Group meets to discuss plans for green space in Wayne
Barnes Preserve, southeast of Wooster, is the only Wayne County park. It is maintained by a Friends of the Park group of about 35 volunteers. Recently, an ad hoc committee in support of the Wayne County Park District held the first of several planned meetings that will ultimately implement a strategic plan for pursuing dedicated funding and administration for natural areas in the county.
On Feb. 16 an ad hoc committee in support of the Wayne County Park District held the first of several planned meetings that will ultimately implement a strategic plan for pursuing dedicated funding and administration for natural areas in the county.
“We’re just too big to continue working on a volunteer basis; it has simply become too overwhelming,” said Denny Jordan, the park district board chairman.
At present the park district is a quasi-governmental entity — neither government nor private. It is associated with the Wayne County Commissioners and is a nonprofit political subdivision that reports to Judge Latecia Wiles of the Probate and Juvenile Court.
Elizabeth Schuster of Sustainable Economies Consulting is leading the group through the strategic-planning process. She brings more than 20 years of experience in community economic development in the United States and internationally. Her experience includes working in manufacturing, agriculture, nonprofits, academic institutions and government. She earned an undergraduate degree in environmental studies from Oberlin College and a Master of Science in Agricultural Economics from the University of Arizona, giving her training in quantitative and qualitative methods of analysis.
Schuster spent five years as an economist with the Nature Conservancy in New Jersey and has experience in the facilitation of workshops, meetings and strategic-planning efforts.
“People are excited to get going, but it takes time because we’re talking about really complex and dynamic land use and the interaction of human and ecological communities,” Schuster said. “This can be hard and messy.”
Pete Wearstler, Wayne County planning director, said one of the biggest items cited in the county’s comprehensive plan, Wayne Onward, was people desire to preserve, protect and enhance the county’s open and park spaces. This desire has become even clearer with people seeking more outdoor recreation in the middle of the COVID-19 crisis.
At present Barnes Preserve, southeast of Wooster, is the only Wayne County park. It is maintained by a Friends of the Park group of about 35 volunteers.
Numerous natural areas in and around the county include Wooster Memorial Park, Browns Lake Bog Preserve and Shreve Lake in Shreve, Funk Bottoms, Johnson Woods, the Killbuck Marsh, Vulture’s Knob mountain bike park, Secrest Arboretum at OARDC, The Wilderness Center in Wilmot, Oak Hill Park, Grosjean Park, the Sippo Trail, the Ohio Erie Great American Rail Trail, the Rittman Nature Preserve, Walton Woods Park, and others that are in various stages of development.
Schuster said any time the goals for nature and the goals for people overlap, that generates more impact and success.
“Hiking trails can also preserve a wildlife corridor. Restoring wetlands might reduce flooding and impact the quality of drinking water,” Schuster said. “A birding area can lead to very significant spending and eco-tourism in the local economy.”
Schuster said any conservation efforts need to consider ecological systems all across the region. “Nature doesn’t know political boundaries,” she said.
Schuster said before the group starts focusing on any specific projects, it needs to create a framework for establishing an identity.
“We need to think broadly with a systematic approach to economic development, education and quality-of-life issues,” Schuster said. “Having this structure will make future decisions easier once we lay the groundwork.”
Schuster also said the group will not duplicate what has already been done by other entities but instead will use the available information they’ve generated.
“Lots of groups have done a good amount of data analysis and research already. We’ll use information from Wayne Onward, the Nature Conservancy, the Western Reserve Land Conservancy, Cleveland Metroparks and the Lake Erie Basin collaborative plan, among others,” Schuster said.
At the end of the first six months of the project, Schuster said the group will be ready to move into phase two, which will be the eventual passage of a ballot measure for the park district. This will involve budget information, polling, ballot design and ballot language.
“The commissioners will require the ballot to demonstrate a compelling need, be affordable and have built-in accountability,” Schuster said.