Grace church donates $30,000 to city parks improvements
The defunct Grace @ Calvary Lutheran Church donated $30,000 to the City of Butler at Thursday’s meeting of city council, asking that the funds be put toward parks and recreation improvements.
The Lutheran church recently closed, and Jim Thompson, its council president, said the board is trying to disseminate all of its funds into the community through a “legacy plan“ created by the board.
“One of our focuses is children,” he said. “What we would like this check to be used for is parks and recreation, sustainability — we just wanted to help others.”
Mayor Bob Dandoy accepted the check on behalf of the city, and said the donation will go a long way toward improvements.
“We appreciate the support of our citizens, and this is just generous beyond words,” Dandoy said.
The council also voted to hire a temporary supervisor through Specialized Staffing for three to six hours per week to oversee and review daily activities and to address employee questions in the treasurer’s office.
Dandoy said the supervisor will help the city transition its tax collection service to Berkheimer Tax Innovations, which he said has led to some “bumps.”
“We want to make sure everything is done correctly as we make this transition,” Dandoy said.
He said the city will employ the supervisor for an estimated two months at a rate of $17 per hour.
Council also voted to pay Zambelli Fireworks up to $18,500 to provide a fireworks display for the July Fourth holiday this year.