BETTSVILLE, Ohio — Officials in Seneca County's Village of Bettsville are looking at their park and saying, "Out with the old, and in with the new."
The village recently annexed H.P. Eells Park last week with the intention of selling it. The park has been a part of the Bettsville community for decades.
However the baseball fields have gone without league play for years, and Mayor Scott Harrison says the village can no longer afford the liability insurance and lifeguard payroll for the quarry.
The upkeep for the park was paid by the former Bettsville School District, which merged with Old Fort schools a few years ago.
"The village has maintained the park and tried to keep it mowed and things like that, and maintain the facilities," Harrison said. "But without the funding, we're a small business, we don't have a lot of resources."
The village has annexed the property into the village proper, and intends to rezone the land to recreational commercial.
A replacement park is already in the works, as equipment from the Seneca County Opportunity Center's former playground has been given to the village.
The plan is to set up a new village park in this 10-acre area next to the village offices complex, and a nearby dog park and wildlife area.
"We'll take that money then and roll it over into the new park and walking trails, Harrison said. "And I think that's going to be a win-win for the community, because we're going to have income coming back into the community, and possibly have new parks that are more conducive to dog walking and things people do today."
Right now there is no set timeline for the construction of the future Bettsville Village park here. Mayor Harrison says to pay for the construction for this new playground, they first have to sell the property of the old park.