MetroParks wetlands project ready to grow

CANFIELD — A project to revert 48 acres of farmland back to its original form as wetlands is nearing completion.

Now that native plants have been reintroduced, it’s up to nature to do the rest.

Justin Rogers, project manager and landscape architect with the Mill Creek MetroParks, said the human element of the project will soon be nonexistent.

“This is the final phase of the construction project,” Rogers said. “We’re planting the trees and shrubs, wetland plants and also seeding the site with native grasses, sedges and wildflowers. So, this is the final phase of construction here at the restoration site.”

The project, which began in July, is an ecological restoration program. The land was excavated and shifted to create several pools of standing water and various berms and terraces on the site.

Brookside Construction Services Inc. was awarded the project, and a crew from the Medina company was finishing up work by planting a few native trees and shrubs. The plants will germinate through the winter and the site will be ready for a spring ribbon-cutting ceremony, Rogers said.

Rogers and other employees of the MetroParks will continue to monitor the site to ensure the vegetation is maturing and the construction isn’t compromised. If everything goes according to plan, the site will be open to the public in the spring.

Read more in Tuesday’s Vindicator and Vindy.com