Metro Parks officials discuss 2017, future plans

With the year coming to an end, the Lorain County Metro Parks are finishing up all projects and events of 2017 and bringing more into the county for 2018.

The Metro Parks were celebrating their 60 years with Lorain County this year with new and original programs as well as other traditional events.

Both Vanessa Klesta, public information officer and Jennifer Bracken, assistant director, said that it’s been a successful year for the Metro Parks with a great increase of attendance at their events and programs within all park locations.

“More people have been attending our events this year compared to previous years,” Bracken said. “We’re proud of the programs we offered this year to bring more families along. We’re also excited to be working with young and older people to be able to touch all ages throughout all communities and provide them with free and inexpensive events in their communities.”

Both shared some notable events and programs that highlighted the Metro Parks’ year of 2017.

Because the parks were celebrating their 60th Anniversary this year, they debuted a dinosaur display at the Carlisle

Reservation, 12882 Diagonal Road in Lagrange, making it their biggest turnout of the year, Klesta said. The returning Halloween Fair also brought a large crowd to the reservation. Klesta said, with the return of the old pumpkin hill display that used to be part of the fair, it had great feedback from visitors who have favored it for years. She said their pumpkin lagoon display inside the Halloween walk replaced pumpkin hill years ago, but decided to bring it back for the anniversary. They added, the Halloween Fair was their best yet with 30,000 in attendance this year, with only 27,000 last year. Overall at Carlisle Reservation, they said over 58,000 visited this year.

The Metro Parks had other successful seasons with their program such as Spirit of America, Bracken said. The program that educates seventh-graders in water safety from paddle boats to jet skis and more, is going into its fourth season next year. Bracken said they also had a great theater season this year at French Creek Nature Center, 4530 Colorado Ave. in Sheffield Village, with plays such as Annie that sold out three weekends in a row. Next year they are planning shows like Children of Eden on Easter and The Elephant Man in May, she said.

“We’re happy with the successful theater season we had,” Bracken said. “We want to have much more in the public, as well.”

She said they will be introducing a new type of performance to Lakeview Park next summer with a live show of Romeo and Juliet. She said a theater performance has never been done at Lakeview and will be free to the public. If the public enjoys an event like the show, Bracken said they would like to continue them in other parks also.

A large addition to the parks this year was Henry’s Barn at the North Star Preserve, they said. The historic barn is located at 46223 US-20 in Oberlin and was completed in October. Bracken said the multiuse facility will be a hot spot for them in the upcoming year for many events and programs.

However, both Klesta and Bracken said the Metro Parks’ biggest projects of the year were Cascade Underway and the Black River Bikeway Extension.

The Metro Parks’ partnership with the City of Elyria to completely revitalize parts of Cascade Park started with the help of many people who are fond of the park and wanted to be involved in the restoration of 19 acres of the park, Bracken said. After planting over 75 trees in the park for its Legacy Tree Campaign in November, more tree planting will continue into 2018 full of native trees being donated from $500 to $1,000 from the community, Bracken said. Going into spring, she said the Elyria Rotary Club should complete their project for a new inclusive playground. Bracken said they are excited the club is taking that project on because it’s as special to many people in Elyria as it is to them.

“Cascade Park will be our biggest banner project in 2018 once it gets completed by July,” she said.

With the Black River Bikeway Extension being a work in progress for some time, both said the Metro Parks have completed trails in the project during 2017 and have created more future plans for the upcoming year. Klesta said they finished the trail extension by Mercy Health and Recreation Center, 47160 Hollstein Dr., and is really a beautiful section of the trail that connects to Amherst Beaver Creek Reservation, 913 N. Lake St. in Amherst. With the remaining phases of the extension project starting in early 2018, Bracken said the extension in Lorain from State Route 611 into Lake Erie hasn’t been determined yet, but will develop. The full completion of the project should not be finalized after four to five years.

For citizens of Lorain, Bracken said they should all be excited because the Metro Parks are re-opening the Rose Café at Lakeview Park, but are changing its name to the Sunset Café. She said Sunset Café will offer soups, salads, sandwiches, wraps and more from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., Monday through Friday. She added that the café will only be open through Memorial Day till Labor Day. The Metro Parks are planning to have more projects and programs introduced to their communities that park goers will really enjoy, Bracken said.

“We’re always excited for a new year,” she said. “We have a great staff and we’re always trying to do bigger and better things for our communities.”

Klesta added that the parks wants to provide fun and creative activities to keep park-goers coming back.

“We’re always excited for a new year,” she said. “We have a great staff and we’re always trying to do bigger and better things for our communities.” — Vanessa Klesta, public information officer for Lorain County Metro Parks