Merrillville Town Council’s monthslong search for an assistant parks and recreation director culminated Tuesday with the hiring of Tarrance Price, the recreation superintendent for Valparaiso Parks and Recreation since 2017.

Price will earn a starting salary of $68,000 and will have an official starting date of Sept. 21, Councilman Richard Hardaway, D-2nd, said.

Price received his bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Valparaiso University, where he was a member of the Valparaiso Crusaders Basketball team in 1998-99 and 1999-2000.

Price’s resume includes being a youth and adult sports coordinator, a physical education teacher and a basketball coach, among other jobs.

Hardaway said the council is still looking for a parks and recreation director.

“As soon as we get more applications for director I will let everyone know,” Hardaway said.

Former Parks and Recreation director Jan Orlich retired earlier this year.

In other matters, the council made some salary adjustments for various positions at the Dean and Barbara White Community Center and Stormwater Utility and made a $5,000 donation from the town to the Food Bank of Northwest Indiana as part of Hunger Action Day.

Council President Rick Bella, D-5th, said Strack & Van Til will match the donation, with the resulting amount providing a total of 30,000 meals.

Councilman Jeffrey Minchuk, D-3rd, said the town will be building a dog park and the site at 73rd Avenue and Broadway that was once proposed to become a passive park.

“It’s a perfect location, at the end of a bike trail,” Minchuk said.

He said residents of the Turkey Creek subdivision would be able to walk their dogs to the park along the trail.

He said he looked at different dog parks in the area to get ideas. He said there would be two different areas, separating large and small dogs.

Residents will probably need to register for the dog park at town hall and will probably need to pay some fee. They would be given a key fob to let them into the park.

Minchuk said the town is also looking into possibly having its own animal shelter.

Karen Caffarini is a freelance reporter for the Post-Tribune.