With the new year comes a new hope that the Bowling Green pool and water park complex will be open in
2021.
During Tuesday’s board meeting, Parks and Recreation Director Kristin Otley said they are “cautiously
optimistic that we will be open. We’ll do everything that we can to be open.”
Tuesday’s meeting was the first time the board has met since September. Due to the pandemic, the pool did
not open in 2020.
Otley said that last year the pool was technically allowed to open, but that was made difficult by the
guidelines set out by the state of Ohio.
“A large municipal pool, you couldn’t open it,” she said, noting they are anticipating this year
guidelines “are going to be less restrictive.”
As an example, she said last year one guideline was that “high touch” surfaces needed to be cleaned every
hour, a difficult standard to meet.
“Now we think that’s not as big of a deal,” since it is now known that the coronavirus is more typically
transmitted in the air. Otley said, as an example, they will likely have fewer chairs out at the pool,
and anticipated putting them in family groups. They will be following the protocols laid out by the
state, she said.
Otley did say “there probably won’t be as many people visiting. That’s just our guess at this point. …
The answer is, we’re fully anticipating that we will be open but we’ve budgeted very conservatively in
terms of the revenue production there.
“As far as from what we’re hearing on the state level from our parks and rec association is they are
expecting some revised guidelines in mid-March for things like summer camps and programs and events and
pools and athletics,” she said.
She also said that the department will be working on updating its five-year master plan. The current plan
goes through 2021. The master planning process began last year with some community focus groups, but a
recreational needs survey that was slated to go out last spring was halted due to the pandemic.
“Really, the real issue and the real reason that we put a pause on that was because mid-March of last
year, receiving a survey to talk about the recreation needs of Bowling Green, we would not have really
gotten the data we needed to from that because it was a different time and people were very, and rightly
so, worried about what was going on,” Otley said.
They plan to start sending out the survey early in February.
Otley also addressed the department’s 2021 budget, nothing that it “is in the black, just by a little
bit.
“We feel like we realistically and conservatively looked at things,” she said, calculating that the first
half of 2021 would “not be 100% normal” in terms of revenue production. … We feel like it’s a good
document to start the year.
“It’s an exciting budget in the fact that it’s in the black,” Otley said, “but it’s not a super exciting
budget. … (The pandemic) is going to affect us probably for another year. There’s going to be some lag
effect, just as it’s affecting everyone else.”
Also at the meeting, the board:
• Heard from Otley that the parks and recreation levy will be on the November ballot. The previous levy
was a five-year levy which runs out this year. “So it’s time,” she said. “We’ll be getting a committee
together and” decisions will be made regarding whether the levy will be a replacement or a renewal, and
the timing. “More to come on that,” Otley said.
• Heard that among the items the parks and recreation department purchased with CARES Act funds were foot
pulls for restroom doors, automatic soap dispensers and automatic dryers. “Those are the kind of things
that we’re really excited to have and that people really appreciate with COVID, but beyond,” Otley said.
She added that security cameras for some parks locations were also purchased.
• Heard that the parks received approximately $2,800 from the Wood County Park District Community Grant
program to extend the half-pipe at the skate park. “So we will be working on that once the weather
breaks,” Otley said. “We’re super excited to have that and very excited that they funded that. … It will
extend the concrete out, it gives them more of an area to run up to that half-pipe.”
• Heard from Natural Resources Coordinator Chris Gajewicz that use of both the Wintergarden/St. John’s
Woods Nature Preserve and Simpson Garden Park have exploded during the pandemic. “These are essential
services that we’re providing our community,” he said. “It’s following national trends that outdoor
recreation is extremely important to people. … It’s really amazing how our parks are coming to the
rescue.”
• Heard from Recreation Coordinator Ivan Kovacevic that the use of the community center has “definitely
been picking up. … Obviously we’re not as busy as we normally are,” but it has increased over previous
months. “Even as we’re getting busier, there’s still plenty of space,” and cleaning protocols are still
in place.
• Heard from Chair Jodi Anderson, who thanked Otley and the staff for their hard work over the course of
the pandemic. Mayor Mike Aspacher and Councilman Bill Herald also offered their thanks to the staff and
the board. “I hope you are all feeling as optimistic as I am that we can get out this summer” and
participate in more parks and recreation activities, said Councilwoman Sandy Rowland.
