Berlin Township plans new community park

A long-awaited project is taking shape, and when completed, it will be of great value to the Berlin community and to Holmes County.

The Berlin Township Community Park Development Committee has created opportunities for community members to learn more about the proposed park ideas and to voice their thoughts and concerns, with the first of several quarterly community meetings taking place from 7-8 p.m. Tuesday, March 3 at the Berlin Township Building behind Berlin Elementary and next to the park property.

The proposed park will eventually include an amphitheater with a stage area; a multi-sport court complex for pickleball, basketball and tennis; public restrooms; a playground; and a walking path and more. While all these features will be implemented in stages over time, the park is something that has been in the future of Berlin Township for many years.

The park development committee was created as an exploratory committee that continues to fashion together ideas as to what would best enhance the Berlin community for both residents and visitors.

The committee continues to work together to create possible options, and ultimately, it will take its ideas back to the Berlin Township Trustees for final approval.

However, before that happens, the goal of the committee is to create opportunities for community members to voice their opinions and provide input as to what they would like to see develop at the park, which is why the committee created the first community evening event.

“We wanted to create quarterly evening meetings for the local residents so we can get together and hear their thoughts,” said Dustin Kaufman, committee chair. “Their voice is an important part of what we are hoping to develop in the new park.”

The committee’s hope is they can reach out to Berlin Township community groups like schools, churches, businesses and other groups.

“Our hope is to connect with as many people as possible to let them know their input is important,” Kaufman said.

The park was initially created in 1966, and in the late 1990s, it came under the umbrella of the township trustees.

While developing a park on the land has always been on the back burner, it came to the forefront in October 2024, when the push to get the ball rolling really began in earnest.

Initially, the advisory committee sent out postcards to both inform people in the township what was taking place and to request their input as to what was important to them.

According to committee member Janet Flickinger, she received more than 200 postcards in response, and that helped the committee prioritize the various options, with the pavilion, multi-sport court and playground equipment taking top priority, along with public restrooms.

While the ideas have risen to the forefront, how to best situate the pickleball courts to avoid playing directly into the sun, what types of noise pollution will the park create, how to best utilize the sloping acreage and other questions remain unanswered.

Kaufman said meeting with the public to flesh out the answers to some of these questions is the purpose behind the public meetings.

While eager to initiate all the ideas, the committee members said this will be a process that is drawn out over time.

“This is something that will be done in phases when funding becomes available,” committee member Lynn Bauman said.

Once the park takes shape, the committee said it will entice visitors, locals and families to spend time enjoying everything the park has to offer.

“We’ve waited a long time to put this land to good use, and the time to act is now,” Kaufman said. “We know not everyone is going to agree with everything we are proposing, but it’s exciting to finally be taking steps toward developing that land with a beautiful park.”