Upgrades to Reynoldsburg’s Civic Park ‘not a one- or two-year thing’
, 2022-08-28 08:31:56,
Reynoldsburg residents who visit Civic Park could eventually see major improvements, including a dog park, disc golf course and pavilion, but the renovations won’t happen any time soon.
“This is not a one- or two-year thing; this is a decade investment into making Civic Park an incredibly utilized park throughout,” Mayor Joe Begeny told City Council before it recessed in August.
The city has been working with architecture, engineering and planning firm OMH Advisors and surveying and civil engineering firm EMH&T on a master plan for the first phase of improvements, estimated to cost about $2.5 million.
The city has allocated $270,000 for design and engineering work.
The design includes a 4.5-acre dog park, with areas for large and small dogs; a shelter house; agility course; and a 50-space parking lot.
The 18-hole disc golf course would spread out along the southern section of the park at 6800 Daugherty Drive.
OMH Advisors Project Manager Ashley Efaw said the team sought input from community groups, including the Everest Cricket Club, Columbus Flyers Disc Golf Club and Special Olympics, among others, before beginning work on the park’s design.
The plan also shows a cricket field and turf adaptive sports field “that can accommodate an 11-on-11 soccer game, along with double-striping for lacrosse,” Efaw said. “We understand it’s become popular in Reynoldsburg.”
A pavilion, complete with a splash pad and nearby playground and nature play area, would sit in the center of the park, which will have tennis courts and a 1.7-mile perimeter path, Efaw said.
“We’ve really designed out this whole park in a little more detail,” she said.
EMH&T has been focused on utility and infrastructure design, with the goal of returning the Tomato Festival to Civic Park, Begeny said.
“We’re looking at can we get water to an area where you’d have fair food trucks?” he said. “Can you get electricity to an area where there’s a main stage or (amusement) rides? Those aren’t exciting things but are infrastructure things that need to be addressed.”
Funding the first phase of improvements will take time.
Begeny said $500,000 of the city’s capital improvements plan will be set aside for Civic Park improvements next year and in 2024 to “build a nest egg.”
Tax-increment financing from the nearby Rosehill development could deliver in excess of $2 million, but Begeny said “it might take time to get there.”
Other potential funding sources include federal, state…
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