Park Board complete with Commissioners’ appointment

Created less than two weeks ago by action of the Putnam County Council, the Putnam County Park Board now has a complete five-member board.

On Monday, the Putnam County Commissioners, acting at the request of Convention and Visitors Bureau Director Eric Freeman, appointed Darrell Wiatt of Russellville as the fifth and final member of the new board.

When the Council created the board, it appointed the first two members — Allison Leer of Greencastle and Holly Cook of Roachdale.

Then last week, Putnam Circuit Court Judge Matt Headley appointed the next two — Ben Fox of Reelsville and Greg Williams of Cloverdale.

Freeman told the Commissioners that not only does the board meet the requirement of being politically balanced, but that the CVB attempted to recruit people from various parts of Putnam County.

While the Park Board will have four-year terms moving forward, most of the initial terms are shorter to allow for staggering of terms.

Williams’ term expires in January 2023, followed by Leer and Wiatt in January 2024, then Fox in January 2025 and finally Cook in January 2026.

The creation of a county park board became a priority when ownership of Putnam County’s 18 miles of People Pathways was transferred to the Putnam County Commissioners.

Additionally, Putnam County is not eligible for DNR grants for parks unless it has a park board.

The first meeting of the Putnam County Park Board is set for Wednesday, Aug. 11 at 5:30 p.m. at the CVB office, 12 W. Washington St.