RECREATION — Mingo Junction Village Council member Jack Brettell gestured toward parts of Aracoma Park during his visit there Monday with Parks and Recreation Committee member Jodilynn Fitzgerald. Patti Mannarino also attended. -- Christopher Dacanay

MINGO JUNCTION — Monday evening’s cold and windy weather might not have indicated it, but summer break is on its way, and Village Council members are ensuring Aracoma Park is ready for the season.

Members of the Parks and Recreation Committee spent just under an hour at the park Monday, considering what work needs done before summer arrives and activity levels spike.

Jack Brettell, Jodilynn Fitzgerald and Patti Mannarino battled an unexpectedly chilly evening while discussing improvement projects and other items. The three were joined by non-recreation committee member Pat Cramblett, who did not participate in discussions.

Committee members agreed that the park — which contains the pool, various sports courts, shelter houses, a stage and a playground — requires some general tidying up.

Additionally, the group agreed on a major policy change at the pool: From now on, children under 11 years old must be accompanied by an adult, who’s at least 18 years old.

Discussed previously by council, the policy is a response to parents dropping their children off at the pool and leaving them unsupervised for extended periods of time, leading to behavior problems. Some have likened the situation to a babysitting service, which isn’t the pool’s function or what staff are trained to do.

“They’re lifeguards, not babysitters,” Brettell remarked Monday.

Committee members considered different ages for the policy but ultimately settled on 11 and 18. The Steubenville Parks and Recreation Board recently made a similar change for Belleview Pool, requiring that all children under 12 years old be accompanied by an adult 18 years or older.

Mannarino acknowledged that, for many years, it was normal for children to walk to the pool themselves and spend the day there. However, societal norms have changed, and it’s simply “a different time.”

Committee members also considered ways to increase revenue, making up for budget shortfalls this year.

Mingo Junction’s additional 1 percent income tax was not put up for renewal in 2021, and the oversight wasn’t discovered until early 2024. Although Mingo Junction voters approved a new tax in the Nov. 5 general election, the village has been left guessing how much revenue it will have available for 2025.

Income tax revenue supplies nine village funds: General, 34 percent; garbage and rubbish, 18 percent; street repair, 17 percent; capital improvement, 14 percent; recreation, 10 percent; senior citizens, 4 percent; community development, 0.5 percent; fire equipment maintenance and repair, 0.5 percent, and police and drug enforcement, 0.5 percent.

The recreation fund is entirely supplied by the income tax, meaning it will be one of the harder hit funds in 2025, the budget for which Council approved March 25.

To boost recreation funding, council has considered different options but committed to none yet. Some of those suggestions were raised again Monday, namely pool admission price changes.

Prices are divided by age group — 0 to 3 years old, 4 to 10 years old, 11 to 17 years old and adult. Families, students and seniors also have access to yearly passes.

Also discussing shelter rental and pool party rates, committee members elected to pause discussions until Brettell gathers accurate prices.

To save money, the village has considered the idea of closing the pool one day a week. However, Mannarino and Fitzgerald expressed concerns Monday, since closing on a specific day of the week might mean involuntarily closing the pool on a hot day that would’ve boosted business.

Committee members surveyed Aracoma Park’s playground and thought of ways to improve it. Brettell noted that Village Administrator Darrin Corrigan is pursuing a playground equipment grant.