New Parks Provide Pastoral Playgrounds, Historic Habitats

DDUBLIN RESIDENTS will have a few new venues to enjoy outdoor pursuits this summer. The City is dedicating two more parks this year – Amberleigh Community Park and Thaddeus Kosciuszko Park – and complete amenities that will enhance the Hutchins open space, while starting to implement the master plan for the historic Holder-Wright Farm and Earthworks

All will add to the City’s tradition of preserving expansive green spaces and providing active play areas. In addition, the parks’ improvements will help residents with their Healthy Dublin initiatives by providing more facilities in which to enjoy an active lifestyle.

Thaddeus Kosciuszko Park, 4444 Hard Rd., was dedicated last month in a celebration honoring the namesake’s Polish culture. The 40-acre park is named in honor of Thaddeus Kosciuszko (kos-CHOOS-ko) who was given the land as part of a 500-acre tract of what is now Riverside Drive as payment for his contribution to the Revolutionary War.

Kosciuszko, a Polish national and colonel in the Continental Army, was responsible for the design of the fortifications of what is now West Point, instrumental in the strategy of the Battle of Saratoga and personally recognized by George Washington as key to the success of the Continental Army over the British.

The park incorporates unique environmental features such as a karst overlook, which is a geological formation. Walking trails, foot bridges, a gazebo and rain gardens will allow visitors the opportunity to observe the park’s natural beauty.

Amberleigh Community Park, which will be dedicated this summer, is located in the Amberleigh North neighborhood, near Dublin Road and Memorial Drive.

Among its amenities, Amberleigh Community Park features a pavilion, a parking lot, a naturalistic playground and cascading rain gardens. Future phases may include a Scioto River overlook, an environmental discovery garden, a pedestrian bridge, a woodland path and tennis and basketball courts.

A bridge and picnic area are among the features added to the Hutchins open space, which now connects the Wedgewood Hills neighborhood to the Hutchins property at the City’s northern corporate limits through dense woods.

The master planning process for the historic Holder-Wright Farm and Earthworks project has brought together a team of archaeologists, local residents, educators, Holder family members, consultants and staff. The plan for the park, located east of Riverside Drive along a future phase of Emerald Parkway, is designed to preserve and showcase the ancient earthworks, farmhouse and natural features that are a significant part of Dublin’s history.