Muskingum Valley Park District now has a citizen advisory committee

MUSKINGUM – District Commissioners established the committee during a board meeting on Tuesday. Muskingum Valley Parks currently receives funding through avenues like grants from the Muskingum County Commissioners and local private foundations.

“So, basically we have a couple of options. We could look at soliciting additional private funds but that’s not something that’s necessarily sustainable. We could see assistance through other political subdivisions within Muskingum County, but, ultimately, they way most park districts operate is to place a levy on the ballot so that’s one of the things we’ll be look at is whether it would be feasible to put a small operating levy on the ballot that would sustain us into the future,” Executive Director Russell Edgington said.

The community’s input is very valuable to the park district and has helped it to prioritize moving ahead.

“The number one thing that people wanted is for us to continue preserving open space and that’s not only in the city of Zanesville but also in the outlying areas. It would seem that the residents would really embrace the fact that we live in a rural atmosphere and they want to keep it that way,” Edgington said.

Edgington said that residents would also like to see the Park District invest into its recreational trails.