The Splash Pads are alive and well in Manchester and Seaman, with more on the way for other communities. (Photo by Austin Rust)

By Austin Rust-

A new bicycle park complete with dirt ramps, a tunnel, an obstacle course, and a flat course for beginners is being built on the eastern end of Ninth Street in Manchester through grant funding.
“I approached the village of Manchester last year and asked them if they would be interested in a bike park,” said Debbie Ryan, Coordinator of the Adams County Creating Healthy Communities program, in connection with the Adams County Health & Wellness Coalition.
“Someone had mentioned it to me that some people in Manchester had wanted one,” Ryan continued. “The village council in Manchester was very receptive, they wanted to be able to offer their kids as many things as they could, to give them things to do in the summertime – to keep them active, keep them busy, and keep them playing and having fun.”
The park is being built with funding from a grant procured by the Adams County Creating Healthy Communities program through the Ohio Department of Health.
“We are charged through the Ohio Department of Health to increase areas for physical activity and access to healthy foods,” Ryan explained, “ There are lots of kids that ride bikes in Manchester – more than in any other village in the county that I’ve seen.”
The park is not yet 100 percent complete, but the main path is finished. There are three dirt ramps for the cyclists to climb, along with a flat course for younger riders. A tunnel has been set up to zoom through, and an obstacle course of cones and barrels will be finished soon.
“It’s an all-natural course, not a lot of fancy equipment,” said Ryan. “We just wanted to make a fun place. It’s a nice big course – a dirt course – and I think they’ll have a lot of fun with it.”
Mrs. Ryan gives credit to the Adams County Creating Healthy Communities grant, which has funded the project, as well as Keegan Excavating, the company in charge of creating the dirt paths, ramps, and more. She also thanks the Manchester Village Council.
“The council was just awesome to work with,” Ryan said. “They really want to have nice things for their kids down there, and they’re working hard to see that that’s done.”
Another project to promote health, wellness, and physical activity – a splash pad, like those found in water parks – was recently finished in Manchester. It has been in operation for nearly a month, and was an instant hit with the children and parents of the village.
“Manchester village was on top of things,” Ryan commented. “They went right to work. They got the water hooked up, the electric hooked up – and the kids are just having a blast with it.”
Splash pads are also being built in Seaman, West Union, Peebles, and Winchester.
The splash pad in Seaman is switched on and operational while the splash pad projects in West Union and Peebles are underway, but no date is set for their completion. A splash pad will come to Winchester later this year.