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Ceremony dedicates wetlands restoration project
By Elise Franco
Boardman
Completion of a 303-acre wetlands restoration project is something Mill Creek MetroPark personnel say the park’s founder would have been proud of.
About 35 people gathered Friday at the wetlands site off Western Reserve Road in Boardman to dedicate the recently finished project that restored more than 300 acres to its natural habitat, said interim Executive Director Tom Bresko.
Bresko said the work was a continuation of the work Volney Rogers did when he founded the park district in 1891.
“I think when [he] started this, the ambition was to preserve areas where people could come and find peace and solace,” Bresko said. “This is one way for our park to continue to grow responsibly and effectively.”
Justin Rogers, MetroParks landscape architect, said the land was acquired in two parts — the first section in 2005 and the second in 2007. The acquisitions and restoration were paid for through two grants, the Clean Ohio Conservation Fund and the Water Resource Restoration Sponsor Program, and totaled about $3 million.
“Reverting this land back into a natural habitat provides all the functions that come along with wetlands,” he said. “It also fulfills our mission to protect the resources in our community.”
Rogers said the restoration included work to divert storm water, treatment and removal of invasive plant species and the planting and care of native foliage.
“We did studies to determine the site’s conditions and planned our work accordingly,” he said. “We’ll monitor the project for the next five years to make sure it’s functioning properly.”
Virginia Dailey, Metro-Parks commissioner, said she remembers discussions about the land five year ago when a developer had plans to turn it into a 300-dwelling residential neighborhood.
“This is a gorgeous piece of property,” she said. “This has allowed for the park to preserve it for eternity, and I’m very excited to see this moment in time where we’re able to dedicate it today.”