Several unanswered questions remain but BTC begins formation of parks board

By John Estridge

Usually, when the Brookville Town Council members vote on a motion, the result is a unanimous decision.

Tuesday night, April 13, BTC member Catherine Pelsor voted against a motion to begin the process of creating a park board. However, she was the only dissenting vote, losing to the majority, 4-1.

BTC will now begin the process of creating the board. It will have four members, meaning three members will have to agree on a motion before it is approved, BTC President Curtis Ward said. No council members can sit on the park board. Council will appoint all four members. Supporters of the board said it will allow the town to be eligible to receive large grants to further improve the park. While council will lose control over what happens in the town park, and the other smaller parks in town, Ward said in past meetings, if council disagrees with the way the park board is taking the parks, then the council in charge at that time can refuse to approve money for the parks in general or specific projects.

Ward and council member Brooke Leffingwell have been the forces behind this move to a park board.

Ward allowed Pelsor to speak first on the subject. She was very succinct. She said she likes the park as it is and as it is being run. She would like to leave it that way. Basically, her attitude is if it’s not broke, don’t fix it.

After that, the speeches got much wordier as every other council member spoke in favor of having a park board.

Most reiterated the creation of a park board will enhance the town’s ability to get large grants. Many different grant programs start with the need of a park board to submit the grant application, council members have said at past meetings and again Tuesday night.

Ward and Leffingwell said they were strongly in favor of a park board. BTC member Chuck Campbell said it was too bad council members could not also be park board members, but he felt the risk was slight and the positives of a park board, mainly the ability to receive larger grants, outweighed the possible negatives.

Eric Johnson, another BTC member, said he also liked the town park as it now is, but he wished council had more concrete information about a park board. However, he said it is his belief the risk of forming a park board is slight compared to the benefits a park board entails. According to Johnson, anyone who would volunteer to be on the park board would surely have the park’s best interest at heart.

Before council’s discussion on the parks, Aaron Lambert addressed council about the Youth Softball League and any changes the initiation of a park board may have on athletic fields and youth athletic leagues in the park. At the last discussion about a park board at a council meeting, Pelsor had said she feared the park would become a sports center, pushing out the park’s current family atmosphere with its beautiful hiking trail, picnic areas and shelters.

Lambert said the youth leagues and others using the park for athletics do not want to change the nature of the park. Like others, they enjoy the trails, the river, shelters and other nice aspects about the park. He admitted the youth softball leagues just built a fourth diamond, but the money was donated to the youth league by the Meyer Family.

The new field will be named in honor of and memory of Nathan Meyer. A Franklin County Surveyor, Meyer died a few years ago from cancer. He was a very young father and husband at the time of his death. The family wanted to honor Nathan in that way, Lambert said. There will be an opening ceremony for the new field, and the community is invited to attend that, according to Lambert.

Lambert said they have received many donations from people like the Meyer family. He asked if youth leagues will still be allowed to accept donations after the park board is in place. None of the town council members addressed that.

According to Lambert, the youth leagues have done much to improve the property. Currently, about 150 girls take part in the youth softball leagues. Also, the organization is trying to revive the coed softball league.

He said the organization works with the church leagues as well as making the area available for car shows.

Lambert was concerned about a new park board working with the youth leagues. He asked if the improvements made to the athletic fields would remain the leagues or would become under the control of the new park board. He said the youth leagues have had good working relationships with past councils and the current council as well as Tim Ripperger, Brookville town manager, and Brent Riehle, the parks department superintendent. Lambert said he would like to see that good relationship regarding the youth league with councils and officials continue.

He then asked if the youth leagues could have one or more representatives on the park board.

Ward suggested the town enter into a long-term lease with the youth softball league as a way of allaying any fear of the parks board taking over the athletic fields, but Brookville Attorney Tammy Davis said that probably would not be possible with a park board being formed. The town would not have anything to lease as the park board would control the parks. However, she would look into it.

But Ward assured those at the council meeting who were representing the youth leagues, council would name someone from the youth leagues to be on the park board.