It’s been quiet on Lake Wylie’s new sports park. It won’t be much longer.

After a quiet spell, the ball is rolling on Lake Wylie’s public sports park plan.

Last fall voters approved a special tax in the Lake Wylie area to fund recreation improvements. The main drive behind it was a planned sports park on county owned land along Crowders Creek, beside the Paddlers Cove subdivision. The move still requires a county ordinance setting up the tax district and five-member board of community members to oversee its spending.

That ordinance takes three readings. The second was deferred in December and the issue sent to a county subcommittee. The subcommittee met Feb. 8 and recommended the recreation district return to York County Council for second reading. Council next meets Feb. 20.

The new activity follows recent weeks that have been a little slow on new park details, even for committee members who worked to bring the public referendum to vote.

“It has been pretty quiet,” said group member Kim Trainer. “I think they are in the process of choosing the tax board. Last I heard, building was supposed to begin in May.”

Several park committee members intend to apply for the five-member recreation tax board a completed ordinance would establish.

“No applications for the board have been submitted,” said group member Ron Domurat. “Applications will not be accepted until the ordinance is accepted.”

Former park committee members met twice with county leadership since December. Several made recent plans to meet with Pat Morrison, the Ebenezer Park superintendent and potential liaison, “just to meet each other and review our high-level plans,” Domurat said.

“Everyone is acting on the best interest of the residents of the recreation district,” he said. “We all have a vested interest in the simple success of the new recreation district.”

The county subcommittee outlined what powers the new recreation tax board would have. The board could buy recreation equipment, pick sites for recreation facilities, build them. It can purchase or lease property. All contracts and agreements would still be subject to Council approval. All financial procedures, including audits, will conform to the same rules used by Council in conducting county business.

County leaders are working hard to outline specific roles following an issue with a similar tax board in Lake Wylie. Council recently passed an emergency ordinance to get rid of the tax board overseeing fire service funds. Issues arose when the tax board and volunteer firefighters had different visions for what the area needed and how to allocate money, specifically on whether to hire the area’s first paid chief.

County leaders cited public safety concerns in getting rid of that tax board and bringing tax district decisions under county administration. Those leaders want to head off any issues that could arise with the new recreation tax district by detailing roles.

York County doesn’t have its own parks and recreation department. A desire not to have one was a main reason given for Lake Wylie needing its own tax vote. The county does operate Ebenezer, where a new master plan is set to outline $4.5 million in improvements.

Much of that money could come from county hospitality tax revenue, a charge on food and drink in unincorporated areas like Lake Wylie, and Baxter and the Carowinds corridor, both in unincorporated Fort Mill Township. Those funds have to be used for tourism-generating projects.

The pending Lake Wylie park project also received hospitality tax funding, as have fields in Fort Mill, an aquatic center in Lake Wylie and numerous area festivals.

This story was originally published February 18, 2017 at 4:56 PM with the headline "It’s been quiet on Lake Wylie’s new sports park. It won’t be much longer.."