The Bellefontaine Joint Recreation District board met in city council chambers at their regular meeting Tuesday. ((EXAMINER PHOTO | SHARYN KOPF)
With summer coming to an end as we transition toward more fall-like weather, the parks and recreation department covered topics from a recap of the recently ended pool season to the success of the already underway football and soccer leagues.
These were just a couple of the items on the agenda at the Bellefontaine Joint Recreation District (BJRD) board meeting on Tuesday, Sept. 5.
“Football and soccer are up and running,” Kris Myers, park superintendent, told the board in his report.
Considering this is its trial year, the football league is especially strong, with 80 total players, including 18 in flag football. They’ll host their first game this weekend. You can find out more by following the Bellefontaine Youth Football Facebook page.
Myers also updated the board on Hoffman Pool, which pulled in over $91,000 this summer. “That’s down a little from 2022,” Myers said, “but it falls in line with the weather we had.”
Though overall visits weren’t as high thanks to cooler days and rainy afternoons, more people bought passes and signed up for lessons.
Myers made special note of the assistance they received on Community Care Day, Friday, Aug. 25. Staff from Robinson Investments pulled roofs off of buildings at Lewis Ratleff Park, a project Myers helped with and could attest to the hard labor they put into it.
In addition, employees from Community Health and Wellness Partners painted a swing structure and picnic tables at Myrtle Park.
Then, last week, a group from Mad River Mountain came down to install safety surfacing, also at Myrtle.
In other board news:
• New fencing has finally been set up at Harmon Field on Troy Road. It took longer than it should have but that choice saved the department $1,000.
• Needed changes to the disc golf course at Rutan Park are underway and should be completed early next week.
• Though it would have been more helpful in July, the grant for the field painting robot finally came through. Myers and Tim Hales, recreation coordinator, will be the first to train on using the equipment, which should be ready to go in the spring.
Besides the grant, the robot is being paid for by about $11,000 from the district and contributions from local schools that plan to use the robot for their fields.
• With only four months left in 2023, the BJRD has already gone through a significant amount of their spending so, Myers stated, “It will be a light rest of the year.” But, he added, “We should be okay.”
• The district will work with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to spray against invasive species at Myeerah Nature Preserve over the next two months. Of the $12,000 price tag, the district’s portion will be about $2,500. Fish and Wildlife will cover the rest.
• Under new business, Myers presented the board with a user agreement for outside organizations that wish to rent Bellefontaine baseball/softball facilities, mostly for tournaments.
• Prices for Ratleff Park, Harmon Field and Southview range from $15 for a two-hour practice to $175 for all day use with lights (8 a.m. until curfew at 11 p.m. Saturday/Sunday). Games at Blue Jacket Park run from $75 per game to $275 for all day with lights.
Myers believes they will break even, but that’s not the goal. “It’s about bringing people to town,” he said. The BJRD will provide concessions and make money from that. He also explained it’s more cost-effective than trying to run tournaments themselves.
• Though it’s still a month and a half away, plans are already in motion for this year’s Ring of Lights on Saturday, Oct. 21, at 7:30 p.m. This Halloween walk for children in preschool through second grade provides a safer, condensed trick-or-treat opportunity at Blue Jacket Park.
Over the years, they’ve seen 400 to 500 participants serving up to 1,500 people in the community. Organizations that want to be involved should contact the BJRD office at 937-592-3475 and plan to hand out treats to about 500 children.
The next BJRD board meeting will take place on Tuesday, Oct. 3, at 7 p.m.