Recycled Plastics Link Park to Preserve

Avon, OH— Resource conservation connects outdoor recreation and wildlife preservation in many ways, but none so visibly as the recycled plastic bridge recently constructed in Avon to link a community park to a wetlands preserve.

The bridge spans a small ditch between the southeast corner of Avon Community Park and the 10-acre Avon Reserve, a wetland donated to the city in 1988 by local business owner Steve Schafer. The bridge, along with a trail and observation area, was installed with the help of an $80,000 grant from the Ohio Department of Natural Resources’ Recreational Trails program.

“I thought hooking up with the park was a nice idea,” Schafer told Reporter Meghan Moravcik of The (Elyria) Chronicle-Telegram for a story printed June 24, 2003.

Soon, the new trail will be connected to a bike path that runs through the community.

JoAnne Easterday, chairperson of the Avon Parks and Recreation Board, said new access to the wetland will allow it to be used more effectively as a biology lab for local students learning about swamp iris, salamanders and other native species unique to Ohio’s wetlands habitats.

City Planning Coordinator Jim Piazza said he’s happy to see the plastic recycled into a nice, tranquil recreational outlet for his citizens.