Oak Harbor: Parks, rec levy to be discussed

Oak Harbor Village Council and Mayor Quinton Babcock will be hosting open sessions for the public to discuss a 3.9-mill levy on the Nov. 5 ballot for parks and recreational improvements.
The sessions will be held:
-Oct. 18 from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Oak Harbor Public Library meeting room.
-Oct. 22 from 6-8 p.m. at village council chambers.
-Oct. 30, from 6-8 p.m. at village council chambers.
A session was also held Oct. 8 at council chambers.
If approved, the levy will be in effect for five years and generate approximately $215,000 annually.
Jackie Macko, chairperson of the council’s village parks and recreation committee, said a community plan survey has been completed and the responses show parks and community spaces at the top of respondents’ priorities.
“We felt this was the right time to ask our community about a parks levy,” Macko said.
She said many projects can take years to complete, and, after analyzing the survey results, the committee has recognized that residents want to see the improvements as soon as possible.
At present, the village doesn’t have a dedicated funding source for parks and recreational activities, forcing council and the administration to rely on general tax dollars, grants, and volunteer efforts.
Mayor Quinton Babcock said the additional levy funds could be used to leverage more grants and donations for improvements such as walking paths and upgrades to youth baseball facilities.
The village has assembled a parks plan committee of residents and business leaders to survey residents on their preferences. Residents interested in completing the survey can go to the village website, www.oakharbor.oh.us to complete it online or contact the village administration office for a paper copy.
The Park District of Ottawa County is helping fund the plan process.
“The residents have spoken and village officials have taken notice. They frankly want better, more active, accessible and connected parks and park programs here in the community,” the mayor said.
The levy would cost the owner of a home with a market value of $100,000 about $137 a year.
“We know this is a tough time with the economy and re-evaluations, but we didn’t want to delay future parks improvements without allowing our community to weigh-in at the ballot box,” Councilwoman Macko said.