The federal money distributed by the state of Ohio will be used to buy 47.65 acres of land between I-675 and Grange Hall and south of Patterson Road. The venture is the second phase of a two-part plan to create a park more than twice the size of the largest park currently in Beavercreek, city manager Pete Landrum said.
At roughly 148 acres, the proposed green space would be more than double the size of Rotary Park, the biggest Beavercreek park at 72 acres.
“We are very excited about the award and very excited for this future park for the residents’ use and enjoyment. This land will be used for park and recreational uses, and forever be green space,” Landrum said.
The city will match the grant funding dollar-for-dollar for the purchase using park fees, which are paid by area developers and not by taxpayers.
The park, which be developed with community input, will either be left wild for trails or developed for recreation. The city will begin the process of generating a park master plan for the property sometime this year.
Beavercreek and five other Ohio communities received a combined $2.6 million in funding from the National Park Service’s Land and Water Conservation Fund, including Minster, Cleveland and Summit Metroparks, Lorain, and Covington. The National Park Service must still approve the final grant award.
“This process took many months in 2021 due to COVID, so we are not sure on the timetable of NPS approval,” Landrum said.
The Ohio Department of Natural Resources administers the federal Land and Water Conservation Fund grant program for Ohio. Annually, the fund provides up to 50% reimbursement assistance for state and local governments, for the acquisition, development, and rehabilitation of outdoor recreational areas. The federal grant program is supported by offshore oil lease revenues and other non-tax sources.
“Improvements at our parks, playgrounds, and trails encourage people to get out and enjoy their neighborhoods,” Gov. Mike DeWine said in the announcement last week. “These grants will help Ohio communities give their citizens more opportunities to safely enjoy the great outdoors.”
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