Jerome Township’s Trails and Parks Committee is no more, for now.
In a split vote Tuesday, the Board of Trustees voted to disband the committee, pending further board action. Trustees Megan Sloat and Wezlynn Davis were in favor of the motion, while Barry Adler voted against it.
“We’re not trying to get rid of it, we’re not trying to drive it into the ground, what we’re trying to do is regroup,” Sloat said.
Prior to Davis’ motion, Adler detailed the work that the group has done since the previous Board of Trustees requested the formation of a Trails and Parks Committee in October.
He said the committee has worked with Administrative Assistant Sydney Herbert to contact design firms regarding work at Harry Wolfe Park, whose estimates and concepts could serve as the basis for grant applications. The group is also soliciting guidance from Tamisha Matus, with the Union County Health Department, who helped lead the development of Richwood Lake.
Adler emphasized that, while research is being done, no action would be taken by the committee without the direction or consent of the Board of Trustees.
Sloat said, in October, the trustees asked staff to form a committee and “look into grants” surrounding trails and parks in the community. She told Adler that she feels the work of the committee has gone “way beyond” the original intent.
“I just feel like this isn’t as organized as it needs to be,” Sloat said.
Both Sloat and Davis said they felt progress made surrounding connectivity, parks and trails in the community should be spearheaded by the trustees. They agreed that, from that point, work should be facilitated by the township administrator.
Jerome Township is currently seeking a new administrator, following the resignation of Douglas Stewart, who still serves as chief of the Division of Fire.
Sloat and Davis each said they feel work regarding area parks and trails should be put on hold until the position is filled.
Davis said she feels updates to existing parks or expansion of the trails system encompasses several township departments, including the zoning and roads divisions.
A township administrator could better coordinate between the recommendations of the Trails and Parks Committee and department heads who will execute the work, she added.
To that point, Sloat said township staff and trustees are already stretched thin without an administrator. She said the current environment is “not conducive to managing this project as it’s evolved.”
“We really need to focus on the day-to-day operations of the township while we’re in flux,” she said.
Beyond that, Sloat said she fears some of the work done by the Trails and Parks Committee will overlap – and possibly conflict with – the comprehensive plan rewrite that is underway.
Jerome Township is now advertising for a consultant to lead the development of an updated comprehensive plan.
Sloat said that work will likely include direction for updating and expanding outdoor amenities in the township.
Davis said the trustees did not realize until recently how much work was being done by the Trails and Parks Committee, which she said was without the knowledge or consent of the trustees.
The committee was “going beyond just recommendations,” Davis said, and the “trustees were not in the loop on many of the issues.”
She said the board asked Adler to slow the committee’s operations, which she felt did not happen.
Davis said that made it “necessary” to “indefinitely suspend” the committee.
Adler told Sloat and Davis that he disagreed with their evaluations.
He said “there has been no wrongful use of authority.”
Instead, Adler said the progress made by the committee is a testament to the enthusiasm of local residents and Herbert.
Sloat emphasized that she appreciates the effort of residents and Herbert, and the decision to temporarily disband the committee was “not a condemnation” of their work.
She said she feels the trustees need to spend some time determining their priorities and vision for outdoor recreation in Jerome. A township administrator could then “harness the talents” of those who are already participating in the process, to make the vision a reality, Sloat said.
Adler countered that halting the process now could discourage residents who are volunteering their time to assist.
Sloat disagreed.
“Let’s do this the way it deserves to be done,” she said.