Park district details progress made last year

MEDINA — Seventy-five acres of land acquisition and the planting of 5,530 native trees and shrubs were just a couple of highlights in Medina County Park District's recently published 2021 annual report. The park district reported an operating budget surplus of just under $500,000 last year across $7.06 million in revenue and $6.59 million in expenses. More than two-thirds of revenue was made up with local tax levy dollars in addition to 28 percent coming through permits and fees as well as 5 percent from local government funding. "We've had a lot of projects on the drawing board and, frankly, some have been put on hold because of the cost of materials," Medina County Park District Director Nate Eppink said. "Those things get put on hold and those funds are carried over into the new year. We've also been very careful and tried to conserve during COVID and it's paying off for us now." Operational costs amounted to 36 percent of expenditures with staff expenses taking up 30 percent. According to the report, 17 percent chunks allocated to capital improvements and land acquisition rounded out the remainder of spending. Last year's budget surplus marks a vast improvement over 2020, when the district reported $6.36 million in revenue and $7.52 million in expenses. Other 2021 park district projects and initiatives included: Resurfacing of 75,000 square feet of parking lot at Buckeye Woods Park and Killbuck Lakes. Stocking of 3,600 pounds of rainbow trout and 652 pounds of channel catfish. Seeding and establishing native grasses and wildflowers across 11.5 acres. Presenting 28 programs to local school districts, part of 241 public program offerings. Installation of a new playground at Hubbard Valley Park. Nearly 8,000 volunteer service hours from 229 volunteers. More than 58,000 miles patrolled by vehicle, 2,167 miles patrolled by foot, and 365 by bicycle. Just under 700 shelter or lodge reservations serving 36,000 people. Revamped Chippewa Lake Park A master plan for redevelopment of the former Chippewa Lake Park began to be formulated this past year. The Medina County Park District acquired the 94-acre site in 2020 for $2.1 million, well below prices that had been part of public discussions in recent years. Walking trails, boating and a possible small museum are just a few attractions that could eventually be found at the site, according to stated plans and open house events that have taken place since last summer. The park district hopes to welcome guests to the revamped park by 2025. "The plan is just about done and we're very pleased with the end product," Eppink said. "The county is leading the way on repaving of Main Drive and that construction should kick off around late spring. We're also looking at H2Ohio dollars to help with wetland restoration where the old amusement park parking lot used to be. People are going to see some progress out there in the next few months." Mac Beach took over the park in 1898 after it had been known as Andrew's Pleasure Grounds since its 1875 opening, after owner Edward Andrews. Mac Beach's son, Parker Beach, managed Chippewa Lake Park through what's considered its prime years in the early to mid-20th century. He leased the site in 1936 and officially purchased it from his father the following year. No Chippewa Lake algae blooms Chippewa Lake has remained algae-bloom free since 2019, a positive development that park district officials attribute to favorable weather, changes in biodiversity, and use of an experimental chemical treatment. Blooms are the result of excess nutrients such as phosphorous in the lake's sediment and flowing from several inlets. Swimming advisories are issued when such nutrients exceed 6 parts per billion (ppb) in weekly samples. A string of 2019 swimming advisories were issued starting April 30 with a reading of 9.49 ppb. Readings jumped to 17.8 and 21.8 ppb over the next two weeks before gradually declining to 10.5 ppb by June 4 and 3.15 ppb by June 11. No swimming advisories have been issued since June 25, 2019. "It's still too early to tell what the summer is going to bring but, yes, everyone has been very pleased with the past couple of years," Eppink said. "It's unfortunate that the recent flooding there forced cancellation of the (Chippewa Lake Lions Club) polar jump. The organizers and I talked and everyone decided it was just a matter of the unknown and E.coli in the lake. "I got a message yesterday from the soil and water conservation district. It said the first flood of the year could have the highest levels of E.coli because of dog waste in yards and a lot of nutrients built up for a while being flushed into the system." Throughout 2018, algae bloom nutrient readings frequently rose above 20 ppb and reached highs of 38.36 ppb on Aug. 7, 37 ppb on Sept. 18 and 35.3 ppb on Oct. 23. Algal blooms were first detected in Chippewa Lake in 2014, seven years after the lake was purchased by the park district. "The design work for restoration along the inlet that feeds the lake is nearly done," Eppink said. "We could get to a point, maybe late this summer, where we're going out for bids for that earthwork. That will be transformative. The 118-acre parcel we own south of (state Route) 162 will be restored, increasing floodplain and a new channel to capture more water and slow things down before it gets to the lake. It will be a great, great improvement for the watershed." Additional 2021 work A partnership with Feeding Medina County allowed for drive-thru distribution of food and other household essentials at Lodi's Hidden Hollow Camp Park. The park district said that 12,271 meals have been provided to 1,237 people since those events began last spring. "That really started out with just an email," Eppink said. "At the time, I was a new director and so was Katy Fuerst at Feeding Medina County. I saw a story about what she was doing in The Gazette and decided to reach out and try and connect. We threw out some ideas and, at the time, Hidden Hollow wasn't open to the public everyday. Katy said she wanted to do these distribution events and everything just lined up perfectly. It's a community where they've found a lot of need for the food distribution and we're happy to be a part of that." Announced early last year, Chippewa Lake will benefit from $1.52 million in H2Ohio funding through the Ohio Department of Natural Resources. Funds will help restore three areas including the former amusement park. An additional $900,000 was secured in 2021 to restore 145acres owned by the park district in Litchfield Township. The nonprofit West Creek Conservancy applied for a $446,172.75 Clean Ohio grant on the park district's behalf, paving way for acquisition of 56 acres in Medina and Wayne counties at no cost to the park district. Wadsworth's Wolf Creek Environmental Center saw its name changed to Oenslager Nature Center at Alderfer Chatfield Wildlife Sanctuary last year. That switch was in honor of Ruth Oenslager, who donated site land from her state Route 94 farm in the 1970s. A new fishing pier was installed at River Styx Park, made possible by funds raised by Friends of Medina County Parks Inc., which also purchased new office equipment for park district headquarters. Contact reporter Jonathan Delozier at (330) 721-4050 or jdelozier@medina-gazette.com.