West Liberty area residents chimed in via social media Tuesday evening during an online town hall to ask questions of village officials and West Liberty Ball Association members regarding the upcoming 1.15-mill West Liberty Parks and Recreation Levy that will appear on the March 17 ballot.
The proposed five-year levy would generate approximately $30,000 per year, and would cost the owner of a $100,000 property approximately $35 per year, or less than 10 cents per day, West Liberty Ball Association President Matt Hull said during the Facebook Live session.
If approved by voters, the funds raised through the levy would be split among Lions Park, Dodge Park, Veterans Park and the Simon Kenton Bike Trail. Additionally, the levy would allow the village to create a parks board.
Councilwoman Jayne Griffith said during the online forum that the village supports this levy, as it encourages the economic growth of the area and the supports the welcoming nature of its residents.
“It speaks about the people of West Liberty,” she said. “We are a people who love to host others and have other people in our village. The levy would be a benefit to our village and to the businesses and the downtown area.”
Individuals asked who currently maintains these parks? The village officials and ball association members reported that currently Lions Park and Dodge Park are both maintained by non-profit organizations who generate operational costs through fundraising. Passage of the levy would decrease the need for fundraising by all organizations.
The West Liberty Ball Association maintains Dodge Park, and members cited rising costs for maintenance and the need for bigger projects at the facility has made it difficult for the non-profit organization to budget.
Ball association members related that the first project to take place with the levy funds at Dodge Park would be the installation of lights on all three of the fields. Currently, Dodge Park is one of the few parks in the area that does not have lights.
With the addition of the lighting, the park would be available to play games in two time slots and also be able to host additional tournaments. With the tournaments comes an influx of visitors to the town, Hull said.
“Bringing more people into our town means more people buying gas here, more people shopping here and more people eating downtown,” he said. “It’s a growth opportunity for the village.”
A levy fact sheet is available on the West Liberty Ball Association’s Facebook page with additional details about plans for the Dodge Park lighting and other levy-related information.
Dodge Park is one of the few parks in the area