Tentative schedule

Portland Water Park’s schedule after this weekend, like everything else in the COVID-19-dominated world, is tentative.

Water park manager Missy Bader told Portland Park Board at its meeting Tuesday that she’ll post on the pool’s Facebook page whether or not the facility will be open on any given day after this weekend because of college students and Jay County High School athletes who serve as lifeguards being unable to work.

The board also passed a new use of field policy for park facilities that was presented and organized by board member Brian Ison.

The water park normally closes during the week once school starts, but since Jay School Board last week postponed the corporation’s start date until Sept. 9, it can be open on some weekdays through Labor Day.

Bader said there is a Saturday later this month when the pool will likely be closed because of a lack of availability of lifeguards. She said about five of her lifeguards are leaving for college while others will have hectic schedules because of sports obligations.

The water park may also be only open for a morning or evening session only on some days, Bader said. Board member Chris Compton commended Bader for being flexible during the pandemic and regularly updating the pool’s social media account, which can be found at facebook.com/PortlandWaterPark.

First presented at a board meeting months ago and since revised, the board passed a policy stating which organizations are allowed to use park facilities and when they are expected to use them.

The goal is to create a clear scheduling lineage so that there isn’t an overlap in organizations that want to use park facilities at the same time. Ison said it is also now policy that if an organization contributes a permanent improvement to a park, such as a new scoreboard, it is considered as a donation to the park department and belongs to the city.

Portland Mayor John Boggs hopes the appointment of Glen Bryant to the park board is a permanent improvement. Boggs told board members that Bryant will serve on the board as its fifth member and is his second appointment to the board — Ison was the first — since becoming mayor Jan. 1.

Board president Shauna Runkle, however, said that Bryant was not notified of Tuesday’s meeting, for which he was absent.

In other business, board members Giles Laux, Ison, Compton and Runkle:

•Approved to pay up to $500 out of the park’s general fund to repair the sprinklers at Hines-Inman Memorial Field. Pee-wee football commissioner Chester Franks said the sprinkler system will be repaired Aug. 12 and the field will be ready by the time the season starts Aug. 22.

•Heard from street and parks department superintendent Tom Leonhard that the department replaced the acid pump at the pool and is looking to repair the exterior of the press box at Runkle-Miller Field, home of the Portland Rockets baseball team, which is scheduled to play its last games of the year in a tournament this weekend in Kokomo.