Now you see them:

The space above the intersection of Boone Street
and Chestnut is currently a tangle of power lines.

Now you don't:

The city is seeking $1 million in grant funds to put utilities underground on Chestnut Street, from the new park at Boone Street to Bond Street. Officials say the project could revitalize the downtown area in the same way a similar effort improved North Broadway Street.

City hoping to fund new park, improvements
Story by Andy McDonald

The city of Berea began with a plan to beautify a small lot in the city. What it could end up with is a project that profoundly impacts the appearance of Berea’s downtown district.

According to City Administrator Randy Stone, the city has applied for two grants: one that will enable the city to build a park at the corner of Chestnut Street and Boone Street, while the other would pay for putting utility lines underground at various points in the city.

The city purchased the lot at Chestnut and Boone last year for $150,000, then demolished the structure on the site. In November city officials unveiled sketches for the park prepared by the city’s engineering consultant Carter Dixie Partners (CDP).


The city of Berea recently unveiled sketches of the proposed park at the corner of Chestnut Street and Boone Street, the design of which could include an arbor seawall concept.

Stone said the final design of the park has not been chosen, but suggestions for the park have included an arbor seat wall with pergolas that would sustain plants and provide shade.

Other suggestions in the proposal include a green rock fountain or a memorial to Fruit Jar High School, which would be constructed of bricks from the school that was once located at the site.

Until the city receives word on how much money it secures in grants, officials say there’s no way to know what is affordable. But Mayor Connelly said whatever is finally implemented is a vast improvement over what was previously at the site – an abandoned gas station.

“It can be a nice vista for awhile,” said Mayor Connelly, noting the city is still open for suggestions about the park plan. “There doesn’t necessarily have to be thousands of dollars put into it to make it beautiful.”

Berea has applied for grants from two sources – a CDBG grant administered through the state’s Department of Local Government and T-21 grant money, offered through the Renaissance City program. The cost of the Boone Street park is estimated to be $250,000, while the cost of putting utility lines under ground could reach $400,000, $250,000 of which would include lines on Chestnut Street. The city is seeking approximately $900,000 in grant funding.

Stone said completing a stretch along Chestnut Street from the park to Bond Street would be a priority in the effort to plant utilities underground, especially since undergrounding utilities could improve the downtown area’s fortunes as it has helped the Old Town district.

“It’s unbelievable how much we changed North Broadway just by putting utility lines underground,” Stone said.

In the coming weeks, the city will be considering other plans related to park and recreation facilities, including Berea Community Park. Stone said final plans would have to wait until Berea College completed its draining project for the Ecovillage, since that may impact drainage in the park as well.
A memorial to Fruit Jar High School has also been suggested for the proposed Boone Street/Chestnut park, though city officials say no final design has been selected.


A green rock fountain is one of the suggestions depicted in the sketches provided by the city of Berea's consulting firm, Carter Dixie Partners. City officials say the final design of the park is undecided pending the outcome of two city
grant applications.


In January of 2002, the city hosting a town meeting to entertain suggestions from citizens concerning the additional 30 acres of park space. Advocates of new soccer fields suggested it would take 10 acres to build a new four-field soccer complex, while proponents of a new skateboard park expressed hope their facility would be included in the city’s plan.

Mayor Connelly cautioned that with so many competing interests, not everyone might be happy with the final design of the new city facilities.

“There are visions of great things, but the reality is there’s only so much area that’s available. The city has not decided yet, but there will have to be a realistic evaluation of what’s available,” Connelly said.