Park basketball program latest victim of 2020 issues

COVID-19 and 2020 have struck again for the Greencastle Parks and Recreation Department.

In a year in which the aquatic center never opened and the Fourth of July celebration didn’t go off with a bang, it will be a season without youth basketball as well.

The youth basketball program has been canceled, Park Director Rod Weinschenk told the Park Board at its recent December meeting.

The youth basketball board, he said, decided not to hold the program this year due to a number of factors, not the least of which was COVID-19.

“We feared starting the program, having something happen and then having to shut it down,” Weinschenk explained.

As of the November meeting, Weinschenk was reporting that only 30 youngsters had signed up for the program. He related that moving forward with the basketball program would depend on numbers and COVID circumstances.

The park director also said it became apparent that soliciting donations from local businesses that might be hurting from COVID circumstances didn’t seem like a wise thing to do.

“We do plan to have the youth basketball program next year,” he asserted.

Meanwhile, Weinschenk also reported that Greencastle awaits Tree City 2020 recognition after compiling tree-related numbers from the past year.

“We didn’t plant a lot of trees,” Weinschenk said, explaining that overall eight trees were planted, 94 were pruned and 52 were removed across the city in 2020.

The eight trees planted include three oaks, two red maples, two eastern red cedars and one tulip poplar.

It was pointed out that the large number of trees removed was mainly due to the ash borer disease and the April windstorm that swept through the area. In all, 44 ash trees were taken down.

In applying for Tree City status, Weinchenk noted that 17 volunteers logged more than 70 hours in dealing with city trees.

In other business, the Park Board:

-- Heard Weinschenk report that Phase I of the aquatic center project ”is almost wrapped up,” while Phase II has seen contractors Mammoth Construction and BCMI hired for the rest of the project.

-- Approved a final bill of $68,000 for Graves Construction on Phase I of the aquatic center project. The city is holding back $11,000 until an eight-item punch list -- all considered minor -- is addressed.

-- Approved a HWC claim of $7,098 for engineering on the aquatic center project.

-- Heard Weinschenk report that the Pacific & Eastern Model Railroad layout on display at the Putnam County Museum has been invited to remain set up until mid-February with no new exhibits planned for museum until March. The club will hold operating sessions each Saturday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Sessions are open to the public by appointment.

-- Announced that in addition to the Civic League Festival of Lights event held last Saturday at Robe-Ann Park, Santa Claus will arrive in the park on Dec. 12, while the Covered Bridge Chorus will sing on Dec. 19.

-- Announced winners of the annual Christmas Brickmania and Gingerbread House competitions. Brick Mania (Lego) winners were Hollis Barcus, under 10, and Reece Wallace, over 10. In gingerbread competition, the David Bault family was the adult winner, while Christian Snellenberger was the youth winner.

-- Agreed to change the meeting date from the first Thursday to the first Wednesday, moving forward from the January meeting on. The next regular session will now be 7 p.m. Wednesday, Jan. 6.

Tim Trigg presided over the meeting as president with Cathy Merrell and Joanna Muncie in attendance. Mayor Bill Dory attended via Zoom. Member John Hennette was absent.