PORTSMOUTH, Ohio — Portsmouth City Council advanced $100,000 in additional funding for new playground equipment at Mound Park and cleared additional money for the police department and an expanded excavation contract on the riverfront, all by unanimous votes at a manager’s conference meeting Monday night.
City Manager Sam Sutherland told council the funding request for Mound Park playground equipment, which he had flagged for council ahead of the meeting without specifying an amount, grew from an initial $50,000 estimate to a full $100,000 after he saw what was needed to complete the project. The Hilltop Initiative has raised money to buy the playground equipment, which will be ADA-compliant and include a rubberized surface, and the nonprofit will cover remaining costs beyond the city’s contribution, Sutherland said.
Councilman Dennis Packard said he supports rubberized surfaces because they are safe and durable, and Mayor Charlotte Gordon called the playground important for a neighborhood that had gone a long time without one. Vice President Lyvette Mosley, who made the motion to advance all three measures, said her seven-year-old granddaughter rated a recent visit to Bannon Park “1000%.”
Council also approved an additional appropriation for the police department, which Sutherland said is needed to cover uniforms and badges tied to recent promotions within the department. A police captain is set to retire Aug. 31, which Sutherland said will trigger further movement within the department’s ranks.
The third item awards additional work on the city’s riverfront project to Allard Excavation, which is already on-site. Once the company finishes its current riverfront work, it will begin construction on boat dock facilities, Sutherland said, adding that bringing in a different contractor to coordinate alongside Allard on the same site would be impractical.
All three measures passed 5-0, with council members Charlotte Gordon, Andy Cole, Lyvette Mosley, Chris Neff and Dennis Packard voting in favor. David Malone, who represents the 1st Ward, was absent, as was City Auditor M. Trent Williams. The meeting adjourned at 8:34 p.m.
The information contained in this story was obtained from the City of Portsmouth.
