Owen and Harper Hodgett made use of the ice rink at Beckett Park in West Chester Thursday.
Owen and Harper Hodgett take advantage of the cold weather and became the first to ice skate at Beckett Park. Photo taken Jan. 24, 2013.
The man-made water feature has been allowed to freeze naturally for ice skating. This is the first time temperatures have permitted skating and it is uncertain how long the rink will remain open.
The water feature was part of $2.09 million upgrade of the park, which was finished in late June. The upgrade included a new shelter, a “natural” playground, a small pond that can used as an ice skating rink in the winter and a 1.25-mile trail that loops around two newly enlarged lakes.
The first development phase of Beckett Park, which was acquired by the Township through a land transfer with the National Park Service in 2000, was completed in 2005.
Approximately $2.8 million of TIF funding was used to complete that phase, which involved the building of the West Chester Baseball Complex.
The second phase, which was completed in 2008, included the re-locating of Muhlhauser Barn and the Christian Moerlein Gazebo. Both structures were donated to the Township. The rental payments for the barn, which is available to rent seasonally, exceeds the cost of its maintenance and upkeep, according to Barbara Wilson, public information officer for West Chester Township.
Beckett Park is 150 acres and straddles Beckett Road near the Union Centre Boulevard intersection.
Beckett Park opens its west side after $2 million upgrade
WestChesterBuzz.com will count down the area’s top 12 stories of 2012 this month, concluding with West Chester’s most discussed topic of the year on Sunday, Dec. 30.
The west side portion of Beckett Park officially reopened June 29 after a $2.09 million upgrade that included the construction of a new shelter, a “natural” playground, a small pond that can used as an ice skating rink in the winter and a 1.25-mile trail that loops around two newly enlarged lakes.
The project, which was part of phase III of the Beckett Park development, was funded through a $247,500 grant from the Ohio Department of Natural Resources and through $1.7 million of TIF funding.
In addition, a Boundless Playground that opened in early November of 2010 on the east side of the park was also part of the third phase and was funded with $135,000 worth of combined contributions from Procter & Gamble and CVS Caremark.
Prior to the completion of the playground, West Chester Township officials tentatively scheduled for the west side of the park to be open by the end of 2010. That target date was then adjusted to the spring of 2011 after the playground opened.
“In terms of the duration of the project it was an outdoor construction project, so there were weather issues and some contractor issues,” said Barbara Wilson, public information officer for West Chester Township.
“All those kind of things led up to the longer than anticipated construction time frame, but what the Township has always tried to do was make sure the tax payers were getting a quality recreational amenity and that was the end result.”
According to Wilson, the contractor issues and record rainfall totals during the spring of 2011 inhibited the third phase of the project from moving forward.
Construction of the third phase included the enlarging of the two lakes on the west side of the park, as well as the development of a paved/mowed trail that loops around the improved water space. (more…)
To let West Chester and Liberty Township residents catch up with the news that they need to know, WestChesterBuzz.com will list and link to all of last week’s top local stories every Monday.
Beckett Park opens its west side after $2 million upgrade – The west side portion of Beckett Park officially reopened June 29 after a $2.09 million upgrade that included the construction of a new shelter, a “natural” playground, a small pond that can used as an ice skating rink in the winter and a 1.25-mile trail that loops around two newly enlarged lakes. Beckett Park is 150 acres and straddles Beckett Road near the Union Centre Boulevard intersection. WestChesterBuzz.com got its first look at the upgrade to the park last week.
Brad Lovell. Photo provided.
Lakota names four new principals- Lakota officials recently announced that the school district will be adding new principals to four different schools following approval by the board of education. New principals include Brad Lovell (Creekside Early Childhood), Christina French (Hopewell Elementary), Stacy Millburg (Lakota East Freshman – associate principal) and Jason Jackson (Lakota West Freshman – associate principal).
AK Steel to cut 2013 pension contribution – Bloomberg News reported last week that West Chester-based AK Steel Holding Corp., will cut its estimated 2013 pension expense by one-third, or $100 million, after passage of a transportation bill extension lowered some required contributions. The bill stabilizes the minimum annual contributions to fund defined-benefit pension plans, while raising premiums paid to the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corp., AK said.
Brennan Ryan. Photo provided.
Lakota West hires Brennan Ryan to lead wrestling program- The Lakota school district’s high school athletic department announced last Monday that it hired Brennan Ryan as its new head coach of the Lakota West wrestling program. Ryan, who has experience as a wrestling head coach at Roger Bacon and Madeira high schools, was hired to replace Tim Kessler.
Battelle for Kids honors 18 Lakota teachers – A total of 18 Lakota educators were recognized in late June for teaching excellence at the Ohio Educators Connect for Success Conference in Columbus, Lakota officials announced last Wednesday. Battelle for Kids honored the local educators as part of its “Celebrate Teaching” initiative that is used to find out what makes a teacher highly effective and how to best learn from their practices.
VOA Museum. Tony Jones/photo.
National VOA Museum gears up for tours – With the recent completion of some significant construction work, the National VOA Museum of Broadcasting announced that it will open for tours on the third Saturday of each month from 1 to 4 p.m. starting July 21.
West Chester Library breaks checkout record – The West Chester location of the MidPointe Library System broke its previous record for checkouts in a month this past June. The local library announced last week that it had 136,512 items checked out last month, trumping its old record set in July of 2008 by more than 4,000 checkouts.
List: Reach Out Lakota back-to-school supply needs – Reach Out Lakota released its supply list for its annual Back to School program last Wednesday. Currently, only a small percent of the needed supplies have been donated for the more than 450 registered children in the Lakota school district.
Jay Bruce. Adam Kiefaber/photo.
Photos: Jay Bruce signing in West Chester – Less than a week from the Major League All-Star game, Cincinnati Reds outfielder Jay Bruce took time for an autograph session at the Sports Gallery in West Chester Sunday. Hundreds of fans packed the local sports memorabilia shop to get a glimpse and have their photo taken with the two-time MLB All-Star.
Photos: Crazy Cardboard Boat Regatta in West Chester – Tony Jones of The Cincinnati Enquirer photographed one of West Chester Township’s largest outdoor events this past weekend. Additional photos from the community will be posted on WestChesterBuzz.com later this week.
The west side portion of Beckett Park officially reopened June 29 after a $2.09 million upgrade that included the construction of a new shelter, a “natural” playground, a small pond that can used as an ice skating rink in the winter and a 1.25-mile trail that loops around two newly enlarged lakes.
The project, which was part of phase III of the Beckett Park development, was funded through a $247,500 grant from the Ohio Department of Natural Resources and through $1.7 million of TIF funding.
In addition, a Boundless Playground that opened in early November of 2010 on the east side of the park was also part of the third phase and was funded with $135,000 worth of combined contributions from Procter & Gamble and CVS Caremark.
Prior to the completion of the playground, West Chester Township officials tentatively scheduled for the west side of the park to be open by the end of 2010. That target date was then adjusted to the spring of 2011 after the playground opened.
“In terms of the duration of the project it was an outdoor construction project, so there were weather issues and some contractor issues,” said Barbara Wilson, public information officer for West Chester Township.
“All those kind of things led up to the longer than anticipated construction time frame, but what the Township has always tried to do was make sure the tax payers were getting a quality recreational amenity and that was the end result.”
According to Wilson, the contractor issues and record rainfall totals during the spring of 2011 inhibited the third phase of the project from moving forward.
Construction of the third phase included the enlarging of the two lakes on the west side of the park, as well as the development of a paved/mowed trail that loops around the improved water space. (more…)
West Chester Township will celebrate the grand opening of the Beckett Park Boundless Playground Monday, Nov. 8, from 3:30 p.m. to 5 p.m. The celebration encourages children to use the playground. There will also be hot chocolate and popcorn available.
According to a press release given out by the township:
This special “kid friendly” event will recognize the contributions of Procter & Gamble, CVS Caremark and Boundless Playground in the development of this inclusive playground, which encourages all children to play together.
The Beckett Park Boundless Playground is designed to maximize play for everyone, regardless of their abilities. It allows all children to learn and grow together while playing side-by-side and promotes inclusive, unstructured play with ramped wheelchair access to the highest platforms and accessible pathways made from special rubberized surface. Swings with high back support make this popular playground activity easily accessible. Creative play panels, music elements, climbers and slides help create a space where every child can develop imagination, physical fitness and social skills.
The playground is one component of the Beckett Ridge development project. The bulk of the construction of the $2 million project on the 155-acre park is expected to be completed by the end of the year. The project includes picnic shelters, walking paths, restrooms, expanded lakes and a winter ice skating feature. The entire project is scheduled to be finished in the spring.
