Parks District receives $1.52 million grant

CHIPPEWA LAKE — Several projects planned out by the Medina County Parks District are now officially a-go thanks to a $1.52 million grant from H2Ohio, Gov. Mike DeWine's data-driven water quality plan to improve wastewater infrastructure, prevent lead contamination and reduce harmful algal blooms. The latter has plagued Chippewa Lake for years. The three projects the district has planned center around Chippewa Lake, the lake's water quality and the property where the former Chippewa Lake Amusement Park was and remnants of rides and structures remain. Parks District Director Nate Eppink said it has been working with the Ohio Department of Natural Resources and the Division of Wildlife for about the last year to find opportunities for restoration and cleanup of the lake, with a focus on the algal blooms. Now that the district has secured the grant, which will directly pay the invoices for the projects, Eppink said he "couldn't be more excited," and that it "greatly frees up funding that (the district has) for other projects for the next two years." The first location the district hopes to tackle is a 118.5-acre portion of land immediately south of Buckeye Woods Park and state Route 162 on the east side of the inlet. Eppink said the plan there is to create approximately 3,100 linear feet of new stream channel, which will serve as a filter for a portion of the lake's water. Eppink said the timeline for the project is "aggressive" and hopes to have it completed by the fall of 2022. "Some of the water that is in the inlet will be diverted to this new stream channel, which will filter out nutrients," Eppink said. "There will be a nice, large floodplain and wetlands there, and that, of course, will benefit the lake to the south." The second project centers on the former Chippewa Lake Amusement Park property. Eppink said the district will remove several acres-worth of concrete and asphalt that is crumbling and negatively impacting the lake. In its place, approximately 20 acres worth of wetlands will be created, with certain aspects of the former theme park remaining intact as well. Eppink hopes to have this project done by summer 2023. "That is exciting because while we're considering public access and how we want to develop that property and turn it into a public park, this accelerates that timeline and, really, will help us create a blank slate," Eppink said. "I still want to keep the Ferris wheel and some of those historic elements, like part of the roller coaster track. But there's a lot of crumbling asphalt, concrete and other debris that needs to be moved. This program will help to pay for that." The final project will address seven-and-a-half acres just south of the lake along the outlet. The district purchased the land in October 2019 and plans to remove invasive species and create a two-acre wetland there. Once that is done — Eppink estimates in December 2023 — he said the district has plans to build a kayak launch in the area. "There has been a lot of interest in Chippewa Lake, a lot of support is coming in," Eppink said. Part of that support came from the state's biennial budget earlier this month when it was announced that the Parks District would receive $750,000 to help pay off its $2.1 million purchase of the 95-acre former amusement park. On top of improving the quality of the lake, Eppink said he is excited for more people to soon be able to come and enjoy the lake and its surrounding areas. "There are lots of great things happening district-wide but, certainly, there are lots of reasons to be excited about Chippewa Lake," Eppink said. "It's not just a cool feature here in the county but it's something that, statewide, there should be a lot more interest in and I think it'll help do that." Contact reporter Jack Kopanski at (330) 721-4063 or jkopanski@medina-gazette.com.