By JULIE CARLE
BG Independent News
The Wood County Park District will grow a little larger with the donation of two plots of land—one near Bowling Green and the other near Weston.
Karen A. McKee, who grew up in Wood County but has since moved to Colorado, offered the park district 82.67 acres of land just west of Bowling Green in Plain Township and 80 acres in Weston Township, near Weston.
On Tuesday, the park district’s board of commissioners accepted a donation agreement for the two properties. The donation protects the properties from future development pressures while providing for future park development.
According to Director Christopher Smalley, the donation was “an unexpected pleasure.” The district had learned about McKee’s interest earlier in the fall. She expressed a desire to preserve green space, he said.
Additionally, Smalley reported that park staff and board commissioners had visited the sites and agreed to pursue the agreement with McKee.
“This is quite a gift from Ms. McKee,” he said. “Her asks were straightforward, including naming and continuing to farm the land in 2025.”
The Plain Township site, north of Poe Road and west of Mitchell Road, “is right on the edge of Bowling Green. As the city continues to grow and thrive, this will provide a resource for folks to have a park in the future,” Smalley said.
Currently, both sites are farmed and will stay in farming until the next park levy, he said, which is likely to be in 2028 when the current 10-year, 1-mill levy expires.
“I’m pleased we will continue to farm the portion that is being farmed,” said Board President Rebecca Ferguson.
When the properties are developed into parks, the Plain Township property will become McKee Park and the Weston Township park will be named Captain John McKee Preserve.
The park district will also work with the Wood County engineer’s office to obtain an easement for the Weston Township property near Milton Road.
“This is an extremely generous donation,” said Board Vice President Wendy Headley.
Looking ahead for the parks
The park district will move ahead to work with a company for future strategic planning for the parks. The board had previously identified strategic planning as a target goal, Smalley said.
The board authorized him to enter into a professional services agreement with Environmental Design Group to help with the parks’ strategic planning at a cost of $49,495, with an option for additional services up to $15,770.
“This is a good thing for the future of the park district,” said Park Commissioner Jonathan Smith.
The board also agreed to participate in the Ohio Department of Transportation Park District Roadway Fund for fiscal year 2026-27.
ODOT makes some of the monies raised through the state gas tax available to park districts every two years. The funds, coordinated by the Ohio Parks and Recreation Association, cannot be used for trails; they can only be used by park districts to maintain and upgrade parking lots and roadways, Smalley said.
In other business, the board:
- Welcomed Paul Herringshaw as the newest park commissioner and Taylor Vanek as a part-time community and communications specialist.
- Learned more than 1,000 people attended the 2025 Wild Lights exhibit at W.W. Knight Memorial Preserve. The three-day event took 40.5 volunteer hours to put together, and the Friends of the Parks received $500 in donations while they served hot cocoa and cookies. (RELATED: Wildlife gets its chance to shine in winter light display)
- Reviewed the 2025 calendar created by the public entities pool that includes two photographs from the Wood County Park District. “We are on a streak of having one or more photographs in the annual calendar over the past several years,” Smalley said.
- Celebrated the Friends of the Parks’ receipt of a Bowling Green Community Foundation grant to purchase a spinning wheel for Carter Historic Farm. The spinning wheel will be used to spin the wool that is produced every year on the farm, said Friends President Candace Weis.
