The Winamac Park Board expects to swear in a new member when it meets this evening. Pat Bawcum has been chosen to represent the Pulaski County Public Library on the park board.
The park board has been made up of four members since it began meeting in June, since that’s the maximum number of appointments that the town council is allowed to make itself. Over the past couple of months, though, the park board has been requesting a fifth member, in part, to make it easier for two members to meet outside of an advertised park board meeting without violating open meeting policies.
The town council agreed to allow the Pulaski County Public Library Board to make the fifth appointment back in September. But the process hit a bit of a snag after it was learned that the library board was required to appoint one of its own members.
Last week, the library board fixed the issue by appointing Bawcum, who meets that qualification. During a special session Monday, the Winamac Town Council passed an ordinance officially adding her as the fifth park board member. The ordinance calls for Bawcum to serve a two-year term.
She is expected to be sworn in when the Winamac Park Board meets tonight at 6:00 in the Winamac Municipal Utility Complex.
In other business Monday, the Winamac Town Council passed a resolution formally allowing Clerk-Treasurer Melanie Berger to serve as park board secretary. The town council already agreed to let the park board pay Berger $30 per park board meeting. However, Town Attorney Justin Schramm said the extra step was needed to allow Berger to be compensated by the town for work outside of her duties as clerk-treasurer.
