Walk Path in Peebles is now complete

Sep 15, 2020

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Seen here, at the recent Peebles walk path ribbon-cutting and receiving the matching funds check from the Adams County Health & Wellness Coalition, are Peebles Mayor Wayne Setty, Peebles Council Members Jeanie Gordley, Tammy Crothers, Connie Kidder, Charlie Countryman and Norman Newman; Adams County Economic & Community Development Director, Holly Johnson and Assistant Director, Amanda Fraley; GE-Peebles Volunteer Team Members, Mark Branscome, Jason Shriver and Casey Kirker (with daughters Riley and Reece); Brandon Carroll GE and community member; Peebles Youth Organization representatives Kyle Smalley and Adam Carroll (and daughter Amryn) and Leeann Puckett, Chairperson, Adams County Health & Wellness Coalition. Photo compliments of Debbie Ryan, Coordinator, Adams County Creating Healthy Communities Program and Adams County Health & Wellness Coalition Co-Chair.

A $30,000+ project to construct a walk path in the village of Peebles is now complete.
The Adams County Health & Wellness Coalition (ACHWC) was approached several years ago with an idea to construct a walking path somewhere in the village of Peebles. The Adams County Creating Healthy Communities (CHC) program had been working with the Peebles Youth Organization to improve the Park on Simmons Avenue, and through financial assistance from the CHC grant and other sources, and with the help of numerous volunteers from GE-Peebles Test Operation, members of the Peebles community, and the Peebles Youth Organization, improvements were made, adding a basketball court, a new baseball/softball field, a batting cage, a playset, new bleacher seating, new restroom facility and improvements to the concession stand, to name a few.
According to Debbie Ryan, Coordinator of the Adams County CHC Program, “During typical years, the Peebles Youth Organization, Inc. park is used very heavily for community sporting events and as a community playground, where families from all over the County and region congregate to enjoy youth sports team competitions. While we were working with them to develop their ball fields and park system, it quickly became apparent that using the perimeter of this property for a walking path would be ideal.”
The search for funding for this walk path project began. Holly Johnson, Director of the Adams County Economic & Community Development Office, suggested pursuing a NatureWorks grant. Through the Ohio Department of Natural Resources, NatureWorks projects are funded through the Ohio Parks and Natural Resources Bond Issue which was approved by Ohio voters in November 1993. The NatureWorks grant program provides up to 75% reimbursement assistance for local government subdivisions (townships, villages, cities, counties, park districts, joint recreation districts, and conservancy districts) for the acquisition, development, and rehabilitation of recreational areas.
Ms. Johnson and her staff successfully wrote the grant for the Village for the walk path and through this grant funding and a 25% match that was paid by the Adams County Health & Wellness Coalition, the Peebles walk path was completed at no cost to the Village or the taxpayers of Peebles.
Construction of the walk path was done by Austin Concrete.
Many thanks to the officials of the Peebles Youth Organization, Inc. for their collaboration with the Adams County Creating Healthy Communities Program, the Adams County Health & Wellness Coalition and the Village of Peebles to develop a wonderful park for our community, and to the Peebles Village Mayor, Council and staff for managing the NatureWorks grant and construction process of this wonderful, new walk path.