Using words such as “stolen” or “hijacked,” members of the Tuttle Park Community Recreation Council (CRC) say the City of Columbus took over their Ohio State game day parking fundraiser which has raised hundreds of thousands of dollars to support Tuttle Park just north of the off-campus area.

“I was unofficially informed by an upper management Columbus Recreation and Parks Department [CRPD] employee that the CRPD and Columbus Parks and Recreation Foundation [CPRF] decided that due to the profitability of our fundraiser that they were taking it away from us after 29 years,” stated former mayoral candidate Joe Motil in a recent Facebook post.

Motil of Clintonville has been president of the Tuttle Park Community Recreation Council since 1992.

“Those making this decision did not even have the common decency to personally inform us of this takeover. We were informed that the CRPF had hired a private vendor to take over the football parking fundraiser,” stated Motil in his post.

The parking fundraiser, that partnered with the advocacy group Friends of Tuttle Park, began in 1994 and has helped raise “over $500,000 that has benefited Tuttle Park and numerous activities and supplies at the rec center,” stated Motil.

For example, $25,000 was used to construct an outdoor hockey rink, $17,680 for the tennis wall mural and restorations, and $5,000 for restoration of the “Wings of Desire” mural (pictured above).

“The Tuttle Park Community Recreation Council has been a key player in the lobbying efforts that have transformed a once neglected run-down rec center and park into one of the most utilized and multi-purpose parks in Columbus,” stated Motil. “It is indisputable that due to the success of this fundraiser, it allowed for the Columbus Recreation and Parks Department (to allocate more funding for centers other than Tuttle. It was a win-win situation.”

Several years ago, the CRPD dissolved the Tuttle Park Community Recreation Council and its chapters. CRC bank accounts were transferred to a newly formed Columbus Recreation and Parks Foundation non-profit. Motil says for the previous two years “the CRPF demanded” they hand over 35 percent of parking proceeds – amounting to $15,000 - $20,000.

This spring the CRPD and CRPF made the decision to strong arm away the 29-year fundraiser’s entire operation and hand it over to the private vendor.

Motil says the Tuttle Park CRC has met with CRPD officials and a liaison from the CRPF. “We were given their debatable explanation for stealing our fundraiser and that we would have access to our over $40,000 account to make purchases,” he said.

Following up on this, the CRC requested $3,500 to restore roughly 20 bronze plaques at the Tuttle Park Memorial Garden. Weirdly, nearly four months later and the CRC has yet to receive the check.

“The CRPF has given me nearly every excuse in the world why it has taken so long,” stated Motil. “I have asked for documents that outline their policies and for a balance of our account for months and have been given nothing. Nothing but lip service. I have been told that other rec centers are getting the same run around from the CRPF. I question the CRPF’s transparency and ethical principles. It appears they have stolen our funds and have no intention on releasing them to us. It is basically theft. Some have even suggested that they suspect this is retaliation against me by Ginther.”