to the Agenda. The Agenda was approved.
Minutes: Minutes from the April 20, 2026 meeting were approved without question or comment and are posted online here.
Financial Report: Mr. Leyde verbally reported these individual fund balances as of April 30, 2026:
-
Beginning balance as of 4/01/2026 in the General Fund: $4,100,748
-
Ending balance as of 4/30/2026 in the General Fund: $5,563,590
-
Beginning balance as of 4/01/2026 in the Land Improvement Fund: $3,046,542
-
Ending balance as of 4/30/2026 in the Land Improvement Fund: $3,387,054
-
All Funds beginning balance on 4/01/2026: $7,147,290
-
All Funds ending balance on 4/30/2026: $8,950,644
Presentation of Payment Report for April: There were no questions, and there was no discussion.
Observer Note: There is no approval or motion regarding the payment report as the payments have already occurred.
Old Business - None.
New Business
Planning Update
Mr. McCue said that all projects are “awarded and underway.”
The following information is from the Board Packet. The figure listed is the budgeted amount; also indicated is who will be doing the work:
-
Big Creek Park - Deepwoods Restroom Improvements - Northeast Ohio Trenching - $365,000
-
Mountain Run Station - Asphalt Improvement - Phillips Paving - $220,000
-
The Rookery - West Operations Facilities Improvements - Zerbe - $1,325,000
-
Veterans Legacy Woods - Stream Daylighting and Westland Restoration - GPD staff - $273,000
-
Hambden Hills - Dam Improvements - Marks Construction Inc. - $825,000
-
Frohring Meadows - Dragonfly Trail Improvements - Ohio Paving - $45,000
-
West Woods- Discovery and Trout Lilly Trail Improvements - GPD Crew - $50,000
Resolutions Approved with no discussion and no questions
-
Resolution 2 - 2026 - Designating Public Depositories - Two were listed: Middlefield Bank (Mr. Oros said it is becoming Farmers National Bank), and Huntington Bank.
-
Resolution 3 - 2026 - Revised Budget
Mr. Oros read the following: This resolution reflects amended appropriation amounts for personnel and non-personnel services in the General Fund (1000) and Land Improvement (4301) Fund. Specific details of the Supplemental Appropriation transaction are as follows: General Fund Transfers Out increasing $2,050,000.00 to be transferred to Land Improvement; General Fund Ranger Department Non-Personnel Expenses increasing $16,500.00
Mr. Oros said that the appropriations could potentially be for land acquisition and purchase of a new truck.
Commissioners’ Time - Mr. Oros presented the following:
-
There were multiple school field trips in April. The Nature Scopes program accounted for some of them. All Geauga County 5th graders graduate from this program.
-
With the purchase of a new 15 passenger van, there have been several trips, including to Cuyahoga Valley National Park and Magee Marsh.
-
The Touch a Truck program on April 27th at West Woods was very successful. 920 people attended.
-
There were 138 naturalists-led programs with 3,892 people attending and 1,834 visitors to the West Woods.
Observer Note: More information on Park District events is available here.
Executive Session - The Commissioners moved into Executive Session at 8:42 am for the purpose of discussing the purchase of property.
Return from Executive Session at 8:52 am with action - The following actions were approved:
-
Purchase of 25 Acres in Burton/Newbury Township - Approved with Mr. Bates abstaining (no reason was stated for his abstention).
-
Purchase of 180 Acres from the Western Reserve Land Conservancy (WRLC) for $1.5 Million. Unanimous Approval. Observer Note: Mr. Oros said after the meeting that this property was in the Newbury area. This Observer noted from a search of the Auditor’s Properties that WRLC owns several large properties in the area, but none listed for 180 Acres, so perhaps parcels are being combined.
Public Comment - Per Geauga Park District practice, no public comment was permitted.
Meeting Adjourned at 8:55 am.
Reviewer Comment: Without public discussion by the Board of Agenda items or the opportunity for members of the public to comment and ask questions, the ability of the public to fully understand the business of the Geauga Park District and its use of Geauga County taxpayer funding is hindered.
Next meeting – Monday, June 15, 2026 at 8:30 am.
See the GPD Website for Additional Information and Minutes.
Observer: Gail Roussey
Editor: Carol Benton
Reviewer: Sarah McGlone
Date Submitted: May 23, 2026
The League of Women Voters of Geauga is a 501(c)(3) nonpartisan political organization that encourages informed and active participation in government, works to increase understanding of major public policy issues, and influences public policy through education and advocacy. They do not support or oppose individual candidates or parties. Learn more about the LWVG at www.lwvgeauga.org.