Lake Medina Greenway Trail Granted $500,000 Expansion

MEDINA — The Medina County Park District received the maximum grant amount of $500,000 by the Clean Ohio Trail Fund to extend the Lake Medina Greenway Trail by roughly 1 mile. In 2018, the state capital budget granted $150,000 to the park district to help create a trail from the state Route 18 entrance of Lake Medina toward a prospective trailhead at the upcoming Chandler Nature Preserve on East Smith Road. The park district sought extra funding from the Ohio Department of Natural Resources Clean Ohio Trail Fund because of the trail's size and complexity. Construction of the extension probably will begin in late 2023 or early 2024. The Clean Ohio Trail Fund is part of the Clean Ohio Fund which is a program designed to restore, protect and connect Ohio's nature with its cities. "The city of Medina is very grateful and appreciative of the efforts of the Medina County Park District to obtain a $500,000 Clean Ohio Trail grant from the Ohio Department of Natural Resources for the expansion of our existing collaborative trails," Mayor Dennis Hanwell said. "These trails support our healthy Medina initiatives by encouraging walking, running and bicycling to benefit the health of city and county residents." The acquisition of a trail easement was necessary because the path is across the Summa Health Medina Medical Center. "We're proud to partner with the Medina County Park District on the Lake Medina Greenway extension," Luke Smith, director of ambulatory services and property management at Summa Health Medina Medical Center, said. "This project represents a significant investment in our community and underscores our commitment to the health and well-being of the people we serve. We look forward to the completion of the project and congratulate everyone at the park district for achieving this important milestone." According to Medina County Park District Director Nate Eppink, the award is "amazing" and makes projects like these which can connect new people to the park district possible. Eppink said the park district appreciates the support from the city of Medina and the state of Ohio. "This will be a great project and I'm sure we'll have a lot of trail users once it's constructed," he said. Contact reporter Madisyn Woodring at (330) 721-4049 or mwoodring@medina-gazette.com.