Terry Lunz, whose passion for Fred Carter Park has created an ideal space for hiking, fishing and other family fun, shares the many projects he worked on over the summer with the Bellefontaine Joint Recreation District board of trustees at their meeting on Tuesday, Oct. 6. (SHARYN KOPF | THE CHRONICLE)
He won’t let them pay him. They’ve tried, but he loves the work. At least that’s what Rick Reed, parks superintendent, told the Bellefontaine Joint Recreation District board of trustees at their meeting on Tuesday, Oct. 6.
The “he” Reed was referring to is Terry Lunz, who has taken the upkeep of Fred Carter Park on Lakewood Drive in Bellefontaine as his personal mission. And all on a volunteer basis.
Lunz attended Tuesday’s meeting to update the board on the projects they accomplished over the summer at the park. For instance, the park inherited five benches from the recently demolished Hoffman Pool. They placed them around Fred Carter and Lunz was happy to see people using them.
“This is a win for me,” but, he added, “we’ve got them chained down so they don’t end up in the pond.”
They put one of the benches back along the trail at a spot overlooking the creek. Then they used three fence posts and rope to create a nice little sitting spot for hikers.
Another project that needed done was removing an abandoned homeless camp. Lunz said it took about five hours to clean that up. But, he added, whoever was out there “took good care of their teeth because I picked up about six toothbrushes.”
In addition, Lunz praised the work done by a team from Vineyard Christian Fellowship, who built a 40-foot elevated walkway and two smaller walkways over trail areas that are consistently wet.
“What excites me is that people can now use that trail, unless it’s like this year with rain. But, normally, they should be able to start using it in April.”
Lunz has to consistently clear out log jams, but they’re also planting trees. In fact, he and his wife, Judy, recently put in a river birch and a white oak, and they have others they’re planning to add.
Lunz would also like to put in a bridge over a big ravine on the south side of the park.
“Carter Park has really come around as far as people making use of it during the summer,” Lunz concluded. “You’ve got kids coming from everywhere to fish there, and if they’re fishing, they’re not on the screen.”
After he left, Reed had this to say: “If we had a Terry at every park, we’d have the greatest parks in the history of mankind.
“I have offered this job to him and he has declined it. He doesn’t get paid because he doesn’t want to get paid.”
Board vice president Tammy Fowler added, “I think it’s just his true passion. We get to reap the rewards. Not just us, but our community.”
One issue Reed discussed was the need to dredge the pond at Fred Carter. Unfortunately, the cost is well into the six figures, which is prohibitive, and it’s also not a high priority.
Still, he called the park unique and “the Myeerah in town.” It draws kids from all over to fish there. Which means the board needs to decide whether it’s a project they want to take on, budget-wise.
Myers Family Foundation
Reed was contacted by Christy Myers, wife of the former parks superintendent Kris Myers, who passed away suddenly in December 2025.
Christy has created the Myers Family Foundation, a 5013c organization in Kris’s honor. The focus, according to Reed, will be scholarships for parks and recreation programs along with grants to enhance the area parks.
One fundraiser they hope will become an annual event is a 5k run at Myeerah on Thanksgiving Day, something that’s been happening informally for a few years now.
“We’re going to make an informal run a formal one,” Reed said. The Foundation will organize the event as a fundraiser. “It’s a really good idea,” he added.
Christy also offered, through the Foundation, to pay half the cost of the Automated External Defibrillator (AED) towers the department plans to install at six Bellefontaine parks. Each one costs upwards of $24,000
Reed concluded, “Obviously it’s a close-to-home topic for her and her family, and she appreciated that we’re doing it.”
UPCOMING PARKS EVENTS
The parks department is looking forward to two events with different goals and outcomes, but both taking place on Saturday, Oct. 17. The first is Good Neighbor Day.
Jacob King, OSU extension office, reached out to Reed regarding his plan for Good Neighbor Day and asked if the department had any projects they needed done. Reed mentioned how they’d been working with the Shade Tree Commission to plant some memorial trees around Bellefontaine.
“In the parks we don’t have a ton of expertise right now in tree planting,” Reed admitted. He jumped at the opportunity to utilize King’s green thumb along with the park department’s labor and equipment to put in seven trees at Blue Jacket and Southview parks as well as along the boulevard at Bent Pines.
The second activity on that Saturday is the Ring of Lights at Blue Jacket Park. Zoe Kennedy, recreation director, is helping to organize the annual event. It goes from 7:30 to 8:30 p.m.
This early Halloween walk is a time for children currently in grades pre-K through second to wear their costumes and follow the lights around the park, gathering treats from local businesses on this “spooktacular adventure.”
“We’re ready to roll,” Kennedy said about the one-hour night of fun. And, thanks to posting on Facebook, she added that they brought in several new businesses this year.
In other board news:
A company reached out to Reed about renting the lodge at Camp Myeerah as a place to prepare pizzas for their business. They agreed to the normal rate and would use the facility two days a week. “We have to jump through a few hoops, but we think we can get them out there,” Reed said.
Pool demolition is complete and the excavation process has begun, putting them several weeks ahead of schedule. Reed also explained that the really deep section on the west side of the park is the place where they’ll pour concrete to secure the new water slides.
New cameras have been installed at Harmon Park. Eventually they plan to put some up at Rutan Park in conjunction with the completion of the new pool. Cameras at Oakland Square Park are on Reed’s radar as well, and he hopes to continue looking into that—as well as at other parks, like Southview — over time.
The next BJRD board of trustees meeting is Tuesday, Nov. 3, at 7 p.m.
