Blacklick Woods Metro Park's treetop canopy walk opening soon
Preparing for the spring arrival of more visitors, Columbus & Franklin County Metro Parks is working on some new attractions, renovations and the addition of two new parks to its 20 parks spread throughout seven central Ohio counties. Here's a quick roundup of some of those improvements:
As the temperatures warm and spring flowers bloom, many people want to spend more time outside among the budding and flowering trees, walking or hiking and taking time to appreciate the beauty of the outdoors.
New treetop canopy walk to open at Blacklick Woods
Metro Parks is expected to open the first week of May the long-awaited treetop canopy walk at Blacklick Woods Metro Park, located at 6975 East Livingston Ave. in Reynoldsburg. The $2.8-million project will feature a 40-foot elevator tower near the entrance walk to the park's nature center that will take visitors to a one-eighth of a mile long, 35-foot-high walkway with several play features for kids, including a fireman's pole and an encapsulated rope bridge.
In addition to the treetop canopy, there will also be a 55-foot-high observation tower and deck with a hammock style rope structure.
More on Blacklick Woods canopy: Metro Parks plans to build canopy walk at Blacklick Woods this year after delay
Metro Parks contracted with R.W. Setterlin, a Columbus building company, to construct the canopy walk.
"The big thing is that it's ADA accessible," Jill Snyder, visitor engagement manager for the Metro Parks, said of the new attraction.
The observation deck will provide a place for those who want to be among the birds high up in the trees, providing a new "birding experience" for bird watchers as well as nature enthusiasts, Snyder said. Planners want to add more kids features and include more activities to do once people are finished exploring and using the canopy walk, she added.
Construction for the canopy walk is almost complete, said Snyder, and crews are focused on removing the construction debris as well as making sure that the elevator passes the proper inspections.
The treetop canopy walk has been a long time coming. Originally, Metro Parks planned to finish construction of the treetop canopy in the fall, but Snyder said there were supply chain issues and increases in the cost of materials for the project. Parts for the planned elevator also had to be backordered, she said.
Blacklick Woods has more than 640 acres of woods, seasonal swamp ponds, prairie and fields, plus a golf course. Established in 1948 and the first park in the Metro Parks system, it is a National Natural Landmark and has what is touted as one of the best remaining beech-maple forests in central Ohio. Funding for the treetop canopy and observation deck comes from the $4.5 million that the Metro Parks board of commissioners allotted as part of the district's 2021 budget.
Metro Parks had also planned to build a new nature center at Blacklick Woods, but citing the rising costs on the canopy walk abandoned that project to focus on building the treetop canopy.
Blackwood, Blendon Woods nature centers to be renovated
Metro Parks is planning, however, to renovate the nature center at Blacklick Woods Metro Park as well as the nature center at Blendon Woods Metro Park in northeast Columbus. Total estimated cost for both nature centers is $750,000.
Snyder said that while Metro Parks is still in the beginning stages of the interior designs for the centers, the overall goal is to have more space for programs as well as for animal and interactive education exhibits for visitors and especially for kids.
"We need to update things, especially at Blendon Woods. It doesn't have a huge space for education programs," said Snyder.
Blendon Woods, located at 4265 East Dublin Granville Rd., is a 653-acre park on Columbus' Northeast Side near Westerville containing beech-maple and hickory oak forests. Besides the nature center, park visitors can walk several trails (including one for dogs) and see different types of wildlife, including wild turkeys, deer, coyotes, foxes, songbirds and waterfowl. There are also play areas for children and shelters for picnics.
Related article: As Columbus pushes for Great Southern metro park, residents worry about encroaching growth
In addition, the park features the 118-acre Walden Waterfowl Refuge, a sanctuary for birds, ducks and other wildlife that includes the 11-acre Thoreau Lake with two elevated observation shelters with spotting scopes to observe birds and wildlife.
Since plans for the renovations at the two nature centers this year are still in the early stages, Metro Parks could not provide an artist rendering of what the completed work will look like.
Bank Run Metro Park construction in the works
Construction is ongoing for the new Bank Run Metro Park at the former Hoover YMCA property off Rohr Road on Columbus' Southeast Side. Named after the type of rock that's found on the quarry on the property, it's a type of gravel used as the foundation for many construction projects.
The park will have a dedicated 5K track, something that Snyder said a lot of people have been asking for the park system to provide.
Snyder said that Metro Parks envisions Bank Run to be an event space for weddings and corporate events and picnics. There will also be two indoor spaces available year-round, as well as seasonal picnic shelters.
Snyder said that Metro Parks hopes to open the park by later this year or early next year.
"The park will get a lot of dollars and a lot of love," said Snyder.
According to Snyder, the cost to build up the park will be approximately $1.3 million, and that doesn't include the money that was already spent on purchasing the property and the surrounding area from the YMCA in 2020. Metro Parks also purchased a rock quarry, where there will be different water activities for park visitors.
Work continues on Great Southern Metro Park
Construction continues on the $21-million Great Southern Metro Park that will sit between the Scioto River and the Great Southern Shopping Center on Columbus' Far South Side. It will be a traditional metro park with trails, play areas and picnic areas, and an existing wetland to the south. There also will be river access for canoes and kayaks.
The park will also include a four-mile extension of the Scioto Trail south from the Scioto Audubon Metro Park, which will cost approximately $11 million. According to Snyder, the trail would provide access to 70,000 Far South Side residents and 1.2 million trail users.
While Ohio legislators approved a $700-million package on Feb. 7 for local projects, the $10 million for the Great Southern Metro Park was not included in the package.
Snyder said that park officials are still working with legislators to get the additional funding for the project. She also said that the park will still be developed without the additional funding, but that it would just take longer without it.
The Mid-Ohio Regional Planning Commission awarded $7.98 million in federal funds to Metro Parks to build a bridge over state Route 104 and connections to the Scioto Trail, which represents about 72% of the trail extension's total cost.
Metro Parks preparing for April 8 solar eclipse
If you plan to stop and stare at next month's once-in-a-lifetime solar eclipse, Metro Parks has parks that will be in the perfect spot for you to watch as parts of Ohio (temporarily) plunge into darkness for a few minutes. And, according to the Metro Parks blog, in parks that will be 100% dark, you may see animals that are normally nocturnal wake up, thinking that it's nighttime, while non-nocturnal animals may think it's time to call it a night.
Snyder said that Metro Parks is handing out solar eclipse glasses for park visitors, while supplies last. To see what parks will be in the path of totality, as well as rules and what to expect at the parks on the day of the eclipse, head to the Metro Parks blog for more information.
@ShahidMeighan
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Here's what you can expect at Columbus & Franklin County Metro Parks this spring
