Korean-war veteran and long-time community volunteer Bob Zinsli will give $100,000 to the Richland City Parks. He announced the donation at the Tuesday Richland City Council meeting.
Before turning over the podium to Zinsli, Director of Parks and Public Facilities Joe Schiessl described to the Council Zinsli’s years of volunteer activities which included 60 years of charity work with the Knights of Columbus and 22 years volunteering with the local food bank.
“We were always taught that we should leave a place better than we found it, a vacant lot where we played baseball, a campsite or picnic spot,” Zinsli, 89, told the council about growing up in western North Dakota.
“Richland has been my campsite for 63 years; it would be appropriate to leave the place better than I found it,” he said.
He told the council that the donation was from the Zinsli family.
The Richland City Councilmember Terry Christensen called Zinsli a “spectacular citizen.” Councilmembers Jhoanna Jones, Theresa Richardson and Mayor Michael Alvarez said that they shared Zinsli’s desire to leave Richland a better place.
The council passed an ordinance in 2021 that give the city manager the authority to accept gifts to the city up to $20,000 in value. Any donation above that must be approved by a vote of the city council. No vote has been scheduled.