By GLEN WERLING
Disgust.
Members of the Ossian-Jefferson Township Park Board could find no better word to describe the first item on their agenda at Monday night’s meeting.
For the third time since building the Melching Park half-court basketball court, the board members found themselves having to buy a replacement backboard.
“This one lasted 30 days,” Martin said, before being destroyed by vandals.
The plexiglass backboard was supposed to be shatterproof, but somehow, someway someone found a way to shatter it.
Martin informed the board that she has ordered a steel replacement. She had been thinking about a wooden one, but she wasn’t sure if the vandals wouldn’t just set it on fire.
The board discussed posting a camera system at the park. “Melching is a weird spot because it’s so secluded,” observed board president Meagan Luce.
The problem is getting internet service at the park — really not getting it but paying for it, Martin said. That would be another expense to draw cash away from the park board’s small budget.
However, the camera system has been somewhat effective at slowing vandalism at Archbold-Wilson Memorial Park. The most recent vandalism at the park was some vandal wrote a nasty word on the men’s room wall.
Last year A-W Park had its playground equipment vandalized and the parks department posted on its website about the problem of vandalism but received criticism from the public that the vandalism was just “kids being kids,” Martin recalled.
But when surveillance cameras were posted at the park, the vandalism declined considerably.
In other business, the board members learned from Martin that she still has not been able to book a band for the Sept. 10 date in the parks department’s concert series.
She added that she is looking for volunteers to assist with parking cars for the Hubie Ashcraft band that is playing the Archbold-Wilson Event Center. If you are interested in volunteering you can contact her at 622-4251.
Luce and park board members Tim Rohr, Jenni Milholland, Gary Guenin and Jared Kurtz also discussed the next five-year plan for the parks department. The current five-year plan is about to expire.
Luce recommended getting input from members of the public what they would like to see included in a five-year plan.
The board members also learned from Martin that The Bridges resident Jeff Osborn has everything lined up including insurance and the display for the fireworks show for the Independence Day celebration at Archbold-Wilson July 2.
Martin also informed the board members that she has the pavilion double booked for every Saturday in June.
The board agreed not to meet again until 7 p.m. Aug. 2 since the first Monday in July is Independence Day.
glenw@news-banner.com
