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Columbiana County Park District places levy on the ballot once again

LISBON — The Columbiana County Park District board voted Tuesday to place a new .10-mill, five-year levy on the Nov. 5 ballot, asking voters to help maintain park properties, including the Little Beaver Creek Greenway Trail.

If approved, the levy is expected to generate $258,000 per year, costing the owner of a home valued at $100,000 a total of $3.50 per year.

“That will be sufficient to allow use to maintain what we’ve got,” board President Eileen Dray-Bardon said when contacted.

During a previous meeting, the board agreed to have the county auditor’s office certify the amount for a .10-mill levy. The vote Tuesday was the second part of the two-part process required to place a tax issue on the ballot.

Voters in March said no to the park district’s third attempt for a .35-mill, five-year parks levy, this time with the issue a true countywide issue since the village of Rogers and Middleton, Knox and Liverpool townships became part of the park district last year. The .35-mill levy would have generated an estimated $890,000 per year and was part of a vision board members had for the district.

Since voters disagreed with the larger levy, the board decided to go smaller with the idea that they’ll have enough money to maintain the parks system and have a little bit of a cushion for some of the larger maintenance projects they’re expecting.

Dray-Bardon said the Little Beaver Creek Greenway Trail is aging and will need some major work, especially in the area where there are wetlands and signs of erosion and where there are culverts along the trail.

Besides the small cushion for repairs, the park district will be able to have some match money necessary for some grant opportunities to leverage a larger amount of funding from state entities.

The park district currently sustains operations on $15,000 received annually from the Local Government Fund. The district does not receive any money from the county general fund from commissioners, although commissioners have helped at times with American Rescue Plan Act funds for specific projects. Several years ago, the park district board acquired oil and gas lease money, but that money is dwindling. The district also relies upon grant funding and donations.

The district operates Scenic Vista Park which covers 250-plus acres in Center Township and includes an 18-hole disc golf course, hiking trails and pavilion, Hellbender Bluff Park covering 800 acres in Madison Township, 15 miles of Little Beaver Creek Greenway Trail stretching from Lisbon to Washingtonville, and the historical Ohio Supreme Court meeting site marker on state Route 7 in Fairfield Township. The newest section of trail is located along state Route 154 from the village of Lisbon to the park & ride.

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