Medina Parks Department Looks to Create New Full-Time Position

City aims to transition two part-time laborer roles into one full-time role to address staffing challenges.

Mar. 28, 2026 at 10:52am

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The city of Medina, Ohio is seeking to amend its salaries and benefits code to transition two part-time laborer positions in the parks department into a single full-time role. This move comes as the city has struggled to fill part-time laborer positions, especially during the busy summer season when more staff is needed to support events and maintenance on the weekends.

Why it matters

Medina's parks department has faced challenges in recent years filling part-time laborer roles, leading to increased overtime for existing staff and potential gaps in weekend coverage during peak seasons. Converting two part-time positions into a single full-time role is an effort to improve staffing, service levels, and institutional knowledge within the department.

The details

The parks department currently has six part-time laborer positions allocated, but three of those roles are currently vacant. Parks and Recreation Director Jansen Wehrley said the new full-time position would reduce the total number of part-time roles to four, while providing a dedicated employee available on weekends to assist with special events and any issues that may arise. Service Director Nino Piccoli noted the city's sanitation department has also moved away from using part-time workers in recent years due to the difficulty in finding candidates.

  • The parks department's busy season runs from around March/April through October.
  • The city is currently looking to amend the salaries and benefits code to make this change.

The players

Jansen Wehrley

Parks and Recreation Director for the city of Medina, Ohio.

Nino Piccoli

Service Director for the city of Medina, Ohio.

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What they’re saying

“'Our department is allocated six part-time laborers so this would take us down to four part-time positions. Especially during peak season, which is from right about now until October, we have many special events on the square and at other parks, so we need staff essentially seven days a week. It has become harder to staff the weekends, and our maintenance technician and our current full-time laborer are splitting the overtime often with well over 100 hours of overtime per pay period.'”

— Jansen Wehrley, Parks and Recreation Director

“'We got away from using part-time workers because the pool of people to fill those positions was dry.'”

— Nino Piccoli, Service Director

What’s next

The city council will need to approve the proposed changes to the salaries and benefits code in order to transition the two part-time laborer roles into a single full-time position.

The takeaway

Medina's parks department is adapting to staffing challenges by converting part-time roles into a full-time position, aiming to improve service levels, reduce overtime, and maintain consistent weekend coverage - especially during the busy summer event season. This reflects a broader trend of municipalities struggling to fill part-time positions and seeking more full-time solutions.