Medina County Park District to open four new parks

Nature enthusiasts in Medina County will soon have more options to enjoy the outdoors thanks to the opening of four new parks by the Medina County Park District. Whether in Medina, Westfield Center, Liverpool Township or Chippewa Lake, residents and visitors will have plenty of chances and plenty of places to take a hike and enjoy some fresh air.

One park that will soon start its first phase of opening is the Rivendell Nature Preserve, named after the fictional sanctuary in J.R.R. Tolkien’s novels The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings.

“Our largest ever gift of land was 203 acres, gifted to us by Diane ‘Dedee’ O’Neil,” park district Director Nate Eppink said. “She donated that property to us in 2022, officially in July of that year, and, in the pledge agreement, asked that the construction begin within two years of the donation. That property is nearing completion, at least phase one.”

The park will include a parking lot, a mile of flat, accessible stone trail, a picnic shelter, a restroom building, an overlook platform 40 feet above Camel Creek and two platforms at a large pond that was originally part of O’Neil’s property.

“I think it’s going to attract a lot of attention when it opens in September, and it is just about a mile west of the circle in Westfield Center,” Eppink said, adding the park will officially be open to the public Sept. 20.

Following the opening of the Rivendell Nature Preserve will be the opening of the Shotwell Gardens, a 25-acre property located off Lake Medina, which will open Oct. 25.

“The Shotwell family of Medina, over a couple of years, donated 25 acres to the park district at the corner of Foote and Weymouth roads in Medina Township,” Eppink said. “We’ve worked with them on concepts and design, and we’re very excited, the family’s excited. I think there’s a lot of excitement in the community for this property.”

The property will include gardens with native plants, a small amphitheater for park programs and other activities, a water feature with a bridge, a bicycle repair station and outdoor musical instruments.

“It’s just a really neat spot, whether you just keep your visit to that or walk down into the Lake Medina area,” Eppink said.

Two additional properties are set to be opened to the public by the end of the year, albeit with an unspecified timeline at the moment. Eppink said phase one of a new addition that will be located at the former Chippewa Lake Park site on Longacre Lane is scheduled to be completed in November. The property was purchased by the park district in 2020.

“It’s about 93 acres total,” he said. “In the five years since, we’ve done a master plan, we’ve done a massive cleanup, all to set the stage for public access.”

Another new park, the 104-acre Liverpool Meadows Nature Preserve, which will be located on West Law Road in Liverpool Township, is set to be completed in either November or December. The property, which has been owned by the park district for 20 years, will include an observation area and fishing area adjacent to the Rocky River.

As the Medina County Park District awaits the opening of these new parks, Eppink said he hopes more people will be able to experience the benefits of observing the natural wonders of Medina County.

“There are a lot of studies that parks improve quality of life, parks improve mental health,” he said. “When I talk about preserving what people love about the county, it’s open space. We’re still a rural county. But people still see a lot of development and loss of farmland, loss of open space. People have to live somewhere, people have to work somewhere, but it’s important to preserve those very special natural areas.”