Wooster Memorial Park Has Grown by 100 Acres
Linda Hall
The Friends of Wooster Memorial Park gave an early Christmas gift to the City of Wooster, donating an additional 100 acres, predicated upon the city agreeing to place a conservation easement on it.
Until then, of the 425 acres comprising Wooster Memorial Park, formerly known as Spangler, 325 acres were owned by the city and 100 were still owned by Friends of WMP.
The additional 100 acres now owned by the city encompass the Kenwood, Tooley and Roller properties. The changing of ownership happened Dec. 18.
The land transfer and easement agreement were made at City Hall with Mayor Bob Breneman.
The conservation easement prevents division or development of the parcels of land, said Tate Emerson, executive director of Killbuck Watershed Land Trust, which holds the easement.
The Friends of Wooster Memorial Park donated 100 acres to the City of Wooster with the provision a conservation easement be placed on it. On hand to celebrate the change of ownership were Emily Speelman, former director of FWMP; Cathy Herms, director; John Parker, former treasurer; Edith Swank, secretary; Ken Shafer, board member; John Abt, former board member; Shelley Schrier, president; and Robert Stutzman and Tate Emerson, Killbuck Watershed land Trust.More
Breneman signed the new agreement, Emerson said, describing the donation and easement as "a double handshake. It has been a great partnership for many years."
Killbuck Watershed Land Trust holds easements on 10,000 acres
The Killbuck Watershed actually holds easements on 10,000 acres throughout six counties, primarily Wayne, Holmes and Coshocton, Emerson said.
Much of it is farmland, with agreements aimed at preserving it, he said.
Easement agreements prevent land from being sold or developed "in perpetuity," Emerson said.
This map shows Wooster Memorial Park with the Kenwood property land donation on the bottom right.
Cathy Herms, who is on the board of the Friends of WMP, said she is "integral in writing the grants acquiring properties" for Wooster Memorial Park.
Some of the acquisitions over the years are "just happenstance," Friends President Shelley Schrier said, generated because "a hiker started talking to a landowner."
Herms called it fulfilling work, noting the park's acreage has almost doubled since the Friends group was formed.
This map shows a close-up of the land donated to Wooster Memorial Park. The additional 100 acres now owned by Wooster encompass the Kenwood, Tooley and Roller properties.
Grants are key to expanding park's acreage
Grants available include Ohio Public Works and Clean Ohio Conservation Fund.
Schrier said it takes time to complete the requirements of grants.
Ten grants were needed for the Kenwood Acres portion of Wooster Park featuring accessible trails.
In caring for and managing the properties, the Friends of WMP work cooperatively with the city of Wooster, Schrier said.
The group's membership stands at about 200.
"We provide the labor; the city provides the tools," he said.
Herms said she is inspired by how invested participants are in Wooster Memorial Park.
Their passion is "really awesome," she said.
"People have already been hiking (on the newly acquired land) for a few years," Emerson said. (The new parcels) are not necessarily all connected," but they are adjacent to the other 325 acres.
This article originally appeared on The Daily Record: Donation gives Wooster Memorial Park 100 more acres of hiking property
