Meeting: Tuesday, January 17th at 8:30 am at Big Creek Park Meyer Center, 9160 Robinson Rd, Chardon, OH 44024. This meeting was held on a Tuesday due to the Monday Martin Luther King Jr holiday. This meeting was in-person only with no virtual option. This Board does not permit public comment during meetings.
Board Attendance: Commissioners Howard Bates, Jolene Carnabuci, Ray Guarino, and new Board members Frank Stein and Les LaGatta. Observer Note: As reported by the Chagrin Valley Times, six individuals applied for seats vacated by Pat Preston and Mario Innocenzi, whose terms expired at the end of 2022. Mr. LaGatta was sworn in on December 22nd, which was the same day his application was received. Mr. Stein was sworn in on December 29th.
Staff Attendance: John Oros, Director, Sheryl Hatridge, Administrative Service Manager, Dawn Sweeney, Interim Finance Director, Matt McCue, Deputy Director, Paul Piro, Chief Naturalist and Park Ranger Sloan. Legal counsel from Thrasher, Dinsmore Dolan was present.
Minutes: Minutes from the December 14, 2022 meeting were approved without discussion and are available online. Reviewer Note: As of January 21, 2023, minutes are posted online through November 21, 2022.
Agenda: Commissioners approved moving Commissioner’s Time and Executive Session higher up in the Agenda.
Director Oros welcomed the two new Board members and asked if they had any comments. Mr. LaGatta said he was glad to be there and appreciated the Park District. Mr. Stein said he was glad he found the meeting location.
Director Oros thanked outgoing Board members Pat Preston and Mario Innocenzi for their service on the Board.
Election of Officers - New officers elected by unanimous votes were Mr. Bates as President and Mr. Guarino as Vice President.
Commissioner’s Time
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Mr. Oros reported on programs for the past month. There were 57 programs with 1,721 residents. The Winter Solstice program was again a great event with over 600 who attended. For the year, there were 3,472 facilities rentals, 1,480 campside rentals and 120,000 attendance at scheduled events.
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Mr. Oros reported that the State of Ohio Auditor, Keith Faber, awarded GPD with a 3 star rating (out of 4), in the area of Transparency and Open Meetings. Observer Note: This award is for those agencies who are meeting requirements for public record requests and have taken steps to provide information on their web site about various aspects of their work. See Auditor of State Bulletin 2019-003.
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Mr. Oros announced that they have decided to give the name, “Troy Wetlands” to the Brede property, recently purchased by the GPD.
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Mr. Paul Piro, Chief Naturalist recognized the presence of Ms. Meka Moore from Nestle. Ms. Moore talked about the recent experience at Veteran Legacy Wood . Fifty volunteers from Nestle participated in planting trees, and putting up protective fencing in early November. The Park District staff assisted volunteers in learning how to properly plant the trees. Ms. Moore stated that she hopes to join in similar collaborative efforts in the future. An additional partner in this project was One Tree Planted.
Executive Session – The Board approved going into Executive Session for the purposes of purchase of property and compensation of a public employee.
Upon return it was announced that there would be no action.
Financial Report – This report was received but not approved or submitted for a vote.
Mr. Oros acknowledged Dawn Sweeney, Interim Finance Director, and stated that she had 10 years of experience. He asked her if she wanted to comment on the report but she didn’t have anything to add. Mr. Oros reported that GPD ended 12/22 having slightly over $10 Million in expenses across all funds, and all funds revenue of about $8 million. He said there was an ending cash balance carried over to 2023 of $5,509,165. (Observer Note: not listed in this summary was the 2021 carryover - unaudited amount was $8 million). Mr. Oros further stated there would be a projected total revenue for 2023 (including the 2022 carryover) of about $12 Million.
There was no discussion.
New Business
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NO ACTION: Presentation of Payment Report – This was submitted without discussion and without a vote to accept it
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TABLED: Revised Budget Resolution for 2023 - Commissioners voted to table Resolution 1-2023-33 (Revised Budget Resolutions) with no explanation.
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TABLED: 2023 Transfer Resolution - This would have been a transfer from the General Fund to the Land Improvement Fund. This was also tabled with no reason and no discussion. There were no questions from Commissioners.
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APPROVED: Resolution for Franklin Street Connection - Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR) Grant - Commissioners approved this resolution for this Grant which is in connection with the Holbrook Hollows Connection project.
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APPROVED: Request to Bid for 2023 Capital Improvement Projects – Commissioners approved this request to advertise to bid for the following::
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Swine Creek Lodge Parking – Asphalt Improvements $275,000
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Holbrook Hollows S. Franklin Street Connection: $820,000
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Meyer Center – Roofing Project: $130,000
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APPROVED: Request to Advertise Bid Aggregate Stone Material – request reads, “With the planned annual trail maintenance and the Phase II improvements at Veterans Legacy Woods in 2023 it is anticipated the Park District will exceed $50,000 in expenditures for aggregate stone materials.” According to procedures of the GPD, any contract over $50,000 is required to be bid. This resolution was approved with Mr. Bates abstaining. (Observer Note: Mr. Bates is the owner and President of Arms Sand and Gravel. This company has bid successfully for work with GPD.)
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TABLED: Surplus Property - Mr. Oros read some items from a list of “scrap items” that were being requested to be removed. There were a variety of kitchen items from Veterans Legacy Woods (refrigerator, deep fryers and many other items), since the facility will be renovated inside. There were also a lot of electronic items listed. (ipads, computers, etc.) These were all designated either scrap or surplus. A mower was recommended for auction. Mr. Guarino asked to table the Veterans Legacy equipment for further discussion. Observer Note: Mr. Guarino is the owner of a restaurant in Eastlake OH
Old Business - none
Public Comment - per Geauga Park District Policy, no public comment permitted.
Next meeting –February 21 @ 8:30 am
See the GPD Website for Additional Information and Minutes
Observer: Gail Roussey
Reviewer: Shelly Lewis
Submitted 1-19-2023
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