The West End Park and Open Space Commission is dissolving, and Ross Township is the latest municipality to disband from the organization.

After a brief discussion on Monday evening, the three supervisors voted 3-0 to leave WEPOSC.

“I have studied this and tried to understand it,” said Supervisor Randy Detrick, who recently attended a WEPOSC board meeting. “Is it going to go away now or a year and half from now?”

WEPOSC was created in September 2006 by an intergovernmental cooperation agreement among Ross and Chestnuthill townships, along with the Pleasant Valley School District.

The commission, according to its website, provides planning, development, operation, maintenance and programming for the West End Regional Park, a 244-acre multiuse facility on Merwine-Hilltop Road in Chestnuthill Township.

It seems like the inevitable will happen soon.

“The park is so massive. What they are trying to do is so complex,” Detrick said.

This is one reason why the organization is dissolving. Another reason is the upcoming retirement of Bernie Kozen, executive director of WEPOSC.

“Bernie was terrific about bringing events to each of the parks,” said Vice Chairman David Shay.

As discussed at last month’s meeting, to hire a new executive director would not be cost effective.

Chestnuthill Township recently voted to disband. The Pleasant Valley school board will vote on it at an upcoming meeting.

“My whole thought is Chestnuthill is going to pull out no matter what. I feel like, why is Ross going to try to develop that park when we have our own beautiful park,” said Tina Drake, a former township supervisor and delegate to the commission.

Instead of sharing time and resources with a regional park system, each township will focus on its own parks once WEPOSC is gone.

Detrick said the name of the Friends of the West End Park and Open Space Commission, whose job it is to furnish the capital and labor responsibilities for the regional park, will change its name to Friends of the Dave Fleetwood Fund.

Fleetwood was a dedicated public servant, who served as the president of the West End Little League for many years and was running for a second term as Chestnuthill Township supervisor in 2013, when he was killed in a shooting at a Ross Township meeting.

He also coordinated volunteer groups to park cars at Pocono Raceway as a fundraiser.

In May 2021, WEPOSC held its seventh annual Dave Fleetwood Memorial Trail Run/Walk.