Staying with the story
The Springfield News-Sun has written extensively about the redevelopment of Snyder Park since the 93-year-old golf course closed in January of 2014.
By the numbers
$1.9 million: Amount spent at Snyder Park on amenities since the golf course closed in January of 2014.
$1.3 million: Cost for the city of Springfield to build a new bridge on Snyder Street for an upcoming sewer project.
$350,000: Cost of sprayground at Snyder Park, which will open later this month.
By the numbers
$1.9 million: Amount spent at Snyder Park on amenities since the golf course closed in January of 2014.
$1.3 million: Cost for the city of Springfield to build a new bridge on Snyder Street for an upcoming sewer project.
$350,000: Cost of sprayground at Snyder Park, which will open later this month.
The Snyder Park Golf Course closed about 18 months ago after years of budget shortfalls, leaving questions about the future of the 120-year-old green space that’s been the backbone of Springfield’s park system.
But since then, about $1.9 million has been spent transforming Snyder Park, including a new bridge, splash pad, accessible playground and dog park.
Add to that plans to convert a portion of the former golf course into a community garden that will include a labyrinth, an observation tower and display gardens. The first-phase will cost about $250,000 and will be paid for through fundraisers.
“Of course, it’s unfortunate the golf course had to close,” National Trail Parks and Recreation District Director Leann Castillo said. “It’s not something anyone wanted to see, but being able to make sure that that part of the park stays active and is revitalized because of the new playground and sprayground has been great.”
National Trail also will incorporate natural prairie land and wetlands into the closed course area.
“If it can’t be a golf course, I think the re-purpose that they’re using it for is good,” said City Commissioner Kevin O’Neill, the liaison to the park district. “It has been and it’s going to continue to be extremely well-received.”
With the exception of the bridge, the new additions were all paid for through donations. After the upgrades, O’Neill has seen an increase in shelter usage at Snyder Park.
“That whole area has been rejuvenated,” he said. “It’s something we could’ve never done on our own. We didn’t have the money to do that on our own.”
On July 25, National Trail held an ’80s-themed party at the park near the former golf course area and more than 3,000 people came to the eight-hour event.
“With the plans for the garden and natural areas we’ll be developing, I think this is going to become a destination,” Castillo said.
Recent upgrades
The first upgrade at Snyder Park took place in 2010. The Buck Creek Eco Sports Corridor includes four recreational whitewater kayaking areas that boaters can paddle through nine whitewater features. It was completed five years ago.
The 6-mile stretch starts at the natural limestone shelf-rapids upstream at Buck Creek State Park and extends through downtown to the confluence of the Mad River, including an area in Snyder Park.
The recreation district is discussing how to make the whitewater area more accessible to residents without their own kayaks, Castillo said, including working with a contractor to offer rentals.
Last year the Springfield Rotary Club built a $300,000 accessible playground. This summer, the $1.3 million Snyder Street bridge project was completed, opening the area to the nearby neighbors on Harshman Boulevard and Overlook Drive. The bridge was built to allow construction crews access to the park for an upcoming sewer project in 2017.
The Friends of Snyder Park organization is building a $350,000 splash pad that could open sometime next month after weather delays. The group plans to have a dedication in late August. Members continue to raise money for an endowment for the water playground.
“This is really a wonderful thing to see Snyder Park come back to life again with all the different aspects to it,” said Ann Collier, president of Friends of Snyder Park.
Once the sprayground is open, it likely won’t close until about the third weekend in September, Castillo said.
“We’ve leave it open as long as we can,” she said.
The $30,000 dog park, donated by local veterinarian Dr. Dana King, also opened this summer. It’s the second dog park in Springfield, but the first on the west end of town.
The baseball diamond will stay and host NTPRD leagues, including a new adult kickball league, Castillo said. Fountains will also be added near the peanut pond and the boathouse to increase oxygen levels in the water, one of which was donated by a local family.
The gardens on the former course will be developed through a partnership with the local Master Gardeners and Ohio State University Extension Office.
The Master Gardeners will maintain a five-acre portion of the 25-acre garden. A master plan was revealed last month for the site, which will also include areas managed by both National Trail and the Hollandia Gardens Association.
Hollandia is thrilled to be a part of the project, member Paul Parlato said. The group had started to develop a botanical gardens along Water Street, but gave up on the site because the ground wasn’t suitable for growing plants and flowers.
Hollandia will manage about three to four acres of the gardens, Parlato said. It will create a children’s garden, a maze and an area for people with physical limitations with raised beds and wide walkways. The organization doesn’t have an estimate of how much its portion will cost, but it intends to raise the money.
“It’s in a place that we hadn’t envisioned, but it’s better than the one we originally had,” he said.
Golf rounds up
National Trail Board Member Jack Simonton, an avid golfer, said he’s still working through his feelings after the Snyder Park Golf Course he played on for many years closed. But he’s also excited about what’s to come.
“I’ll always be sad that we won’t have the Snyder Park Golf Course forever,” he said. “But at the same time, we’ve been able to make some improvements with that property and we have some plans for more.”
The parks district also is in discussions with Wittenberg University about creating a cross-country course on a piece of the 60-acre former golf course.
“In a matter of years, the ache of the old historical golf course will go away and be replaced with some pretty nice stuff,” Simonton said. “I’m happy that the park is blossoming.”
National Trail still offers golf at the 36-hole Reid Park course. Through July 27, about 22,000 rounds had been played at those two courses, up from 20,000 last year.
The course has struggled due to the recent wet weather, forcing golfers to stay directly on the cart paths on one course while the other was open just for walkers.
“I’m sure it’s hurt every golf course in the entire area,” Simonton said. “We’re providing pretty good golf for the public at the right price.”
It’s also led to taller than usual grass in the rough, which could keep out-of-town golfers from coming back, Simonton said.
Golfers have voiced concerns about course conditions in recent weeks, Springfield resident Fred Martin said, especially the rough getting out of control because of a lack of workers. He plays several times per week in the Geritol Group, which moved from Snyder to Reid.
“It’s been a rough year for grass,” Martin said. “Many people can’t keep up with their own yards.”
National Trail board member Mike Calabrese is glad the district has started to make use of the former golf course.
Calabrese voted against closing the course last year. But there’s no point in looking back at the decision because the vote was the will of the board, he said.
“At this point in time, it doesn’t do much good to complain about it,” Calabrese said. “I just hope good things will continue to be utilized over there.”
The organizations involved in the transformation need to have the financial wherewithal to sustain what they’re doing, Calabrese said.
“That’s what you always want to see when a project is embarked upon,” Calabrese said.
Community reactions
When Pam Good recently returned to Springfield, she couldn’t believe how much Snyder Park had changed. With the addition of the Central Bark dog park, she brings her miniature pinscher, Pretty Girl, there every day.
“It’s just so beautiful over here,” Good said.
In the past, she took her dog to Wiggly Field, but said the new park is much closer to her south side home. It’s spacious and has great features for dogs, she said, including a water fountain. The only problem? Not enough shade, said Good, who often brings an umbrella to stay cool.
“I’ve been noticing a lot of people coming over here, a lot of people I used to see over at (Wiggly Field),” she said. “It’s just more convenient for so many people.”
Huber Heights resident Justin Shadoan brought his 2-year-old son to the park last week for the first time while visiting Springfield. The accessible playground material is much safer for younger children, he said.
“It’s a nice park, it’s clean,” Shadoan said.
The area has changed a lot since she was a child, said Springfield resident Linda Rowlett, who hadn’t been to Snyder Park since the new bridge opened.
She brought her grandson to the playground last week, which she said is much safer than others in town. She plans to come back when the splash pad is finished.
“It’s fantastic,” Rowlett said. “I’m really glad because a lot of places get run down and you don’t even want to go there anymore. This is such an improvement. It’s really great.”
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