From remodeled bathrooms to cameras covering the parks to pickleball courts, the Bellefontaine Joint Recreation District (BJRD) board of trustees laid out the projects they will focus on over the next few months. And they have big plans, as the parameters of their bond require they spend $500,000 by the end of June.
With that in mind, the district will move forward with several already-determined projects, including the extensive work they plan to do at Harmon Park and Oakland Square. The latter, specifically, is one they moved up in the department’s master plan, thanks to help from the Harwood Institute for Public Knowledge.
“A big part of that is community involvement—hands on the ground and volunteer work,” Kris Myers, parks superintendent, told the board. “It’s good to see the energy from that group and fortunate to have the money to help make it happen.”
Myers added that volunteers will be “going door-to-door this Saturday to get feedback.”
That effort will include inviting people to a dinner meeting on Tuesday, April 15, at First Lutheran Church in Bellefontaine.
They will be looking for community input on Harmon Park as well, and will conduct a public meeting once they have a conceptual plan put together.
Several projects that, alone, will add up to about $200,000, include new pavement at Southview Park, remodeled restrooms at Mary Rutan and Lewis Ratleff parks, cameras in hotspots and new pickleball courts.
Though they have done some demolition on the aforementioned restrooms, the work is currently on hold while they wait for the final building and plumbing permits.
“It’s much needed,” Keyne Strickland, board member, interjected. “Parents are happy about that.”
Strickland also asked if the unneeded commodes would be removed from Ratleff Park soon. “You get kids with baseball bats and old toilets and that’s a mess,” he said. Myers stated they planned to have them taken care of on Wednesday, March 12.
As for the security cameras, the initial goal is to cover Rutan park areas later this spring, then take care of Harmon and Oakland. The budget for the project is $25,000. Rob Strayer, IT specialist, is handling the logistics.
“He understands city operations and is a friend of the parks and that’s helpful,” Myers said.
They plan to use quality technology that will include police department access. The servers will be in the Bellefontaine city building.
“We won’t get everything,” Myers admitted, “but we’ll get the hotspots, specifically at the playground and around the pool.”
Sports Programs
The 2025 program guide is out and registrations are currently coming in for spring sports programs. Deadlines are:
- Hi-Point Baseball – Friday, March 14
- Girls Youth Softball – Friday, March 22
- Jr. Track & Field – Sunday, April 21
Myers said they’re still waiting to see how the baseball numbers shake out since they changed the makeup of the leagues. For more information, go to the activities tab at the department’s website, bellefontaineoh.myrec.com.
On a related note, the spring-like weather has led to something unusual for the maintenance team.
“It’s 75 degrees and very dry and there’s very little frost on the ground,” Myers pointed out. “We worked on four ballfields at Ratleff today and they looked pretty good. And Blue Jacket (park) is in great shape.”
In other board news:
- The BJRD is moving forward with a project at Myeerah Nature Preserve thanks to a $48,000 H2Ohio grant. Working with the US Fish and Wildlife Service, they will use the money to create a seasonal wetland, which will be better for the environment.
- Steel has come in to repair the waterslide at Hoffman pool. Once that’s taken care of, they’ll repaint it. The pool opens for summer on Saturday, May 24.
They have also seen job applications already coming in for summer jobs at the pool. Myers plans to recruit more summer staff at the Logan County Job Fair on Thursday, March 13, at Indian Lake High School.
In addition, Myers announced Chris Watkins will return as a pool manager this summer, with a focus on lifeguard training. - The department is working to update the lights at the tennis courts, which have been packed with people thanks to the better weather.
The next BJRD board of trustees meeting is 7 p.m. Tuesday, April 8, in the basement of the Bellefontaine city building.