Sunbury gets $352,822 ODNR boost for J.R. Smith Park; staff outlines sidewalks, trail link and security plans

Alyssa, a parks staff member, told the Sunbury Parks & Recreation Committee on July 1 that an Ohio Department of Natural Resources contact notified the city it had an extra $352,822 available for the J.R. Smith Park project, bringing the Land and Water Conservation Fund total to $852,822 for the site.

The money is intended to be paired with a state capital budget appropriation and used for site access and amenities, Alyssa said. The committee reviewed a preliminary scope drawn from the city's capital request that includes about 500 linear feet of new sidewalk on the south side of East Cherry Street and a new sidewalk on South Morning Street, a trail connection to the Ohio to Erie Trail to the property line, landscaping to replace previously removed plantings, and asphalt and parking improvements around the Lions building.

Staff offered preliminary cost guidance: one committee slide estimated about 340 feet of sidewalk to Otis Street on the park side, with typical sidewalk segments costing roughly $65,000–$75,000; if the sidewalk were extended beyond the city's property line to reach the regional trail, that extension could add an additional $50,000–$200,000, depending on linear footage and grading. Landscaping items that had been removed earlier were roughly estimated at $50,000–$75,000.

Committee members asked whether the new funds could be held or reallocated. Alyssa said the capital request defines the scope the legislature considered and that flexibility in the project scope would be negotiated when the city enters the grant agreement; she added that staff had not yet received the grant contract and therefore could not state application deadlines or final time frames.

On amenities, the committee signaled priorities for safety and maintenance: lighting and parking-lot illumination, security cameras and signage were repeatedly cited as near-term uses for the funds, while shade structures, benches, bike racks and pet stations were listed as additional items staff might add as budgets allow. Alyssa confirmed the splash pad cannot be enlarged under current plans, and noted that adding playground equipment is possible but constrained by safety‑clearance perimeters and longer equipment lead times.

Next steps: staff will await the written grant agreement, refine a scope and cost estimate consistent with the state capital request, and return to the committee with more detailed pricing and a recommended allocation of the LWCF and capital funds. No formal committee vote on the grant uses was recorded at the meeting.