A new place to play, explore and imagine awaits at one of Geauga Park District’s veteran parks in Chester Township.
A new place to play, explore and imagine awaits at one of Geauga Park District’s veteran parks in Chester Township.
Bessie Benner Metzenbaum Park has a new nature-based playground, welcoming young children to a destination designed by nature, with some recent improvements and amenities finished just in time for fall.
“I hope they have fun on the playground and enjoy using upgrades to the shelter and trail system,” said Daniel McConnaughy, the GPD park planner who designed the new playground. “BBMP is a beautiful little park with a lot of variety.”
On a recent autumn afternoon, the Cooper family visited the park with their 1-year-old son, Dean.
“We had a lot of fun on the playground. Our son, Dean, really enjoyed climbing with his dad and going down the slide, along with the sand digger,” said Anne Cooper, Dean’s mom. “We had a great time as a family doing the playground activities together. It is really adult friendly.”
Features include a slide, small hills to climb, a rock-climbing/rope-climbing feature, toddler swing, wooden play hut, log-climbing, concrete tunnels, a play deck and sand pit with a digger tool.
“Updating the playground at Bessie Benner Metzebaum Park shows our commitment to our residents of all ages and all abilities,” said GPD Executive Director John Oros. “The playground gives our kids the opportunity to run, climb, crawl, jump and simply enjoy the great outdoors.”
In addition, planners incorporated a wide and welcoming sitting area for parents just adjacent to the new play area.
“Our planners did a wonderful job planning and designing the project in order to best serve our Geauga families,” Oros said. “We hope all of our residents enjoy the new amenities. We hope our residents and park guests will recognize our efforts in stewarding some of our older parks.”
The park was first constructed in the early 1990s, and the nature-based playground project began with master planning in late 2020 into 2021, with construction beginning in June 2022, McConnaughy said.
The park’s design — inspired by the site and park itself — used natural materials and implemented native planting beds and edge conditions to emphasize the “forest clearing” one may encounter in the woods, he said, adding the playground grading mimics the overall topography of the park with its steep inclines and rocky outcroppings along the trail system.
“The old playground at BBMP looked much like a lot of public playgrounds built in our park district, as well as other areas of the country and county in the early 90s,” McConnaughy said. “An island, with a metal play structure, brown/green surfaces surrounded by mulch and timber edging, posing little challenge or chances for exploration in play and having no real connection to its environment. The existing shelter and old playground lacked overall visual draw and connection to the rest of the park.”
He added the nature-based theme of the current playground transformed the older areas into more adventure-packed spaces and offers more opportunities and benefits to a larger group of players.
“Taking advantage of the existing shelter and better connecting the play space with that shelter allows for overflow of uses and interactions, McConnaughy said.
Oros also encourages park users to enjoy the newly-revamped Summit Trail, which has an updated surface, bridges and overlooks.
The lengthening of the trail to 0.65-mile also makes it a bit less steep for hikers and GPD Deputy Director Matthew McCue said the connection of the play area to the existing picnic shelter creates a nice starting and finishing point for the trail.
“This gives people the ability to really enjoy some time at the park hiking, playing and having a nice picnic lunch or dinner with family and friends,” McCue said. “My hope is visitors will come out and enjoy the improvements to the trails and playground at Bessie Benner and take advantage of a beautiful hike through the woods this fall and maybe enjoy some time out in with their children or grandchildren at the nature-based play area and connect with nature.”
McCue added it is really rewarding to work with such a talented and dedicated staff at the park district.
“Our team has done a great job collaborating to create these great play areas, boardwalks and trail improvements throughout the parks the last couple of summers.
“Moving forward, I’m really excited about the improvements along South Franklin Street at Holbrook Hollows in 2023, the access to the Brede property in Troy Township that are planned for next year and the completion of the mountain bike trails at Big Creek Park in 2023.”
McConnaughy said the park district construction crew has done a great job on these types of projects over the past five-to-seven years and has helped bring his drawings and ideas to life.
“Without them and park leadership willing to move forward with these types of projects, we would not be able to provide these types of spaces for the people of Geauga County,” he said.
