Stark Parks will not renew its lease at Whitacre Greer. What's next for the park system?

ROSE TWP. − Whitacre Greer Park, an equestrian park in Carroll County, will no longer be managed by Stark Parks beginning in June.

Sarah Buell, capital projects and planning manager at the park district, said they decided not to renew their lease on the land because of limitations with the lease agreement and the park's location.

The park will return to private property, according to Whitacre Greer Co., which owns the land. John Whitacre, secretary at the company, said they do not have any plans for the property.

"We're just going to lock the gates now," he said. "We have no plans on developing or anything like that."

He said the company would consider leasing the land again in the future, but there are no interested parties at the moment.

Pike Ridge Park: Stark Parks chooses name for newest park. Hint: It honors Pike Twp. and the terrain

Buell said the park district originally intended to open Whitacre Greer park for hiking, biking and other uses, but couldn't because of constraints of the lease.

"The goals of the [Whitacre] family I think evolved over time, and we were really limited with what we could do at the site," she said. "It was really equestrian only, that was the only access allowed, and only 500 of those acres were in Stark County. The [other] 1,500 that were usable were in Carroll County."

She said there were concerns about putting additional Stark County tax dollars into the park because of its location outside of the county.

The park was originally 2,000 acres, which the park district leased from Whitacre Greer for $4,000 per year. In 2022, the area managed by Stark Parks was reduced to 500 acres for $1,000 annually. Stark Parks is not renewing the lease this year when it comes due June 1.

The park, located at 4290 Irish Road NW in Rose Township, has five equestrian trails, a small pond and a picnic area.

Stark Parks will continue to maintain the Sandy Valley Trail, which goes through part of the Whitacre Greer property. The trail will remain open.

The park district will be opening up a new park this summer in Pike Township, also geared toward equestrian trails.

Dan Moeglin, director of Stark Parks, said the new park is also 500 acres and presents more opportunities for development and recreation moving forward.

"We could just do a little swap there, acre for acre," he said.

The new park will be geared towards hikers and horseback riders, with potential for kayaking and canoeing in the future, he said.

Mary Alice Kuhn, president of Ohio Horseman's Council, said the new Pike Ridge Park will be larger and in a better location.

She said some people will be disappointed in losing Whitacre Greer "because of the convenience of where that trail system was located, but there's so much more opportunity for trail riding, even with the loss of Whitacre Greer."

Kuhn said Pike Ridge will have 13 miles of trails and is located near a highway and camping sites as well as other equestrian trails, such as the Tri-County Trail System and trails at Camp Tuscazour.

Stark Parks has an ongoing relationship with the Stark County chapter of the Ohio Horseman's Council. Kuhn said they have been able to give input on the new park as it is being developed.

"I've been on that property with Dan Moeglin and other horse people hiking it, and it's a beautiful property. Lots of woods, lots of ponds," she said. "It's really a great location for trails."

Kuhn said she anticipates the new park will bring many visitors interested in horseback riding to the county and could be an economic driver.

"We drive big diesel trucks that use diesel gas, and we like to eat so we're stopping at restaurants," she said. "It's an economy boost around the state of Ohio where we've got these kinds of trail systems."

Where does development on Pike Ridge Park stand?

The first step to opening the new park in Pike Township is to work on temporary parking, Moeglin said.

"We're getting quotes from contractors right now to construct that," he said. "We're in the process of getting that underway in the next month or month and a half."

The park will first be open to limited access this summer. Moeglin anticipates taking small public groups for walking tours of the property starting in June.

Maintenance teams have begun mapping the property and marking some trails at Pike Ridge.

"We're making progress, but we're taking our time because we want to do it right," Moeglin said.

Reach Grace at 330-580-8364 or gspringer@gannett.com. Follow her on X @GraceSpringer16.

This article originally appeared on The Repository: Whitacre Greer park closing in anticipation of new Pike Ridge Park