Champion park celebrates pavilion, disc-golf expansion

By Ed Runyan | May 5, 2012 at 12:00a.m.

CHAMPION

Organizers of disc-golf tournaments at Clarence Darrow MetroPark, as well as anyone looking for a place for a gathering, will benefit from the park’s new pavilion, officials say.

The 32-acre park on Educational Highway across the street from Kent State University at Trumbull has become one of the most popular of the county’s MetroParks, said Mike Wilson, MetroParks board chairman.

It attracts many visitors from the nearby university, Trumbull Career and Technical Center and Delphi’s Champion Technical Center.

“We get a lot of people stopping by,” said Wilson, adding that nearby residents also frequently use the park, including for sled riding in the winter.

On Friday, the MetroParks board had a ribbon-cutting for the new pavilion and for completion of the last three holes on the Young’s Run Disc Golf Course.

The 24-foot by 40-foot pavilion was constructed starting in February 2011 by the students in YouthBuild Trumbull County, a construction-training program.

Already, two high school graduation parties are booked for the pavilion. There is no cost. Additional reservations can be made by calling 330-675-3072.

Construction cost about $12,000, but most was covered by a $9,627 NatureWorks grant from the Ohio Department of Natural Resources, said Zach Svette, project coordinator for the MetroParks.

The students saved the MetroParks $5,000 to $10,000 because of their donated labor on the pavilion and possibly $5,000 more by building the picnic tables there, Svette said.

The disc-golf course had 15 holes until last year, when three more were added, making the course more desirable for tournaments, said Joe Holbrook of Warren, a member of the Trumbull County Disc Golf Association.

There are five tournaments there annually, but the pavilion and three additional holes may increase that, Holbrook said.

He said a recent tournament there attracted 17 disc golfers and raised $440 for cancer research.

The tournaments frequently use an additional nine holes that surround the administration building at Kent State Trumbull, making a total of 27 holes available.

Disc golf involves use of a plastic disc that is thrown into a basket. Otherwise, disc golf is much like traditional golf, with fairways, tees and an opportunity to enjoy nature, Svette said.

The course has a lot of natural beauty, Holbrook and Svette said, and there is no reason the public can’t come walk the park to enjoy it, as long as they are aware of disc golfing that may be going on at the same time.

“We see people out on the benches — just out for a walk,” Holbrook said. “When you get back in the park, you can see how nice it is.”