Medina County Park District looking to install kayak launch at Brunswick Lake

BRUNSWICK — The Medina County Park District looks to provide more opportunities for recreation around Brunswick Lake next year through its kayak launch project. Medina County Park District Planning Manager Isaac Smith said the kayak launch was part of the 2020 master plan for Brunswick Lake. The park district uses the master plan as a guide for improvements at Brunswick Lake. "Occasionally, some people go out there and they'll pull their kayaks and canoes into the water from the land from either side of the lake, but this will give much better access to that," he said. The park district is going to construct an Americans with Disabilities Act compliant kayak launch on the western side of the lake, Smith said. It will be near the Cleveland Clinic parking lot, where the park district currently has 10 parking spaces available for access to Brunswick Lake. "We will be building not only the kayak launch and the dock ramp that will lead to it, but we will also be constructing an ADA-accessible pathway leading from the existing bike path down to the kayak launch," he said. The park district had to work with the city to amend the existing easement with Cleveland Clinic to build the kayak launch and the path to it, Smith said. The estimated cost to purchase the kayak launch and the trail work is around $150,000, he said. The park district received an approximately $50,000 grant from the Ohio Department of Natural Resources, which will partially fund the project. "We're very excited to add this new improvement in Brunswick Lake," Smith said. The park district will go in front of Brunswick Planning Commission to give an update on the project since it has been more than five years since the master plan was passed, he said. The project has stayed about the same since it was put in the master plan. "From there, we'll likely start getting ready to go out and procure the construction services and the acquisition of the kayak launch to install there," Smith said. "More than likely, that's going to stretch through the winter into next spring. I think the goal is that we'll work to get that in place for the 2026 paddling season in the summertime." Contact reporter Madisyn Woodring at (330) 721-4049 or mwoodring@medina-gazette.com.