Oak Hill Park to be dedicated Oct. 15
The public is invited to a special ribbon-cutting ceremony beginning at 10 a.m. on Saturday, Oct. 15, at Oak Hill Park. In fact, there will be three ribbon-cutting ceremonies. One is for the Gene and Joan Buehler Trail, another for the Rotary Pavilion, and the last one is for the entire park with its Donald and Alice Noble Trail. Join many of the community’s leaders to dedicate this new year-round park.
From 11 a.m. until 4 p.m., the Wooster Rotary Pavilion will have several displays about the park, its history, and horticulture. The public is also invited to participate in several scavenger hunts to learn more about the park and its facilities. Refreshments will be served and prize drawings will be held for scavenger hunt participants.
Several years ago, the Donald and Alice Noble Foundation purchased 100 acres of farmland on the crest of Oak Hill to preserve it from further residential development. Using an Ohio Public Works Commission Clean Ohio grant, the land was acquired by the city of Wooster and the Noble Foundation donated the receipts of that acquisition to the Wayne County Community Foundation to establish the Oak Hill Park Fund. This designated fund was created to be used solely for the design, construction, and maintenance of the park.
The 1.7 mile-long trail is named in honor of Donald and Alice Noble, and is really two trails in one. The 10-foot-wide paved section is for walking, jogging, or biking and the adjacent grass berm is wide enough for cross country skiing. Included in the park is the city’s first official sledding hill, intended to bring more families together for winter recreation. The park’s path can be linked into the other paths along the city’s northern corridor, creating nearly eight miles of walking and biking trails.
A large pavilion, donated by the Rotary Club of Wooster for community and educational gatherings, is located about 100 yards from the entrance to the park. Near the pavilion, an eighth-mile trail geared for people who may not have the time or ability to use the longer and hillier terrain was donated by Joan and Gene Buehler. Named in their honor, this gradual path will help handicapped individuals safely use wheelchairs and walkers to enjoy the surrounding flora.
Due to the wet spring weather, groundbreaking did not occur until May 5, but much of the park is now ready for use. In late August, The College of Wooster freshman class helped landscape the area by adding more than 150 trees and 7,000 native Ohio prairie plants as part of their orientation week. The goal is to return much of the park back to native prairie landscape, adding a detention pond to catch runoff, and include rain gardens.
From 11 a.m. until 4 p.m., the Wooster Rotary Pavilion will have several displays about the park, its history, and horticulture. The public is also invited to participate in several scavenger hunts to learn more about the park and its facilities. Refreshments will be served and prize drawings will be held for scavenger hunt participants.
Several years ago, the Donald and Alice Noble Foundation purchased 100 acres of farmland on the crest of Oak Hill to preserve it from further residential development. Using an Ohio Public Works Commission Clean Ohio grant, the land was acquired by the city of Wooster and the Noble Foundation donated the receipts of that acquisition to the Wayne County Community Foundation to establish the Oak Hill Park Fund. This designated fund was created to be used solely for the design, construction, and maintenance of the park.
The 1.7 mile-long trail is named in honor of Donald and Alice Noble, and is really two trails in one. The 10-foot-wide paved section is for walking, jogging, or biking and the adjacent grass berm is wide enough for cross country skiing. Included in the park is the city’s first official sledding hill, intended to bring more families together for winter recreation. The park’s path can be linked into the other paths along the city’s northern corridor, creating nearly eight miles of walking and biking trails.
A large pavilion, donated by the Rotary Club of Wooster for community and educational gatherings, is located about 100 yards from the entrance to the park. Near the pavilion, an eighth-mile trail geared for people who may not have the time or ability to use the longer and hillier terrain was donated by Joan and Gene Buehler. Named in their honor, this gradual path will help handicapped individuals safely use wheelchairs and walkers to enjoy the surrounding flora.
Due to the wet spring weather, groundbreaking did not occur until May 5, but much of the park is now ready for use. In late August, The College of Wooster freshman class helped landscape the area by adding more than 150 trees and 7,000 native Ohio prairie plants as part of their orientation week. The goal is to return much of the park back to native prairie landscape, adding a detention pond to catch runoff, and include rain gardens.
Published: October 6, 2011
