Johnson Park board needs more members

The Grays River Valley Center at Johnson Park in Rosburg may be headed for closure.

Concerned about resignations from the center's board of directors, Wahkiakum County commissioners have scheduled a town hall meeting next Tuesday at the center to talk about the situation and recruit new board members.

The president, vice-president and secretary/treasurer have resigned, and that's impairing the board's ability to pay the center's bills and handle the day to day chores needed to keep the center open.

"There have been a number of resignations of late," said Commissioner Blair Brady. "It makes it an inactive board . . .

"There's a real risk of this park closing."

Commissioners discussed ways of addressing the situation. The center is a county property, and the board of directors is responsible for its operation.

Commissioner Mike Backman suggested a community meeting "to let people know what's going on."

Brady said he had talked with Grays RIver Grange officials about involving Grange members in center operations. The Grange has more volunteers who are very active, he said.

Commissioners agreed they would recess next Tuesday's meeting and reconvene for a 6 p.m. town hall meeting at Johnson Park. Brady said he won't be able to attend because he is already scheduled to fly out of state for a meeting.

In the meantime, the county should take steps to make sure things are secure.

County Auditor Diane Tischer urged quick action to fill board positions so that they can meet financial obligations.

"You've lost a major player," Auditor Diane Tischer commented to county commissioners, speaking of the secretary/treasurer.

Brady said the board should check with the prosecuting attorney to see how the diminished board could pay its bills.

Commissioners also said they understood that some volunteers made verbal attacks on some of the officers, and that might be part of the problem with resignations.

Trudy Fredrickson, who has recently resigned as board president, said she thought the resignations came from personal reasons.

Both she and Secretary/Treasurer Penny Gregory are dealing with family members who have serious medical issues, and Vice-president Timo Virkkala needed more time for his work.

"The resignations were due to personal commitments rather than tension and hard feelings," she said in an email to The Eagle. She said she had been told of an incident with volunteers, "but I don’t think that had any bearing on the resignations and I don’t think it should be a factor."

She added that there are still three sitting board members, and she thinks that with Brady's participation, they could handle financial business.

"I think the town hall meeting is a good idea," she said. "The center needs a working board, as well as more volunteer help so that the board members don’t get burned out."