CENTERBURG — The transfer of Community Memorial Park from Hilliar Township to the village became official Thursday night.
Meeting in a special session, Centerburg Village Council members formally accepted the park as a donation from the township.
The park consists of two parcels. The village already annexed the 1.85-acre parcel and will annex the 12.97-acre parcel under a standard annexation.
“The conversations that we’ve had [with the township], is that because there is no tax issue, I don’t see any problem in us going with the Type 1,” Centerburg Mayor Greg Sands said.
“The deeds should be done by the end of this month, and the annexation will start immediately after.”
The state will maintain Ohio 314, just as it maintains Ohio 3 (Main Street).
Sands said that once the township transfers the new playground equipment and the village completes the insurance paperwork, every effort will be made to remove the old equipment quickly.
A lease with the Knox County Park District for a park section by the Heart of Ohio Trail would also transfer to the village.
Hilliar Township
On Wednesday, the Hilliar Township trustees voted to donate the park to the village. The transfer includes the proviso that the township can buy the park for $1 before the village conveys the property to another entity.
The trustees also voted to transfer the playground equipment and $17,056.10 in the township’s playground fund. The money in the playground fund was donated and restricted for the park.
Township resident Julie McLaughlin told the trustees there was no rush to decide whether to transfer Community Memorial Park and urged them to table the issue.
McLaughlin said getting township and village residents to pass levies to maintain the park would be difficult after a transfer. However, if the township and village are co-owners, both entities could contribute money for capital improvements.
“If the goal is to improve the park, I think this is a viable option. Selling a levy to the public to make real improvements at that park shouldn’t be a hard sell,” she said. “There are enough people who live in both voting districts who attend festivals … or will soon be playing on the new playground equipment. … This is an alternate way forward.”
Compensation
The second agenda item concerned increasing the compensation of the village administrator and fiscal officer.
Council members waived the three readings and approved a 4% base pay increase for Village Administrator Teri Wise. They also approved a 3% hourly pay increase for Fiscal Officer Mike Ullum.
Wise’s new annual salary will be $80,080. Both increases are retroactive to Jan. 1.