Shelby parks ready for busy season

As Shelby's park system prepares for its busiest time of the year, multiple efforts are taking place so that people can enjoy the outdoors and recreational opportunities.

The work includes preparing Shelby's Seltzer Park municipal swimming pool for its scheduled opening May 29, working to beautify parks and providing fishing opportunities.

Details were provided at the May meeting of Shelby's Board of Park Commissioners.

"Richland County Soil and Water Conservation District put fish in the South Lake," parks Superintendent Jerry Marshall said of Seltzer Park South. "They committed to doing that every other year or so."

This year, the total includes 100 bluegill, 100 catfish, and 50 bass.

In a written report and remarks to the board of park commissioners, Superintendent Marshall reported that the park system is on schedule.

Marshall also announced that the pool and park are staffed for the summer.

"We're fortunate to have the ones we do," he said of Shelby's lifeguards and other places having trouble getting them for their swimming pools.

Maintenance efforts are well underway at Seltzer municipal swimming pool.

"The pool has been drained and the bottom and the bottom and sides cleaned," Marshall said.

The diving boards are in place and the deck also has been power-washed at the pool, his report showed.

Within the parks, he reported that water is on at all restrooms, and the pool and that crews had worked around freezing temperatures that had hit the area in April.

Fountains are active, pavilion floors were power washed, tables were cleaned and trash barrels are now in place. He also reported that the tennis and volleyball nets are up for the season

In addition, erosion control work was undertaken along Seltzer stream where 15 black willow shoots were planted along the bank.

"We're trying to get some trees planted as we can," Marshall told the park board. "This is kind of a recommendation from ODNR (Ohio Department of Natural Resources) and also Soil and Water Conservation. Just get the trees in there and seeing if they'll grow."

In addition, one oak tree was placed at Veterans Park, donated by Mount Vernon, his report detailed.

He also noted that the Richland County Young Marines worked for three hours and conducted raking activities.

Marshall reported that he attended the Tree City USA awards Day in Mount Vernon on behalf of Shelby's Shade Tree Commission. He told the board he had picked up an award for 39 years of Shelby being designated as a Tree City.

In other business, the park board also is continuing efforts to upgrade Seltzer Park's two tennis courts, which are in deteriorating condition with cracks and weeds.

As the park board heads into further planning for the project, it has the use of a $38,483 state of Ohio Natureworks grant that would cover some of the cost to renovate the two Seltzer Park tennis courts. The grant was secured this past November by the park board.

Park board member Dave Downs spent considerable time and research efforts preparing the successful grant application on behalf of the board and Shelby.

On May 10, the park board voted to spend $5,500 so that the city engineer, Matt Hasel, can prepare blueprints and specifications for the proposed tennis court project.

"He's going to come up with two different plans," Downs told the park board. "One just to repair the cracks and restripe or what it would cost" to tear out the tennis courts and fully replace them.

As for Seltzer pool, its staff via social media provided multiple other updates on the upcoming season that runs May 29-Sept. 5. Highlights include hours of 11:30 a.m.-6:30 p.m. seven days a week, and a daily admission price of $5 per person per day with children 3 and under admitted free with a paid adult.

In addition, pool party rental hours are 7 p.m.-9 p.m.

Some details on the cost for season pool passes:

* Individual (city resident), $50 * Individual (outside city corporation limit), $75

* Family of four or less (city), $120

* Family of four or less (outside city), $175

* Additional family members, $20 each

For further details on Seltzer pool, including pool rentals and family fun night dates, see facebook.com/seltzerpool