Grandstanding

There’s an old country song that has a line that goes “give me flowers while I’m living not when I’m dead and gone.”

Well, Judge Grendell must not have heard the song. All of sudden he’s the great champion of Bob McCullough, a longstanding Geauga Park Board member, park volunteer and great conservationist. Now that Mr. McCullough has passed, Grendell wants to name a Geauga park after him.

While Grendell’s goal of renaming a park is admirable (even a blind pig can sometimes root out an acorn), his motives are far less so.Those of us who watch Grendell know that he frequently arrives at the last moment on a project to take credit for what others have done.

When Bob Mcullough retired from the park board, his contributions were legend.

When Observatory Park was completed, the then highly respected Park Director Tom Curtin, along with hundreds of other contributors to Observatory Park, wanted the Science Center named after McCullough. It was. Take a trip to Observatory Park and look at the wall with the names of all the contributors. Grendell’s name isn’t there.

No, Grendell wasn’t much interested in Bob McCullough then.

But the non-profit organization Protect Geauga Parks was. Last November, they honored Bob at their annual “Heroes of Conservation” event. He was honored as a great conservationist for Geauga County. Bob’s family attended the celebration.

Now Grendell says he’ll be going around the Geauga County Fair with a petition to have a park named after Mr McCullough. Everyone knows that a phone call from Grendell to the park board would achieve the same result. While the goal of naming a park for Robert McCullough is admirable, the latest episode of “Grendell Grandstanding” is not.

David Partington

Munson Township

Reality Rearing its Ugly Head

It has become an exercise to figure out just what rhetoric and buffoonery Tim Grendell will think up next in his quest to control as much of Geauga as he can.

Like a petty tyrant, he is now going after township trustees in Russell and Chester, intent on smearing them to their citizens so he can keep his little fiefdom intact, using his court-appointed jesters to do his bidding and speak for him when he cannot act directly.

Russell has been able to move ahead with their 511 parks and will, without doubt, be much better off outside of his rule.

The trustees in Chester are doing their best to control their own parks as well, and I would strongly urge other citizens and township trustees in the county to start responsibly considering similar actions in line with their budgets and the laws. We are Americans after all and standing up to tyrants is what we do. It’s in our DNA.

The man who would be king should stop and consider that many of the 20,000 voters he crows about that put him in office have signed on to the Protect Geauga Parks petition to have him removed. They simply didn’t have a choice at the polls because he was the only one running. Now because the state of Ohio has refused or been slow to act, they are taking matters into their own hands and doing everything they can to alleviate themselves of his petty, self-promoting rule.

The problem you are having Tim is that reality is starting to rear its ugly head. The people don’t like what you are doing. Other leaders around you don’t like what you are doing.

And, for the record, the only one that has made the juvenile and probate court look bad is you.

Rob Allen

Chardon

Disconcerting and Curious

I am very pleased that the Geauga Park District is pursuing a purchase of 127 acres in Claridon Township for a new park that will protect wetland areas, meadow and forest.

However, it was very disconcerting to read of the statement made by park board President Jackie Dottore that the new park should include a rock climbing wall and an obstacle course. She made this suggestion, she says, in order to get more 10- to 15-year-old children involved, particularly those actively engaged in scouting.

It is curious that “getting 10 to 15 year olds more involved” would lead to the idea of constructing facilities that have nothing to do with the natural landscape of the park, such as obstacle courses and rock walls. How do these features fit into a park that is located in an area of wetlands, meadows and forest?

Why shouldn’t the board consider challenging the Park District staff to develop more educational and scientific programs — targeted to this age group — and then support that effort by providing the resources necessary to make such programs successful?

The naturalists and other staff personnel have proven themselves fully capable of creating and conducting programs that engage and inspire students of all ages. Their ability to meet additional needs should not be ignored.

Frank Gwirtz

Parkman Township