Jun 18, 2015 3 min read

Many a Washington County parkgoer has packed a picnic lunch before visiting Cross Creek, Mingo Creek or Ten Mile Creek county parks, but what’s a visitor to do if the cooler or brown bag is empty and the fisherman or boater doesn’t feel like interrupting a recreational pursuit and driving to the nearest restaurant or convenience store to quell those hunger pangs?

The county last month advertised for food vendors for Cross Creek and Mingo Creek county parks – the two biggest – and at an agenda-setting session Wednesday afternoon, Commission Vice Chairman Diana Irey Vaughan was surprised that only one prospective concessionaire responded with a letter of interest and only for Cross Creek.

A discussion, most of it behind closed doors, and partly conducted with Purchasing Director Randy Vankirk and Lisa Cessna, director of the county planning commission that oversees the parks, ensued because the Robert Lonick of Robert Lonick Concessions, Burgettstown, is also a sheriff’s deputy.

Cessna said Lonick proposed operating a concession from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays. His menu includes hot dogs, hamburgers, nachos and other fast food.

Vankirk said he only learned Wednesday afternoon that Lonick worked for the county, so he checked with Sheriff Sam Romano about Lonick’s work schedule. The sheriff told him Lonick works Monday through Friday.

Commission Chairman Larry Maggi, former Washington County sheriff, said he and fellow board members asked county solicitor J. Lynn DeHaven to look further into the matter before Thursday’s business meeting, but a food concession did not appear on the agenda for a vote.

“We’re still discussing it,” Maggi said “We want to make sure we’re not breaking any rules by having a county employee (operate) the concession stand.” Because the letters of interest were for both parks, Maggi said, “We don’t know if we’re going to split them apart. There was no bid for both.”

When Maggi was sheriff, “there were deputies that worked police jobs, other types of jobs,” he said, but he was not aware of sheriff’s deputies who also worked in other capacities for the county.

There haven’t been vending machines at the parks for several years. The owner removed them because they were often vandalized.

Lonick, who has worked for the county since 1994, and has operated the food concession business on and off for about five years, said Wednesday he did not want to discuss the matter publicly until it was finalized.

In another matter related to county parks, Cessna announced that the county plans to purchase archery equipment and targets, plus snowshoes, with a $2,100 grant obtained through the Pennsylvania Recreation and Park Society of the state Department of Conservation and Naturalization. County funds will match the amount.

When the county previously scheduled snowshoeing through park property, the parks department borrowed snowshoes from Raccoon Creek State Park.

“We’re buying equipment for next year’s programs,” Cessna said.

Parks employee Sarah Sandin is a certified archery instructor who will offer an introductory course in the future.

With solely county funds, the parks department has also purchased a dozen kayaks for its flat-water paddling courses at Cross Creek park course. The county previously used boats provided by the state Fish and Boat Commission.