Bader recommended to manage water park

Portland Park Board hopes to have a manager for Portland Water Park in place by the end of the week.

During its meeting Tuesday, the board recommended that Eliza Bader be hired as the new manager for the water park. The final decision on the hire belongs to Portland Board of Works, which is scheduled to meet Thursday.

Park board president Brian Ison had reported at last month’s meeting that there were four applicants for the manager job. Board member John McFarland, Matt Shauver of the city’s parks department and Ison then conducted interviews before choosing to recommend Bader to the full board.

Bader has been a longtime lifeguard at the facility. Her mom, Missy, served as its manager from when it opened in 2016 through 2021.

Park board members Michael Brewster, Jennifer Weitzel, Ison and McFarland unanimously approved recommending Bader for the job. They also recommended Ashlyn Dow, another former lifeguard, as assistant manager.

Hiring for the assistant manager position, lifeguards and concession stand workers will wait until after the manager position is officially filed by the board of works. McFarland noted that 34 students are currently going through a lifeguard training program at Jay County High School and applications are open for concession stand workers.

The board also approved the purchase of an automated external defibrillator (AED) for the water park at a cost of $900 from Penn Care of Van Wert, Ohio. McFarland informed the board that the existing AED was out of date and needed to be replaced.

Also discussed Tuesday was the potential of acquiring a new point-of-sale system for the water park, but chose to defer that decision until 2024.

Matt Shauver of the parks department said he plans to begin prepping the water park for the season next week.

The board also gave its blessing to two projects being spearheaded by community members:

•Boy Scout Austin Jellison from Troop 202 of Portland proposed installing a gaga ball pit at Milton Miller Park. (The sport is a “kinder gentler version of dodge ball, the game is played with a soft foam ball and combines the skills of dodging, striking, running, and jumping,” according to gagacenter.com.) He noted that he and his troop will handle the installation and that the $7,000 project is being funded by Portland Lion’s Club and Portland Breakfast Optimist Club.

•Elizabeth Holdcroft proposed adding a communication board at Hudson Family Park to help those, like her son, who have speech disorders or other communication challenges. The 4-foot-square board would feature images that allow individuals to communicate by pointing or touching. The board would be funded by Kids Purpose Project, a Portland non-profit organization “seeking to make a difference in the lives of suffering children.”

In addition to approving both projects, board members said they’d like to see the communication boards in Spanish as well as English and work toward having them in all of the city’s parks.

In other business, the board:

•Welcomed Weitzel as a new member of the board appointed by Mayor John Boggs. She takes over for Glen Bryant, who resigned in December.

•Heard an update from Shauver that electrical and lighting work has been completed at the baseball/softball diamonds at Weiler-Wilson Park.

•Approved installation of a new roof and related work on the gazebo at Hudson Family Park at a cost of $7,250 by Goodhew Roofing Services of Ridgeville. It is part of a two-phase plan to update the gazebo.

•OK’d the installation of fencing in front of the dugouts at Portland Memorial Park’s Runkle-Miller Field by Gabbard Fence Construction at a cost of $2,200.

•Was reminded that the board’s park walk-through, which will focus on Hudson Family Park and Milton Miller Park, is scheduled for 5:15 p.m. April 26.