For Biff Roberts, parks superintendent from 1984 to 2004, sharing his thoughts at the recent Bellefontaine Joint Recreation District’s (BJRD) board meeting was something he had to do. His goal? To encourage the board to remember the history of Hoffman Municipal Pool as they move forward.
Coincidentally, the board’s regular September meeting had been moved to east Williams Avenue on Tuesday, Aug. 27, due to conflicts on their usual date. So board members and guests took their places around picnic tables next to the aforementioned pool as a field trip.
Named after Richard “Dick” Hoffman, the pool became a part of the community in 1968 thanks to the work Hoffman put in, with Roberts’ assistance. Hoffman served as parks superintendent from the late fifties until Roberts took over.
“Dick could be a fairly cantankerous, stubborn, strong-willed person, and he believed strongly in providing parks for kids,” Roberts said. “He dedicated his life to getting that pool done.”
With that in mind, Roberts came to the board in response to the levy that passed in March. Some of that money will go toward a new pool. And Roberts would like Hoffman’s name to continue to be associated with it.
Roberts admitted Hoffman ran the pool with “an iron fist,” adding, “he enforced the rules so no one would get hurt.”
Though Kris Myers, current parks superintendent, said they’re still several years out from seeing the new pool become a reality, he’s excited about where they are in the process.
“Maintaining the Hoffman name in the pool name when we go to build a new one is important to the people who participated in Mr. Hoffman’s programs,” Myers later stated.
As we deal with a late-summer heat wave, having the pool remain open gave families a longer cooling-off option than previous years, but that comes to an end on Friday, Aug. 30. In his report, Myers commended the staff for a job well done.
The one downside, according to him and board member Joliece Reed, was in swim sessions. Though Myers saw an improvement, he admitted they still have work to do. Reed, however, was more critical.
“I think our staff did a wonderful job this summer,” Reed said. “My critique is with swim lessons.”
One problem came with students having to wait as much as 15 minutes before they could get in the pool. Reed emphasized the importance of having a proper start and stop time.
She also spoke to an upset mother whose children—one six years old and the other in preschool—were left floating for about 30 minutes while the lifeguards “huddled at the rope.”
Myers said he thought things were better this year, adding, “So that’s not good.”
Overall, though, kudos were given to the summer staff. Reed particularly called out assistant manager Jordan Butler, describing her as a strong leader who was respected by her staff and gave “a good vibe” during the day.
As for the pool itself, Myers said they plan to repair the slide structure once it closes, then repaint.
In other board news, the Bellefontaine City Council was not represented at Tuesday’s meeting because, due to the schedule change, the two meetings coincided. However, Myers told the board the council planned to approve two items for the BJRD: additional appropriations to cover retirement payout and money for pool-related materials and supplies.
Myers introduced Danny LeComte as the BJRD’s new recreation coordinator. LeComte received his undergraduate degree in sports management from the University of Dayton.
“One of my goals is to get into team high school programming,” LeComte told the board. “I want to see what sports those who don’t play for Bellefontaine (high school) might be interested in.”
Fall games are “off and running,” according to Myers. Soccer started Tuesday, Aug. 27, and flag football will get going next weekend, after the holiday.
“Once again, a big thank you to all,” Myers said. “We would not be playing the games we’re playing when we’re playing them without their help.”
Regarding finances, Myers is working with the city auditor on how to finance big projects. With several “cool opportunities” on the horizon, the district has some choices to make.
In the meantime, they’ve gone through 80 percent of their expenditures for the year.
“When we don’t have to mow grass, that’s a good thing,” Myers explained in his maintenance report. Since the weather has negated the need to mow this week, the BJRD’s maintenance team has had time to work on the overhead garage doors at Southview Park instead.
Resurfacing of the tennis courts at Blue Jacket Park should be completed this week.
As for the park’s walking path, the district received a bid and have a contractor. They anticipate finishing that by the end of October. The work will cost $178,000 with $120,000 coming from an Ohio state grant.
The walking path will be resurfaced and widened for bicyclists.
At the Myeerah Nature Preserve, they’ve seen significant progress on the nature play trail. “We hope to have it as an official facility in the next couple of weeks,” Myers said.
The district also received money from H2Ohio and will work with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to deal with the water quality by putting in another wetland area.
Under new business, board president Pat Ellis said they have put out requests for proposals for architectural and engineering services to renovate Harmon Field. This will include the new splash pad, which will be the first big project the district will tackle thanks to money they received from the March levy.
The next BJRD board of trustees meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, Oct. 1, at 7 p.m.