The Lima Rotary Club welcomes Tyler Black, the new director of the Johnny Appleseed Park District.
The Lima Rotary Club held its first meeting since March 9th on July 6th and nearly 50 members were in attendance, with more watching our live stream on Facebook. It was great to be back!
Safety precautions included: seating only three people per table, Milano's staff serving our lunch at the buffet, no head table, and masks required to be worn in the hallways and lobby of the Civic Center.
We were excited to have Tyler Black as our guest speaker. Less than a week after assuming his new duties as Director of the Johnny Appleseed Park District, Tyler presented the club his vision for the future of our parks. Tyler told us that the parks have been utilized "quite a bit" during the pandemic and his staff has been dedicated to keeping the facilities clean and safe for the enjoyment of Allen County's families. Current projects include the widening of the trails and a new fishing dock at Ottawa Metro Park, completion of the Cottonwood Trail Access at Defiance Trail, a new playground at Heritage Park, and a new park in southeastern Allen County off State Route 117. It's 62 acres and was purchased with a state grant. It should be open later this summer. Tyler also has plans to upgrade the park district offices, which are currently in a house on Route 81 which was built in 1940. He told us the plans to extend the Rotary Riverwalk to Country Club Hills is currently on hold, but he is working with club members to make that a reality in the future.