Board approves holiday display, grant application
Editor’s Note: This article was written directly from the meeting minutes. The agenda and minutes are offered below as well.
VERMILION — Park improvements, shoreline erosion and concerns about downtown parking and bicycle safety filled the agenda when the Vermilion Parks and Recreation Board met Sept. 15.
Members approved a holiday display at Victory Park and a grant application for improvements at Sherod Park. They also heard updates on Showse Park construction, a potential downtown parking purchase, recreation programs and plans to grow trees for future planting throughout the city.
Vice Chair Mark Musial presided over the meeting, with Connie Laughlin, Jim Beatty and Shari Kuhn attending. Tina Swinehart, Lisa Dobinson and Aaron Gall were absent.
Showse Park work faces timing concerns
Council representative Greg Drew reported that legislation awarding the third phase of the Showse Park Revitalization and Transformation Project to ADT Construction had not passed by emergency at the previous night’s council meeting.
Two council members voted against emergency passage, leaving the ordinance to proceed through additional readings, according to the meeting minutes.
The project includes resurfacing and line-striping basketball and pickleball courts. Drew said approximately $150,000 would come from a grant, with about $4,000 coming from the parks budget.
He warned that additional readings could push adoption to mid-October. With contracts and paperwork still needed afterward, construction could be delayed until spring because asphalt plants typically close in November.
Service Director Tony Valerius said he would try again the following Monday to get the legislation passed.
Drew expressed disappointment but emphasized that he was speaking for himself, not the full council. The minutes do not identify the two council members or include their reasons for opposing emergency passage.
Mayor addresses grant procedures
Mayor Russ Owens accepted responsibility for the administration’s failure to fully follow procedures involving an Erie County EPIC grant.
Owens said the problem involved insufficient communication about what the administration was doing and when. He also acknowledged that, as a new mayor, he was still learning municipal procedures.
He said there had been no intentional effort to circumvent the process and that the administration had learned from the experience.
Owens apologized and said the grant funding would benefit the parks. He said the city had been more thorough in subsequent application work and planned to begin the process earlier next year.
The minutes do not identify the specific procedural steps that were missed.
Beach access and drainage improvements
Board members voted 4-0 to authorize Parks Operation Manager Marc Weisenberger to prepare and submit an application for an Ohio Department of Natural Resources Coastal Management Assistance Grant.
The proposed Sherod Park project would combine beach access improvements with work to reduce stormwater flowing directly into Lake Erie.
Weisenberger described a bioswale, a landscaped area that collects and filters runoff, incorporating a lily pond. The work would be coordinated with planned parking lot paving.
A second component would create a concrete path from the far east end of the north parking lot down to the beach, providing access for beach visitors, swimmers, kayakers and canoeists.
Weisenberger suggested seeking approximately $50,000. Funds already identified for the project could serve as the grant match.
He said the program supports access and water-quality projects but does not cover beach nourishment or traditional shoreline work. The city previously used the grant program for a beach walkway and bioswale at Main Street Park.
Erie County Soil and Water representatives were expected to visit the following week to discuss drainage options and vegetation.
The board’s vote authorized the application; funding had not been awarded.
Shoreline erosion remains a concern
Weisenberger also reported obtaining contractor quotes for shoreline maintenance at Showse and Sherod parks.
Musial described eroding ledges above the beaches and large shoreline blocks, including slabs weighing about five tons, that had been displaced by lake conditions.
The proposed maintenance would reposition existing blocks rather than add new material. The minutes do not list prices or record approval of a construction contract.
Weisenberger said discussions with coastal management staff indicated that some regrading west of the creek at Sherod Park might be possible without extensive permitting because the area is outside the water.
Officials also planned to check whether existing shoreline permits could cover some of the proposed work.
Owens said he and Valerius were scheduled to meet the following day with a representative of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ Buffalo office and would raise the city’s erosion concerns.
Parking and bicycle safety
Resident and parks volunteer Richard Kime urged officials to address accessible parking for downtown events and concerts.
Kime said he had volunteered with the parks department for three years and logged 130 hours that year. He praised Weisenberger’s work, including maintenance he had seen him performing on weekends.
He said accessible parking near Main Street Park was limited and frequently unavailable, making visits difficult for older residents and people with disabilities.
Concerts at Main Street Beach create additional challenges when surrounding streets fill with restaurant customers and beach visitors, he said. Some attendees must park at the library or Victory Park and carry chairs to the beach.
Kime suggested considering how Victory Park’s parking could help accommodate events. He recalled a concert previously moved there with positive results.
He also raised concerns about bicycles and e-bikes on downtown sidewalks and in Victory Park. Both adults and children disregard signs asking riders to walk their bicycles through the park, he said.
Kime described a bicycle striking a vendor tent the previous year and expressed concern about a future collision injuring someone.
Drew said council and the police chief had discussed e-bikes the previous evening and were examining the issue citywide. No new restrictions were adopted at the parks meeting.
Possible parking expansion
Owens outlined a potential purchase of property north of the railroad tracks between Main and Sandusky streets.
He said owner Jeff Riddell had offered the property to the city for $150,000 and that it could provide approximately 67 parking spaces.
An old diesel tank remained an obstacle. Owens said the preferred approach was to fill the tank in place with slurry, but scheduling the work had been difficult.
Council was reluctant to move forward with a purchase until the tank issue was resolved, according to the mayor.
Owens said Riddell had agreed to hold the asking price and that the city retained a first right of refusal if another buyer expressed interest. Informal public parking on the property had been blocked because of liability concerns.
The mayor also mentioned an alternative parking plan that he was not ready to disclose. He expressed hope that at least 67 additional spaces could be available by the middle of 2027.
No purchase was approved at the meeting.
Holiday display coming to Victory Park
The board voted 4-0 to approve Christmas Card Lane at Victory Park from Nov. 28 through Jan. 9, 2027.
Organizer Rose Ramsey described a community display featuring oversized plywood holiday cards made by businesses, churches, schools, clubs, organizations and individuals.
Cards would measure approximately 4 feet by 4 feet or 4 feet by 6 feet. Participants would create and pay for their own cards.
The Vermilion Chamber of Commerce had agreed to help with registration and coordination. Ramsey said organizers were considering a $50 registration fee for the first year, although the amount had not been finalized.
Fees would go to the chamber for use in the community at its discretion.
Cards would be mounted on removable posts, with placement coordinated through Weisenberger so people could view them from vehicles or while walking through the park.
Ramsey said she was not requesting parks board funding for the posts. Organizers planned to review the cards and prohibit political content.
Literacy projects and future trees
Members voted 4-0 to approve Showse Park use for the Ritter Readers kickoff Sept. 19.
Library representative Cheryl Grizzell described the children’s literacy program as a way to connect with nearby families, including children who might not otherwise visit the library.
Weisenberger separately reported progress on the library’s Storybook Trail project. Plans called for extending a trail into a small loop around a new playground and preparing holes for story displays.
At West Breeze Park, a small tree farm behind the pickleball courts will help supply future plantings in parks and along city streets.
The city received 100 seedlings, with an Oct. 8 planting day planned involving the Tree Commission, Vermilion High School FFA and Ohio Edison’s green team.
The trees would grow at the site for approximately five or six years before being transplanted elsewhere. Temporary wire fencing would protect the area.
Rotary Park and recreation updates
Musial reported that the Rotary Club had closed on a property sale, allowing the Rotary Park project to advance.
He said EDG would finalize drawings for presentations to the parks board, Port Authority, ODNR and other parties. No construction schedule or total project cost was provided.
Chloe Roth was introduced as the incoming recreation director. A Vermilion native, Roth said she had spent about eight years living elsewhere. Her experience includes work with the Ocean Community Chamber of Commerce in Rhode Island and service as executive director of an arts council in Tennessee.
Recreation Director Chad Kuhns reported that football and cheerleading programs were going well. Football games were scheduled at Sailor Stadium from approximately 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sept. 26.
The community pool had closed for the season, with winterization planned for November. Seasonal financial figures were not yet available. Weisenberger said revenue might have increased, but expenses also rose because of pricing and maintenance issues.
Board members spoke positively about the pool season and community response to the splash pad. Additional splash pad work was planned.
Pickleball courts would remain open as weather allowed.
The next parks board meeting was scheduled for 6 p.m. Oct. 20 at the Vermilion Municipal Complex.