Pastime may get park host

By Rob Treynor

Assistant Editor

Should Pastime Park get a park host?

That was the question bandied about during the Plain City Village Council meeting Monday night, Jan. 28.

Council member Shawn Kaeser, who sits on the park board, informed council that the idea for a park host had been given some consideration. Park hosts are individuals who provide services to a campground in exchange for a free place to stay.

“It’d be nice to have someone out there all the time, perhaps a retired couple. Someone who would make sure that fees were collected and such,” Kaeser said.

Steve Hilbert, village administrator, informed council on how the campground currently works. “We were on the honor system last year, and it worked really well. Receipts were up.”

“It would still be nice to have someone out there all the time. Especially if they had a lawnmower,” Kaeser countered.

Kaeser told council to expect a rate hike for camping at Pastime Park.

“We’re looking to adjusting fees to be more in line with similar campgrounds in the area. We will be looking at the pricing of similar campgrounds and adjusting our rates to be competitive. It may mean we have to raise our rates,” Kaeser said.

“Pastime Park is about six dollars a night less than at state parks,” Hilbert said.

Kaeser also informed council the park board is entertaining the idea of a dog trail at Pastime Park.

“This isn’t a dog park where dogs can go loose,” Kaeser said, explaining that a dog park would carry liabilities that the village is currently unready to tackle. “But we’re thinking of cutting a path and putting up some signage.”

Don’t leash up your dog quite yet, however. “We may look at the dog path in the fall, after we see how the pool and the campground do this year,” Kaeser said.