CENTERVILLE, Ohio (WDTN) — The Centerville-Washington Park District’s Grant Park will soon be undergoing a transformation.
The project officially kicked off with a groundbreaking ceremony on Sept. 22.
Plans are underway to create an all-access trailhead and a paved multi-use path surrounding a 4-acre pollinator habitat. The improved park entrance will provide double the parking while improving traffic flow, ADA access and pedestrian safety, according to a release.
From the improved entrance, park visitors will be able to visit the Kennard Nature Nook to attend park programs, picnic under the tree canopy, play at the Mark Kreusch Nature Playce natural playground and access the 189-acre nature park’s vast trail system.
The park improvements are a result of the Grant Park Master Plan, completed with community input in 2020.
The Centerville Rotary Club donated just over $51,000 toward the project in conjunction with their 50th anniversary celebration.
The club has had a long-term relationship with Grant Park, where they have held service workdays and club meetings, in addition to an existing Rotary memorial area dedicated to the memory of lost Rotary members. The scope of the project includes enhancing the Rotary memorial and relocating it to a more prominent location at the trailhead.
The project also includes stormwater wetland creation and streambank restoration along Holes Creek, which runs through the park.
The park entrance will be closed to visitors for several months while the project is in an active construction phase. Grant Park visitors will be redirected to the park entrance at 501 Normandy Ridge Road.
Officials expect the work to be complete by November 2022.