State capital budget to help fund local projects

Two Medina County Park District locations will receive more than $1 million in combined funding from the state's 2021-22 capital budget. The district received $750,000 to assist with the purchase of the former Chippewa Lake Amusement Park, which was purchased by the district on June 15 for $2.1 million. The 95-acre park operated from 1878 to 1978 on the shores of Chippewa Lake. The 300-acre lake itself was purchased by the district in 2007 with a Clean Ohio Grant. Over the next two years, the park district will develop a master plan for the property, which will include reforestation, restoration of wetlands to improve lake water quality, as well as the preservation of the remnants of the amusement park's Ferris wheel, roller coaster track and other relics. Another $300,000 in funding will go toward restoring and preserving the bank barn adjacent to U.S. Route 42 at the district's Chippewa Inlet North, part of Buckeye Woods Park. Lafayette Township Trustee Lynda Bowers submitted the funding request on behalf of the township. Of Ohio's 1,308 townships, Lafayette was one of only 17 to receive capital budget funding. "I have had numerous residents who walk in that park all the time say to me: '(Is there) anything we can do to save that barn?'" Bowers said. The barn was formerly part of the Medina County Home farm." The project — a collaborative effort between the township and the park district — will include a new roof and siding, landscaping, plus a cantilevered picnic shelter on one side of the barn where there once was a lean-to. "In 2020, public health has been front and center," said Nate Eppink, park district director. "This funding will benefit the physical and mental health of Medina County residents for generations to come." The biennial state capital budget, enacted in each even-numbered year, provides support for construction and renovation projects to benefit the public. The budget was included in Senate Bill 310 which passed unanimously in the Senate. "These projects will improve the quality of life in our area," said Senate President Larry Obhof, R-Montville Township, who co-sponsored the capital budget. "I am glad we were able to secure this crucial funding for Medina County." Along with the park funds, the county will also receive $500,000 for the Battered Women's Shelter serving women and families in the county. Another $400,000 is being allocated to the Medina County Safety Services Complex, used by local law enforcement and safety service agencies. The budget also includes $3.1 million being split between Ashland, Richland and Holmes counties for various purposes. Statewide, the budget highlighted three additional areas that it plans to invest in: schools, infrastructure and communities. In schools throughout the state, $305 million will be invested in local school construction including repairs, renovations and maintenance for primary and secondary schools. This is in addition to the $300 million already approved this year by the General Assembly in Senate Bill 4. There will also be another $452 million invested in projects supporting Ohio's 37 public colleges and universities. With "a substantial portion" of capital spending going towards local roads, bridges, water-supply systems, storm sewers and wastewater systems, another $280 million will be allocated to local infrastructure projects through the Public Works Commission. This is in addition to the $255 million for the commission already approved in SB 4. Another $253 million will be used for the maintenance and preservation of Ohio's damn, parks, trails, waterways and wildlife, $62.5 will be used to support the Clean Ohio program which funds preservation of green space, farmland, open spaces and expanded recreational opportunities and $18 will be allocated to improving the security of public agency websites and the MARCS first responder communications system. In the communities, $95.6 million will be invested in "critical health and human services funding" for mental health and addiction treatment facilities throughout the state and $280.7 million will be used for renovations of state and local prisons. "Underlying legislation" in SB 310 also authorized the distribution of $350 million of federal CARES Act funding to local communities across Ohio for COVID-19 pandemic-related expenses. "The state capital budget plays a major role in making needed improvements to our hometowns while at the same time creating jobs and growing our economy," Obhof said. "Although we have faced serious challenges this year, sound fiscal management of the state's finances have put us in a position to provide this stimulus into our local economies." Contact reporter Jack Kopanski at (330) 721-4063 or jkopanski@medina-gazette.com.