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Geauga Park District Board - Regular Meeting on August 15, 2022

Meeting Details: Monday, August 15, 2022 at Big Creek Park Meyer Center, 8:30 am. This meeting was in person with no virtual option.  The meeting was called to order at 8:30 am.  

Attendance: Present were Commissioners Bates, Carnabuci,  Guarino. Innocenzi, and Preston.  Staff in attendance were  Director John Oros, a substitute for Sheryl Hatridge( not introduced), Treasurer and Fiscal Officer Jennifer Pae, and Deputy Director Matt McCue.

Minutes: July 18, 2022 minutes were approved and are posted online.

Financials: Ms. Pae presented the Financial Statement and Payment Report (formerly vouchers).  Ms. Pae stated that there were no items to discuss.  Mr. Preston questioned a $75,000 capital outlay and Ms. Pae stated that the Board did get a Capital update.  On page 7 of the Payment report Ms. Pae called attention to the purchase of a new excavator from Middlefield Farm and Garden which would match the $75,000 capital expense.  She stated that any purchase over $50,000 had to be approved.

Observer note: the February 22, 2022 Board minutes include an approved motion to purchase an excavator in the amount of $77,008.94 although the supplier was not named at that time.

Reviewer Note: YTD payments made to Commissioner-owned vendors include:

Reviewer Comment: There is a notable absence of discussion about the Budget Commission hearing that is scheduled for the next day on August 16, 2022.  Jennifer Pae included LWVG in an August 11, 2022 email thread that addressed submission issues listed in Budget Commission form letter GCA-020, which was dated August 8, 2022.  The recipient list for that email, which included several supporting documents, was sent to board members, staff leadership, numerous attorneys, a CPA and 8 different individuals at the Ohio Auditor’s office.

Old Business: Ms. Pae stated that the Board received a Grant Status Update, which was a report started last month for the Board.  She stated that grants represented ¼ to 1/3 of the Park District’s funding and that frequently they have to pay the money up front and then get reimbursed.  Mr. Preston asked about the Fairmount property (adjacent to the Rookery) and was told that Ohio wetlands grant funds would be used.  Mr. Oros reviewed a few small grants from the Foundation for Geauga Parks.

Update on Work Session: Ms. Pae said that there is an Audit process every 2 years by the State of Ohio.  The 2019-2020 audit is not yet complete.  As she understands the issue it is due to their staffing shortages.  

2022 Planning and Operations Update: Mr. McCue stated that the West Woods was virtually complete, the Metzenbaum project was underway, and Veterans Legacy Woods was almost complete with the exception of the AC bid.

Mr. McCue responded to a question about the West Woods roof to state that the tear off is complete and that metal is coming in this week.

Veterans Legacy Bid Award: There were three bids and the low bid was Dunbar Mechanical, which was awarded the contract for $209,159.  Mr. Preston noted that the work will come in under budget.  

Observer note: Mr. Preston did not refer to his previous concerns that there were too many units planned for the building. See Observer Report for June, 2022 here: https://lwvgeauga.org/content.aspx?page_id=22&club_id=612906&module_id=528091

Walter C. Best Paving: Five bids were received and the low bid of $72,349.20 was awarded to Cunningham Paving.

Observer Note: The concerns about whether this paving project should go forward were not discussed.   These were detailed in the June observer report, linked above.

Commissioner’s Time:

Mr. Oros stated that the goal was to open the Veterans’ Legacy building for use in the spring.

For the second time, Naturalist Paul Piro worked with Holden Arboretum and Longwood Gardens (in Pennsylvania) on a project to identify an endangered species of Lady Slipper.

Officer Denise Weisbar was present with her canine assistant Sniper.  She has appeared at one Safety Town event and will be appearing at 4 more.

In July, one of the largest attendance was at Observatory Park where there were 200.  Other large events were Big Creek for a Band performance and movie night (250 attended).

There were 95 naturalist-led hikes, serving 2,401 patrons.  The West Woods had 1,595 attendance for the month of July.

Executive Session

The Board went into Executive Session for the purpose of discussing purchase of property.  Following the Executive Session they announced that they would proceed with an appraisal for a property in Middlefield Ohio.

Next Meeting: Monday, September 19, 2022, 8:30 am, Big Creek Park, Meyer Center.

More Info: Minutes are posted online through July 22, 2022. Additional Information and Minutes available here: https://www.geaugaparkdistrict.org/about-gpd/park-board-staff/

Observer:  Gail Roussey

Editor:  Betsy Kubbins

Reviewer: Shelly Lewis

Submitted 8/20/2022

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.