Russell residents to vote on creating own park board

Should Russell Township become the first Geauga County township to control its own public parks?

That is the question 4,404 voters are eligible to decide during the Nov. 7 General Election.

“Our purposes are to have our own park board and control our own destiny,” Russell Township Trustee James Mueller said. “Our original park system in Russell was set up under an older statute that required the probate judge to appoint the commissioners who are in charge of the park district for us. We’ve had problems in the past with having people on the board who are not interested in having open spaces.

“The people here actually petitioned us. They wanted to have control over our park district. Our people here in Russell are more interested in having passive parks. We don’t want any soccer fields and all that stuff — just open fields and trails. The people had to gather 350 signatures to get this on the ballot. The trustees are very much in favor of passing this and creating the new park district. Our purposes are to have our own park board, and I believe this will pass handily.”

The township already has its own Russell Park Commission, created in 1984, that consists of three commissioners separate from the countywide Geauga Park District, which has its own separate three-member board.

However, the Russell Park Commission’s board members are still chosen by the probate judge under Ohio Revised Code 1545.02.

Mueller said the ballot passage would allow them to replace the 1545.02 statute with Ohio Revised Code 511.23, which lets townships appoint their own park board members.

“It is our hope that eventually we will only have one park board controlled locally,” Mueller said. “We are creating a park district that is controlled by commissioners appointed by township trustees, as opposed to a board appointed by a probate judge up in Chardon who may or may not have our best interests at heart. It’s a question of local control.”

The main two township parks are Russell Uplands Preserve, a 145-acre parcel on Route 87 near Deepwood Lane on the Hunting Valley line, and a 53-acre parcel that was recently acquired from Modroo Farm at the corner of Hemlock Road and Music Street.

“There are also several other parcels of various acres that people have donated through the years,” Mueller said. “If this issue passes, more parks could be created if land is donated. We need to have a vehicle for accepting that land and maintaining that open space.”

In addition, 20 percent of land in Russell Township that was donated through a land conservancy has been set aside forever for a county park, township park or no-development easement, Mueller said.

Passage of the parks issue would have no financial impact on taxpayers since all park board seats are volunteer positions, the trustee added.

However, Geauga County Probate/Juvenile Court Judge Tim Grendell called the ballot issue unnecessary.

“In 1984, Russell Township trustees, including current Trustee Gary Gabram, petitioned the Geauga County Probate Court to create the Russell Township Park District,” said the judge in an emailed statement. “The Russell Township trustees could have formed their own park district, but they asked the probate court to do it.”

Kimberly Laurie, the juvenile/probate court’s budget/fiscal director, called the ballot issue a politically-motivated decision.

“The reality for Russell Township residents though, is that an additional park district created by the township trustees will cost more tax money because of the duplication of staff and expenses, including the expense to purchase property for the new park district, as the existing park property will remain with the current park district,” Laurie said.