EDITOR’S NOTE: This is one in a series looking at what Northeast Ohio communities, school districts and organizations experienced in 2024 and what is facing them in 2025. Madison Township finished projects in 2024 that enhanced recreation opportunities at two of the community’s parks. A paved walking trail was constructed at Stanton Park, while Veterans Park became the site of new pickleball courts. Township Administrator Tim Brown provided a summary of the community government’s major achievements in 2024 and top goals for 2025. Trail upgrade In late April, the township resurfaced the 0.8-mile exercise trail at Stanton Park, which is located at 5585 Chapel Road. A contractor was hired to pave the trail with asphalt. Previously, the path was composed of asphalt grindings. Although the trail had grown in popularity since it was installed about four years ago, many residents had asked township trustees to pave the path. The new asphalt surface has made it easier for people with disabilities or mobility issues to exercise on the trail. Township Trustee Tom Sill said the trail resurfacing was a great project. “It was really important for us to create a way for more people to be able to safely enjoy the park and get their walks or other exercise routines done on the trail,” he said. Dr. Robert Barr, right, and his wife, Candace Barr, take a walk on the newly paved exercise trail at Stanton Park in Madison Township. The Barrs enjoyed a stroll with their dogs, from left, Alice and Rogan, after a dedication ceremony for the asphalt trail on May 29. Robert and Candace made a $15,000 donation to the township, which was part of a $113,516 funding package for the trail paving project. (News-Herald file) The total cost of resurfacing the trail was approximately $113,516. Funding consisted of a $70,000 Community Development Block Grant; a local match of about $28,516 provided by the township; and $15,000 from Dr. Robert Barr and his wife, Candace Barr. The Barrs live next door to Stanton Park on Chapel Road. Dr. Barr, who is a podiatrist, said he noticed that the original trail surface of asphalt grindings created difficulties for users of the path who were not steady on their lower extremities or had balance issues. Sewer funding secured The township entered into agreements with Lake County commissioners to use American Rescue Plan Act funds for construction of a new sanitary sewer line on a section of Route 20. Plans call for the sanitary sewer line, which would be nearly a mile long, to be constructed on Route 20 from just west of Green Road to slightly west of Haines Road. Township trustees believe that installing the sewer will help to attract new businesses, and bolster the community’s economy. “Some of the research that was done in the past said development along that corridor was next to impossible without sewers being there,” Sill said. Madison Township and Lake County combined to provide a total of $2.6 million in American Rescue Plan Act funds for the project. The township supplied $1.6 million and the county contributed $1 million. Additional project costs would be covered through assessments paid by property owners on Route 20 from just west of Green to slightly west of Haines. “Now that those things are coming into place, we really feel that there’s a stronger possibility for being able to develop and grow that area that we just couldn’t do before,” Sill said. Brown said it’s anticipated that county commissioners will hold public hearings in February to decide whether the sanitary sewer construction project moves forward. Lake County’s involvement in the endeavor is essential because in Ohio, counties have authority to build water and sewer lines, while townships don’t. Pickleball courts Two new pickleball courts opened in June at Veterans Park, which is located at 1747 Hubbard Road. The courts were built on the site of a former skate park that was removed about 10 years ago. Sill said the pickleball courts provided township residents with a new place to play the popular sport in their hometown. “(The idea to construct pickleball courts) was something where we got a lot of great traction from our constituents here, talking about what they enjoy, and again making the parks a little bit more of a focal point, being more of a destination for people,” he said. Madison Kiwanis Club contributed $2,500 toward the overall $18,000 cost of the project. Building improvements The township completed a variety of improvements to its buildings last year, including: • Noise reduction panels were installed in the Stanton Park Banquet Hall to improve acoustics. • The Service Department garage was re-sided and insulated. That project cost $70,950, and was funded by a $52,052 NOPEC Energized Community Grant and $18,898 in township money. • Tuttle Park restrooms were gutted and renovated with new fixtures. Project cost was estimated at about $15,000. Other accomplishments The township Service Department hired Cody Dent as its 10th employee. There had always been nine employees in the department before Dent’s arrival, Brown said. Increases in fuel tax collections allowed the township to add the department employee, Brown explained. The township completed spring and summer sand excavation and replenishment at Township Park to keep the site’s beach usable and comply with a U.S. Army Corps permit. Cost of the sand relocation is $14,328 annually for 2024 and 2025, for a two-year total of $28,656. Madison Township Trustee Kenneth Gauntner Jr., right, shakes hands with township Police Chief Troy Hager after the trustee board’s regular meeting on June 27. Trustee Board Chairman Max Anderson Jr. stands in the background. During the meeting, Gauntner announced that he was resigning his position as trustee at the end of June. Hager and others thanked Gauntner for his 10 1/2 years of service as trustee, and wished him well in retirement. (Bill DeBus – The News-Herald) • Trustee Ken Gauntner Jr.’s resignation was accepted on June 27 by his two fellow trustees, Max Anderson Jr. and Peter Wayman. Anderson and Wayman also voted to appoint Sill as Gauntner’s replacement. Some of the township’s top goals for 2025 include: • Brown will continue efforts to obtain permits from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration to perform an erosion control project at Stanton Park. The township has secured $1.07 million in federal funding to  construct a nearly 1,100-foot-long armor stone revetment to stabilize a bluff at Stanton Park that overlooks Lake Erie. A revetment is a protective covering built along a coastal cliff, bank or bluff to absorb and dissipate the energy of Lake Erie waves to reduce erosion. Armor stone, which comes from quarries, is often used as a component in revetments. That bluff, on the northern side of the park, has been decimated by erosion in recent years. U.S. Rep. David Joyce, R-Bainbridge Township, helped to ensure that fiscal year 2024 federal funding was earmarked for the armor stone endeavor. The township is hoping start construction on the project by late summer, Brown said. • Another major 2025 construction project will be the replacement of a failing culvert on Emerson Road. DRS Enterprises of Garfield Heights has been awarded a contract to replace the culvert. Brown said the township is hoping that DRS will start construction in February and finish by late June. The project will result in an anticipated closure of Emerson Road, about two-tenths of a mile south of Griswold Road, for four to six months. • The township plans to purchase some new playground equipment for Township Park. “Township Service Department Supervisor Paul Cook and I have been looking to make the Township Park a little bit more exciting for the kids,” Sill said. “We’re looking at some new slides and rock climbing activities, things like that. A little bit different than what we’ve seen in the past.” By updating  playground equipment, the township hopes to make Township Park more of a destination for families with young children, Sill said. • The township intends to purchase a new Mack Truck for its Service Department. Cost of the vehicle will be about $250,000.