Metro Parks receives boating safety grant

Lorain County Metro Parks officials met Jan. 26 to approve a $25,732 grant it received from the Ohio Department of Natural Resources Division of Parks and Watercraft for a teen boating and water safety program this year.

The national initiative is called the Spirit of America, Youth Water Safety program.

The Metro Parks received the second largest grant out of 19 recipients, said Jim Ziemnik,

director. The grant maximum was $30,000.

The funds will cover fuel cost, parts and all other supplies for boats.

Ziemnik said the program is helpful to the county in getting people involved in using Lake Erie.

“It is a wonderful program because it gets people to use the water as a resource and to appreciate the lake,” he said.

The Metro Parks also approved a temporary $6.3 million budget for personnel services for full and part-time employee salaries, retirement and benefits, and $11. 4 million for supplies.

Metro Parks commissioners also accepted a donation of about 36 acres of land in Brownhelm Township from the estate of Hendrika

Riemer.

There are no immediate plans for the property, Ziemnik said, but the Metro Parks will allow the parcel to be used for agriculture.

And the Metro Parks entered into a agreement with Albert Weigel of Grafton, for the agricultural use of 12 acres of the Rozga property on Chamberlain Road during NEXUS pipeline excavation operations.

Fees associated with agricultural use during the pipeline excavation are waived.

In other news, Sherrill McLoda was reappointed as a Metro Parks commissioner for the term of three years. Commissioners appointed Joseph Hribar as chairman and Frederick Alspach as vice chairman.

Commissioners also reappointed Ziemnik and Alspach as the Metro Parks District’s representatives of the Otto B. Schoepfle Charitable Fund for the year.