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What's Happening in YOUR MetroParks?
Sandusky Register articles--Special Thanks for allowing us to post the articles and photos
MetroParks mulls more fees for '06
Parks propose charges for shelters, meeting rooms, soccer fields.
By TOM JACKSON
tomjackson@sanduskyregister.com
HURON TWP. - Erie MetroParks officials are considering a whole menu of new fees
and fee hikes for using park buildings and facilities. The proposed fee changes
were presented Wednesday to the Erie MetroParks board, which tabled action until
January to give the public a chance to comment on the proposal. The
proposed fee schedule was prepared by Jane Gildenmeister, manager of visitor and
employee services for the park system. She said she developed them to help the
park system's shrinking budget and help recover some of the costs of reserving,
using and cleaning up park facilities.
If the new fees are adopted in January by the parks board, Gildenmeister estimates they'd bring in an additional $3,456. Gildenmeister has proposed charging organizations that use the meeting rooms in the Frost Center at Osborn Park more often than once a month. Currently, the parks system charges $25 a meeting for commercial uses but doesn't levy a fee on nonprofit groups. The fee for commercial uses would not change. Nonprofits could still meet once a month for free, but additional meetings the same month would cost $25 apiece. The same new fee structure also would apply to meetings in the Depot Meeting Room at the Coupling Reserve.
The park system doesn't charge a fee for using
the soccer fields and cross-country trail at Osborn Park. Gildenmeister proposes
fees of $50 per season per team. Use of the baseball and softball diamonds would
remain free. Reserved use of the McBride Arboretum's Visitor's Center and
Hummingbird Garden Pergola, currently free, would cost $25, although no fee
would be charged to youth groups. Fee hikes of 7.1 and 7.9 percent are
proposed for using the picnic shelters at Osborn Park. The use of three canoes
at the Coupling Reserve would rise from $10 to $15.
Osborn dog park needs more money
Park backers have raised about $7,000 of the $20,000 needed.
By TOM JACKSON
tomjackson@sanduskyregister.com
HURON TWP. - A planned park for dogs can't be finished because supporters remain on a tight leash financially, park officials say. Supporters have worked hard to make the park at Osborn Park a reality, but more money and more work is needed, said Lois TerVeen, supervisor of program services for Erie MetroParks. TerVeen provided an update on the park at Wednesday's meeting of the park board.
Dog park supporters can help by attending a meeting today. The meeting will be at 6:30 p.m. today at the Frost Center at Osborn Park, and anyone who supports the venture is invited. Dogs are welcome in the park system, owners must keep them on a leash, TerVeen said. The dog park, a 2.5-acre area near the Maple Grove Office, will be a fenced-in area where dogs will be allowed to run free, she said. Another fence will separate small dogs from large dogs, she said.
TerVeen said about $20,000 is needed to get the park started with fencing and the work that's needed on the grounds. About $7,000 has been raised so far by the Erie MetroParks Dog Park Committee, she said. Park officials also have had trouble finding a volunteer who is willing to plough and disk the land, TerVeen said. The land has to be smoothed out and grass has to be planted. TerVeen said she's sure the dog park will get plenty of use when it's finished. "We've had people calling the office and asking if it's open," she said.
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By TOM JACKSON tomjackson@sanduskyregister.com BERLIN TWP. - Erie MetroParks employees working this week to finish a new walkway in the Edison Woods Preserve have a pretty strong incentive to meet their weekend deadline. A grand opening ceremony for the public for the new Adventure Walkway is scheduled for 3 p.m. Sunday at the new walkway on Ohio 61 between Ohio 2 and Mason Road. Everything will be ready in time, said Jim Lang, operations supervisor for Erie MetroParks.
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Lang said he had four workers out on the site Tuesday and Wednesday and will have eight or nine there Friday for the final big push to make sure the walkway is finished. The walkway, elevated to keep visitors' feet dry as they view the wetlands at Edison Woods, is about 1,500 feet long and is 52 inches wide. The framework is made from treated wood, and it's topped with a plastic composite material, Lang said. The boardwalk will be handicap-accessible, with handicap parking spaces nearby, he said. The route of the walkway was designed by Brad Phillips, environmental projects coordinator for Erie MetroParks. Phillips said he placed the path to show off the wetlands aspect of the woods. "Forested wetlands are a rare habitat in our area anymore. People tend to want to drain things," he said. Walkers will be able to see trees such as the Swamp White Oak, a wetlands species. Phillips also is helping design signs for the walkway explaining the history of the area. Friends of Erie MetroParks, which raised the $100,000 to pay for the walkway, is inviting the public to attend Sunday's dedication ceremony. The event will feature the Vacationland Band, root beer floats and nature stations for children. It's also the launch of the "Go Take a Hike" fall hiking program. Hikers who complete seven trails this fall will earn a free Arkansas Walking Stick. Hikers who earned a walking stick last year will receive a leather medallion. |
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MetroParks pay the price for preservation
By BRAD KANE
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HURON TWP. - In its effort to conserve natural greenspace for future generations, Erie MetroParks has increased its territory fivefold since 2001. "There are certain species that can't be kept in postage-stamp woodlots," MetroParks Director-Secretary Jon Granville said. "Healthy communities that grow and prosper have preserved natural greenspaces." But in expanding, the MetroParks obligated itself to maintain and restore these properties, which may come at the expense of other facilities unless the taxpayers decide they want to give the park system more money. With the 2001 acquisition of Edison Woods in Berlin Township and the three Huron Township properties of the East Sandusky Bay Preserve in 2003 and 2004, the park system grew from 620 acres to 3,159 acres. The two preserves became the largest land conservation efforts in MetroParks history, meaning development and public use of the new parks would be limited so the natural greenspace could be conserved. Despite the $9.86 million price tag for the two properties, the MetroParks didn't have to pay a dime because the tab was picked up with state and federal grants, private community donations and property owners willing to sell for less than the appraised price. But the MetroParks does have to pay to maintain those 2,539 acres, which has cost $185,988 each year for a park system that has 10 other properties to maintain and whose operating budget from tax collections dropped from $1.9 million for to $1.7 million for 2005. Still, with some creative cost cutting, volunteers and private donations, the MetroParks had been able to spread its shrinking revenues over a much larger park system without having to ask the taxpayers for more money. Until now. On Wednesday, the three park commissioners began the process to put two levies on the November ballot, which would, if passed, cost the average taxpayer $22.97 each year. Although it is not certain both issues will appear on the ballot, they are designed to do two things: -- Reverse the decline in tax revenues for the MetroParks' general operations. -- Replace the ailing, but popular, Osborn Park pool. |
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"I'm leaning toward putting both of those on," said Park Commissioner Fred Nottke, who will meet with the other two commissioner Aug. 17 to make a final decision on the levies. "I definitely want the voters to vote on the pool at some point," Nottke said. The park commissioners don't have to ask for either one of those levies to maintain the current situation at the MetroParks. However, one of the park system's two operating levies is expiring at the end of this year, so some type of levy was necessary for the November ballot.
Although their tax collections would not keep up with the cost of inflation, the commissioners simply could have asked the voters for a renewal of the 20-year, 0.5-mill operating levy that would have cost the $100,000 property owner $6.75 -- money which was already being paid. Instead, the commissioners are deciding to ask for a replacement of that levy for 10 years, which would, if put on the ballot and passed, increase their revenues by $425,000 each year.
"Our priority is certainly the operating levy," Commissioner Tom Dusza said. Instead of paying $6.75 under the renewal, the $100,000 property owner would have to shell out $15.31 each year if the replacement levy passes. Although they are hurting for money, MetroParks officials insist these past few years was the best time to buy the two major preserves in Huron and Berlin townships because now might have been the only time. "We have to take these opportunities when they are available," Commissioner Fred Deering said. "50 years from now; 20 years from now, people will say we had a lot of foresight to preserve these lands as natural greenspace." It is far more economically viable to maintain preserves than the more developed areas of the park system, Deering said.
Osborn Park, the most developed of the MetroParks' 14 properties, costs $2,390 per acre to maintain each year. By comparison, the East Sandusky Bay Preserve costs $17.87 per acre. The more-developed parks are far more popular with the public than are the preserves, Granville said. Of the 81,174 recorded visitor occasions to the MetroParks facilities in 2004, 90.8 percent went to Osborn Park. "Visitors know how to use those (developed) areas better; not everyone wants to go out and look at birds," Dusza said. "In the preserves, there are so many acres that people feel like they don't get to use."
But land preservation is an important part of the three-tiered mission of conservation, environmental education and outdoor recreation established in the Ohio law creating metroparks. Although the large preservations aren't as popular as the more developed parks with pools, playgrounds and walking paths, it is still the duty of the park system to conserve that land, Granville said. "We believe a strong community requires a mix of all those things," he said.
Ohio has 15 metropark districts, and each has a mix of preserves and developed parks. Cleveland MetroParks has a zoo and golf courses but also has eight reservations where the only activity is nature trails. Five Rivers MetroParks in the Dayton area preserves more than 11,600 acres. Erie MetroParks has a public swimming pool, the only one in Erie County since Sandusky's Surf's Up closed in 2003. As attendance has dropped and maintenance costs have risen on the 1988 facility, it has cost the park system more than $50,000 each year to keep the pool open even though it is available to the public only 10 weeks ayear.
The commissioners have considered permanently closing the pool for the past two seasons but opened it anyway on the condition there weren't any major maintenance breakdowns. Instead of spending $1 million to renovate the pool that would still lose more than $50,000 each year for the MetroParks, the commissioners want to build a brand new $3.5 million modern swimming and water play facility Granville believes will make a profit for the park system. Because the MetroParks has other responsibilities and can't afford the new $3.5 million pool even if the replacement levy passes, the district wants the public to decide how badly it wants a low-cost swimming pool.
Along with the replacement levy, the commissioners will consider Aug. 17 putting a 15-year, 0.25-mill additional levy on the November ballot that would generate about $450,000 a year in revenue to be used exclusively to build the new $3.5 million pool. "There are a lot of people who like coming to this place, especially in the heat," said Perkins Township resident Linda Beaudin, who was at the Osborn Park pool Wednesday. "A lot of them can't afford to go to all the waterparks." But people will be reluctant to pass a property tax for a pool that will cost the $100,000 property owner $7.66 per year, Beaudin said. She would rather see the MetroParks spend its money taking care of its more developed parks that people like instead of using it to care for huge preservations.
Dusza would differ. "I grew up in the concrete jungle of East Cleveland," Dusza said. "When Erie County develops, people will realize they want the natural greenspace of those preservations." Edison Woods and East Sandusky Bay aren't a money pit for the Erie County taxpayers, Granville said. They are an important natural resource and assets for the community. In a 2004 MetroParks survey, the 243 respondents said preserving natural habitats should be the No. 1 priority of the MetroParks. The same survey said maintaining a public pool should be the No. 2 priority.
East Sandusky Bay Preserve ensures public access to Lake Erie for future generations and also is a bald eagle habitat, Granville said. "Public access to Lake Erie is at a premium," said Chris Knopf, Ohio state director for the Trust for Public Land, which helped the MetroParks obtain the preserve properties. "This is a chance to provide real people with access to the water." Edison Woods is the largest forest in northern Ohio and is one of the last preserved wetlands in the state.
"The importance of Erie County in this work can't be overstated," Knopf said. "If you don't have an Edison Woods at 1,300 acres or an East Sandusky Bay that is now public, you are really altering the quality of life along the Lake Erie coast." Edison Woods has also been a revenue generator for the MetroParks. Even though it has cost $657,552 to maintain since it was obtained in 2001, the MetroParks has received $1.6 million in grants and restoration contracts for the preserve.
"We try hard to give the taxpayers the best value for their money," Granville said. "Osborn Park pleases a lot of people, but there are hundreds of others who just stop by to enjoy the natural greenspaces." To get two of the three East Sandusky Bay Preserve properties, MetroParks and its partners in the land acquisition needed the help of Ohio's two senators and the area representative. U.S. Rep. Marcy Kaptur, D-Toledo, said she would not have gotten the two federal grants totaling $3.5 million for the preservation acquisition if she thought the MetroParks couldn't handle the conservation of the land. "They are well managed, and I thought they would be able to handle that," Kaptur said. "We had the ability to take this great piece of land that we could bequeath to the future."
Terrace dedicated at BGSU Firelands
By LAURA LINDSAY
lauralindsay@sanduskyregister.com
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HURON - After more than a year of planning, the Deering Terrace on Parker Lake has been completed. About 150 people went to the dedication Sunday afternoon, at the James H. McBride Arboretum on the campus of Bowling Green State University, Firelands. The terrace was dedicated in memory of Dorothy Deering, by her husband, Fred, of Monroeville, who donated funds for its construction. "This will be here forever and is just a beautiful site," said Neal Leimbach, a horticulturist for Erie MetroParks. "Its design is world class, and because it is constructed out of steel and plastic, it will last for a very long time," he said. "It fits in very well." "We have followed a master plan for the arboretum since the late 1980s when Deering, a state legislature at the time, urged the state to provide us with Parker Lake as Route 2 was constructed," he said. "From there we expanded with the bridge, plants and benches." Leimbach said Deering Terrace will be available for weddings. "This is for students and the public to enjoy," he said. "There are benches all over. Electricity has been run into the terrace, and we will be installing cables so students can work outside on their computers. It is a beautiful setting for the community and the school," he said. Kathy Weilman of Milan, who organized Sunday's event, said the arboretum board always had a vision to develop a deck or terrace over Parker Lake. "This is a wonderful enhancement to the arboretum, particularly with its aisles over the lake that you can dangle your feet from," she said. |
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Guests at the dedication were served fresh lemonade along with strawberry and raspberry cakes. Weilman said the project's completion has been well received, and she was pleased with how many people came out to enjoy the dedication. Among the guests was Margaret McBride, widow of James H. McBride, who, at 90 years old, still maintains part of the gardens at the arboretum.
Daryl Deering, son of Fred and Dorothy Deering, spoke on behalf of his family during the ceremony. The dedication included remarks from Jim Smith, dean of BGSU Firelands; Peggy Murray on behalf of the McBride Arboretum Board; and Jonathon Granville, director of MetroParks. Deering Terrace was designed by Daniel Frederick and Tim Roberts of Daniel J. Frederick Architects LLC, Milan, in combined effort with George Poulos and Joshua Fox, Poulos and Associates, Sandusky. Bob Barnes of Barnes Nursery and Garden Center, in Huron, provided landscaping. Every part of the construction and design of James H. McBride Arboretum was completed with donations, Leimbach said. About $500,000 in materials and project labor was received for Deering Terrace on Parker Lake.
Firefighters get proactive with youth bicycle accidents.
By KEVIN PURDY
kevinpurdy@sanduskyregister.com
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SANDUSKY - Sandusky firefighters hope blue becomes this summer's hot color for young Sandusky bicycle riders. Using a portion of a $63,000 grant the Sandusky Fire Department received from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security in 2003, firefighters have distributed more than 2,000 free blue and white bicycle helmets to children in area elementary schools. The grant -- which required a 10 percent match from the city -- requires a portion of the money be used for safety and preventative measures, said Battalion Chief Tamie Myers, who wrote the initial application. Brad Wimmer, a firefighter and EMS worker who works extensively with local schools, pitched the idea of giving away bicycle helmets to grade schools based on his own experiences responding to accidents, Myers said. "They're at higher risk for accidents and injury than almost any other group," she said. "We see far too many accidents where a kid was injured because they weren't wearing a helmet." Wimmer and two other safety workers have now visited every public and private school in the city to distribute helmets. Their last stop on Monday was Ontario Elementary, where they competed for students' attention with the warm weather and the nearness of summer vacation. Following a video presentation, Mary Majoy, a community outreach advocate with Firelands Regional Medical Center, told students about the possible health effects of falling from a bicycle without protection. |
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"One thing that can happen is that you can lose your memory," Majoy told the crowd. "You don't want to have to repeat your grade again, do you?" Erie MetroParks Ranger Heidi Griffin pulled volunteers from the crowd to show what to wear when riding, how to ride and how to signal directions. Wimmer finally told students the blunt truth about his experience as an EMS responder. "We're the first ones to see it when you fall ... a lot of times, it's not good," Wimmer said. "We want to prevent having to see those kind of things this summer. Wear these helmets."
Wimmer said his department plans to next address children enrolled in the city's pre-kindergarten Safety Town program, and may hand out helmets there as well.
Nominations in for those recognized for caring for children
By RASHA ALY
SANDUSKY - For the third time, the board of Erie County Commissioners and the Erie County Department of Job & Family Services will join to organize the Erie County Cares for Kids Celebration. During the celebration, members of the community who have contributed their time to helping children, will be recognized, said Judy Englehart, director of Job & Family Services.
It is a time to recognize "people who do great things for children," she said. An individual can be nominated in one of six categories, Englehart said. Those categories included volunteering, safety forces, business/group, foster parents, public private/nonprofit service agencies and teacher nominees.
Those nominated were:
• Volunteering: Kym Calderon, Sandusky Central Catholic School; Marietta Johnson, superintendent of Sunday school at New Jerusalem Baptist Church and Randy Knavel, Center for Cultural Awareness.
• Safety forces: Kevin Baxter, Erie County Prosecutor; Heidi Griffin, Erie MetroParks; and Brad Wimmer, Sandusky firefighter.
• Business/Group: First Congregational Church & Society of United Church of Christ and K96 and 95-3 WLKR Radio
• Foster parent: Frank and Deborah Dean of Sandusky.
• Public/private nonprofit service agency nominees: Larry Aaron, Nora Gallagher, Mark Gross, Sandusky Rotary Club; Kinship Inc.; Shannon Smith, CASA; Victory Kitchen.
• Teacher: Aswad Atu Johnson, Sandusky City Schools; Suzi Leon, Sandusky City Schools; Ronald M. Ruble, BGSU Firelands; and John Schlessman, Perkins Local Schools.
The three-member committee "looked at who offered the exemplary service for that particular year," Englehart said.
The winners, and the reason each person was nominated, will be announced at the celebration at 7 p.m. today at the Community Arts Centre in the Sandusky State Theatre.
Large crowd expected at Safety Stars program
The event allows young children to interact with emergency personnel.
By BRAD KANE
HURON TWP. - After rain chased away the would-be crowds last year, the Erie MetroParks hopes attendance rebounds for its third annual Safety Stars fair where children get to interact with county emergency personnel. "The first year was surprisingly well attended," MetroParks spokeswoman Kendra Ward said. Only a handful of people came out the second year because a thunderstorm raged during the first hour of the two-hour event.
"The weather is looking pretty good for Friday," Ward said. "All these agencies are so good at coming up with things to keep the kids interested." This year's Safety Stars fair will take place from 5-7 p.m. Friday at Osborn Park in Huron Township and will feature police, fire, military, watercraft and other emergency agencies.
The idea behind the fair is to get children acclimated with members of the first-responder community so they are not scared by the people in uniform. "It can be really intimidating to meet a police officer," Ward said. The third annual Safety Stars event will feature a landing by the Life Flight helicopter, something that was chased away by the storms last year.
The fair will include a bike rodeo by the MetroParks rangers, free bike helmets from the Sandusky Area Safety Council and a fire extinguisher demonstration by the Sandusky Fire Department. Ward said she just arranges for the agencies to come in to the fair and leaves it to the individual department to come up with what they will do. They tend to be creative and work well with children.
"This is one of the events that is really fun for everyone that participates," she said. "It is definitely kid-oriented." A bike raffle will be take place for a 20-inch Schwinn Powermatic. A $1 donation is asked for but not required for entry.
By BRAD KANE
HURON TWP. - If you decide to take a hike around an Erie MetroPark this summer, you might want to pull your socks up. In an effort to save on its most expensive service, the MetroParks' Operations Staff is cutting back on how often it mows the grass. "It is saving on man hours and fuel so far," Operations Supervisor Jim Lang said. "We are just hoping it is going to work out."
The MetroParks instituted this Smart Mow program three weeks ago to save on the cost of buying, maintaining, fueling and using the mowers. "It is, by far, the most expensive thing in the park system that we do," Lang said.
The park system mowers are used 30-40 hours per week in the summer and are highly maintained to cut down on wear and tear. Man hours in this service not only are expended using the vehicles but changing out parts and doing oil changes as part of that regular maintenance, Lang said. Even with the maintenance, most of the mowers only last 10-12 years, he said.
By cutting back on mowing, the park system estimates it will save at least $8,000-$10,000 per year. Lang and the MetroParks fiscal officer didn't have the exact figure for how much money allocated to the operations staff went to buying, maintaining, fueling and using the mowers. The overall general fund budget for the entire park system is $1.7 million.
The mowed nature trails through the MetroParks preservation areas will be narrowed. Some of the park areas such as the soccer fields will be cut with the same frequency. The places that used to be mowed twice a week are now once a week. The areas that were once every two weeks are now once a month. The remaining places will be scaled back to once or twice per year.
"There are some we just aren't mowing at all," Lang said. Those areas will be replaced by tall prairie grass or cool season grass as time and funding will allow. In addition to saving money, the park system claims the Smart Mow program will help MetroParks fulfill its mission to conserve natural resources. The taller grasses and meadows will attract more ground nesting birds, increase wildlife habitat and the diversity of animals in the grass and improve air quality, according to Erie MetroParks Programs Supervisor Lois TerVeen.
Nest casualty of high
winds; eagle pair safe
Eagles' nest collapsed April 1.
By BRAD KANE
MILAN TWP. - A pair of missing bald eagles feared dead were spotted Tuesday in the area where their nest collapsed two weeks ago in Milan Township. "I was out on this wildlife hike and explaining how the nest fell and how we want people to look for the eagles, and suddenly this lady goes "Look at that big bird,'" MetroParks Programs Supervisor Lois TerVeen said.
The 500-700 pound nest containing an eagle pairing and an unknown number of eggs collapsed April 1 because of high winds. "It was a fairly good-sized nest; it had been there for awhile," ODNR wildlife biologist Mark Shieldcastle said. "With the storms we've been having and the size of the structure in the tree, it is bound to happen."
Officials from the Ohio Department of Natural Resources Division of Wildlife could not find any remains of the eggs since the nest collapsed. The area was flooded at the time of the event, Shieldcastle said. The eggs in the nest were scheduled to hatch sometime between March 31 and Sunday, but ODNR officials don't know if they hatched prior to when the nest fell out of its perch.
The eaglets would have died either way, Shieldcastle said. The parents had not been seen since April 1 until TerVeen spotted them on a hike at the MetroParks' Coupling Reserve off Ohio 13 Tuesday. There was a second sighting later in the day in the same area, she said. "We're really excited," Shieldcastle said. "We saw them soaring over the Coupling there." The MetroParks is asking anyone who spots an eagle flying in the vicinity of the Huron River corridor to call TerVeen at 419-625-7783. She wants to keep an eagle log to see if the eagles will continue to nest in the area.
By BRAD KANE
SANDUSKY - The comeback of the American bald eagle in Ohio is in full swing, and those living along the state's north coast have seen the greatest benefit. "It is almost always a thrill for someone to see a bald eagle, especially if it is the first time," said Melinda Huntley, executive director of Lake Erie Coastal Ohio, an area promotional agency. "In our area, you can almost guarantee that if you are bird watching, you will see an eagle.
"It is a fabulous bird," she said. Since dwindling down to only four pair in the whole state in 1979, the number of eagles in Ohio has soared to 116 pair in 2005. Sandusky, Ottawa and Erie counties have seen the largest eagle growth, and these three counties have had the most birds in the state for the past few years. In 2005, Sandusky County has 17 nests; Ottawa County has 16 nests; and Erie County has 10.
"I can assume these counties probably will be at the top for the near future," said Mark Shieldcastle, wildlife biologist of the Ohio Department of Natural Resources Crane Creek Research Station in Oak Harbor.
The eagle programs Erie MetroParks put on throughout the year are always extremely popular, Programs Supervisor Lois TerVeen said. "We see one almost every time we are out," she said.
Two of the most popular programs are in April at the Coupling Reserve in Milan Township, where visitors can observe a nest after the eggs have hatched but the fledglings still depend on their parents to bring them food. This year's events are from 2-4 p.m. April 10 and 17. "It is an amazing phenomenon," TerVeen said. "We can get out before the nests start disappearing into the landscape, and then you can't really see them."
Sandusky, Ottawa and Erie counties have more eagles than the rest in the state because of the Lake Erie marshes, Shieldcastle said. The volume of marshes in the area have much more to do with eagle population growth rather than climate or location. The marshes supply the fish, muskrats, birds and small mammals the eagles like to eat and the seclusion away from more developed areas.
"They don't get along the greatest with man," Shieldcastle said. "They need to be in an out-of-the-way place." American bald eagles are the most protected animal in the world. They are covered by the Endangered Species Act and the Eagle Act of 1940. "If you make an eagle do something it normally wouldn't do, that is disturbing it," Shieldcastle said.
Under the federal laws, anything a person does to disturb an eagle -- from unintentionally walking by a nest and scaring off the parents to purposefully shooting them -- carries with it a five-figure penalty and at least one year in prison. The laws are enforced differently though, Shieldcastle said. Someone who shot a bird is more likely to receive a harsher penalty than someone who walked by a nest. Even though the eagle's population status has been reduced from endangered to threatened, the regulations are the same under the Endangered Species Act. If the eagle is ever taken off the threatened list, the protection of the bird will fall under the Eagle Act of 1940, which is actually stronger than the Endangered Species Act, Shieldcastle said.
Since the eagles are in the middle of nesting season, ODNR is totaling the number of pair running a nest. Of the 116 in the state, 72 pair are on eggs. "We are right in the middle of the season, and we are getting more and more every day," Shieldcastle said. "Hopefully, all of those 116 will nest."
The proliferation of eagles in Sandusky, Ottawa and Erie counties brings in a lot of bird watchers from throughout the nation, Huntley said. "Birding is huge in this area, not only for eagles but for migratory birds and songbirds," she said. Migratory birds, particularly the tiny and colorful warblers, also bring in bird watchers from almost every state, she said.
"Just like any other hobby, there are a lot of varieties to get into," Huntley said. Some bird watchers are looking specifically for waterfowl, eagles, migratory birds, shoreline birds or songbirds. Sandusky, Ottawa and Erie counties offer all those animals. "We can pretty much suit the bill for almost everyone," Huntley said. "The bald eagle is certainly among them."
By BRAD KANE
HURON TWP. - Erie MetroParks' dog park committee has set a goal of July 1 to have the groundbreaking for its facility in Osborn Park. "We have a dream; we have a dog dream," Program Supervisor Lois TerVeen said. "July 1 seemed like a doable goal." The park would cost between $15,000-$20,000 to build. All of that money will be raised by the committee privately and through grants. "These groups are rabid with excitement," TerVeen said.
The MetroParks obligations to the park are to collect the donations as they come in, mow the grass after it is built and pay for the design plans. On Wednesday, Director-Secretary Jon Granville presented the architectural design, which cost the park system $1,500. "It will open up in an underutilized section of Osborn Park," he said. The plans feature a perimeter fence with a future dividing fence, two shaded areas with benches, a covered shelter, an entry area featuring a memorial paved brick area, perimeter benches, waste stations and fountains. There will also be agility equipment with jumps, tunnels and walkways.
The MetroParks is seeking part of a Youth Advisory Council grant that could get $1,000 to pay for the fountain. The area was originally supposed to be two acres but has been expanded to 2.5 acres in the design plans. "They have been popular anyway, and I am sure they will want more space," MetroParks Commissioner Fred Nottke said. "So, we better give it to them now." The dog park will require owners to get permits for their pets, and they must prove the animals have had all their shots and are healthy.
Donations 64 percent of MetroParks budget
By BRAD KANE
HURON TWP. - The $2.7 million Erie MetroParks received in donations in 2004 made up 64 percent of the park system's revenues. "Only 36 percent of what we have comes from local tax dollars and from our general fund -- there is also some fees and whatnot in there, too," MetroParks Director-Secretary Jon Granville said. It was the third most donations the park system had received in a year.
At $5.4 million and $3.5 million, only 2001 and 2003 were higher. From 1995-2000, the park system got only $743,885 total in donations. Donations were higher in 2001, 2003 and 2004 because of the large land acquisitions and grants the MetroParks got for its 1,200-acre East Sandusky Bay Preserve. The 2004 donations were up because of the Steinen Wildlife Preserve in-kind contributions as part of the East Sandusky Bay Preserve. Participation in MetroParks programs and use of the facilities was at an all-time high in 2004.
"I don't think we are the best kept secret anymore," Program Supervisor Lois TerVeen said. Not counting people who just used the parks in general, the park system had 121,016 visitors last year. The most utilized park by far was Osborn Park. For its reservable facilities, the MetroParks had 74,020 visitors occasions. That was up from the previous record in 2003 of 67,503. For its programs, 11,710 people participated throughout 2004, up from 11,024 in 2003. However, more programs were offered last year than the year before, so the average attendance at each program dropped from 22 to 20.
Last year also showed a record number of volunteer hours as 456 people donated 5,306 hours, which is up from the 204 people who donated 4,190.25 hours in 2003. The value of the total 2004 volunteer time -- if the hours were multiplied by the minimum wage -- is $27,856.50. This outweighed the $481.54 the park system spent T-shirts and pizza for the volunteers.
"The bottom line indicates the parks were really busy last year," Granville said.
In other news:
• MetroParks' fees for the Mother's Day Brunch at the arboretum at BGSU Firelands went up $1 per person this year. Staff, volunteers and those aged 59 and over must pay $10.50. Adults aged 13-58 must pay $11. Youth aged 6-12 are $5.50, and those 5 and under get in free.
• The park system won one of five national Walter B. Jones Excellence in Local Government awards for the work it did teaming with a variety of agencies in its East Sandusky Bay Preserve project.
Norwalk wants trail with link to Greenway
By BRAD KANE bradkane@sanduskyregister.com Published 2/05/2005
NORWALK – The Norwalk Mayor is in discussions about putting a hiking and biking path in the city. “The idea of bringing visitors to uptown Norwalk is a good one,” Mayor Sue Smith Lesch said. “We are just discussing it at this point.”
Smith Lesch met with a rails to trails program this week to discuss the possibilities of a bike path. There are several directions the city can go in, she said, but nothing specific. Erie MetroParks’ Huron River Greenway, if completed, would stretch nine miles from Milan to Huron, and includes a plan where it could be linked to a path in Norwalk.
“It is exciting that the city of Norwalk is talking about those things,” MetroParks Director-Secretary Jon Granville said. “We have been primarily focusing on Erie County, which has kept our hands full.” MetroParks has been involved in many legal disputes with the land owners around its bicycle path over who has the rights to the property. Creating a link from Milan to Norwalk wouldn’t be as difficult because Norwalk owns the rail line south of Milan, Granville said.
The rails to trails program is a concept that converts unused railroad beds into bicycle paths. Most of the Huron River Greenway is an old railroad bed. Another path called the North Coast Inland Trail, running east to west in sections in Sandusky and Lorain counties, could potentially go through Norwalk as well, Granville said. “Our plan was always to take our Huron River Greenway south to link with the east-west trail in Norwalk,” he said. “Of course, we would have to do so while working with the governments in Huron County.”
2004 articles
Kinship moving to MetroParks house By BRAD KANE November 11, 2004
After being displaced by the expansion of the Firelands Regional Medical Center, the Kinship House has found a new home at Osborn Park.
"The squeaky wheel gets the grease, and I like to think I am pretty squeaky," Kinship Executive Director Cindy Franketti said.
The Kinship House serves as a safe environment for fractured families who have custody issues. Parents can take their children to the home for visiting hours or use it as an exchange point when it is time for children to go with their mother or father.
"Families are very fragile," Franketti said. "Nothing raises your emotions more than not being able to see your children or having your children taken away from you."
MetroParks had a spare house near the northeast corner of Osborn Park that it was leasing from the Erie County commissioners for $1 per year for 30 years. The MetroParks commissioners decided Wednesday morning to sublease that home to the Kinship House for $1 per year -- as long as the Erie County commissioners say it is okay.
"It would be great. I like the idea," said Erie County Commissioner Nancy McKeen, who is Franketti's sister. "We've just got to look at the legal issues and go from there."
Before giving his approval, MetroParks Commissioner Tom Dusza wanted to make sure having the house on park property would create a burden where the rangers had to constantly handle domestic violence issues.
"I don't think there will be any problem at all," said MetroParks Operations Supervisor Jim Lang, who is the top ranger.
The Kinship House already has support from the Erie County Sheriff's office, said Franketti, who added she doesn't foresee many domestic violence problems. In the program's four years of existence, she said she has only called the police eight times, and none of those were for a violent situation.
To compensate for moving from its easy-to-get-to Sandusky location to the remote Osborn Park, Franketti said she is making arrangements with churches to transport parents and children to the new facility.
As long as the Erie County Commissioners approve the sublease, Franketti said the Kinship House Board of Trustees wants to renovate and expand the facility.
Any major changes to the home would have to be approved by the MetroParks and Erie County commissioners, MetroParks Director-Secretary Jon Granville said.
"I can't see why this would be a bad partnership," he said. "It provides us with another partner and connections in the community."
MetroParks accepts Rotary donation By BRAD KANE October 14, 2004
Once the labor costs were factored in, the donation Erie MetroParks received from the Sandusky Rotary Club for the new playground equipment at Osborn Park was about 30 percent more than predicted.
The MetroParks commissioners officially accepted the $97,000 donation in their meeting Wednesday assuming the Probate Court, which appoints the commissioners, does the same.
The Rotary initially thought it would cost between $65,000 and $75,000 to buy and build the playground, but that price inflated with the addition of 500 man hours of labor -- which was tagged at $50 per hour.
"We estimated the cost based on what we would pay for somebody else to put it up," Rotary president Mark Gross said.
None of the volunteers were paid for the work they did, and they cannot deduct the cost of labor from their taxes, Gross added.
The playground project was done as part of the national Rotary's centennial, and a requirement of it was the members had to work on it themselves.
Most of the labor was done over two days in the summer, but the Rotary had many volunteers at the site as late as two days before the grand opening.
"It came together really well," Gross said. "I was very proud of our members. They took time off work to be out there, and the weather conditions weren't ideal."
The money for the equipment came from Sandusky Rotary Charitable Fund Inc., which is the non-profit arm of the Rotary.
Anyone who donated money or materials to that fund can deduct it from their taxes -- as with any Internal Revenue Services approved non-profit organization -- but the Rotary itself will not get any tax breaks from the project, Gross said.
Gross added he has received many letters of thanks from the MetroParks and members of the community who like the playground.
"It turned out every bit as good as we hoped," he said.
In other news:
• The MetroParks commissioners decided Wednesday to reimburse the West Huron Youth Club for providing hunting opportunities at the East Sandusky Bay Preserve.
When the MetroParks wanted to acquire the east parcel of the preserve, there was a $12,000 per year, 8-year lease on it for Barnes Nursery to grow trees. In order to obtain the property, the MetroParks had to agree to use that money for education.
• The West Huron Youth Club asked Wednesday for reimbursement of its expenses in providing East Sandusky Bay Preserve hunting out of the money the MetroParks will receive in March from that lease.
The biggest expense in providing hunting for adult-supervised children at least 10 years old is liability insurance, Erie County Conservation Club President Bill Wescott said.
"The expenses won't exceed $12,000," Wescott said.
MetroParks seeks funds for dog park By BRAD KANE October 2, 2004
Erie MetroParks would like to organize a group to build and run a fenced-in, no-leash dog park on one of its properties.
"Just like any other project, we need to talk about it and see what our options are," parks spokeswoman Kendra Ward said.
In a park system survey done during the summer, 58 people said they would like a dog park. At a meeting of one of the park's planning committees, 13 "very enthusiastic" people volunteered to help create the dog area, Program Supervisor Lois TerVeen said.
The dog park is envisioned as a no-leash-required enclosed area covering several acres, exclusively for dogs and their owners, providing a safe place for dogs to run and play without disturbing other park users or off-limit areas, Ward said.
The dog park will not be a free-for-all where anyone can show up, TerVeen said. The MetroParks want to model it after one in Hancock County where the fence is padlocked, with admission limited to properly registered animals.
"We don't have the funds to donate to this," TerVeen said. "It getting off the ground depends on the fund-raising."
The committee would raise the money for the project and control the dog park, she said.
"In talking with Hancock County, the first thing they said is that they wish it was bigger," TerVeen said. "They had a few acres already."
The project should be well on its way in a year, if volunteer interest remains high, she said.
Anyone interested in becoming a member of the dog park committee can attend to a meeting set for 6:30 p.m. Oct. 18 in the Frost Center at Osborn Park. For information, call 419-625-7783 or visit DiscoverIt@eriemetroparks.org.
Three-mile Greenway cause
for celebration
By BRAD KANE September 13, 2004
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The Erie MetroParks is opening up three consecutive miles of its Huron River Greenway, and its friends are throwing a party. "The beauty of the place tells it all," said Joyce Deering of the Friends of Erie MetroParks. "It is just the coming together of people on the 12th to celebrate the Greenway. Starting at 3 p.m. Sunday at the water tower on River Road, the Come Parade the Greenway organizers invite the public to enjoy the Ohio State Alumni Band, Ronald McDonald, free hot dogs and snacks, and the three miles of hiking trails. The water tower is two miles south of the Huron River Bridge. Hay rides will run for those who cannot walk the trails, and strollers and wagons are welcome, Deering said. Hikers can earn a McDonald's pedometer. The Friends of Erie MetroParks will be kicking off its fall program, "Go Take a Hike" at the Greenway celebration. "It encourages people to take a walk at any of the MetroParks," Deering said. |
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Participants who complete seven of 11 designated hikes at the park system this year will earn an Arkansas walking staff. "It is just a walking stick that is finished and is a lot nicer than anything else you would pick up," Deering said. Two of the miles of Greenway opening Sunday have never been used before. They are being added onto an already existing one-mile stretch by River Road in Milan Township. When completed, the Greenway will stretch 12 miles from Milan to Huron running in an old railroad bed along the Huron River.
PUPPYLOVE By JENNA BUZZACCO August 22, 2004
| The rules at the
Osborne Park Pool were the same as any other night Sunday. No running, no
rough-housing and swimmers always needed to be supervised. But, Sunday
wasn't a normal night at the pool. Instead of families frolicking in the
pool, dogs of all shapes, sizes and breeds invaded the pool for the Sixth
Annual Doggy Dip. "It's organized chaos," Lois TerVeen, program
supervisor for the Erie County Metro Parks said.
Dogs and their owners were invited to close the pool Sunday night, ending summer and the season at Osborne Park. TerVeen said the idea came after a former Metro Parks employee went to an Ohio Parks and Recreation convention. The idea was tossed around, and TerVeen said it has been one of the parks biggest events since the first year. "This is our most popular program," TerVeen said. "If there's any reason to keep the Osborne Park Pool open, then it's to keep it open for the dogs because they'll sure miss this." Dogs were allowed in the pool after 8 p.m., when the last patron of summer left the park. Admission was $2.50 for each swimmer, and TerVeen said the park tries to limit the number of dogs to 45. Humans are never allowed in the pool, and were heard asking lifeguards if they were prepared to do CPR on the dogs. For the second year in a row, dogs were able to compete in Doggy Olympics and Doggy Dress-Up before the main event. About 16 dogs competed in activities ranging from jumping through hoops or getting dressed up in costumes. |
Cailyn Myers, 6, of Huron, cradles Sugar, a two-year-old chiuaua at Osborn Park on Sunday evening. Myers and Sugar won the look-alike contest. Debra Wylie of Sandusky and her chiuaua, Izzy, 2, right, took second. Register photo/ABIGAIL BOBROW |
| Todd
and Alinore Waldecker's dog Jake won first place in funniest costume. Jake
was a cowboy. "It's his Halloween costume," Alinore Waldecker said.
"He seems to like it, he likes to chew on the left arm at least." This
was the Waldecker's first time participating in Doggy Dip. Todd Waldecker
said they would be back again next year. While Jake was excited to go
in the pool, some dogs cowered at the thought of being thrown in the water.
Carol Brisker said her dog Maggie, who won second place in the best dressed category, wasn't looking forward to the pool. "She doesn't really like the water, it reminds her too much of a bath," Brisker said. The dogs who did enjoy the water took full advantage of having the pool to themselves. Some dogs climbed the stairs to the slide and slid down it, while others dove off the diving board to catch a tennis ball. And for first time swimmers -- VanTeer made sure the baby pool was open. |
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Ranger kids collect pizza reward By BRAD KANE August 19, 2004
| Collect all the
Cleveland Indians cards you want, there isn't going to be a free
meal in it for you unless you really like bubble gum. But the kids who
collected four of the seven trading cards featuring
Erie MetroParks rangers got a free pizza party Wednesday.
"I liked the pepperoni," said 4-year-old Levi Soule of Sandusky. The cards were released in November, and children could collect them every time they saw a ranger. "Our parks are safe; safety is a big issue for us," said MetroParks spokeswoman Kendra Ward. "We want kids to get familiar with our rangers." Soule collected five cards and his favorite was one that featured a MetroParks ranger with a cruiser. He said it was his favorite, just "because." His mother, Kelley Soule of Sandusky, said her three youngest kids -- Levi, Alexis, 7, and Emilie, 14 -- were all big fans of getting the cards. "Even if I was driving, if they saw a ranger, I had to stop and let them get out and get the card," Kelley Soule said. Ranger Heidi Griffin said she started off
with 2,000 cards and now she only has 25.
"The kids all really want the cards, especially
when you say 'If you collect four, there is a pizza party at the end,'" she
said. Griffin has a bicycle safety program for the MetroParks and gets
to interact with children at schools more than the other rangers do. |
Erie MetroParks Ranger Heidi Griffen shows four-year-old levi Soule the park's motorcycle during a pizza party at Osborn park for children who collected the ranger trading cards. (Register photo/JASON WERLING) |
| "We thought after
the kids collected the cards, (a pizza party) would be nice so they can meet
the people who are on the cards," Ward said. Ward said 25 children
signed up for the pizza party. Along with the food, the kids got Frisbees,
McDonald's Happy Meal certificates and toys, and discounted pizza from Chet
& Matt's, which supplied the food for the event. However, more than collecting their favorite rangers' cards, most of the kids liked different cards for the vehicles they had on them. Alexis Soule said she liked the one with a ranger on a horse "because of the color." "I like the card that has the motorcycle, too," she said. Kelley Soule said it wasn't hard for her kids to collect the cards because they come out to the MetroParks a lot. They especially like hiking the trails. "They think they will find a dinosaur out in the park one day," she said. |
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Dorothy's Dock: McBride Arboretum gets gift of
a new view
By
DAN DEARTH August 19, 2004
| The Arboretum Society at
BGSU Firelands has wanted a terrace overlooking McBride
Arboretum's Parker Lake for quite a while. And thanks to a $120,000 donation from Fred Deering, the society's wish is about to come true. The terrace will be dedicated in memory of Deering's wife, Dorothy, to whom he was married 53 years. She died Oct. 31, 1998. "I did it because of my interest in the arboretum -- my interest in plants," Deering said. "It provides an asset to the university." Arboretum Society Chairman Tom Roberts said the terrace's construction started earlier this month and is slated for completion in the fall. "This has been a collaboration of many different people," Roberts said. In addition to Deering's gift, two local architectural firms -- Poulos & Associates Architects Inc. of Sandusky and Daniel Frederick Architects of Milan -- designed the terrace free of charge.
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Construction continues Monday on the Deering Terrace project at McBride Arboretum at BGSU Firelands in Huron Township. Looking at plans for the terrace are, from left, Joshua Fox of Poulos and Associates, Bob Shepherd of Shepherd Shoreline Consstruction and Larry Knoble of Integrated Construction Consultants. (Register photos/JASON WERLING) |
| Frederick's architect, Tim
Roberts, said the terrace will have three levels with a steel frame covered
by concrete. A 25-foot pier, made of synthetic wood to prevent decay, will
extend into the lake. "The idea is to have a destination place for people to have activities outdoors," Tim Roberts said. Tom Roberts said use of the terrace will be free and open to the public. "It's a well-kept secret," Tom Roberts said. "You really don't see it when you drive by. The society has been together since 1984 and seen this develop from a field behind the university to what it is now." The arboretum occupies about 50 acres on the southeast corner of the BGSU Firelands campus and is home to more than 40 varieties of crabapple trees. Parker Lake's two acres support fish, wildlife, aquatic plants and migrating birds. |
Black-eyed Susans bloom on the edge of the McBride Arboretum pond as construction continues on the Deering Terrace. The Cedar Point building is in the background. |
Who's on first? First-responders By BRAD KANE August 13, 2004
Police and firefighters play in softball tourney.
After spending all year fighting crime and fire, the area's first responders are going to vie against each other. The Erie MetroParks Stars & Stripes Invitational Softball Tournament Sunday will pit eight area teams featuring police officers, firefighters and the military against each other. "We are hoping to raise awareness and hopefully funds for our bicycle safety and helmet program," said MetroParks spokeswoman Kendra Ward.
This is the third year for the tournament; the first two years only four teams came out. This year's eight teams are from the Bellevue Fire Department, Erie MetroParks Rangers, Huron police and fire departments, the Sandusky post of the Ohio State Highway Patrol, Perkins Police Department, Sandusky Police Department, U.S. Coast Guard and U.S. Gypsum. "I know the reserve unit in Milan wanted to compete, but they couldn't because of the world situation," Ward said.
The Perkins police are the reigning champions. The games in the double-elimination tournament start at 9 a.m. at Osborn Park and will continue through 4 p.m. The public is invited to watch, and there will be a small concession stand. Admission is free, but donations are appreciated, Ward said. The MetroParks will have a raffle to raise money for its bicycle program, and the winner gets $100 in MetroParks certificates good for a pool pass, merchandise, reservation or anything else the park system offers. The bad weather date is Aug. 22.
Ward came up with the idea for the softball tournament because many of her relatives are first responders, and she used to be in the military. "I was just trying to think of a new event for the park," she said.
Lions Park beach being studied for feasibility By BRANDI BARHITE July 30, 2004
| With the city's pool closed this
summer and its future uncertain, obtaining a beach for Sandusky has become
urgent. Although City Manager Mike Will doesn't know when the goal
could come to fruition, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is funding and
performing a feasibility study on the possibility of rebuilding the beach at
Lions Park. The funding totals $165,000 and will be used for the study
and some of the restoration. "I would have wanted the beach open two months ago," Will said Thursday. "But I have no idea of what time frame to expect." The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers in Buffalo did not return phone calls Thursday. Will said the study will determine the feasibility of reopening the beach at the West Monroe Street location and will look at sand retention, protecting the area's environment and providing more public access. |
Lions Club members, from left, Craig Wecht, Ron Zoellner and Judy Zoellner cook steaks Thursday afternoon on one of the new grills installed at Lions Park in Sandusky. (Register photo/JASON WERLING) |
Eventually, the city would like to partner with the Erie MetroParks and reconstruct the beach, turning it into a destination with fishing piers and other amenities, Will said. That could cost up to $750,000. "If the city is interested in partnering in projects, we are interested in supporting it," MetroParks Director-Secretary Jon Granville said Thursday. "We have a mission at MetroParks to do conservation, environmental education and outdoor recreation." Granville said Lions Park is a beautiful location and Erie MetroParks doesn't have any park areas in Sandusky.
Talks on the possibility of reopening a city beach at Lions Park began in 2002 when former City Manager Gerald Lechner had the portion of Sandusky Bay near Lions Park tested for bacteria. The beach had closed in the 1950s for possible sanitary reasons, Lechner said. The 2002 results from the Erie County Health Department indicated the water near the former Lions Park beach had low levels of bacteria and was safe for swimming. Thursday, Environmental Health Director Karen Gerold said no tests have been done for two years.
"I think (the beach) would be very nice and very exciting and something for the families to do," City Commissioner Leroy Sizemore said. Sizemore said it's disappointing that the city couldn't open the Surf's Up pool this year, but finances prevented it. The city may open the pool next year or lease it out to a private company.
If you build it, they will come By BRAD KANE July 13, 2004
| Some of the area's affluent
businessmen are getting down and dirty this week. The
Sandusky Rotary Club -- with members like car magnets Jerry and Bryan
Kasper and insurance vice-president Dave Voight Jr. -- is finishing building
a state-of-the-art playground today at Osborn Park. "There is a real public need for it," said Rotary chapter President Mark Gross. "This is the park out here where people go ... We are looking forward to getting people out here playing on it." The members and some MetroParks' employees began assembling the playground 7 a.m. Monday, and they are hoping to have it finished after two 12-hours days. "We are making great progress," said Rotary member John Hancock, who was running the engineering part of the project. "There will be a little bit of work that carries on past (today)." The $80,000 project is being paid for entirely by funds raised by the Rotary, Gross said. |
Sandusky Rotary members and Erie MetroParks staff raise the 12-foot spiral slide to the new playground set being built in Osborn Park. (Register photos/JASON WERLING) |
In past years, MetroParks' visitors repeatedly have mentioned Osborn Park could use extensive playground equipment, said the park system's Director-Secretary Jon Granville. |
|
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Jerry Kasper, right, attaches a ladder to a pole for the new playground equipment. Fellow Sandusky Rotary member David Rulong, center, hands off a hammer. |
"It will make a fun afternoon
for many children," he said. "Some adults may even enjoy it ... It has an
interest level that spans a large age group."The Rotary's equipment will go
where the old playground used to sit. Granville said equipment could be
moved to the other side of the park. The features of the new playground include a 12-foot typhoon slide, two rock climbing walls, center benches under a large umbrella and a wavy waffle wall walker -- a climber that moves and has multiple access points. "This is a larger scale playground project," said Cory Anderson, owner of Findlay's Anderson Recreational Design Inc., which represents the equipment vendor. "Even adults will be playing with their kids." Anderson said the new playground easily can accommodate 50-100 kids. |
| The Rotary will have a grand opening for the playground at 2 p.m. July 25, but that date is tentative because the members want to make sure everything is finished. On Monday afternoon, everything was proceeding as scheduled despite some rain. "It just cooled us down a little," Gross said. "God willing, we will be done by the end of (today) or close." The Sandusky Rotary's 140 members are doing the playground project in honor of the Centennial of Rotary International, which has more than 1.2 million members. July 1 kicked off the Centennial year for the international club, and the official date is in February. Even before the new playground, Osborn Park was the busiest of all the MetroParks. "The general trend seems to be more and more visitors at Osborn Park with more facilities," Granville said. "Osborn is the park of choice for many people." |
Jen Voight, left, Cathleen Serna, center, and Pamela Gross hold Serna's triplet girls Annie, Marisa and Lucy, respectively, while construction continues on the new playground equipment. |
Legal eagles By BRAD KANE July 18, 2004
