POWELL — Bennett Farm is one step closer to becoming a city park instead of a vacant pasture for grazing sheep.
Powell City Council awarded a nearly $450,000 contract to Law General Contracting, Inc. on Tuesday to build a new shared-use path through the site of the city’s future park.
The company will install more than 2,000 linear feet of 10-foot-wide path, along with grading and storm sewer work.
The path will connect the future park to existing paths along East Olentangy Street downtown. Construction is expected to begin later this fall.
Vice Mayor Tom Counts said the city should celebrate how quickly the property has progressed since it was acquired two years ago.
”In two years, we went from having no access to this property or residence to our residents actually having access to 32 acres of park land,” Counts said. “I mean that is lightning speed.”
Council approved the ordinance as an emergency to allow for construction to begin as soon as possible.
City receives grant to help fund project
Council also authorized City Manager Andy White to enter into a grant agreement with the Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR).
The agreement will allow the city to use $200,000 awarded for the park project through Ohio’s 2027-28 capital budget, which Gov. Mike DeWine signed into law in June.
ODNR’s Office of Real Estate and Land Management is responsible for administering the appropriations and the agreement is required to access the funding.
The project marks the first step in developing the future park while also beginning a larger effort to connect Powell’s existing pathway network.
The new path will eventually help connect the pathway from Bartholomew Boulevard into downtown with the existing shared-use path at Arbor Ridge Park.
This is also only phase one of the shared-use path. A second phase would branch off the new path and take users farther into the park rather than along its perimeter.
City Engineer Aaron Stanford said he is almost finished with the design of that portion and it will soon come before city council.
Earlier this year, council also authorized Frontier Timber Framing LLC to dismantle, store and eventually reassemble the historic Bennett Farm barn.
The city plans to reuse the historic structure as a community event barn with classroom space for parks and recreation programming.
The entire master plan for the park stands at $18 million, but Counts said he expects the city will receive more grant funding for the project.
Funds for Bennett Farm included in Capital Improvement Program
Council also approved the 2027-2031 Capital Improvement Program (CIP), which outlines the City’s 32 planned capital projects over the next five years.
“The CIP provides a framework for determining annual capital budgets, ensuring that resources are allocated effectively to maintain existing assets and invest in new infrastructure,” according to a memo from city Finance Director Samantha Borchers.
The document does not appropriate funds. City council is responsible for approving project appropriations, following the annual budget.
The CIP identifies two additional Bennett Farm projects: $342,800 for schematic design in 2027 and $225,000 for site maintenance across 2027 and 2028.
Other key projects identified in the CIP include:
- Adventure Park CSX tunnel: $1.4 million in 2027.
- Woods of Powell South pedestrian bridge replacement: $350,000 in 2027.
- Shared-use path additions: More than $2.3 million spread across the five-year plan.
- Adventure Park skate park resurfacing: $300,000 in 2027.
- Splash pad replacement design: $150,000 in 2027.
- Meadowview Park equipment replacement: $500,000 across 2029 and 2030.
- Powell Pool improvements: $1 million, with $200,000 allocated annually across the five-year plan.
See the full list of projects included in the CIP here.
