Legacy Point Park project enters final phase
Jason Biltz of Tekton Engineering, left, and Jen Halverson, Holmes County Park District executive director, join Holmes County Commissioners Dave Hall and Eric Strouse in perusing the map of Legacy Point Park.
As volunteers and the Holmes County Park District continue to work on making Legacy Point Park something unique for visitors and locals alike, a project that has been in the making for close to five years is now entering its final phase.
On Monday, Dec. 30, Holmes County Park District Executive Director Jen Halverson and Jason Biltz of Tekton Engineering met with the Holmes County commissioners to discuss what they hope will be a big part of completing their vision of what Legacy Point Park might look like when it officially opens in 2025.
Among the biggest topics of discussion was getting final approval from the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency to place a gazebo atop the park’s highest pinnacle, something that would put the finishing touches on what has already been an amazing transformation from the former landfill that once cluttered the more than 200 acres of land.
According to Biltz, an application was submitted in October, and the EPA replied with comments in November that he called a notice of deficiency.
“I didn’t get any feeling that they were resisting the project altogether. They just wanted more details for it,” Biltz said.
The issue concerning any type of construction on the site is once the former landfill was closed, a lining was placed atop prior to it being covered in dirt, and the EPA now will test the site for the next 16 years, already having tested it for 14 years.
Because of that issue, there are severe limitations on what types of construction may be placed on the hilltop. Biltz said no construction can take place that would require any type of digging into the earth, but a gazebo would simply rest atop the ground, which should comply.
He also said the EPA has questions concerning the type of foot traffic and what types of vehicles will make their way around the park.
Currently, the paths that have been or are being created in the park include a multi-use trail, a walking and hiking trail, a mountain bike trail, an equestrian trail, and a limited access trail, which would be the one that would lead up to the requested gazebo.
Biltz said the EPA already knows the parking lots and trails have been put in place, and they are now interested in taking the limited access trail to the top of the hill in the park.
“I left it pretty general in the application,” Biltz said. “I said we have plans to use the area and have no plans on excavating. We just want to have people be able to go up to the top for the view. They are looking for more specifics.”
In applying for the request, Biltz said the hope is the committee can formulate a proper plan so they don’t have to go back to the EPA again, which would create more work.
The commissioners expressed questions as to whether providing access to the top area that is lined would cause any possible liability issues should a tear in the liner occur.
Their suggestion was any type of ATV or golf cart wouldn’t cause damage.
“Our goal would be that if we allowed motorized vehicle traffic up there, it would be very controlled,” Halverson said. “It’s for when we have to get people up there who normally couldn’t make that hike.”
She said most likely, 360 days of the year it would be limited to just foot traffic.
Halverson said controlling potential illegal traffic would include signs, but she said much like the Holmes County Trail, she expects the community to police the property to a large extent.
“People will take ownership of this property and want to protect it,” Halverson said.
Commissioner Joe Miller also said it would take a lot to tear the liner, which is buried nearly 4 feet below the surface, and the liner is a thick piece of hard rubber.
Biltz then read the paragraph in the application to the Ohio EPA that referred to the point of contention.
It read, “Legacy Point Park desires to allow visitors to have controlled access to within the limits of the closed landfill. A rest and relaxation area will be constructed at the top of the closed landfill. It will consist of a 30-by-50-foot area enclosed by a nonpenetrating ground fence. Within the enclosed area, picnic tables, benches and a gazebo will be installed. All structures will be surface mounted and will need to be weighted down. There will be no excavation as part of the installation. County-organized events may require access to the top to the rest and relaxation area with a means of transport for elderly and handicapped people.”
Biltz said the Ohio EPA also is seeking written support from the commissioners, which the commissioners gave.
Halverson said the public is getting excited about the approaching grand opening in late spring or early summer 2025, and Biltz said the entire process of creating the park has been a marathon with the finish line in sight.