Water park tops its goal

The Portland Water Park Fundraising Committee has a total of $1,213,328.82 collected. There is only a $1,000 recent pledge that is outstanding.
“The dollar (amount) is amazing,” chairman John G. Young told the Portland Park Board Tuesday. “But even more amazing is the fact that we have collected 100 percent of all those pledges made except for the $1,000 that was made just last week.”
Young said the committee will continue to accept pledges until a cut-off date is issued, which he said will happen soon. The end date is needed to have all the names of supporters placed on a donor board that will be displayed at the park.
The park board — Rod Ashman, Kristi Betts, Don Gillespie, Shauna Runkle and Chris Compton — also looked over two signs that were created for the water park.
The signs, designed by Kyle Teeter of Display Craft, were of a layout of a donor board showing all those who contributed to the water park and a new street sign indicating where to find the pool. The proposed board would hang outside the west wall of the entrance across from the admission office of the water park and would cost $2,895 to make. The suggested street sign, which was 8x4 feet tall, would replace the old pool sign on Indiana 26 (Water Street) and Hayes Street. It would cost $1,650 if framed and $1,000 without.
The board did not approve either layout, and both will be redesigned by Teeter.
In other business, the board:
•Heard from Streets and parks superintendent
Ryan Myers that a security light was installed on the east side of the Pee Wee football building in Portland Memorial Park at the request of representatives of the Jay County Peewee Football. It was set up sometime around the first of the year. Myers also noted American Electric Power (AEP) finished installing the main input power line for the water park, which had been delayed. Power was run off a generator before the power line was installed.
•Learned from Myers work on painting the rails and poles at the park has been difficult because of the weather. Also, an alternate shade of beige was chosen for the chair frames of the 10 straight-back chairs for the pool because the original color the board had chosen was no longer made.
•Heard from Myers, who plans to set a date to begin tearing down the restroom in Portland Memorial Park to begin building a new one, which will be just north of the old one.
•Appointed two small committees that will interview applicants for water park manager and Junior Park Board.
The first consisting of Runkle and Compton will interview and recommend a potential hire for water park manager. Ashman said four have applied for the job.
The other committee consists of Gillespie and Betts, who will meet with students who applied for Junior Park Board to make recommendations for the board. Only three had applied for the committee.
•Heard from John Moore of Jay County Trails Club that the 5-year park plan expires this year. In order to apply for 2017 grants, a draft of a new plan must be submitted by Jan. 15, 2017 and a final document sent to the Indiana Department of Natural Resources by April 15, 2017. Moore said if the document isn’t submitted by April, the state will still accept it but it will be set as the 2018 park plan and the city could not apply for any 2017 grants.
•Heard from Runkle that a Jay County High School student, Robert Myers, wanted to have a color run, a 5-kilometer long race, in May at Hudson Park for Wounded Warrior Project.
Myers said he wants more information on the proposal.