There will be a public meeting at 6:30 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 12, regarding the proposed Edge Adventure Park in Westerville. The meeting will be held in the Community Center’s multi-purpose rooms, 350 N. Cleveland Ave., Westerville.
The park would be in a wooded ravine between Vesper Way and Cleveland Avenue, which is on the edge of Delaware and Franklin counties. However, that’s not why it’s being called Edge Adventure Park.
“It was named for the proposed activities,” Westerville Parks and Facilities Development Administrator Laura P. Ball told The Gazette. “The 2014 (voter-approved Westerville Parks, Recreation and Open Space master) plan called for the inclusion of an adventure course and canopy walk, among other elements, so different from the typical local park amenities. It is supposed to be edgy.”
The 10.5-acre park would blend recreation, nature and adventure activities. It is near the Westar business park, which “is situated in Delaware County, the fastest-growing county in the state,” said the City of Westerville’s Economic Development Team. Businesses in Westar include DHL’s North American headquarters, Central Ohio Physicians Care headquarters and the Renaissance Hotel.
That means the park would be ideal for companies in the vicinity to use for team building, wellness activities and corporate fitness. Edge Adventure Park’s proposed trails would include connections to Westar, the Alum Creek Trail, and a green pathway to Hoff Park two miles away near County Line Road.
“Because it is situated along the western bank of Alum Creek in Delaware County, the locale creates an opportunity to activate the longest Central Ohio Greenways (COG) trail and one of the planned mid-Ohio Rapid 5 corridors,” the City of Westerville said on its website. “Activating the land for public use is in the works, with a $2 million commitment from the city and $300,000 grant from the state of Ohio for the project.”
The city said the site includes three unnamed tributaries to Alum Creek, requiring bank stabilization to prevent erosion. The funding will help protect the ravines since Alum Creek is a source of drinking water.
“This meeting will cover the site opportunities and constraints,” Ball said. Consultants will be on hand to hear what amenities the community would like to see in the park. “The feedback from this meeting will be used to finalize 2-3 concepts for additional public review and input. We are targeting late March — early April for that meeting,” Ball said.
