Medina Finance Committee approves multi-use path plan, off to Council for approval

MEDINA — Medina Finance Committee unanimously approved the adoption of a multiuse path plan on Monday, which will bring about 25 miles of off-road trails throughout the city of Medina and surrounding areas. The city's comprehensive plan, assessed and adopted by Medina City Council in September 2022, included a portion regarding creating the Medina Multi-Use Path Plan. "In late 2022, Council authorized the use of ARPA funds to employ a consultant to conduct a Multi-Use Path Plan," Medina Community Development Director Andrew Dutton said. "Throughout this year, we've worked with Envision Group, our consultant for the project, in partnership with the Medina County Park District to create a multiuse path plan." Ryan Smalley of Envision Group LLC attended the Medina Finance Committee's meeting on Monday, providing details about how the plan came together over nine months. According to Smalley, Envision worked with a steering committee made up of City Council members, park district staff, business owners and residents to draft the plan. "We worked with them over that period of time to figure out where people wanted to see improved bicycle and pedestrian connections throughout the city and some of the surrounding townships," Smalley said. In addition, the group held three public engagement sessions and requested public feedback through surveys to get a better understanding of where the trails should connect. Smalley said a concept plan was created with 25 miles of off-road trails throughout the area. The plan then broke the trails up into 17 buildable segments, which were then sorted into a prioritization matrix. "We worked with the steering committee and the public to identify what sections should be a priority," Smalley said. "Then, (we) broke those sections down with preliminary estimates, plan views and typical sections so that the city will be able to go after grant funding." Smalley said they also went into detail about which funding sources made the most sense for certain trails. "We wanted to give a complete plan that was implementable to the city," he said. The Medina Planning Commission unanimously recommended on Dec. 14 that the plan move forward to the Medina Finance Committee for its approval. With the Medina Finance Committee's approval, the Medina Multi-Use Path Plan will go to Council for its vote at a future meeting. Contact reporter Sara Crawford at (330) 721-4063 or scrawford@medina-gazette.com.