A moment of silence filled council chambers on Wednesday, Dec. 10, as the Bellefontaine Joint Recreation District (BJRD) board of trustees held their first meeting since the death of longtime superintendent Kris Myers. Their regular meeting, originally scheduled for Tuesday, Dec. 2, was postponed when Myers, 46, suddenly passed away the day before.
Though Myers’ impact on the department could be felt throughout the meeting, the board quickly worked through several agenda items. After approving last month’s minutes and the bills, they heard an update from Terry Lunz regarding his work and plans for Fred Carter Park.
“We’d like to add trails but need to know where the boundaries are,” Lunz began. He admitted he started working on the park “so kids would have a place to fish.” In addition, he recommended putting life-saving buoys around the pond.
Other requests included a covered trashcan and a bench, along with signage on Lakewood Drive and a crosswalk from the apartments across the street to the park entrance.
“I’ll help anyway I can,” he said, then added, “I want it to be the showpiece of the park system, and I think it has that ability.”
Trustee Joliece Reed shared how much her children love exploring there.
“They think they’re on an adventure quest,” she told Lunz.
“I’m totally committed to this park,” Lunz concluded. Pat Ellis, board president, responded, “It’s a blessing to have you.”
Next up, Danny LeComte, recreation program coordinator, offered information on winter sports. With wrestling and basketball underway, LeComte was “happy to announce” they are now doing all their basketball games at the Bellefontaine Intermediate School.
LeComte also introduced Ethan Moore, who will handle recreation maintenance in the summer and help out in the parks department office during the cold months.
Other board action:
• According to Ellis, the snow maintenance workers are “ready to roll,” especially considering they’ve already managed the first big snowstorm of the season.
• A pre-construction meeting for the work at Harmon Park was held earlier on Wednesday. They have removed fences and some trees and plan to work through the winter.
One question Ellis presented the board was whether to turf the field there. Doing so on just the infield came in at $4,000. Contractor Jeremy LeVan is looking into the price to cover the whole field so the board can make a decision in January 2026.
• New playground equipment is up at Oakland Square Park. Myers had presented drawings for new park signs for the city but, Ellis said, they have time to decide what they want to do with that.
• At a recent Bellefontaine City Council meeting, city service workers were given a 5 percent increase, which meant the BJRD needed to change their employee pay rates to reflect that raise. The board approved the new rates.
• In introducing the next agenda item, Ellis said, “My term’s expired, so you have to vote if you want me to stay around.” The board unanimously approved to retain Ellis as BJRD board president.
• The board also had a bit of a wrench thrown into their plans. In October, the Bellefontaine school board appointed Matt Gallaway to the BJRD board as their newest trustee. But at the city council meeting on Tuesday, Gallaway was named as one of their representatives.
This leaves an empty seat for the parks board but, Ellis said, “We already have somebody in mind.” Still, they will have to wait until the next school board meeting to move forward.
• Fred Brentlinger, city auditor, updated the board as to where they stand regarding their income tax levy. After the first 11 months, the interest is almost $200,000 ahead of the projected amount.
“Kris drove that,” Brentlinger said later. The levy will lead to many improvements around Bellefontaine parks and, he added, “It was a good move.”
• Ellis stated they will “start advertising for Kris’s replacement” as soon as possible. “We’ll see what we can do to fill this monumental hole.”
• Considering that “monumental hole” Myers’ passing has left, board member Keyne Strickland said, “Kris did meaningful things for us for a long time, and we need to discuss how to remember him.”
While the board agreed, Reed concluded, “A lot of people have ideas, but I think we need to give his family space to mourn for now.”
The next BJRD board of trustees meeting is Tuesday, Jan. 6, at 7 p.m.
