Phase three of Plum Creek Greenway Trail nearing completion

BRUNSWICK — The third phase of the Plum Creek Greenway Trail, which extends from Laurel Road to Brunswick Lake, may be finished this winter. Brunswick City Manager Carl DeForest said the asphalt from Laurel Road north is complete and the asphalt to the south of Brunswick Lake is done, but there is a spot in the middle that is still under construction. "There's going to be a wooden boardwalk that is raised in elevation above an area that gets a lot of water there," he said. "It was either put a boardwalk in there, or have the path flooded for several months out there, and we didn't want that. They're working on the boardwalk now." In May, the city entered into an agreement with Marks Construction Inc. for approximately $963,000 to construct phase three of the trail. DeForest said the third phase also includes a short connector path which will connect the end of Eisenhower Drive to the trail. The boardwalk is anticipated to be done in about four to six weeks, which means the entire trail could be open by the end of January or beginning of February, DeForest said. "Once that boardwalk gets done, we will have connected Plum Creek Park to Brunswick Lake Park," he said. "That's something we started talking about like 20 years ago and to be able to get that done, I think it's just fabulous." The first phase of the trail from Plum Creek Park to Mooney Park opened in September 2022. Then, a ribbon-cutting ceremony for phase two of the project from Mooney Park to Laurel Road was held in July. DeForest said a fourth phase of the project, which would continue the trail north, is possible, but is not officially established. The city is waiting on the results of the parks master plan before potentially pursuing a fourth phase. "We hired a consulting firm to put (the parks master plan) together, and we hope that will be complete in the first week in January," he said. "We'll look at that and try to discern the priorities that the community wants." Contact reporter Madisyn Woodring at (330) 721-4049 or mwoodring@medina-gazette.com.