Sports park in Enon could include soccer fields, dog park
Pandemic showed a need in the area for outdoor recreation.
Village of Enon and Mad River Twp. leaders will continue their plans for a proposed sports park, which is expected to include soccer fields, baseball diamonds and other recreational outlets like dog parks and nature trails.
There was a special meeting at the Enon Government Building on Tuesday evening to voice plans for the proposed parks and gather public input. The meeting was recorded and posted to the village’s Youtube channel.
The 60.94-acre property for the sports park is located between 239 and 2929 Enon Road. The proposed sports park would sit adjacent to Enon Park, according to village and township officials.
Enon village council president Rick Hanna said the village and township have been working with engineers to draft potential designs for the park.
The space could include many features: four soccer fields, to start. One field would serve as a multipurpose space that could be used as softball or baseball diamonds, complete with expandable fences.
“We got the room, we just need the right layout,” said Enon mayor Timothy Howard.
Another portion of the park could feature facilities for pickleball, tennis and baseball and the project may also include a dog park and fish ponds.
A walking or running trail, too, is proposed to encircle the park, spanning roughly 1.5 miles for one lap.
“These are some of the needs, some of the wants that were within the community when we started talking about this plan,” Hanna said.
The village also has plans in place to create an Americans with Disabilities Act-compliant playground in Enon Park, with village officials seeking grants to fund that specific project.
A design for the project has not been finalized, and the cost of the project will be determined by features of the park. An estimate the village received for laying Astroturf on a full-sized field was between $800,000 and $1 million, Hanna said. Project leaders have been considering laying turf on the infields of the park and keeping the outfields as grass-covered spaces.
Hanna said the pandemic pointed to a need for families in the area to have opportunities for open-air recreation. The presence of a space for sports tournaments and other recreation can help encourage further development in the area.
The two governments purchased the half-million dollar property adjacent to Enon Park in April from the family of Guy Conley, who passed away last year. Both governments split the cost of $542,131.
The development of the land into the proposed sports parks may take several years to complete, village and township leaders said earlier this year.