Despite indications that the Hancock County Parks & Recreation Board would be dissolved, Hancock County Commissioner opted to keep the Board in place at its Thursday meeting. Commission President Eron Chek had proposed doing away with the Park Board at the last Commission meeting meaning th e money from the Hotel/Motel Tax allocated to the Park Board would revert to the Commission. Chek said the County Commission would handle both the administrative and maintenance of the Parks.
Commissioner Tommy Ogden vehemently opposed the ordinance change at the last regular meeting and a subsequent workshop on the ordinance. The vote to dissolve the Park Board was passed on its 1st reading with Chek and Commissioner Paul Cowey voting yes and Ogden voting no.
The ordinance was up for a second and final reading Thursday, Feb. 26. Cowey had changed his position believing the Park Board should be given a chance to work out its problems. Several of the Park Board members had only recently been appointed.
Seeing she did not have the support to pass the ordinance, Chek moved to table the ordinance to allow time to study it. The move to table died for a lack of a second, The motion to pass the ordinance died with Cowey and Ogden voting against and Chek voting in favor.
In related business, a letter was received from the National Park Service saying one of Hancock County’s Parks was not being kept up.
In other business, the Commission:
**Heard from Joy Reese, Housing Counseling program administrator about the program which had invested $2,252,102 in first time home buyers in Hancock County $49,101 being allocated for 5 houses;
**Appointed Ray Gaytka to the Brooke Hancock Jefferson Planning Commission;
**Approved general county bills of $59,458.38 and Purchasing card payment of $30,663.71;
**Introduced LeeAnn Hawthorne, part-time assistant in the Commissioners office;
**Announced the next regular meeting would take place March 12,1967
