WESTERVILLE — Genoa Township residents supported a parks levy in the last election, and improvements are underway this spring.
Perhaps most noticeable to motorists going north on state Route 3 will be a new welcome sign to the township as people leave Franklin County. For reference, Giammarco’s is on the left side of the roadway, and the sign would be on the right side of a busy intersection.
“An unremarkable sliver of barren land connects Northgate Way to Mt. Royal Avenue,” said the township newsletter. “By car or bike, thousands of people pass it daily without a second thought.
“Plans are being detailed to refresh this small piece of parkland and transform it into a usable area where people can park their bikes to visit nearby businesses or rest before continuing along the Ohio to Erie Trail. For people passing by car, the updated landscape will provide a welcome to the community.”
Surveyors examined the corner of SR 3 and Mt. Royal Avenue in mid-March to begin work on the gateway.
Community input is also needed for the construction of a 1,400-foot long multi-use trail at the west side of Worthington Road from Braymoore Drive to about 100 feet north of Jaycox Road, connecting two existing trails. This would require the removal of up to 50 trees, and a permanent easement would be needed.
The deadline to comment to the Delaware County Engineer’s Office about the project is April 15 at [email protected].
At the end of March, the Genoa Township Maintenance Department broke ground on four new pickleball courts at Center Green Park. Pickleball has been called the country’s fastest growing sport. Think of it as tennis with ping-pong paddles and a whiffle ball.
The community gardens opened this month, and the township doubled the number of raised beds this season, thanks to construction from the Vaughan family. The 4-foot-by-8-foot raised beds are designed to support plants with shorter roots and to save aching backs. Also, resident Richard Blatti replaced the old birdhouses at the garden in Worthington Road Park.
The township said it will also take action to keep geese from settling at Hilmar Park with its ponds. Never feed the geese, visitors are advised.
Genoa’s police and fire departments reduced their millage due to efficient operations, and the reductions went into a first-time parks levy. Township residents approved all three levies last November.
