By 1808Delaware
A part of Delaware County without a Preservation Parks destination could eventually gain nearly 100 acres of public land near Hoover Reservoir. Preservation Parks is seeking a Clean Ohio grant to help purchase 96 acres spanning Genoa and Harlem townships. The land is part of the John Beltz Retreat Center, a 100-acre property owned and operated by Overbrook Presbyterian Church. County commissioners agreed September 14 to provide a letter supporting the application. Their action does not approve a purchase or establish that the property will become a park.
Executive Director Mary Van Haaften told commissioners the acquisition would help Preservation Parks serve the county’s southeastern corner, where it currently has no park.
The district expected to submit its application during the week of September 14, with a funding recommendation anticipated by late November. Read the report on the proposed acquisition.
A Landscape Already Shaped For Outdoor Use
The John Beltz Retreat Center, at 4834 Harlem Road in Galena, currently operates by reservation. Overbrook Presbyterian Church describes more than 10,000 pine trees, numerous trails, two streams flowing toward Hoover Reservoir, a rustic barn, an open-air chapel, ten campsites, play areas, and athletic fields. The church also identifies wildlife including deer, foxes, turkeys, and salamanders, along with wildflowers and other native plants. Explore the retreat center’s existing features.
Those details describe the property today. Preservation Parks has not announced which structures or recreational features would remain. The church’s 100-acre description also exceeds the proposed 96-acre acquisition; precise purchase boundaries were not identified in the information reviewed.
A Connection Beside Hoover Reservoir
The property adjoins Gertrude S. Lawrence Woods Nature Preserve, a 29.18-acre Columbus park at 4748 Red Bank Road. Columbus acquired that property in 2011 and designated it a nature preserve in 2016. The city says it protects ecosystems, water quality, and wildlife while supporting environmental education. The proposed acquisition could connect with land already managed for conservation, an opportunity Van Haaften highlighted to commissioners. The neighboring preserve offers woods, wildlife habitat, water frontage, and parking across Red Bank Road. Learn more about Gertrude S. Lawrence Woods.
The Grant Would Begin The Process
The Clean Ohio Green Space Conservation Program provides approximately $37.5 million annually for environmental conservation, protection, and enhancement. Preservation Parks has received funding before. A 2024 award helped purchase 60 acres formerly associated with Camp Lazarus near Winter Road and U.S. Route 23.
If successful, the district would have one year to acquire the Beltz property. A purchase price and complete funding package have not been announced. Review the Clean Ohio program.
No Opening Date Yet
A successful acquisition would begin another stage of work. Van Haaften said development would depend on other projects in the district’s plans. Decisions about trails, parking, buildings, conservation, and neighboring connections would still lie ahead. No park name, development budget, or opening date has been announced. For southeastern Delaware County, the proposal offers the possibility of a first Preservation Parks destination within a larger connected landscape beside Hoover Reservoir.
Image by Max Gindele from Pixabay
