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Warren County names Jeff Ingli parks director; committee accepts Up Yonda donation and approves event funding moves
Summary
The county committee introduced Jeff Ingli as the new parks and recreation director, accepted an in‑kind donation to Up Yonda Farms, approved a $500 donor appropriation for Spring Zing advertising and a short transfer to cover parks overtime, and discussed fairgrounds capacity and a proposed multi‑year master plan for Up Yonda and the hatchery.
Jeff Ingli was introduced to the Warren County Public Works Committee as the county’s new parks and recreation director, and the committee approved several small donations and budget adjustments tied to upcoming community events.
Ingli, who the transcript identifies as the newly hired parks and rec director, thanked the committee for the introduction. The committee voted unanimously to accept an in‑kind donation from Friends of Up Yonda consisting of six replacement auditorium chairs, new non‑carpet flooring and an upgraded television to support audio‑visual presentations at Up Yonda Farms.
The committee also approved appropriating a $500 donation from the Town Highway Superintendents Association of Warren County into revenue code 71102705 and expense code 7110436 to pay for advertising for the Spring Zing event. Members approved a separate transfer from regular salaries to parks overtime to cover temporary coverage while staff fill the vacancy created by Ingli’s hire.
Committee members reviewed recent and upcoming events: the Maple Festival at Up Yonda, which staff said was sold out and drew 123 people; an upcoming Maple‑in‑April event planned for April 25 at Hadley Station and on the Saratoga Corinth rail line; and Spring Zing, scheduled for Saturday, May 9, which staff estimated typically draws 250–300 attendees and will include a fishing contest.
Members spent additional time discussing the county fairgrounds after staff reported interest from an event promoter called Wolf Garts in staging a fall event that could attract up to 1,200 people. Committee members raised concerns about whether the fairgrounds could safely hold that many people, noting limited on‑site parking, wet field conditions at certain times of year, and the need for safe crossings of Sherman River Road. Members recommended developing an occupancy policy and possible busing or parking arrangements if large events are pursued.
The committee also agreed to pursue a multi‑year master plan and capital assessment for Up Yonda and the hatchery. Staff said the assessment will be done internally and suggested routing it through the county’s infrastructure assessment and the capital planning committee so proposals can be balanced against other county capital needs over a 5–10 year horizon.
The parks and recreation items concluded with the committee noting ongoing work by planning staff to identify grant opportunities for an alternate‑use study of the rail line; no formal action on that study was taken at this meeting.
Votes at a glance: the donation acceptance, the $500 appropriation for Spring Zing, and the overtime salary transfer were all approved by voice vote.
