Mill Creek MetroParks to Improve Lily Pond Parking Lot
Mill Creek MetroParks is commencing a project to rehabilitate the existing Lily Pond parking lot. The project goals include reducing impervious pavement areas, adding natural habitat, and improving water quality before stormwater reaches Lily Pond and Frog Pond.
The project will introduce permeable pavers and a bioswale within the parking lot and a biofiltration area adjacent to the Frog Pond. Adding permeable pavers, swales and ponds, organic soil material, gravel areas and native plant species to this facility will enable the site to absorb and reduce the volume and velocity of stormwater. Sediments and pollutants will also be filtered from the stormwater. These new areas will significantly improve water quality, increase native species and wildlife habitat, and create an appealing feature within a prominent area of Mill Creek Park.
Mill Creek MetroParks has been awarded a Surface Water Improvement Fund (SWIF) grant through the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency (OEPA) for this project. The SWIF grant will cover 100% of the costs for the rehabilitation of the parking lot and construction of the biofiltration areas. Mill Creek MetroParks has committed various in-kind services to further enhance the project.
Construction is scheduled to begin on Monday, April 25, 2016, with the project expected to be completed within forty-five (45) days. The Lily Pond will be closed throughout the duration of the project.
Additional information can be obtained by calling Mill Creek MetroParks at 330-702-3000.
MILL CREEK METROPARKS TO HOST BIKEWAY OPEN HOUSE
Mill Creek MetroParks will be conducting a public open house at the MetroParks Farm (7574 Columbiana-Canfield Road, Canfield, OH 44406) on Thursday, May 5, 2016 from 6:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m. to discuss Phase III of the MetroParks Bikeway. The general public is invited to ask questions and share comments about Bikeway Phase III planning and implementation efforts. Phase III is the proposed section of bikeway through Green Township that will connect the existing MetroParks Bikeway at Western Reserve Road to Columbiana County near Route 14 in the Village of Washingtonville.
Aerial mapping and plan drawings of the project will be on display, and MetroParks personnel will be on-hand to answer questions from the public. Additionally, organizations with a focus on planning, trail development and bicycling will have informational tables set up and staffed. The open house will not include a formal presentation, but written project information and comment sheets will be provided to those who attend.
For several years now, the MetroParks has been working with consultants on the development and implementation of the Bikeway Phase III project. Illustrative mapping with trail alignment, environmental impacts, property identification, and preliminary design for the project have been developed. The open house will give the public a chance to view these documents, ask questions, and interact with personnel from the MetroParks and local agencies.
The environmental review, consultation, and other actions required by applicable Federal environmental laws for this project are being, or have been, carried-out by ODOT pursuant to 23 U.S.C. 327 and a Memorandum of Understanding dated December 11, 2015, and executed by FHWA and ODOT. The proposed project will not impact any cultural resources, suspect hazardous waste sites or ecological resources. The project will not result in substantial impacts to the environment either individually or cumulatively. In compliance with Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966, as amended (codified as 36 CFR 800), ODOT requests information regarding the presence of any known cultural resources in the vicinity of the project. Cultural resources include prehistoric and historic archaeological sites, historic bridges, historic buildings, sites and districts.
Additional information can be obtained by calling Mill Creek MetroParks at 330-702-3000.