Geauga Park District Board - March 18, 2024
Meeting: The Geauga Park District Board met on Tuesday, March 18, 2024 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.
Public Comment Policy: The Park District Board does not have a formal policy and in practice never permits public comment.
Board Attendance: Commissioners Howard Bates, Jolene Carnabuci, Ray Guarino, Les LaGatta and Frank Stein were present.
Staff Attendance: John Oros, Executive Director; Dawn Sweeney, Finance Director; Matt McCue, Deputy Director, and Jessica Alpers, Administrative Assistant. Also in attendance were Park Ranger Michael Rose, Naturalist Katie Wheaton, and Todd Hicks, who is Legal Counsel from the firm of Thrasher, Dinsmore & Dolan.
Public Attendance - Members of Protect Geauga Parks, a Reporter from the Maple Leaf, and two observers from the League of Women Voters Geauga.
Approval of Agenda/Addendum Items - There were no items added to the Agenda. The Agenda was approved.
Minutes: Minutes from the February 20, 2024 meeting were approved and are posted online here.
Financial Report: Dawn Sweeney, Finance Director, verbally reported these individual fund balances as of February 29, 2024
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Beginning balance as of 2/1/24 in the General Fund: $3,504,180
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Ending balance as of 2/29/24 in the General Fund: $3,947,906
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Beginning balance as of 2/1/24 in the Land Improvement Fund: $1,836,387
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Ending balance as of 2/28/24 in the Land Improvement Fund: $1,844,958
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All Funds beginning balance on 2/1/24: $5,340,567
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All Funds ending balance on 2/29/24: $5,792,864
There were no questions and no discussion.
Observer Note: There was an increase in the balance for all Funds. Finance Director Dawn Sweeney confirmed with this Observer after the meeting that this was the result of receiving one of the scheduled tax payments (Levy funds). Normally tax payments are made twice a year, but the Auditor permits an entity to receive payments at intervals if the Board approves. At the December 18, 2023 meeting, the Geauga Park District Board approved the Tax Advance Schedule.
Presentation of Payment Report for December 2023 - The Board members had a few questions, as follows:
There was a question as to why Hambden Hills was listed as non-exempt, and Mr. Oros stated that the lease on that property had created income. Mr. Oros said that at this point he will file for non-exempt (presumably because there are no longer lease payments). There was no additional clarifying information on this property which was acquired by the Geauga Park District last fall. See coverage in the Geauga Maple Leaf here.
There was a question about what was being provided by Service Express IT, and Mr. Oros said that this was a Hardware Warranty Service.
Observer Note: There was no vote on this payment report as the payments have already occurred.
Old Business - Planning Update. Mr. McCue reported on the planning update. He referenced two items later on the Agenda - bid on the asphalt for the Rookery and the West Woods Bridge Replacement. He stated that they had a meeting with the EPA regarding the design for the Veterans Legacy Woods cold water stream restoration project. He estimated that that will begin in late July or early August.
The construction projects contained in the Board packet are listed below. If a bid has been awarded, it is noted. Some projects will be done by Geauga Park District (GPD) staff. Observer Note: This information was not discussed at the meeting, but the Board packet is available through a public records request.
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Veterans Legacy Woods - Cold Water Stream Restoration (River Reach Construction)
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The Rookery - Asphalt improvements (Cunningham Paving Co, approved at this meeting)
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The West Woods - Entry bridge replacement (TBD - to be determined).
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Orchard Hills - Asphalt improvements (Ronyak Paving)
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Veterans Legacy Woods - Cuyahoga River reforestation (TBD)
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The West Woods - Trail improvements (GPD)
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Orchard Hills -Trail improvements (GPD)
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Swine Creek -Trail and Shelter improvements (GPD)
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Big Creek - Camping improvements (GPD)
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Claridon Woodlands - Upper Dam and Site improvements (GPD)
New Business
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The Rookery - 2024 Asphalt Improvement Contract Award - The bid was awarded to Cunningham Paving Company for the amount of $90,420 as the lowest bidder. It was approved unanimously.
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West Woods Bridge Replacement/ODOT - The Board approved a resolution between the Geauga Park Board Commissioners and ODOT for the West Woods Road bridge over Pebble Brook Tributary that would be paid by ODOT with a local match of $38,787.50.
Commissioner’s Time
Park Naturalist Katie Wheaton gave a PowerPoint presentation about this year’s Maple Sugaring Programs in the Geauga Park District. She noted that Geauga County produces one-third of all the maple sugar in Ohio, making Geauga the maple sugar capital of the state.
Started back in 1984, the programs, this year called Saps A-Risin’, were held at Swine Creek Reservation on three Sundays: February 25, March 3 and March 10. The dates were scheduled earlier than in the past due to warming weather. Fifteen volunteers and 3-4 staff were on hand each day to direct the different events, which included demonstrations of the history of maple sugaring, sap gathering and transportation, boiling stations, and a tour of the Sugar House. Visits by friendly local draft horses who pulled the “Sap Sled” were also highlights of the events.
The 260 attendees on February 25 were fewer than expected as the date was earlier than usual. However, combined attendance for the three Sundays was 1,075, comparable to previous years. A total of 39 volunteers helped out over the three events.
The new Swine Creek Lodge hosted the other half of the Sunday events. Live music and maple sugar treats were among the activities offered.
Ms. Wheaton also talked about other park programming related to maple sugaring. Four Timber Tots programs, attended by a total 78 children, were offered. Three requested programs for school and special groups were also held for a total of 130 attendees.
Mr. Oros thanked Ms. Wheaton for her presentation and noted that she was the Employee of the Year for 2023.
Mr. Wearstler’s video encouraged use of the new app, “Agents of Discovery”, which is a scavenger hunt/geocache program. More information on this can be found on the GPD website.
There were no comments from the Board members.
Executive Session - The Board went into Executive Session for the purpose of considering purchase of land at 9:00 am.
Following Executive Session - At 9:22 am Mr. Oros announced that there would be no action taken coming out of the Executive Session.
Next Meeting – Monday, April 15, 2024 @ 8:30 am
See the GPD Website for Additional Information and Minutes
Observers: Gail Roussey and Rooney Moy
Reviewer: Sarah McGlone
Date Submitted: March 21, 2024
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.