Parks & Recreation Board Meeting - October 24, 2025
Parks & Recreation Board Meeting - October 24, 2025
On October 24, 2025, the Gahanna Parks & Recreation Board met at 7:00 PM in City Hall Council Chambers. The meeting included approval of corrected minutes, public comments on park maintenance, a detailed presentation on the 2025 aquatics season, discussion and approval of the 2026 Pricing Policy, and updates from the Director and committees.
Public Comments & Testimony
- Robert Thorne (210 Creighton Ct, Gahanna, OH) raised three concerns: (1) the mowing width along the Big Walnut Trail in Academy Park's riparian area is excessive (4-5 feet on each side) compared to other trails, (2) heavy silt runoff into Academy Park's creek after rain, possibly from upstream construction, and (3) uncertainty about ownership and maintenance responsibility for the flood basin on Ebright Road south of Ebright Woods Preserve. Board staff took note for follow-up.
Discussion Items
- 2025 Aquatics End of Season: Chris Simmons, Aquatics Supervisor, presented a record-breaking season. Key highlights: membership sales increased 15% from 2024 (with a 10% discount for lapsed members); 66% of members were Gahanna residents, 33% non-residents (likely from the Gahanna-Jefferson school district). Day pass entries rose 16% at Gahanna Swimming Pool (25,610 total) and 5.5% at Hunters Ridge Pool (16,720 total). Staffing: 254 applications, 145 hired, 53% retention from 2024, and 90% of surveyed staff expressed intent to return. Training improvements included requiring lifeguard instructor certification for pool managers, 87 lifeguard certifications, and 72 higher-level CPR/AED certifications. Swim lesson enrollment increased 13% (653 individuals), with a 16% increase in adaptive swim lessons. New programs: diving team and junior lifeguard. Revenue from swim team rentals grew 70% due to three new teams from Westerville. Shelter rentals increased 52%. Cost recovery held at 53%, within the 20-50% target range. The Parks & Rec Foundation provided scholarships to 42 families (13% increase), with no applications rejected. Board members commended the team for staffing success, safety (no EMS or police calls), and inclusive programming. Director Ferrell noted alignment with the Parks Master Plan.
- 2026 PR Pricing Policy: The board reviewed the redlined policy. Staff noted formatting changes and a formalized residency proof requirement on page 5 for non-resident fees, reflecting planned software updates. Discussion focused on fee waivers: the board approved 6 waivers in 2024 and 7 in 2025, all related to Gahanna Schools. Board members debated case-by-case vs. consistent criteria, ultimately agreeing to keep the current policy. Questions arose about the 25% weekday discount for nonprofits vs. full waivers for schools, and the lack of a senior daily entry discount (though senior memberships exist). The policy was approved as presented.
- Director's Report: Stephania Ferrell highlighted contracted tree work—over 300 street trees to be planted this fall, with a diverse mix to avoid species-specific threats. Upcoming events: Campfire in the Park (Oct 24) and Great Goblin's Fest (Oct 24). Price House construction is progressing on schedule, with a ribbon cutting expected in summer 2026. Board members asked about tree species, resident notification, and replacement options.
- Committee Reports:
- Bicycle & Trail Advisory Committee (BTAC) – Eric Miller shared a map of the Section 8 crossing over Hamilton Road, noting a separation barrier and a tunnel under the highway ramp.
- Gahanna Active Senior Advisory Committee (GASAC) – The Senior Expo was well-attended with strong vendor and member support.
- Natural Resources Advisory Committee (NRAC) – No meeting.
Key Outcomes
- Approval of September 17, 2025 Minutes: Approved as amended (adding “weekday” to the 25% fee waiver description) by a 6-0 vote (McCleskey absent).
- Approval of 2026 Pricing Policy: Approved by a 6-0 vote (McCleskey absent) to recommend to City Council.
- No formal votes on aquatics presentation or Director’s Report — these were informational.
- Next Steps: Staff will follow up on public concerns (mowing, silt, flood basin). Aquatics hiring is already underway for 2026. The board will continue to monitor fee waiver requests and may revisit policy if volumes increase.
Meeting Transcript
All right, we'd like to call a meeting to order at 7 p.m. Can we roll call, please? Jane Ross. Here. Eric Miller. And Shepard? Here. Holly Haynes. Here. Chrissy Kaminsky. Here. This is Elise. All right. Approval of the minutes. Has everyone had a chance to review? I make a motion we approve the minutes. Second. 917. Comments. I had one change I noted that I've already given to the clerk, but under the fee waiver section, it says that there's a 25% discount on facility rentals for the pricing policy. It's only on the week, it's on the weekday rentals that there's that 25% discount, at least according to what I was reading in the pricing policy. So I just wanted to add that word in there. So if we could do roll call on approval of the minutes with that added change. Jan Ross. Yes. Ken Shepard? Yes. Holly Haynes? Yes. Chrissy Kaminsky? Yes. Harvey McCleskey? Isn't here, sorry? Donna Simmons. Yes. All right. Any additions or corrections to the agenda? Hearing of visitors, we have one. Would you like to speak? Sure, of course. Yes, you can come up to the microphone, please. If you could give us your name and your address, and you have three minutes. Okay. My name's Rob Thorne. You guys have seen me before. Kind of the citizen gadfly, but also part of the NRAC. And uh people once they found that out, they're starting to ask me about different problems that they come across when they're visiting the parks. And so I'm here today to relay a couple of concerns. Uh first one is uh Academy Park. Uh the verge there going through the riparian area is being mowed right now, and it's mowed pretty wide.
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