The three options under consideration are:
⋅ A 0.25 mills levy to maintain current park levy operations.
⋅ A 0.49 mills levy that includes hiring three additional staff, as well as operating costs, and some additional equipment and capital infrastructure projects. The additional staff members would be one senior center coordinator, and two operations staff to help maintain the parks.
⋅ A 0.73 mills levy that would include all of the 0.49 mills levy expenses, plus funds for accessibility improvements in parks and at the senior center.
“When these (parks) were all built, there were no ADA considerations put into them at the time,” Mayor Don Adams said. “We’re trying to address that as we can.”
Lofino Park in particular is due for replacing much of its playground equipment, Adams said.
None of the options include funding for Spring House Park, which opened in August last year.
Council passed legislation asking the county auditor to certify the three levy options on Monday. They will vote on which one to select during their regular meeting on July 22.
Though the city’s extensive plans for Spring House Park have yet to be realized, the parks department alongside local volunteers have cut extensive forested hiking trails on the 148-acre property, which can be enjoyed by residents.
The city is in the process of pursuing state funds that would go toward Spring House Park development, Adams said. Though the funding is not guaranteed, “we want to move forward with whatever we can,” Adams said.
Beavercreek’s Parks, Recreation and Culture Department has seen growth in community participation over the last five years, Parks Director Zach Wike told city council Monday.
Program registrations have gone up from just over 4,500 in 2019 to 10,453 in 2023. Beavercreek parks had 600 registrations for summer day camp in 2024 and over 1,700 attendees in their summer concert series.
In the last five years, Beavercreek has replaced eight playgrounds, installed six pickleball courts at Dominick Lofino Park and replaced three pedestrian bridges, a fishing dock, and several park roadways and parking lots. The department has also developed numerous trails and walking paths.
The parks budget is fully funded for this year, Wike said Monday, but is projected to have a $250,000 deficit in 2025 with no increase in funds.
The department has several options to address the disparity, including an additional subsidy from the general fund, a reduction in fund balance down to 10%, capital or service level reductions, or a new levy.
The city is currently constructing a stormwater mitigation project, which consists of creating three wet ponds: two between Grange Hall Road and Autumn Leaf Drive, and a third in Spring House Park. The project is funded by the American Rescue Plan Act and is scheduled to be completed this fall.
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