Posted on March 28, 2022
SALEM — A public hearing will be held at 5 p.m. April 6 regarding a NatureWorks grant the Salem parks department is seeking for a project to dredge the duck pond at Waterworth Memorial Park.
The city Parks Commission approved applying for the grant Wednesday.
The estimated project cost is $22,000. If approved, the grant will cover 75 percent of the cost, with the parks department covering 25 percent.
Parks Director Shane Franks said the idea is to clean up the sediment at the bottom of the pond to ensure the water stays clean and healthy, calling the duck pond the focal point of Waterworth Memorial Park.
Geese had taken over the area a couple years ago to the point that the parks department met with a representative of the Columbiana Soil and Water Conservation District for advice on how to handle the fowl issue.
Since then, the department put a low fence around the bank of the pond to make it less attractive to the geese and also employed some noise and laser light techniques to scare them off.
Franks said he recently received a complaint from someone about them harassing the fowl this time of year, but he checked on the rules with his SWCD contact who in turn contacted the Ohio Department of Natural Resources. If they discover eggs, the harassment must stop. They haven’t located any nests yet and the number of geese showing up has been cut down considerably. Instead of 100, they’re seeing maybe a dozen or so.
“Our management plan is working,” Franks said.
He stressed the goal was never to get rid of all the geese, but to just reduce the numbers, which has been done legally and correctly.
In the description of the dredging project, Franks wrote about the popularity of the duck pond, all the Eagle Scout projects done to enhance the area, the lighted water fountain added last year, and the efforts to reduce the goose population, which will make the water and area cleaner, and reduce future sediment.
He explained the deepest part of the pond is 3.5 feet deep and the sediment measures 2 feet deep, leading to algae blooms in the summer that cover a majority of the surface. He said the next step to improve the water quality is to dredge the pond and remove 18 to 20 inches of sediment.
“Removing this sediment will not only help improve the water quality but will directly increase the health and safety of local citizens visiting the duck pond,” Franks wrote, expressing concern over someone getting stuck in the sediment if they go in the water, which they aren’t supposed to do anyway.
If the dredging project is funded, once it’s complete, plants and
flowers suggested by the SWCD will be planted along the pond and island bank, improving the aesthetics. He said the pond was last dredged more than 30 years ago.
The NatureWorks grant will be the subject of city council’s Public Services Committee meeting at 6 p.m. Monday.
In other business, Recreation Supervisor/Pool Manager Amber Smith reported improved numbers for lifeguards, noting that three veterans are coming back now and six newcomers have signed up for training. The parks department will pay for the training, but commission members discussed requirements expected for receiving the training, including a written commitment to the Centennial Pool for the entire season until the pool closes.
Last year each lifeguard had to work at least 200 hours for the season. That will be the same this year, plus they’ll have to sign a form acknowledging the requirement to make Centennial Pool a first priority for work until the pool closes for the season. The pool normally opens after Salem schools close for the summer and then the pool closes when school starts back up.
Franks also reported the final cost for the new sign for the park office building is $1,035 and that includes installation, which is pending. The cost for installation of the backflow preventer upgrades for Centennial Pool is $1,655. He also said Premier Pools was going to be working on the automated chemical feeder system for the pool, which cost $7,012 and was paid for by the Salem Community Foundation.
Commission Vice Chairman Lucille Karnofel asked for the status of the disc golf course. Parks Foreman Jim Grimm said the area at Centennial Park has been too wet. During his report, he talked about some of the work being done on water issues, with drain pipe installed near the maintenance road at Waterworth Memorial Park and east of Centennial Pool at Centennial Park. Nets are up at the tennis courts at Waterworth and the two restrooms at Waterworth are open. The restroom at Centennial will be open by the end of the month once the cold weather breaks.
He also talked about work done on the ball fields, the nature trail and general maintenance.
