Visitors flocking to Washington County’s park during pandemic
Katherine Mansfield
Washington native Diane Graeser and her friend, Claude Ladue of Bridgeville, walk Diane’s dog, Groot, through Mingo.
20210402_liwc_Mingo-EbBridge-Leslie-1.jpg
Katherine Mansfield
Leslie Hoebler and her rescue dog, Cinnamon, right, enjoy walking in Mingo’s three or four times every week. Hoebler’s friend, who wished to remain nameless, and his new puppy, Rue, joined her for the recent walk.
Katherine Mansfield
Henry Ward has fun on a slide at Mingo Creek County Park.
Katherine Mansfield
Peters Township resident Norman Yeagers pushes his grandson, Ben, on a swing recently at Mingo Creek County Park.
Katherine Mansfield
New restrooms were constructed at Mingo Creek County Park.
Katherine Mansfield
Shari Musser, left, and her mom, Ginger Humes, walk about five miles together through Mingo a few times each week.
A shelter at Mingo Creek County Park is the perfect spot for a gathering of any type.
Shelter 10 at Mingo Creek County Park
Katherine Mansfield
The historic Henry House in Mingo Creek County Park was recently restored.
This historic log cabin was restored at Mingo Creek County Park.
By Mike Jones
As the coronavirus took hold of the country last spring, many people initially sheltered in their homes hoping the worst of the pandemic would soon pass.
But as COVID-19 lingered through the summer months, people began exploring the great outdoors as temperatures warmed and public health officials prescribed fresh air as a way to avoid the virus and cabin fever.
What greeted Washington County residents when they emerged from their pandemic hibernation were upgrades to the county’s three parks and bike trail with many new amenities that had been five years in the making.
“It warmed our hearts to see that the improvements we made were embraced by the community, and during COVID we saw some of the highest numbers of usership than we had seen in prior years,” Washington County Commission Chairwoman Diana Irey Vaughan said. “We all know exercise improves your physical and mental well-being, and we were really glad to provide that opportunity to the citizens of Washington County.”
The county operates parks at Mingo Creek, Cross Creek and Ten Mile Creek, while also maintaining an 18-mile section of the Panhandle Trail that crosses through the northern part Washington County.
Since 2015, the county has spent $5.8 million on park improvements, according to budget records, with more to come over the next few years. The work stems from a master plan county commissioners approved in 2014 that set in motion major improvements to the parks and bike trail. What came were new restroom facilities, playground equipment, pavilions and paved walking trails.
“It was a vision we had,” said Lisa Cessna, planning director for the county’s planning commission. “We’re working through these projects and we’ve been going to town.”
The upgrades are most noticeable at Mingo Creek County Park. A nearby log cabin was relocated, the historic Henry House was restored, a fenced dog run area was installed, and new shelters, restrooms and playgrounds were built. The old stone bathrooms are now being converted into small picnic pavilions, and the paved bike and walking trail has allowed for more people to enjoy the sites along the creek.
“It’s a major investment the commissioners have made into the parks … and they’ve enabled us to get that done,” Cessna said. “Now that people found (the county parks), they’re staying. We’re going to do what we can to keep them coming.”
There have been similar improvements to Ten Mile and Cross Creek as well, although not to the same extent. But with most of the work finished at Mingo Creek, the county is now turning its attention to having hiking trails and better fishing and boat access at Cross Creek Lake.
“Piece by piece, we’ll have a trail system around the park,” Cessna said, adding they plan to build fishing piers and docks on the Route 50 side of Cross Creek Lake. “We want to keep expanding access to Cross Creek that you can’t get to.”
The projects in the comprehensive improvement plan have been funded through impact fees, lease agreements and royalties with the natural gas drilling industry. Each park has its own lease fund – Mingo and Ten Mile have subsurface leases while Cross Creek has surface leases – that are separated and allow for them to be earmarked for certain projects, Cessna said. The 18-mile section of the Panhandle Trail in the county was paved over a three-year period recently with the help of Act 13 “greenways” funds right-of-way leases.
“It makes a big difference and has really increased our use of it,” Cessna said of the paving.
Cessna noted the completion of many of the projects coincided with the pandemic that pushed people outdoors and rediscover nature.
“Who would have known?” she said. “We get more and more people interested in our programs and interested in the parks. You know when you make improvements it will attract a certain amount of people, but who would’ve guessed? It worked out perfectly. Those parks were crowded last year and fortunately the infrastructure was able to handle it.”
Irey Vaughan praised the tireless effort of the county parks staff that are making the master plan a reality.
“This is the only service that every taxpayer can touch and use, and that’s why providing a variety of amenities and opportunities is important to us,” she said.
The county performs periodic “user surveys” to see what projects visitors want to see added to the parks, Irey Vaughan said. As the pandemic begins to ease, county officials are still looking ahead with many new projects to come.
“We continue to move forward. We haven’t completed all of our projects yet, but we’re completing them a little bit at a time. I’m constantly receiving feedback about the improvements we’ve made,” Irey Vaughan said.
“Our parks are a source of pride for Washington County,” she added.