SIDNEY — The Sidney Recreation Board elected Mary Jannides as the new board chair and Angie Ross as the new secretary at the August meeting.
Mary Jannides will replace Tim Bickel as the current chair and Ross will replace Jannides as secretary.
Sidney Parks and Recreation Director Duane Gaier presented the board with a variation request for a memorial bench at Tawawa Park. After some discussion, Ross made a motion to grant the variance, but a second motion was not offered, causing the variance to fail.
Gaier updated the board on the fund raising efforts for the inclusive play area to be installed at Geib Pavilion at Tawawa Park next to the existing five-year-old play structure. He said as of Aug. 6, the Community Foundation has collected $88,300, not including the $10,000 given by each Kiwanis and Rotary. Gaier said fundraising is into the second month and they are still waiting to for responses on several submitted grants applications.
The board voted to recommend for Sidney City Council to suspend Tawawa Park’s hours for both pedestrian and vehicular traffic during the Civil War Weekend from Friday, Sept. 14, through Sunday, Sept. 16. The recommendation also included the suspension of the discharge of firearm and noise ordinances only associated with the event scheduled at the park Saturday, Sept. 15, and Sunday, Sept. 16. During City Council’s Aug. 13 meeting, Gaier presented the board’s recommendation and city staff was then directed to prepare legislation for consideration at the council’s next regular meeting on Aug. 27.
It was also reported:
• The leak in Sidney Waterpark’s intermediate pool will be fixed with the replacement of leaky pipes during the fall;
• Plum Ridge park be the next park to have a play structure installed in October;
• Work completed during the United Way Day of Caring day of action in which members of Edgewell Personal Care painted the Meyer Meadow shelter, picnic tables and spring animals; Wilson Health employees painted shelters No. 1 and 2 at Milligan Glen, as well as picnic tables and rehabilitated the Porta-John enclosures; Peerless Food Equipment employees painted the Stolle Bridge and rehabilitated the Porta-John enclosures; the representative of Shelby County Board of Developmental Disabilities painted the shelter at Chief O’Leary park, picnic tables, a backboard and basketball post and drinking fountain; and U.S. Bank employees painted the Plum Ridge shelter, picnic tables and drinking fountain.
