PARKS AND RECREATION Three area entities to share part of grants

Boardman's park district plans a multipurpose boccie pavilion.
COLUMBUS -- Three local entities received a share of $2 million in state NatureWorks grants for community park and recreational improvements.
The grants are awarded through the Ohio Department of Natural Resources. Each grant requires a 25 percent local match.
Craig Beach received $169,663 to develop an amphitheater and art center at Lake Milton. Boardman Township Park District got $65,853 toward a multipurpose boccie pavilion, and Mecca Township received $22,974 to develop a playground in its township park.
Daniel Slagle Jr., Boardman park superintendent, said the district's application also requested funds to develop a playground and pave a parking lot.
The pavilion will be in a portion of the park near Southern Boulevard.
Slagle said the park district emphasized that the boccie pavilion would be the only public boccie facility in the county. The grant application also stressed that the pavilion will be multi-use, he said.
"The courts will be built below ground level," Slagle said.
Portable floor
There will be a portable floor that can be placed over the courts so the pavilion can be used for picnics and other gatherings, the superintendent said.
The estimated cost of the pavilion is $130,000, some of which will come from the park's capital fund budget.
The playground, which wasn't funded with a NatureWorks grant, is estimated at about $18,000. The park has received "substantial" donations for the playground and Slagle hopes can begin on it and the boccie pavilion shortly.
He said the park district wouldn't be able to offer its many amenities without grants and private donations.
People see how well maintained the park is and assume it has a lot of money, Slagle said.
The park district has completed $2.6 million in capital improvements since 1992 due in large part to grant awards and donations, he said.
The park has received three NatureWorks grants since 1992.
The park has been operating with the same two property tax levies since 1980, Slagle said.
"Without this grant award, we never would have been able to start construction of this multipurpose boccie pavilion," he said.
Applications
ODNR received a total of 127 applications for this round of NatureWorks grants. A population-based formula is used to determine the share of grant funds available in each county. Applications are then ranked competitively by ODNR on a broad range of criteria.
The NatureWorks bond issue program funds major renovations and improvements for Ohio's state and local parks, state forests, nature preserves, wildlife areas and other natural resources facilities.