Supervisors to talk revived parks advisory commission

The Yuma County Board of Supervisors is scheduled to hold a public hearing on a resolution on the powers and duties of a revived Parks and Recreation Advisory Commission Monday, before a vote on replacing the existing rules with the new.

Under the proposed resolution, the commission will act in an advisory capacity to the Board of Supervisors; may create a comprehensive plan for park facilities in the county for the board’s consideration; make recommendations on park policy and fees; identify nonprofit groups, service clubs and grant opportunities; and other duties.

The county parks commission has been inactive for more than a decade due to lack of funding for any new parks or programs, though it was never officially disbanded.

More recently, Foothills residents’ interest in having a local park led to county officials identifying a parcel next to the Foothills Library that could be developed into one.

Reforming the commission is the first step toward the county being able to apply for grants to fund park facilities.

Yuma County currently owns or controls a handful of park sites, including Gadsden Park and the Adair Park shooting range, which are operated by nonprofit entities and, in one case, a school district.

The meeting will start 9 a.m. Monday in the Board of Supervisors’ auditorium at 198 S. Main St., Yuma. Also on the agenda:

• Discussion of a possible grant application to fund a Joint Land Use Study with Yuma Proving Ground. The Department of the Army has nominated YPG’s Yuma Test Center for such a study, citing concerns about encroaching civilian radio signals, power lines, reflective solar panels and other development.

• Hear a presentation from Segal Consulting on the employer and employee contributions to medical plans for future plan years. The firm will go over potential scenarios for shifting more of the costs onto employees in coming years.

• A presentation by Paul Ward, executive director of the Yuma Metropolitan Planning Organization, about historical Arizona Department of Transportation funding for the Yuma region.

The meeting will be broadcast on the county’s cable channel, Yuma77, and webcast and available for later viewing at www. yumacountyaz.gov and the Yuma County Government Facebook page. Spanish subtitles are shown on rebroadcasts.