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WHEELING - Work on a major overhaul for the Edgington Lane Playground and development of a new city dog park in Warwood are moving forward in Wheeling.
Demolition work to remove old playground equipment at the Edgington Lane Playground began Nov. 2 in preparation for the playground revitalization project that will be taking place there over the course of the next several months.
Last month, members of Wheeling City Council approved an ordinance authorizing Wheeling City Manager Robert Herron to spend $538,550 with Savage Construction of Wheeling to serve as general contractor for the long-awaited project. The improvement project is being brought to fruition through several different funding sources, including a $280,120 Land and Water Conservation grant, a $100,000 Community Foundation grant and a $158,380 contribution from the city through its Project Fund.
Upgrades at the popular neighborhood facility have been designed to increase safety, quality of the equipment and attractiveness of the park and its playground amenities. Mulch will be removed, and a rubberized surface will be installed. Shade trees will be planted, and a new entrance will be developed.
The project will feature a new children's play area and renovations to the tennis and basketball court to improve existing amenities. Some unique features will include an innovative "Ninja Warrior" obstacle course for moderate- to high-activity level recreation options.
City officials said an enhanced seating area will be installed as well to meet the needs of identified low-activity user groups. Planning efforts will also beautify the area with new signage, fencing, landscaping elements, and new main and secondary entry gates.
"The playground will be closed for demolition and will be closed for the foreseeable future until the project is completed," Herron said. "So we’re excited to get that started."
Another long-awaited city park project that has been near completion recently hit a snag that is currently being corrected, the city manager explained.
"The Warwood Dog Park is completed, but we were not happy with the seeding that was done with the grass," Herron said.
Work has been underway for several months to create a new city dog park along Heritage Trail between the new tennis courts and Warwood Middle School. Site preparation began late last year, and in April, the city approved a contract with Ohio-West Virginia Excavating Company of Powhatan Point for construction of the new dog park there.
Herron told members of Wheeling City Council recently that the site where the new Warwood Dog Park is being constructed was once an old Federal Reserve Naval Station building that had been torn down several years ago.
"As a result, it did have some foundation and concrete issues with it," Herron said. "So we dug those out, brought in sub-base material and then top soil fill material and seeded it. But we were not happy with the way the grass took for the dog park, so it was reseeded and hopefully yet this fall that seed will take and we’ll be in a better position to open the dog park."
Once opened, the Warwood facility will be the city of Wheeling’s third dog park. The Fitzsimmons Family Dog Park near Tunnel Green was the first to open in the city, and earlier this year, a second was opened behind the White Palace in Wheeling Park.
Donations from the Fitzsimmons Foundation were received by the city to help with development of each of Wheeling’s dog parks, city officials noted.
"We have retained, I believe, around $17,000 to ensure that the grass does grow properly before we make final payment to the contractor," Herron said of the recent reseeding at the Warwood Dog Park. "For the most part, it is done with the exception of just making sure the grass grows appropriately."