SENECA COUNTY, OH (WTOL) - Big changes are on the way for the parks in Seneca County, after voters approved the county's first ever parks levy.
The Seneca County Park District currently manages 10 county parks with a budget of less than $50,000 a year. The district has two part time employees and a very dedicated volunteer base.
But now with the passage of the county's very first parks levy, the park district can now expand their operations.
Currently, the Seneca County Park District operates out of a small office in the basement of a downtown Tiffin building.
Through farm rent, fundraisers and contributions, they operate on a yearly budget of $46,000 to 50,000.
But now, the newly approved .5 mill parks levy will generate $571,000 a year for the district.
"Those funds are transformational." said levy co-chair Lee Martin. "They're going to really allow us to become the park district that we would like to be."
The district had tried to get this levy passed twice before. But a strong social media campaign and multiple park open houses exposed more residents to what the district was able to do a small budget.
"There's a value to this, a community value, both now and in the future. And lots of folks see that and that's why this levy passed." said Park District commission president Roy Zinn.
The district will first reorganize their administration with a full time director, full time maintenance crews, and a full time naturalist and program director.
Currently, the part time program director coordinates 180 programs for 4,800 people a year.
"Envision what we could do with a full time person. That's just a sample of what could occur and what we hope to occur." said Zinn.
No plans are expected to establish any new parks until the new administration is set.
The levy also sets aside about $50,000 as gr ant money for county municipalities to use for their parks.
"If they need new equipment, if they have a startup program they want to fund, they can come to us an apply for that. It's going to be right around $46,000 to $48,000 a year." said Martin.
