Galion parks committee reviews small donation, volunteer cleanup, pickleball delay and pool plans

The Galion City Council Parks & Recreation Committee on April 3 approved previous meeting minutes and discussed a series of park upkeep and facility issues, including a small donation from a local community foundation, volunteer cleanup planning, parking and signage along the Levan Dawson Trail, delays to work on a new pickleball court and preparations for the city pool season.

Committee members voted to approve the minutes from the March 6 meeting and to approve minutes for the prior proceedings meeting. Both motions were carried by voice vote during the opening of the committee meeting.

Committee members said the Young Community Foundation contacted the city with an offer to reimburse park expenses. According to committee discussion, the foundation’s remaining balance from earlier fundraising is small — about $198.30 — and the foundation would prefer to reimburse invoices for specific expenses (for example, paint purchased last year) rather than make an unrestricted gift.

Volunteers and union rules were a recurring theme in the meeting. Committee members discussed last year’s multi-site cleanup (East Park and Hysey/High City Park) and the possibility of coordinating volunteer groups again, naming GracePoint as a potential partner. Members emphasized that some tasks (notably labor-intensive work and painting) have produced inconsistent results when done entirely by volunteers and that paying nonunion contractors for work that is typically performed by union employees could create difficulties. The committee agreed to contact GracePoint and other churches and civic groups to recruit volunteers ahead of Memorial Day and to scope which park areas need concentrated work.

Several items related to the Levan Dawson Trail were discussed. Members said the trail already has a name (referred to in the meeting as the Levan Dawson Trail) and noted an existing NatureWorks medallion on nearby signage; committee members said they will check any grant restrictions tied to that award before altering signage. The committee also discussed bench donations: Mary Anne Heimlich has donated funds for a bench and the American Legion Auxiliary is donating another to create a matched pair; staff will follow up with Heimlich to confirm placement. A sponsorship sign near a small park entrance was reported damaged (cracked plexiglass and water intrusion); staff said they will investigate repair or replacement costs.

The committee received an update on the new pickleball court. A subcontractor who was to deliver the permanent surface backed out, and the new subcontractor cannot paint the final court surface until July or August. In the interim, committee members said a local contractor (referred to in the meeting as Chuck and Kimberly) will lay temporary lines and install a net so the court can be used. Fencing around the court remains undecided; members noted heavy equipment used to apply permanent surface paint may require temporary fence removal if fencing were installed first.

Members also discussed planned city work in park parking areas: the East Park parking lot is scheduled for chip sealing in late May to early June. The committee noted that parking supply at some parks often exceeds available spaces on pleasant weekends and suggested short-term measures and a longer-term parking plan tied to adjacent land the city controls.

City pool plans and rates were discussed. Committee members said repairs to the pool have been scheduled and that selling season passes is expected to begin soon; one speaker said the pool is scheduled to open May 31. The committee debated whether to raise pool rates; no rate increase was finalized at the meeting, and members urged clearer communication so passes can be sold without delay.

Budget pressures and capital priorities were raised during multiple items. One member recited recent transfers from the general fund into utility funds described in the meeting as roughly $300,000 to sewer and $700,000 to water, noting that the general fund balance was discussed in the context of competing spending priorities for parks and other capital projects. Committee members said they will continue to weigh park improvements against other city obligations as projects move from planning into construction.

The meeting closed after scheduling follow-ups: staff will contact GracePoint about cleanup support, follow up with donors about bench placement, evaluate sponsorship-sign repair costs, confirm the pickleball contractor’s July–August timeline and temporary court striping, and confirm pool repairs and pass-sale timing. The committee’s next meeting is scheduled for May 1 at 7 p.m.