Dec 3, 2025 - Well Thanksgiving just occurred. The District held its first Turkey Trot, with more trots to come. We had 79 people registered, from a young boy of about 5 up to “more experienced” runners. Those who braved the rain had a great time. We want to give thanks to all those who participated, along with our volunteers, Sheila and Chief Corpus and the rest of the clan, and the staff for running the event.

I sure love the Boardman Park and Recreation District. That is the reason I resigned from my position as a police officer six months earlier than planned. It has now been just about two and a half years since I made that decision. I knew I could make a difference with the district for our community. There are things I miss about Law Enforcement, but I sure enjoy the people I work and associate with here in the District.

I need to emphasize how awesome the hard-working employees are who work for the District. I work with five other administrators who are outstanding, Teiko Villegas, Pool and Rec Center Manager; Brad White, Maintenance Manager; Kelli Cooney, RV Park and Park Manager; Tricia Slaght, Finance Officer and now a new Human Resource Officer Madisyn Cadek. They put in a lot of hours behind the scenes to make sure we are doing a phenomenal job. Underneath them are our mid-level Coordinators and Leads and then all the other workers who get it done. All these people are hardworking and try being the best in customer service.

In the short time as CEO, we have grown. The District added a sports coordinator position due to all the sports we are now directing. Rachel Lafferty has been working hard to make our recreational sports top-notch for both the youth and the adults. There have been plenty of learning bumps along the way, but we are moving forward in a strong way. We listen to what the community members and parents are telling us- trying to adjust in ways we feel we can to make each season better. We want to show our gratitude for all the help and time people give to us. We are now giving our coaches, referees, and other volunteers passes to the rec center for volunteering.

We also have a new Pool Coordinator, Katie Townsend. She was here when the pool and rec center opened. She left and has come back. This should help us get in line with the new Health laws that have been passed down. We will also be able to start having swim lessons again.

Ariana Andrews is another newer person whom I am grateful for as the Recreation Coordinator. She is great at organizing events and people. We tried having Youth and Adult Recreation Coordinators but have decided to put it back into one position. Just wait till you see what is coming up in the future.

I am a big believer these workers need to be trained and trained well. We do belong to Oregon Recreation and Parks Association (ORPA) as well as the Special Districts of Oregon Association (SDAO). We are trained mainly through those two associations. We sent our front desk receptionists to customer service training so we can be the best at helping all our patrons.

I am grateful for what I have learned about being good stewards of the funds entrusted to the District. Our budget is about five million. We received a lot of tax money that property owners pay. With that said, our Board of elected officials are always concerned and valiant in watching over our income and expenditures. Under the direction of some good citizens, the district saved taxpayers over $500,000.00 this year by suggesting we used up some of our savings to pay towards our bond payments, which lowered the amount we borrowed from the county taxes rolls. When property taxpayers received their statements this fall, they saw the tax rate for what they pay towards the Park and Recreation Bond decreased by 20 cents per thousand.

The other financial piece I am grateful for is the amount of money we receive from the CREZ and SIP agreements with the Port of Morrow Business Agreements with AWS and others. We receive funds through these agreements that help us make it through each year. If they were not here, I don’t know how we would have made it financially the past 5-10 years.

I know there are people who say these businesses should pay more. They will, when they come off the tax-abatement timeline. Those who brought these businesses in, gave them a certain timeframe to help get established. Once that timeline is done then we will receive the property taxes like any other business. I know I am going to receive phone calls texts and emails for saying this, but I am grateful they are here. They are helping our community and our county by providing a lot of funding for people around here without having to do so.

In closing, I hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving. I saw many people at the community Thanksgiving Dinner at the Senior Center. I came in at the end to help clean up along with a whole bunch of other people. Our community may not have all the high-end amenities, but we sure have great people. And that really sums up how grateful I am about our community-we help each other out in making our community great.

For more information about Boardman Park and Recreation District visit their website at https://www.boardmanorprd.gov/