As eight shovels dug into the ground at Staddens Landing on Thursday, Oct. 29, community members clapped and cheered. 

The unearthed dirt, which Licking Park District staff and board members flung, marked the official and literal groundbreaking for the district’s latest park. 

This new park, Heron’s Point at Staddens Landing, will serve as a new entrance point to the Licking River, and will provide a set of natural walkways and a boat launch for a nearby pond. 

The roughly 15-acre plot is tentatively scheduled to open next summer. 

“This project is a wonderful example of what happens when local organizations share a vision for both conservation and community access,” the Chair for Licking Land Trust Jeremy King said at the event. 

This will be the 14th facility the Licking Park District (LPD) oversees, and will cost roughly $1.4 million to complete. Approximately $1 million will be supplied by an Ohio Public Works Commission Clean Ohio grant, and the rest will be provided from LPD funds. 

In the past, LPD funds have largely come from tax levies. LPD is currently seeking a reduced, .375-mill property tax levy, on the ballot on the Nov. 3 general election. 

Read more: Licking Park District seeks reduced property tax levy to support infrastructure, improvement of parks

Stadden’s Landing has been used as a launch point for many years, receiving an average of 10,000 visitors over the last 4 years, according to data collected by a foot traffic tracking service LPD uses, Placer.ai. 

Standing at the launch point for kayaks at Stadden’s Landing, visitors will see an incline that dips quickly into rushing water, making it difficult to use as an access point. 

The previous boat launch at Staddens Landing. The new launch, which will be located further upstream, will be built from new concrete and will use plastic slates to improve utility. Credit: Donald Keough

“When you get out, a lot of times the water’s so fast – and this happened to me personally – your kayak just takes off unless someone else is holding your boat at the time,” said LPD Director Kyle Lund.

Read more: Drownings and recent flooding bring renewed attention to the need for water safety

The new launch, which will be located further up the river, seeks to remedy this by featuring refurbished concrete and plastic slates that will prevent boats from being torn up, making it easier to pull boats to shore. There is also a nearby sandbar which water users can utilize. 

The park’s future trails, which will span the circumference of the nearby pond, will improve ease of access for visitors. 

Despite construction, Lund says LPD will preserve the natural landscape of the park. 

“We’ve only taken down a couple of trees for kayak access,” Lund said, also including that additional educational opportunities at the park will help promote preservation.

Since 2020, LPD’s 13 other facilities have had an average of 131,941 visitors per year, also according to data LPD collected via Placer.ai. Lund said that he has seen engagement with the parks grow over time, and is grateful this new park can be a part of this growth. 

The decision to renovate the landing came after LPD conducted a survey that indicated many residents enjoyed paddling as an activity in Newark. After enlisting the help of consulting firm Kimley-Horn, they identified Heron’s Point at Staddens Landing as a viable location to renovate.

Years ago, Heron’s Point was previously owned by Gary Roberts’s Trucking. A razed concrete slab is all that’s left of their old facility. 

Volunteers, local residents and government officials were among those who visited the groundbreaking event on Oct. 29. LPD provided donuts and coffee before speakers were invited to share their thoughts to the crowd. Credit: Donald Keough

The property was negotiated and bought from the company owner’s two sons, Gary and Michael Roberts. Nearby Newark Materials, an adjacent company across the river, also donated two acres of land to LPD. Carl Hains, an owner of the company, decided to provide the land to support the project. 

“I’ve always been with and for the community,” Hains said before the event. 

“[Hains] was very generous to donate a portion of his land to the park district so we could make this even bigger,” Lund said. 

With the addition of this park, eight full-time staffers will now run their 14 parks. Lund thanked volunteers for the over 10,000 hours they contribute, and said these parks wouldn’t be the same without them. 

At the groundbreaking, longtime volunteer Bob Hoover came to support. Hoover is a retired judge who served on the Licking County Court of Common Pleas, Probate and Juvenile Division, in Newark’s division. He said that he has been volunteering for 28 years. 

“Licking County has many things to be proud of,” Hoover said. “The park system is one of them.”

Donald Keough writes for TheReportingProject.org, the nonprofit news organization of Denison University’s Journalism program, which is supported by generous donations from readers. Sign up for The Reporting Project newsletter here.