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  Lifetime Of Service For Boardman Park’s Director  
  March 5, 2015 Edition  
     Boardman Park’s executive director, Daniel N. Slagle Jr., 64, has spent all of his adult life working at Boardman Park---a career that has spanned some 43 years.
      During that time, Slagle has guided the park through a host of changes.
      Remember when Boardman High School played their varsity baseball games in the park, where the Maag Pavilion now stands?
      Remember the ice skating rink at the park?
      Remember the old, tiny cramp headquarters of the park?
      Remember when Chuck Schafer developed Boardman Little League and installed two new fields (with grass infields and stands?
      Remember the first Boardman Rotary Oktoberfest?
      Under Slagle, Boardman Park has been transformed into one of the State of Ohio’s most-visited community parks, upwards of 500,000 people a year.
      In recent years, the park rings down the year with an ever-growing display of holiday lighting that brings thousand of people driving through the park.
      Vestiges of Boardman past abound in the park, most notably with the development of a “Historical Village,” including the Detchon House that now houses the extensive collection of the Boardman Historical Society.
      Slagle was instrumental in moving Olde St. James Church to Boardman Park. The old church, oldest such edifice east of the Mississippi, now graces the entrance of the park.
      For all the changes at the park during Slagle’s 43 year career, and in fact for all of the park’s 66 years, consider this---
      Boardman Park is still funded by a 1-mil levy, the same millage that created the park in 1948.
      “Of all the things I am most proud of, we have been able to build the park into what it is today on virtually the same funding we had when the park was created,” Slagle observed this week.
      He noted all the improvements could not have been made without strong community involvement.
      There were the hundreds of people who joined as volunteers to build Kids Town; the Tony Lariccia family provided major funding to build a grand community center.
      “There are so many people who have helped create the park,” Slagle said, mentioning William F. Maag, Martha Roepke, Tom Masters Sr., C.R. Smith Jr. and Joseph Sylvester Sr. and the Boardman Rotary Club as among the many who have provided support over the years.
      Slagle recalled the development of the Maag Outdoor Arts Theater with some amazement.
      “One day a community resident, Martha Roepke, walked into my office and said she wanted to do something in honor of William F. Maag (who donated the original acreage to form the park),” Slagle said. She provided the major funding to build the theater and Jose Sylvester Sr. donated much of the labor.
      “We were still short of funds and I began researching potential donors. One day, I called Clarence Smith, whom I had never met before, and told him of the situation.
      “Right on the spot he pulled out his checkbook and wrote a check that covered the final construction costs.”
      “I love Boardman Park. The rewards I have received serving the community and developing the park district have filled my lifetime,” Slagle observed.
      Slagle is a life-long resident of Boardman Township, and a 1969 graduate of Boardman High School. He was an avid baseball player throughout his youth, pitching a no-hitter and earning all-star recognition.
      At the early age of 12; he learned the responsibility of work and continued working numerous part-time jobs through high school. Upon graduation, he worked at the Youngstown Sheet & Tube Co. as a loader in the Butt Weld Shipping Department, which for a young suburbanite was a very enlightening experience.
      While working at Youngstown Sheet & Tube, he enrolled at Youngstown State University, pursuing a degree in Biology/Pre-Forestry.
      In 1972, he started his career at Boardman Township Park as a groundskeeper. While working at the park, he earned an associate’s degree in Natural Science from YSU and continued his academic career at YSU, earning a bachelor of science degree in Combined Science.
      Slagle was promoted to Assistant Superintendent of Boardman Park in 1988, with the primary responsibility of planning and overseeing the maintenance of the grounds and facilities. During his tenure as assistant superintendent he developed an extensive grounds maintenance and landscape programs, which included a comprehensive display of annual and perennial flowers, and a long-term tree planting and maintenance program, with emphasis on the preservation and re-establishment of native hardwoods. The realization of these programs has resulted in a widely acclaimed recognition as a Park that is beautifully landscaped and as the “Green Oasis” of the community.
      The Board of Park Commissioners appointed Slagle as the Superintendent/Clerk in June, 1992. His first project was to research and develop the first-ever master plan for the Park District.
      In the more than two decades since, 21 major improvements have evolved from the master plan, with a value of over $6.5 million.
      “The primary funding, 80 per cent, for these improvements has been donations of volunteer time, materials, and money, coupled with government grants,” Slagle notes.
      Since his appointment in 1992, Slagle has operated and maintained the park with a budget that is primarily funded by the same two 35-year old real property tax levies (three-tenths mills and sixth-tenths mills).
      In 2000, changes in the Ohio Revised Code, created the position of executive Director for a township park district and subsequently, the Park Board appointed Slagle as the executive director/clerk, acknowledging his exemplary service and dedication to Boardman Park over his tenure as superintendent
      Throughout his career at the Park District, he has developed and managed balanced budgets, and has increased the carryover cash balance from $47,000, in 1992 to $455,000 for fiscal year 2014, without the benefit of any additional real property tax levies. This was accomplished by developing internal revenue streams, e.g. program sponsorships, fees for the use of park facilities and successfully securing grants and private donations to subsidize capital improvements.
      Slagle, with the support of donations and grants improved the facilities making them more attractive and marketable, thereby increasing their popularity and subsequently generating substantial revenue. Currently, facility revenue represents approximately 20 per cent of the Park District’s annual income.
      The realization of the Master Plan has resulted in a unique and diverse footprint of recreational facilities and programs. This footprint has made Boardman Park one of the most popular recreational areas in the Mahoning Valley.
      In 2000, Boardman Park was selected as the host site from a four-county area by the Ohio Department of Natural Resources and the Office of Governor, when then Gov. Robert Taft awarded $560,000 in NatureWorks and Land and Water Conservation Fund grants to 13 public entities, with Boardman Park receiving a lions share of $131,122, for its West Quadrant Improvement project.
      Governor Taft in his presentation remarked “Boardman Park is one of the finest small parks in the state.”
      Slagle is a member of the Ohio Parks and Recreation Association and the National Recreation and Park Association. His civic involvement includes---Director and Past President of the Boardman Civic Association, member of the Boardman Rotary Club, past president of the Kiwanis Club of Uptown Youngstown; a co-chair of the Boardman Township Bicentennial Committee; past vestry member and chairman of the properties committee, St. John’s Episcopal Church; past president and life member Men’s Garden Club of Youngstown; Mahoning Valley Landscaping and Nursery Association.
      In 2000, he was awarded the Boardman Civic Association’s Community Service Award.
      In July, 1987, appropriately, he married wife Marilou in July of 1987 in St. James Meeting House in the park. They have two sons, Daniel, III (Dewey), and Tom, both avid backpackers, who hiked trails in 12 national parks last summer.
      When he is not working, Dan enjoys time with his family, shopping and landscaping with his lovely wife, sporting events and movies with his sons. He is an enthusiastic gardener, enjoys reading and photography.
      Boardman Park Under Slagle
       •Master Plan - Initiated, researched, designed, drafted, and successfully implemented the 1992 Master Plan for the park and the community it serves, which resulted in approximately $6.5 million in capital improvements, with the majority of the funds (approximately 80%) necessary for its success generated by the following revenue streams: local, state and federal grants; donations and sponsorships from individuals, businesses, and foundations; and the balance (approximately 20%) from the park’s capital budget. The completion of the Master Plan fostered the following recreational assets for the community:
       •Kids’ Town Creative Playground, Robert Leathers Community Built Concept constructed by more than 3000 volunteers.
       •Tot’s Town Playground, community built, initiated by local Realtor, John Burgan.
       •Maag Outdoor Arts Theatre.
       •Elton Beard Family Cabin, funded by an ODNR Nature Works Grant. Major contributor, Elton and Christina Beard.
       •Kenneth Hofmaster Pavilion, community built concept.
       •Hike & Bike Trail.
       •Main Septic system that eliminated an antiquated on-site Leech Bed system and the connection to a public sanitary system at the Shops at Boardman Park. Major contributors, David Handel and Chuck Bishara.
       •West Quadrant Improvements Project that included the Thomas C. Masters Pavilion w/restrooms, a 300-car lighted parking lot, and landscaping funded by a LWCF grant.
       •Two sand volleyball courts.
       •Practice tennis wall.
       •Acquisition of 35 acres of greenspace that increased the size of Boardman Park to 227 acres, with 40 acres of Open Space property located in seven areas of Boardman Township.
       •Renovation of Kids’ Town Playground with plastic lumber made from recycled materials, funded by a Green Team recycling grant.
       •Exterior renovation of St. James Meeting House.
       •Veterans Memorial project developed in conjunction with Boardman Trustee Elaine Mancini.
       •Historical Village Septic System that eliminated an on-site leech bed/holding tank system and the connection to a public sanitary system at the Shops at Boardman Park.
       •West Quadrant Phase II, including the Lariccia Family Bocce Pavilion, ADA accessible playground and the asphalt paving of the 300-car parking lot, funded by an ODNR NatureWorks Grant and ODNR Scrap Tire Grant for Paving of Parking Lot. Major contributor, Anthony Lariccia.
       •The Lariccia Family Community Center Phase I, the renovation and expansion of the 33-year old Community Center. Major contributors, Anthony Lariccia, Boardman Rotary Club, Kennedy Family Trust/SJK Trust, Helen Stambaugh.
       •Exterior renovation of the Oswald Detchon House, a local historic landmark.
       •North Trail project, an 8-foot wide paved ADA accessible walkway that travels parallel to the main drive in the park and connects all park facilities, as well as connecting to existing nature trail system, four miles of trails, funded by an ODNR Recreational Trail Grant
       •Renovation and expansion of the Georgeanna Parker Activity Center.
       •Marge Hartman’s Paws Town at Boardman Park, developed in conjunction with a non-profit committee, Friend of Paws Town, Inc., organized by Boardman Township Administrator Jason Loree and his wife, Abbey that led to the development of a 3.25-acre dog park, designed for dogs to exercise and play off-leash in a controlled environment under the supervision of their owners
       •Departmentalized maintenance operations, delineating daily duties and responsibilities; which resulted in more efficient and effective operations.
       •Web site and online reservations.
       •Military concerts and fireworks. Upon the completion of the Maag Outdoor Arts Theatre, initiated and established the annual Military Band Concerts and fireworks displays. He encouraged and eventually convinced the U.S. Army Field Band and Soldiers Chorus to perform at the park for the first time in 1996, and nurtured the relationship over the years to where the park is now part of their Summer schedule. Additionally, Slagle developed a relationship with the B.J. Alan Fireworks Co., headed by Boardman native Bruce Zoldan, where they are now one of the park’s annual sponsors.
       •Haunted Hay Rides and Family Night events.
       •Pepsi Vending and Donations. Under Slagle, Boardman Park initiated and implemented the placement of Pepsi vending machines within the park as a new revenue stream. As part of the Vending Machine agreement, Pepsi donated to Capital Projects (Maag Theatre, $6,000) and Kids’ Town awnings ($3,000) and a $1,000 annual sponsorship.
      Slagle initiated and negotiated the purchase of approximately three acres of Ohio Edison property adjacent to the Nevada Ave. substation in order to establish the Township Compost Site in a joint effort with former Boardman Township Road Superintendent Gary Dawson. During the process, Slagle discovered that a crucial piece of property measuring 50 feet by 500 feet that was part of the Davidson Family estate.
      Slagle researched the family records and found heirs to the estate living in Washington State, and with the help of Atty. Jack Amstutz, the heirs transferred ownership to Boardman Park for a nominal amount of money.
      Dan Slagle’s tenure in a leadership role at Boardman Park began when Boardman Trustees learned a former park director, John Holzbach, spent tens of thousands of public dollars to create his own, private nature library. Holzbach was quickly ousted upon the discovery, and Slagle took over.
      He has had a remarkable run leading the Boardman Park District and says to this day he has been fortunate to serve under Boards of Park Commissioners who have displayed sincere concerns for the park and the preservation of greenspace in the township.
      In 1972, when Slagle began his career at Boardman Park, serving as commissioners were Aty. Frank Mastriana, Atty. George Economus and Phil Prosser. Others who served on the park board during Slagle’s tenure are Tom Masters, Janie Jenkins, Mark Luke, Jack Russell, Gwen Smith, Dr. Robert Johnson and current commissioners Joyce Mistovich, Trent Cailor and Josh Zarlenga.
      “Most importantly, Boardman Park is about our community,” Slagle said this week. All of the improvements during his lengthy tenure have been the result of community involvement and gives the park a unique niche, where vounteerism and donations played such a key role in the development of Boardman Park that still operates essentially on the same funding as when it was created more than six decades ago.
     
 
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