The Beacon
The Portage River Walk in Oak Harbor has been a community dream for more than two decades, and will finally become reality with a $500,000 grant announced in December. This drawing was created more than 20 years ago to promote the construction of a downtown river walk in the village.
Waterworks Park in Port Clinton has been a work in progress in recent years, providing attractive walkways and shoreline views of Lake Erie, including the new Port Clinton Lighthouse. (Photo by D’Arcy Patrick Egan)
BY D’ARCY PATRICK EGAN
Life along the Lake Erie shoreline and Portage River has always been enhanced by the beauty of those waters. In the years to come, it is just going to get better and better for residents and visitors.
Thanks to a grant from the Ohio Department of Transportationâs Transportation Alternatives Program and the generous donations of residents, a new bridge is set to be constructed over Raccoon Creek by the Moonville Rail Trail Association.
The grant, awarded in 2017, covers $439,000 of the project but after estimates were calculated, deadlines extended, and grant funds increased, the project was short $2,423.50. After MRTA posted on Facebook informing the public of the situation, donors lined up to cover the difference.
âWe would like to thank everyone who made last-minute contributions to this project. It may not have happened without your support,â thanked Caleb Appleman, Vinton County Marketing Director.