[ back ]
Park district sees trails as important link
(by Joan Demirjian - March 11, 2011)
Park district sees trails as important link
By JOAN DEMIRJIAN
Trails are among the most popular aspects of the parks, according to Geauga Park District Director Tom Curtin.
The whole topic of trails "is big," he told Russell Township Trustees last week in an update on the park district.
An important goal of the district is to link parks and communities with those trails, building a network, Mr. Curtin said.
"There are a couple of property owners working with us on this, and this makes me hopeful," he said of possible trail easements. "If we are able to work with people, we will preserve land and existing trails, allowing people to use them and travel between the parks," Mr. Curtin said.
"It presents an exciting opportunity to enhance people's experience in the parks and then preserve those opportunities," he said. There is always the possibility that trails could be eliminated by land development if the park district does not take a proactive role, he said.
"People enjoy trails," he said. "We know that from various studies that have been done by Realtor associations and park district surveys across the country," Mr. Curtin said.
"Our county, and across Northeast Ohio, has an active equestrian presence. And we have people asking for additional hiking opportunities," he said.
"When you think about it, trails are a reasonable expense," he said. The park district reaches a large population with trails that are used for exercise and to enjoy nature, he said.
There are about 50 miles of existing trails in the Geauga Park District, including at Big Creek, West Woods, Maple Highland Trail, Bear Town Lakes, Best Preserve and Swine Creek. "Those trails are very popular," Mr. Curtin said.
Russell Trustee Jim Dickinson said people often are fearful of easements for trails.
He said a group of residents tried to develop bridle trails in the township and would like to restart those efforts.
Mr. Curtin said it's similar to fears of bike trails, which have been unfounded. "We did a study on golf courses that had bike and pedestrian trails, and some of them have had them for 30 years or more, and there have been no problems, conflicts or injuries," he said.
Russell resident Ron Beach, attending the meeting, said he is a big fan of parks in Geauga County and the walking trails. He said some of the trails need better access to parking at different access points.
"It is something we can look at," Mr. Curtin said. "One of the things we want to do is to be able to walk into parks or ride from surrounding neighborhoods, so people don't always have to drive," he said.
"We have a trail in West Woods to Music Street and to Route 306 (Chillicothe Road) and at some point, they could be linked into the communities."
Mr. Curtin said, when lands become available around existing parks, the park district is interested in considering acquisition. It has purchased about five parcels in the last three years, he said. "It's something we pursue. We always look at and discuss acquisition."
A 2001 park levy "propelled us into this cycle," which has been about acquiring properties and also developing some of them, he said. "At that time we needed to preserve land before it was gone."
As an example, he said the park district acquired the former Orchard Hills golf course in Chester. The district is reforesting the land, putting in sledding areas and doing stream restoration, he said, and it also removed some ponds and created wetlands. In 2011, the district will continue its work there, Mr. Curtin said.
"A lot of acquisition and construction has been paid for through outside funding sources," he said, including through the Geauga Park District Foundation and by working with the Western Reserve Land Conservancy.
"One of the long-term goals is to reduce reliance on tax money," he said, and an endowment fund will help do that.
For the future, he said the park district board is looking at a renewal levy in 2012.
The park board will be determining the focus of the district in the next five or more years, Mr. Curtin said. His updates to the communities are something he tries to do on a regular basis, he said.
[ back ]
