Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Grounds Maintenance topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Shady Park garage deficiencies and unfilled grounds requests highlight maintenance staffing gap
Summary
Grounds maintenance foreman Brian Smith told the Finance Committee that Shady Park’s maintenance building has leaking roofs, rotten siding and indoor mold, and staff requested mowers, a stump grinder and four additional laborers — most were not funded in the proposed 2026 budget.
Shady Park’s grounds maintenance team urged the North Ridgeville Finance Committee on Nov. 5 to address a rundown maintenance garage and staffing shortfalls that limit the city’s ability to care for parks and cemeteries.
"I'm Brian Smith, grounds maintenance foreman," Smith said as he walked committee members through photos showing interior water damage, mold and deteriorated exterior siding at the Shady Park garage. He described equipment being stored outdoors and garage doors and insulation failing, which exposes equipment to the weather and rodents.
Smith requested a package of items—two replacement mowers (combined estimate $36,000), a stump grinder and trailer (estimated $80,000), a water trailer for ballfield grooming (about $8,460), and exterior repair of the Shady Park building (estimated $110,650). The grounds group also asked for added topsoil and stone for infields and parking areas and flagging a possible joint fence project at Ridgeville cemetery with a neighbor willing to split costs 50/50.
Administration said several park maintenance items are already in the parks capital budget, and that two vehicles being transferred from another department will be equipped for grounds work. But April told the committee the higher-priority grounds items—including the Shady Drive building exterior ($110,650), garage-door replacement ($15,000), two mowers ($36,000) and the stump grinder ($80,000)—were not included in the proposed 2026 budget because they ranked as priority two or three.
Smith said his small crew is stretched thin and that the arborist and grounds group routinely borrow labor from other public-works crews to keep ballfields and parks maintained; he estimated dozens of stumps and multiple dangerous or dead trees across the city that will need removal. Administration confirmed grounds had requested four additional staff at a total cost of $395,922, which was not funded; one additional laborer was included in the overall public-works budget, to be shared across street, water and storm operations.
Committee members asked whether renting equipment like a stump grinder could be a stopgap; staff said short-term rental would be feasible but that recurring and citywide tree work would justify ownership. No requests were approved at the hearing; administration and staff said they would continue to prioritize needs and explore options for capital inclusion or phased work.
