ASHLAND — The county paved paradise and put up a parking lot at Corner Park, but that doesn’t mean the multi-year project is complete, said Ashland County Commissioner Jim Justice.
Justice said the county is still waiting on some items to be delivered, like three flagpoles, a commercial trash receptacle, trees and a bench and table.
On Thursday and Friday, crews worked to hook up the park’s electricity.
Commissioners approved the purchase of the three flag poles, a $4,600 price tag, and an $1,800 receptacle on Thursday. They also approved a $147,000 grant from the Ohio Department of Natural Resources, which has been earmarked for the project.
Commissioners hired Sarver Paving Co. of Ashland for $402,319 in February, a sign at the time that the four-year-long project was finally coming to completion.
Planning for the project began in 2019, halted in 2020 and began again in late 2021 when commissioners spent $57,628 on materials needed to build a sidewalk, curbs and lighting. Most of that money, $48,000, came from an Ohio Department of Natural Resources grant and local donations.
It was then put on hold again as commissioners figured out a way to acquire a vacant house on the corner of West Main and Broad streets, a house owned by Commissioner Denny Bittle.
Engineering firms could not adequately plan for the project because of limited access to that property. Bittle ended up selling the house to the Ashland County Land Reutilization Corporation, also known as the Ashland land bank, for $46,000, the price he paid for it in 2016.
The transaction was criticized as “problematic” and labeled a possible “ethical violation” by county officials.
The house was demolished in August 2022.
Once finished, the park will feature new sidewalks, chess tables, a new crosswalk across Main Street to the county administrative building, a new entrance off Broad Street, new lighting and a newly configured parking lot with 51 regular spots and four handicap-accessible spaces.
Eventually, Justice said, they county will order some kind of plaque or monument to honor all the donors who have helped with the project.
