GALION — New leadership at the Crawford Park District means not much will be changing anytime soon, and that is a very good thing.
With the retirement of Director Bill Fisher after more than ten years on the job, he has passed the position into the more-than-capable and well-prepared hands of long time naturalist Josh Dyer.
Dyer has worked with the Crawford Park District as both a naturalist, and most recently as programming director. He has been there for longer than a decade.
“Transitioning the director position from Bill to me has been in process for a little while now, so everything has been seamless,” Dyer said. “The biggest change since Bill’s retirement has been my moving into a more administrative role overall.”
In preparation for this change, Abby Ditomassi was brought on as a naturalist earlier in 2018, to replace the Dyer.
“Abby has done a great job for us,” Dyer said. “She has stepped in and taken a lot of my previous responsibilities on very easily.”
Dyer said that while his position as director is certain to take him in different directions with the park district, some events will still see him as a very active participant. Nature Camp each summer is something he definitely isn’t ready to let go of completely.
“Summer Nature Camp is my baby,” Dyer said with a smile. “I won’t be able to be an every day presence, but I’m hoping to have a ‘Josh Day’ for certain activities that I still want to be a part of with the campers.”
“It’s hard to walk away from some of the things I’ve always been involved in, but I’ve had to let go,” he said. “Abby has been a huge help in that way. I am still doing school visits at Colonel Crawford and one other school, but Abby is taking on the rest.”
Dyer was quick to note that the most recent levy passage was a huge relief for the Crawford Park District. It has helped them move forward with upcoming plans, not just at Lowe Volk, but the other district locations across the county.
A couple of those plans include the expansion of the parking lot at Lowe-Volk, as well as the acquisition of 30 acres of land across Ohio 598.
“I am looking forward to continuing the work that Bill started for the Crawford Park District at all of our locations here in Crawford County,” Dyer said. “My position as Director means a lot to me.”
