OJAI : Parks Panel Reserves Seat for Student
There will soon be a younger look on the Ojai Parks and Recreation Commission. At Tuesday’s City Council meeting, council members voted to reserve one seat on the commission for a junior or senior from an Ojai Valley high school.
Because all seven commission seats are now filled, the youth member will not be able to vote until a vacancy occurs. The youth will serve one year. The other six commissioners serve two-year terms.
Ojai Recreation Director John Martin says a student member could add some “brash new ideas” about the use of park and recreation facilities.
Martin said the idea was tried about 20 years ago but met with limited success. He believes the key to the success of the youth member will be “to find one who is not afraid to speak up and is not intimidated by adults.”
The commission proposed the idea of a youth member last year, and the City Council agreed to the proposal in October.
The action Tuesday was the first reading of the ordinance. The second reading is scheduled for Aug. 27.
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