Syracuse Parks and Recreation Board met Monday, May 13, at Veterans Memorial Park. Shown are Paul Newcomer, Jeff Nicodemus and Jace Stewart, all park board members. InkFreeNews photo by Phoebe Muthart.

By Phoebe Muthart
InkFreeNews

SYRACUSE — The Syracuse Parks and Recreation Board met Monday night, May 13, at Veterans Memorial Park at Crosson Mill. It is the first of several parks the board will hold its monthly meetings at this year.

Chad Jonsson, park superintendent, gave the tree board report. He said trees were planted at the Schrock Athletic Complex on Arbor Day. Students from Syracuse Elementary School helped with the plantings. Eight trees were planted on the south side of the complex.

“It is the best we had yet,” he said. “The kids enjoyed it. This will help with our Tree City USA application.”

The Lilly Center for Lakes and Streams and the Kosciusko Soil and Water Conservation District helped at the event.

Other trees have been planted around the town, too. He said he is working on maintenance and tree removals, which more than likely will be this fall, possibly in September.

The Henry Ward Park project is nearly finished. New bathrooms were installed and new playground equipment will be placed at the park. A new concrete sidewalk will be completed as well.

“It will be a couple more weeks but we are moving along,” he said.

Jonsson gave an update on the Laudeman Park project. Polywood has donated two benches, and a butterfly garden will be built at the park. So far, seeds have been planted as well as a layer of rocks.

Jonsson said the Syracuse Community Center roof is completed. He said there hasn’t been any leaks since the new roof has been installed.

He said four new benches and four picnic tables have been donated by Polywood for outside the SCC. The others were 20 years old, he said.

Jonsson gave the summer staff report. He said two employees have started working. The maintenance position has also been filled. Summer staff will be working 40 hours a week.

He has only gotten one lifeguard application but more guards are needed this summer.

“If we get to four, we can do weekends,” he said of manning Lakeside Park’s beach.

There’s a shortage of lifeguards, Jonsson said. Jace Stewart, a park board member, asked if Jonsson would consider paying for potential lifeguards’ training, including high school students.

“We may have to consider it,” said Jonsson.

Jonsson gave the financial report for April 8 to May 13 and April’s report.

Darin Lursen, program director, gave the program report.

A shredding event is from 9 a.m. to noon this Saturday, May 18. There is a four-box limit. The cost is a $20 donation.

He said Touch-a-Truck, which was Saturday, May 4, went well and there were 15 trucks.

He said the middle school prom was well attended with over 200 students taking part in the dance. This is just under half the Wawasee Middle School population.

Mudtastic will be at 9 a.m. Saturday, June 22, at Wawasee Area Conservancy Foundation. People can register online at syracusein.org/departments/parks/mudtastic_classic.php or at the SCC. The cost is $25.

The farmers market starts this Saturday, May 18. The market is from 9 a.m to 1 p.m. There are seven spots filled already. The cost to be a vendor is $150 for the season (16 dates) or $10 a day.

The next meeting will be at 5:30 p.m. Monday, June 10, at Hoy’s Beach, Syracuse.