Parks must stay open despite cuts, state says

Clark County
Parks must stay open despite cuts, state says
Thursday, November 25, 2010 02:55 AM
By Josh Sweigart
THE SPRINGFIELD NEWS-SUN
SPRINGFIELD, Ohio ‘” Days after the Clark County Park District put up barricades closing its four parks and bike trails, state officials say two of those properties must stay open. The Little Miami Scenic Trail and George Rogers Clark Park were developed with state and federal grants that stipulate the parks must stay open to the public indefinitely, according to a letter the Ohio Department of Natural Resources sent to the park district Monday. At this time we are asking the (district) to notify our office in writing of the park district’s plan for re-opening the park and trail, said the letter, which gives a Dec. 10 deadline. The park district last week closed the park and its portion of the bike trail south of Springfield ‘” along with Estel Wenrick Wetlands and the Prairie Grass Trail bike path through South Charleston. Park district officials said they can’t afford to keep them open. The district also cut
its staff from three to one part-time director’¦ http://www.dispatch.com/live/content/local_news/stories/2010/11/25/parks-must-stay-open-despite-cuts-state-says.html