ATHENS, Ohio — Local residents gathered Tuesday night at the Athens Community Center to discuss the creation of an Athens County Parks District.
Athens County Commissioner Chris Chmiel organized the forum and said his goal was to engage in conversation and gauge public interest on the topic.
“I just feel like we haven’t had a good enough discussion, a conversation, about a park district,” Chmiel said. “It’s been brought up here and there, but I felt like it needed a more robust discussion.”
The forum was split into two panels. In the first panel, park district officials from Ross, Perry and Vinton counties discussed how their park districts operate. In the second panel, Athens County organizations shared their thoughts on how their group would work together with the parks district.
The park district officials repeatedly emphasized the flexibility and convenience of the park district model. Myranda Vance, executive director of the Ross County Park District, said that park districts centralize governmental responsibility, making it easier for both the public and government to contact park officials.
“They can just call me up and ask for help,” Vance said.
Ohio Revised Code 1545, which regulates the creation and operation of park districts, defines two ways for a park district to be created: a petition “signed by a majority of the electors residing within the proposed district,” or by vote of the county commissioners.
According to Woodward, all of Ohio’s 61 county park districts were created by county commissioners, largely after local residents voiced their support for the creation of a park district. Chmiel said that he doesn’t expect an Athens County Park District to be any different.
“(Collecting signatures) is the harder way to create a park district,” Chmiel said. “The easier way would be for one of the other county commissioners to agree with me that we start a park district.”
Whether by petition or vote, state law requires the county probate judge to appoint a board to oversee park district operations. Athens County’s probate judge is Zach Saunders.
Once a park district board forms, “The park district then becomes an independent governmental entity and is able to present a levy before voters,” said Woody Woodward, the executive director of Ohio Parks and Recreation Association.
Per state law, park districts can seek property tax levies of no more than 2 mills each year. According to Woodward, park levies generally last for five to 10 years.
In addition to property taxes, county park districts can apply for state and federal grants. Woodward cited the example of Clean Ohio, a $100 million bond program created by a 2000 ballot initiative for conservation, preservation of farmland and open spaces, brownfield remediation and other uses.
Clean Ohio “more often than not” has funds available for Southeast Ohio park districts, Woodward said.
Chmiel said that level of funding is particularly appealing to county commissioners who are responsible for funding and maintaining county parks.
“We have to fund (most county offices), we have to fund the sheriff, the prosecutor, the courts,” Chmiel said. “All those things have gone up in cost, so funding park development is not at the top of the priority list. If a park district were to be created and propose a levy, then there would be potential funding that the community would have the opportunity to vote on.”
A number of local officials had questions for the park district officials. Athens Mayor Steve Patterson asked the panel about the role the Wayne National Forest could have in a hypothetical park district. Brian Blair of the Vinton County Park District compared the hypothetical relationship to the current collaboration between the U.S. Forest Service and the Outdoor Council of Appalachia on the Baileys Trail System, where the two groups work together to build trails across local and federally owned property.
Linda Watkins, a member of the Hockhocking Adena Bikeway Advisory Committee, asked the panel how creating a park district might affect the bikeway. Blair suggested that a park district would take responsibility for the sections of the bikeway owned by the county commissioners.
The second panel expanded on some of these questions. Katherine Ann Jordan, director of the city’s Arts, Parks and Recreation Department, expressed interest in working with a park district to build better athletic facilities for Athens County residents.
Jack Pepper, administrator of the Athens City-County Health Department, spoke about the social and mental health benefits of a more robust park system.
ORCA Executive Director Jessie Powers discussed how a park district would improve the quality of life for Athens County residents.
“When we enhance those outdoor recreation assets to destination status … they serve as a catalyst to secure public infrastructure investment,” Powers said. “That’s something this region has largely lacked, especially since the decline of the coal industry. These investments improve the overall quality of life.”
Powers said that high quality of life attracts businesses looking to relocate or open new locations, increasing the overall economic prosperity of the region. The Athens County commissioners voted last week to not pay ORCA membership dues, citing concerns over the effectiveness of the organization and the overestimation of the Bailey Trail System’s economic impact.
Donna Goodman, Athens Conservancy board president, highlighted the various bike trails running through the county as a project that the Athens County Parks District could help manage.
“The Athens Conservancy would love to collaborate with a park district that could manage, maintain and take steps to connect the Hockhocking Adena Bikeway to the Moonville Railtrail to the west, and also to complete the Athens-to-Belpre Rail Trail to the east,” Goodman told the Independent in an email. “Once completed, these missing links will enable an unbroken connection via bicycle from Athens County all the way to Pittsburgh and Washington, D.C.”
Boone Troyer, the executive director of the Athens County Visitors Bureau, summed up the overall mood of the forum:
“I’m surprised we don’t have a (parks district) already,” Troyer said.
