CRESTLINE — The Crawford Park District, with its center at Lowe-Volk Nature Center, has a renewal levy on the upcoming May 3 primary election ballot. The ballot issue is a renewal, not a new levy, and will help the parks continue their programs, maintain their facilities provide capital improvement, and acquire future properties.
The Crawford Park District serves over 20,000 program participants a year. They provide programming to schools, civic groups, public libraries, nursing homes, Scouts, 4-H and DD groups, and the general public.
The renewal levy generates 0.4 mills for ten years. It will cost the owner of a $100,000 home $12.60 a year.
Expenses the levy contributes to includes paying staff (three naturalists and the director), providing programming, and paying maintenance staff, and improving trails and trail signage.
“Without the levy, the programming will start to slack off, maintenance and park upkeep will slack off and cease, when we run out of our levy dollars,” Director Josh Dyer said. “The stuff people have come to know the park district for will pretty much come to an end by the end of the year if the levy is not renewed.”
“Most all of our programming is free for people to come out and enjoy. People pay for the programming through the levy,” Dyer noted.
The building is 20 years old and its needs, for example, a new roof or furnace or air conditioning replacements, are considerations for the budget. Future facilities improvements could include the addition of solar panels to offset electric costs.
Dyer wanted to note that in the political climate of elections, the park district levy is not a political issue. It’s an issue for the people.
“The park is apolitical. When it comes to support of the park district, people aren’t wearing their Galion coat, or their Bucyrus coat, or Crestline coat, or any community, or any school. Whether you’re Republican or Democat, Left or Right, everybody throws their coats off and helps the mission of the park district. That’s really good to see when they come together from all areas of the county,” Dyer said, “We’re glad to be part of this community.”
Current sites in the Crawford Park District include Unger Park, Lowe-Volk Park, Sears Woods State Nature Preserve, Heckert Nature Preserve, Daughmer Prairie Savannah State Nature Preserve, and Sandusky Wildlife Area. In addition, the Colonel Crawford Bikeway, which begins at Lowe-Volk Park, was set up to guide bikers over township and county roads.
The Crawford Park District is located at 2401 SR 598, Crestline, OH.
For more information about the park district, visit www.crawfordpd.org
About the nature center: The Lowe-Volk Park Nature Center opened on December 21, 2002. It offers nature and history programs for families and environmental education programs to area schools and other community organizations. The Nature Center is open year-round and features interpretive nature and local history exhibits, live animals, bird feeders, and a butterfly garden observation room. There is also an active bee hive, children’s learning center,and a nature gift shop.
