LISBON — The new Columbiana County Park District Board set new meeting dates, hired a new maintenance worker, elected a new chairman and vice chairman, discussed finances and agreed to request a legal opinion related to a board member also serving on Friends of the Park.

Tom Butch was elected chairman and Eileen Dray-Bardon was elected vice chairman after new member Linda Linebaugh suggested the people with experience should be the officers. Both Butch and Dray-Bardon previously served on the board for many years before resigning in the past six months, with Dray-Bardon leaving last October and Butch leaving in January.

Butch, Dray-Bardon, Linebaugh, and fellow board members Neal Bayless and Kevin Todd became the official board after being appointed last week. The week before that, the previous board members, Joe Lawhorn, Crystal Siembida Boggs and Megan McCallister, all quit, with Lawhorn and Siembida Boggs both asked to resign by county Probate Court Judge Thomas Baronzzi. The two part-time maintenance personnel also quit. There had already been two open spots on the board when Baronzzi then filled all five spots.

Under new business, their first action item was to hire Tom Carman part-time at a rate of $13.61 per hour for one of the maintenance spots. Carman previously worked for the park board before leaving in 2023. Dray-Bardon said she had spoken to him and he was willing to return part-time. In a matter of full disclosure, she said he was previously married to her former sister-in-law many years ago. He was expected to start immediately.

The board also decided to set their regular meetings at 5:30 p.m. on the second Monday of each month, with the first new regular meeting set for 5:30 p.m. July 13, then 5:30 p.m. Aug. 10. A special meeting will be held at 5:30 p.m. June 22, with the agenda to be determined closer to the meeting date.

Bayless said he preferred evenings so the public can attend. Previously, the board used to meet at 3:30 p.m. on the second Tuesday, but the last few meetings were held in the morning at 11:30 a.m. under the old board.

The board also agreed to request a legal opinion from the prosecutor’s office on whether it’s a conflict for a board member to also serve on the Friends of the Park. Butch said there seems to be a controversy with him and Dray-Bardon previously serving on both Friends of the Park and the board. Butch is currently serving on the Friends of the Park.

“I’ve never considered it to be a conflict,” Butch said, adding he doesn’t receive any benefit from it.

The Friends of the Park is a non-profit that formed many years ago to be able to accept tax-deductible donations that could benefit the park district. Technically, the district could accept donations, but they weren’t tax-deductible. A change in law now allows it apparently.

Todd asked if the board had a document that each member could sign to disclose other board memberships or possible conflicts and to say they have no conflicts. Dray-Bardon said it’s an excellent idea to do that and suggested having such a form for board members to sign.

In other matters, the board agreed to have the Lisbon Lepper Library do a story trail starting at the Lisbon trail head in partnership with a story trail being done by the Leetonia Community Public Library beginning at the Leetonia trail head. Lepper Library Director Angela Marshall was present for the meeting and said the theme for summer reading is dinosaurs.

The board also heard a complaint from Alisa Hall, who lives on East Lincoln Way, regarding damage done to her yard in the fall of 2024 when the sign was put in for the crossing for the new bike path along state Route 154. Her ground is now uneven and she met with both Butch and Dray-Bardon back then about the issue and was told it would be fixed in the spring of 2025, but it never was. Both recalled the meeting and didn’t realize it wasn’t fixed.

“I appreciate you bringing this to our attention,” Dray-Bardon said.

“We didn’t follow up on that and I apologize for that,” Butch said.

She said she just wants it evened out so it’s easier to mow. Butch said they’ll have the new maintenance worker go out, promising to get it done by the end of this month.

The board also discussed finances and bylaws, with Dray-Bardon explaining how the finances work and talking about the budget to give new board members an idea of what money the district has.

“We don’t have a lot of it,” she said.

The board receives $15,000 per year from the Local Government Fund. The total funds at the end of April totaled $100,464. Board members requested some detailed reports showing the revenue after receiving a report of expenses. They also asked a lot of questions on how the finances are handled, learning everything goes through the county auditor’s office and any money to deposit goes to the county treasurer’s office. Past minutes were also requested. As for the building, Butch said there’s a five-year lease with the county, but there’s been some talk that the county wants the building back. Dray-Bardon said they’ll need to find out what’s happening with that.

They also need to find out more about activities that were planned, including a dedication planned for 10 a.m. June 26 for the Logtown Stone Quarry Park.