Walking path planned behind city hall

Recreation may be making a comeback in Mentor-on-the-Lake.

After declining revenues led to budget cuts — including the Labor Day parade, the recreation director position and a recreation reimbursement program with Mentor — the city is looking at ways to improve its parks.

A consultant provided by a Lake County Plan4Health grant created a detailed design plan for upgrading McMinn, Overlook Beach and City Hall parks.

Grant money also will enable the city to implement its first project from the plan.

City Council on April 25 approved accepting a Lake County Community Development Block Grant to design and install a 1-mile asphalt walking path around the perimeter of City Hall park,

5860 Andrews Road. Total cost is estimated at $65,100.

“All design/build expenses will be covered by the CDBG grant,” Mayor David Eva said.

Other proposed improvements from CT Consultants’ Kris Hopkins include:

• City Hall — Pickleball courts, refurbishing tennis courts and ball fields, playground expansion, additional seating, consolidating and screening Service Department facilities

• McMinn — Basketball court, asphalt walk, expanded playground, refurbished baseball fields, restroom facilities

• Overlook Beach — Shore erosion control, expanded parking lot, court area (refurbished basketball or sand volleyball), asphalt walk, boardwalk, gravel walk, expanded playground, fitness stations

Total cost of all the improvements at the parks could top $2 million.

“We will continue to research grants for all of the Plan4Health proposals,” Eva said. “With that in mind, it’s hard to say what we can implement in the near future. Some

parts we may be able to have our Service Department work on. Anything we do in the city, the major theme is always trying to do more with less.”

The county’s Plan4Health program received a $187,000 grant from the American Planning Association to combat two determinants of chronic disease: lack of physical activity and lack of access to nutritious foods, said David J. Radachy, Lake County planning and community development director.

The grant was dispersed to 13 communities.

“The community and the consultant worked together on a healthy community action plan that either designed or redesigned a park, reviewed how safe a community was for pedestrians and bicyclists, looked at the feasibility of adding bike trails or bike lanes, or adding a Complete Streets Policy to a community,” Radachy said.

Eva said the path will give residents another reason to visit the park.

“We are always looking at ways to bring people out to our facilities,” he said. “I appreciate the offer from Dave and the Lake County Planning and Community Development team. This was an offer we couldn’t pass up.”