Sledding hill continues transformation of Chaps Run Park

Chris Crook, Zanesville Times Recorder
·2 min read
The City of Zanesville Parks, Recreation and Cemeteries Director Howard Bailey looks out over the city's new sled hill in Chap's Run Park, prior to the recent snow fall that blanketed the Zanesville area with approximately 9 inches of snow.
The City of Zanesville Parks, Recreation and Cemeteries Director Howard Bailey looks out over the city's new sled hill in Chap's Run Park, prior to the recent snow fall that blanketed the Zanesville area with approximately 9 inches of snow.

ZANESVILLE — The city's Parks and Recreation Director Howard Bailey remembers sledding at Putnam Hill Park when he was a kid.

"You get a good run on that hill and you end up on Pine Street," he said.

During a visit to Chaps Run Park in early 2021, the city's administration saw the potential for a safe but fun place to sled in the long valley that makes up the park.

The sled hill is just part of the transformation of the long-neglected park. City crews started working on the park in the spring of 2021, clearing out thick brush and trees that made the long-neglected park a haven for undesirable activity.

City crews from several city departments did most of the work, saving the city money on the project.

Changes in grant rules allowed for funding of future improvements, including a long cement walkway through the park, Zanesville Mayor Don Mason said.

The 1,200-foot walkway will stretch across the park, and over a bridge built by the city's public service department out of an old flatbed truck trailer with a new cement deck.

The trail which will be paid for with funding from a Community Development Block Grant, is expected to cost $164,000.

More trees will be planted as well.

A new entrance off Cedar Street is partially completed, with a small parking lot where the basketball courts used to be. Lighting is planned for the future, as well as other amenities, said Community Development Director Matt Schley. Improved playground equipment is on the horizon, for 2023.

The sled hill will make the park an attractive place to play year-round, Bailey said, and continues the park's transformation from an inaccessible and weedy lot into and what Mason hopes will be a "gem of our park system."

ccrook@gannett.com

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This article originally appeared on Zanesville Times Recorder: Sledding hill continues transformation of Zanesville's Chaps Run Park