On course

It’s a course 13 years in the making.

Hudson Family Park and Weiler-Wilson Park will soon be home to disc golf after Portland Park Board signed off on an 18-basket course at its meeting Tuesday.

The course is a result of years of effort from Portland’s Brett Resler, who first came before the board in 2007 to request such a facility. He most recently pleaded to the board for a course in 2018 but didn’t have any money to support the project.

This time, he came with $18,000 in sponsorship money from local businesses and donations.

Matt Shauver of Portland Street and Parks Department had talked with park board members about the idea at its last meeting in March.

“I’m just asking for your permission at this point,” Resler said to the board.

A big selling point for Resler was the potential to put Portland’s course on the professional disc golf circuit.

“People will come from miles and miles around if we do this right,” Resler said.

Muncie, Winchester and Union City already have courses, but Resler wants to take the time to make Portland’s special so golfers will have a reason to come back. For that reason, as well as the coronavirus pandemic, it may take a couple of years for the course to be completed. But Resler said he wants to install baskets as soon as possible so locals can try the sport.

In other business, park board members Chris Compton, Giles Laux, Brian Ison and Shauna Runkle met for the first time in more than two months and quickly addressed Portland Mayor John Boggs’ recommendation that the city’s water park stay closed past its usual opening during Memorial Day weekend because of the pandemic.

Boggs said he has spoken with a dozen other mayors who also run cities with water parks. Some are choosing not to open their facilities at all this summer, with the rest delaying their openings.

The board agreed with the mayor, who attended a park board meeting for the first time since taking reins of the city, and voted to revisit a potential timetable for reopening the pool at its June 2 meeting.

The board also ordered park facilities, such as restrooms, playgrounds and sports venues, to stay closed until at least next month.

A majority of the meeting was spent discussing what the parks may look like if/when they reopen this year. Street and parks department superintendent Tom Leonhard said the park facilities may be closed earlier than usual each evening to keep everything sanitary and combat the risk of infection.

“It’s going to be rough,” said Leonhard, who added that there’s only so much the parks department can do to keep facilities clean with just two employees taking care of the parks.

The board also heard from Leonhard and Boggs that The Rock Church will begin utilizing the amphitheater at Hudson Family Park for Sunday services. Church attendees will be required to abide by social distancing guidelines, Leonhard said, and restrooms will not be open until at least next month.