LATHAM, Ohio — The Pike County Park District will hold a public meeting later this month to explain its role and gather resident input on whether the unincorporated Mifflin Township community should get its own park.
The meeting is set for 7 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 29, at the Western Community Building, according to a post from the park district. Organizers said they want to hear from residents about the district’s purpose and governance and to ask a direct question: Is a community park desired in Latham?
If residents say yes, the district is asking what amenities they would prioritize, listing playgrounds, trails, pavilions and recreation fields as examples in its announcement.
Latham sits along State Route 124 in eastern Mifflin Township, one of 14 townships in Pike County, and is served by its own post office under ZIP code 45646, though it has no incorporated village government of its own.
Park districts in Ohio are created and governed under state law separate from county or township government. Under Ohio Revised Code Chapter 1545, a park district’s board of three commissioners is appointed by a probate judge to staggered three-year terms and serves without pay beyond reimbursed expenses. The board is empowered to adopt its own rules for managing parks, parkways and other land placed under its control.
The Pike County Park District’s meeting is intended to walk residents through that structure while soliciting feedback that could shape whether the district pursues a park project in Latham.
The information contained in this story was obtained from the Pike County Park District.
