Pickaway County Park District Opens Playground in Canal Park

Article presented by Tomlinson Insurance Agency Inc. …

Tom Davis, Director of the Pickaway County Park District says the idea for a installing a playground in Circleville’s Canal Park began three years ago. “It’s now open for the kids to play on.”

Canal Park, which is part of the old Ohio Erie Canal System, is one of three parks and six multi-use trails within Pickaway County under the District’s care. Towpath Trail, named in remembrance of the mules used to pull the boats along the canal in the 1800s, stretches 2.7 miles. At the east end of the trail sits Canal Park which was the site of the old feeder canal that was filled using the state feeder dam along the Scioto River.

The playground features an elevated wooden walking deck along the bank of the river, with cargo netting for climbing, two ziplines a pair of slides and plenty to keep adventurous kids busy. The playground opening was on the heels of the new splash pad’s debut last week in Ted Lewis Park. “There’s a lot for kids to do in Circleville” said Davis.

Several students from Toni Tootle’s 4th grade class were on hand. They were instrumental in helping design the playground. Arista Hartzler, Executive Assistant with the Park District approached Tootle’s class three years ago asking what they wanted in a park. Those students are now heading into the 8th grade at Logan Elm Middle School. Tootle, who hadn’t seen many of the kids since they were in her class, said the kids were diligent in researching what they thought would fit in the Canal Park playground.

“It was a very inspirational project, especially to allow them to see it come to life today” said Tootle. “They came up with amazing ideas I never would have thought of.”

Who’s idea was it for the ziplines? Joseph Courtney gives credit to all his classmates, but Case Calder admitted “Mostly the boys because they thought it’d be fun.”

To learn more about the parks in Pickaway County, visit www.pickawaycountyparks.org.