SALEM — The Salem Parks Commission held annual re-organizational proceedings in its January meeting.

Long-serving commission president John Panezott was unanimously re-appointed for 2025, motioned by new Parks Commissioner Don Yeasted, and seconded by Commissioner Lori Colian. He will be joined by a new Commission Vice President in Colian, who was also nominated by Yeasted, and seconded by Panezott and unanimously approved, and will be succeeding former Commissioner Lucile Karnofel whose term concluded on Dec. 31 and was not re-appointed by Mayor Cyndi Baronzzi Dickey.

Recreation Supervisor and Interim Parks Director Kelli Pastore was unanimously named commission secretary, nominated by Colian and seconded by Yeasted.

During her report, Pastore said that the department’s new automatic electronic defibrillators (AED), which it was required to have available within three minutes round trip of youth sporting areas beginning in 2025 following the passage of House Bill 47, had been installed on Dec. 30. While it was initially estimated that the department would need eight AEDs to meet requirements across the parks at an expected cost of $1,500 to $3,000 each, in the commission’s December meeting Pastore told commissioners that following further research the department would actually only need three units — one in Centennial Park, and two in Waterworth Memorial Park — as Kelly Park is not used for youth sports and both the Salem City Lake and Teegarden Bridge are technically in Perry Township and therefore do not meet the population threshold to require an AED be posted.

These units came at no initial cost to the department as Pastore had contacted AED manufacturer Zoll Medical, which provided the department with three AEDs and the required weatherproof housings to match. In accordance with House Bill 47, these units will need to be serviced every four weeks, which will be provided by Zoll at a cost of $129 a month, which includes the costs of training any required personnel, any updates to the units, or the cost of replacing a unit should anything go wrong.

The parks commission will meet next at 5 p.m. Feb. 5 for a special meeting and will meet for its next regular meeting at 5 p.m. Feb. 26.