ASHLAND — The warmest day of the year Tuesday was an appropriate time for Ashland City Council to discuss and act on planned improvements at Brookside Park.
Council voted unanimously to participate in the National Cooperative Purchasing Alliance, which will allow for the resurfacing of the park’s tennis courts and other improvements through Vasco Sports.
It was announced last month Ashland will receive a $300,000 grant through Ohio’s capital budget to provide primary funding for the effort. Mayor Matt Miller said the city has also received private donations and funds from Ashland City Schools for the project, which he estimated at about $387,000.
“We would like to have the work done before August,” Miller said.
BROOKSIDE PARK POND: Miller introduced council members to new parks director Jason Counts, who began work a couple of weeks ago with a clear first priority from Miller: the pond at Brookside Park.
“We are attacking Brookside pond first,” Counts said.
The plan includes landscaping around the pond, including ornamental rocks around the edge. Counts said the pond will be filled with water and then stocked with fish taken from the Ashland Golf Course ponds.
“We want to add some benches around it so we can sit and enjoy it and maybe even throw a fountain in there so we can relax and just enjoy sitting around that pond,” Counts said.
Counts said work will begin on Tuesday and be complete by May 11.
The golf course pond fish tend to grow large since there is no fishing there. Counts said the large fish will be transplanted into Brookside pond and the golf course ponds restocked with smaller fish.
“I am convinced Jason Counts will go down as one of our finest parks directors when the kids starting pulling 14-inch fish out of Brookside pond,” Miller said. “Truly, the plan is to make that pond look the best its ever looked.”
The Ashland Lions Club has also volunteered to assist by cleaning up around the monument area at the park.
PAVING BIDS: Miller told council that Sarver Paving of Ashland had the lowest bid ($1,374,055) for the city’s summer paving project. Three bids for the work were opened on April 20.
The city had estimated it would cost $1.7 million to pave 29 streets. The lower-than-expected bid will allow the city to add three more streets to the program, Miller said.
The city engineer’s office said the repaving should be complete by September.
NEW VEHICLE: Council approved a new 2019 Ford F-450 chassis cab at a price not to exceed $32,827 for the city’s water and wastewater division. The vehicle, being purchased through the Donley Auto Group of Ashland, will replace an 18-year-old vehicle.
