Board of Commissioners & Meetings

The Portage Park District has been very fortunate since its inception to have high-quality leaders to serve as Park Commissioners. The Board of Commissioners of the Park District is appointed by the County Probate Court Judge. The five members of the Board oversee the Executive Director and are responsible for setting policy, developing rules and regulations and approving the budget. They serve as volunteers for a renewable 3-year term.

Regular Board meetings are open to the public and are held at the Morgan Park Operations Center Community Room located at 8505 Nicodemus Rd. Ravenna, OH 44266

Any changes to the location or format of the meeting will be noted below. For more information call 330-297-7728 or email admin@portageparkdistrict.org

2024 Meetings:

2023 Meetings:

2022 Meetings:

  
See the Record-Courier legal ad section for any changes to meeting times

• Portage Park District Board of Commissioners Bylaws

Meet Your Park Board

	Name/Email	Description
	Judge Patricia Smith	Portage County Probate Judge Patricia Smith selects and appoints Portage Park District Commissioners to serve on the Portage Park District Board of Commissioners.
	Charles Engelhart	Chuck Engelhart has over 20 years experience in parks management, currently as Director of Parks with Cleveland Metroparks. He holds degrees in Biology and Interdisciplinary studies and is a hunter, hiker, and cyclist.
	Thomas Hrdy	Tom is recently retired from Portage County Department of Job and Family Services and is a licensed social worker.  He enjoys gardening, bee keeping, hiking and is an avid outdoorsman.
	Allan Orashan	Allan is a realtor who brings decades of land transaction and property management expertise to the park district, as well as serving on the Regional Planning Commission and as a board member of local non-profit organizations.
	Renee Ruchotzke	Renee serves on the boards of the Kent Environmental Council, Kelly's Working Well Farm, the Kent League of Women Voters, and the Portage County NAACP. Renee works for the Unitarian Universalist Association as a congregational consultant. She is an affiliated community minister at the Unitarian Universalist Church of Kent. Before being called to ministry, she spent 20 years as a mechanical design engineer and project manager.
	Kurt Ruehr	Kurt is the CFO for Townhall II, an organization promoting a holistic approach to health, wellness, and recovery for individuals, families, and communities. Kurt has shared his passion for Portage Parks for many years, serving in several capacities on the Portage Park District Foundation, emceeing at the Environmental Conservation Awards Dinner, and being an ambassador for conservation in Portage County.