Ottawa County Parks & Recreation

Parks Commission

The Ottawa County Parks and Recreation Commission was created in 1987 to oversee the management and operation of the county parks system. The Commission is dedicated to providing Ottawa County residents and visitors with park facilities as well as recreational and educational opportunities that enhance the quality and enjoyment of their lives.

The Commission typically meets on the second to last Wednesday of the month at 3 pm at the Ottawa County Fillmore Complex in the Administrative Building. The specific meeting room will be listed on the screen in the main lobby.

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Parks Staff

Administrative Staff

• Jason Shamblin
  Parks & Recreation Director
  Jason’s passion for the outdoors developed during his youth while growing up on a farm in the hills of rural south eastern Ohio. Prior to his arrival in Ottawa County, Jason was the Assistant Director of MetroParks of Butler County Ohio for over six years. Jason also worked in municipal Parks and Recreation in Central Ohio where he was the Director of Parks and Recreation for Reynoldsburg, and for Grove City and Gahanna. Jason began his career working for the YMCA in Akron and is a proud alumni of Ohio University.
• Curtis TerHaar
  Coordinator of Park Planning & Development
  Curt is a landscape architect and land planner with 30 years of experience in the planning, design, and construction of recreation and other outdoor public use areas. He started with the Ottawa County Parks system in 2005 after working at private design firms in West Michigan including his own landscape architecture design company. Curt was born and raised in Grand Haven and has a degree in Landscape Architecture from Michigan State University.
• Glenn Bosch
  Coordinator of Fund Development
• Aaron Bodbyl-Mast
  Park Planner
• Jennifer Sharabidze
  Senior Secretary
• Cia Segerlind
  Secretary
• Mindy Stanton
  Nature Center Secretary

Community Engagement Staff

• Jessica VanGinhoven
  Coordinator of Community Engagement
  Jessica joined the team as the Communication Specialist in 2015. She manages day-to-day operations at Ottawa County Parks & Recreation's Nature Center and oversees programming, education, and community outreach. Jessica has a Bachelor of Science in advertising from the New England Institute of Art and over 10 years of marketing and communication experience in a variety of industries. She is thrilled to bring her love of nature, education, and experience to the county.
• Curtis Dykstra
  Program Supervisor
• Nahuel Medina
  Program Supervisor
• Rylie Dorman
  Communications Specialist
• Carly Garvelink
  Volunteer Program Supervisor

Park Operations Center Staff

• Jason Boerger
  Coordinator of Park Maintenance and Operations
  Jason started in January 2014 and is responsible for the maintenance and operations including projects, policies, rule enforcement, fee collection, risk management and budgeting. Jason has 20 years of experience including programming, maintenance, law enforcement, management, and administrative roles. He has a Bachelor of Science in Environmental Science from Bowling Green State University.
• Bob Reichel
  Parks Operations Manager
  A department employee since 1996, Bob organizes, plans, and assigns day to day maintenance operations for the entire parks system.
• Collin Zackrison
  Parks Supervisor (East Area)
  Collin manages five properties and many public rental facilities on the east area of the county: Grand River Park, Hager Park, Grand Ravines Park, Spring Grove Park, Bend Area, Grand River Open Space.
• Eric Frifeldt
  Parks Supervisor (South Area)
  Eric started for Ottawa County Parks in 2006 as a Park Attendant at North Beach Park. After completing his internship for OCPRC and receiving his B.S. in Parks and Recreation from Michigan State University he worked as a commissioned Park Ranger for the Michigan State Parks. He returned full-time to Ottawa County Parks in 2015 as the West Area Supervisor and took over the role of South Area Supervisor in 2020. Eric oversees 8 parks and 3 opens spaces including Hemlock Crossing, Pine Bend, Pigeon Creek Park, Riley Trails, Paw Paw Park, Upper Macatawa Natural Area, Adam's Street Landing, Hiawatha Forest, Port Sheldon Natural Area, and Van Buren Street Dunes.
• Kate Alvarez
  Parks Supervisor (North Area)
  Kate is a graduate of Grand Valley State University where she received her B.S. in Natural Resources Management. She started with Ottawa County Parks in 2016 working as a Stewardship Crew member for 4 years and Grounds Attendant for 1 year before taking over as the North Area Supervisor. Kate oversees 7 parks, 7 open spaces, and 3 regional bike trails including Stearns Creek, Connor Bayou, Riverside Park, Deer Creek, Eastmanville Farm, Crockery Creek, Grose Park, Robinson Forest, Johnson St. Forest, Bass River Open Space, Eastmanville Bayou, Bur Oak Landing, Jubb Bayou, Marne Bog, the Musketawa Trail (in Ottawa County), the Idema Explorer's Trail (Robinson Township), and the Spoonville Trail.
• Jeremy Cook
  Parks Supervisor (West Area)
  Jeremy oversees eight park sites on the west side of the county: Kirk Park, North Beach Park, Historic Ottawa Beach Parks, Rosy Mound Natural Area, Tunnel Park, Olive Shores, Ottawa Sands, North Ottawa Dunes.
• Ben Page
  Seasonal Park Supervisor (Marina)
• Jeremy Hamstra
  Parks Equipment Specialist
• Tom Dorton
  Parks Maintenance Worker

Natural Resource Management Staff

• Nealy Molhoek
  Coordinator of Natural Resources Management
  Nealy graduated from Grand Valley State University with a degree in Natural Resources Management and History. She joined the team as a Stewardship Crew Leader in 2015 before taking over as Coordinator of Natural Resources Management. Nealy is a dedicated environmental steward with over a decade of experience in natural resource management and conservation. She developed a deep love and appreciation for the natural communities of Ottawa County while growing up in the dunes and forests which included many Ottawa County Parks.
• Tyler Allyn-White
  Stewardship Supervisor
  Tyler is a proud graduate of Kalamazoo College where he obtained his B.A. in Biology. Prior to joining Ottawa County Parks, he was a Research Biologist with the Kalamazoo Nature Center where he studied the effects of varying management techniques on several natural communities and threatened and endangered species. Before that, he worked as a Conservation Technician where he managed invasive species, conducted prescribed burns, and installed native plantings throughout southwest Michigan.