By Rick Palsgrove
Southeast Editor
Groveport City Council approved creating two Groveport Parks and Recreation Department jobs to help with the management and maintenance of its facilities.
The positions are: building maintenance technician, with an annual pay range of $30,451 to $48,963; and aquatics coordinator, with an annual pay range of $35,006 to $56,264.
Parks and Recreation Director Kyle Lund said the building maintenance technician position is needed because the recreation facilities are aging.
“Believe it or not, the Groveport Recreation Center and Groveport Senior Center, which are a combined 67,000 square feet, turned 10-years-old this month,” said Lund. “As parts and pieces of equipment and systems age, they need more attention.”
Lund said the aquatics coordinator can fill in for the aquatics manager when needed. He said other advantages of having a full time aquatics coordinator include: filling in for lifeguards; adding stability to the swim lesson program; assisting with staff scheduling, payroll, supervision and evaluation; customer service; monitoring proper chemical water balance as well as filtration and chemical systems; and assisting with outdoor water park season start-up and shut-down and general maintenance.
Lund said having an aquatics coordinator enables the parks and recreation department to expand its aquatic programming to add such things as a masters swim team, SCUBA, diving lessons, advanced kayaking and more to existing programs.
Other Groveport news
•Economic Development Director Jeff Green said there are two commercial projects in the works that could bring 700 to 800 new jobs to Groveport. Further announcements on the projects could come in February.
Green also said three developers are looking to possibly build warehouses in Groveport. He said these would be the first new warehouses constructed in Groveport since 2008.
•City Administrator Marsha Hall said Steve Farst will begin work as the new city engineer on Feb. 10 at an annual salary of $91,446. City officials opted to create the city engineer position because they said it is less expensive than contracting out for engineering services. Farst worked with Groveport previously as an engineer with EMH&T.
“We believe the experience and knowledge Steve brings with him is so beneficial to the city,” said Hall.
•Councilman Ed Dildine was re-elected council president pro-tem for 2014 by council and Councilwoman Jean Ann Hilbert was elected vice-chair of council.
