A Geauga County activist group says the county鈥檚 public lands need to be better-managed.
was formed three years ago as a response to what members viewed as a park board that is not fulfilling its mission. Now, they say Probate Court Judge Timothy Grendell 鈥� and the three park commissioners he appoints 鈥� won鈥檛 allow public comment at meetings.
On Saturday, Protect Geauga Parks held a meeting to get public feedback. Vice-President Ed Buckles from Troy Township said recent moves to add a need to be explored further before being implemented.
鈥淚s this going to be in an area where there鈥檚 horseback riders? Is this going to be in an area where there鈥檚 typically migratory fowl breeding? We don鈥檛 know 鈥� nobody鈥檚 done an environmental study, or shared with us an environmental study.鈥�
Buckles and his group have also been critical of a plan to allow snowmobiles after nightfall in in Montville, one of just 18 parks in the country recognized as being .
Buckles added that one of the issues they have with the is the high rate of turnover among park commissioners. There have been 11 in the past six years, versus 12 in the half-century before that. He says consistency on the park board is what helped the county safeguard its watershed for many years.
鈥淭he headwaters of the three major rivers of Northeastern Ohio 鈥� the Cuyahoga, the Grand and the Chagrin 鈥� all spring from parks here in Geauga County. So basically everybody in Northeastern Ohio 鈥� everybody who gets water from Lake Erie, goes into Lake Erie 鈥� lives downstream from Geauga County.鈥�
and the commissioners did not respond to a call for comment.
