LIMA — Lima residents were able to get their first look at proposed changes at Schoonover Park during a public input session Thursday in Lima City Council chambers, and according to city engineer Kirk Niemeyer, the response to the proposed $1.7 million upgrades has been very positive.
“People are glad to see that we’re taking a hard look at the park, and they like what we’re proposing, which is always good to hear,” he said. “But there are a lot of things that we don’t think of. We don’t want to plan and design in a vacuum, so it’s always great to get that input.”
Current plans for improving the park include refortifying the dam separating Schoonover Lake from the neighboring Ottawa River, which is deteriorating.
“We’ve got erosion occuring on the downstream slope of the dam, due mostly to the river,” Niemeyer said. “The structure needs attention. The dam itself costs about $1.5 million, which would be done in two phases. With that, we’ve already applied for Senate Bill 310 funds and have received $300,000 toward the dam, but we’ve still got a long way to go.”
Along with that, plans for an Americans With Disabilities Act-compliant floating fishing pier were also on display, along with a pump track for BMX biking.
“We also want to restore the fountain and island and raze the Naval Reserve building,” Niemeyer said. “That’s where the pump track would go, which would be great for the neighborhood kids to go and have a good time.”
The city had applied for a $750,000 grant earlier this year but did not meet the population requirements. Currently, the city is applying for an Environmental Protection Agency grant as well as a $300,000 Land and Water Conservation Grant from the Ohio Department of Natural Resources.
Depending on the outcome of the grant applications, work on Schoonover, which would include lowering the water level to work on the dam, would begin most likely in spring 2018, according to Niemeyer.
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