North Lewisburg Village Council made some adjustments to oversight of the park at Tuesday night’s meeting.
Village officials realized recently that the actual make-up of the park board did not align with the original ordinance establishing the group.
An ordinance from 1984 indicated that the park board would be comprised of three members of village council and three members of the Triad Junior Baseball Association. Council voted 4-0, with members Gwen Beech and Jennifer Ohashi absent, to set the park board as two members of council, the president of the junior baseball league, a member of the North Lewisburg Village Business Association and two other adult residents of the village. The mayor will have the responsibility of appointing members of the park commission.
The ordinance also created the position of Superintendent of Parks. The position is designed to be an overlap duty of the Village Administrator, but language was included so that the mayor could appoint a qualified separate individual, pending the approval of council.
The park superintendent is responsible for the care, maintenance and development of the public grounds.
The ordinance also spelled out the numerous regulations within the park. Though the rules are not new, they do spell out some of the activities that must be regulated.
Those rules include:
•The park being available from sunrise to sunset, unless there is a sanctioned village event or junior baseball and softball game.
•It is prohibited to deface trees, plants, grass, flowers or structures at the park.
•It is prohibited to kill any wild game in the park.
•It is unlawful to use threatening, abusive, insulting, indecent, profane or offensive language in the park.
•It is unlawful to gamble in the park.
•It is against park bylaws to be intoxicated in the park or to sell or furnish alcohol in the park.
•Fires are not allowed anywhere in the park.
•Dogs must be on a leash.
•It is unlawful to drain any hazardous substances into park waters or litter in the park.
•The park dumpsters are not for public use and may only be used by village employees or representatives of the junior baseball organization.
•Only law enforcement officers or members of the armed forces or veterans associations during memorial services may have firearms in the park.
•Soliciting contributions for anything other than the park is not allowed.
•Washing, polishing or waxing vehicles is prohibited. As is making repairs to a vehicle, other than in an effort to get it back on its way.
Any violation of the above regulations may be cited as a minor misdemeanor.
In other business, council:
•Approved a $1,000 donation to the firefighter’s association fireworks display on July 8.
•Approved an annual agreement with the Urbana Law Director to handle village municipal court cases at a cost of $2,250.
•Voted to take no action on a request for the village to investigate taking ownership of Walnut Grove Cemetery, also known as Butcher Cemetery.
•Learned that on Saturday the North Lewisburg Police Department took part in a county-wide traffic enforcement blitz, resulting in 48 stops, 36 warnings, 14 citations and one stop which resulted in an OVI, open container and drug citations.
•Learned that there will be a public meeting on July 11 to discuss potential utility rate increases.
•Heard that the street department purchased a used Honda ATV for $7,500 for herbicide spraying and bike path maintenance. It will also be used by police during large park events.