Bexley Celebrates Grand Opening of Schneider Park
BEXLEY, OHIO, August 5, 2021 – The City of Bexley is excited to celebrate the grand opening of the Schneider Park athletic fields, playground, and South Community Gardens. Though the park has been open for public use, the city wasn’t able to host a ribbon cutting ceremony due to COVID-19. The grand opening of Schneider Park will be paired with the August Main Event on Friday, August 13. The evening will be packed with family activities, live music by The Shazzbots, food trucks, and a screening of Trolls World Tour (PG).
The development of the Schneider Park expansion dates to 2012, when the City of Bexley was awarded grants from the Bexley Community Foundation and the Columbus Foundation to develop an Alum Creek Corridor Master Plan. Since then, with the help of additional community partners, the city has restored environmentally contaminated land, created pedestrian connectivity to Schneider Park and the southwest Bexley neighborhood that did not previously exist, and provided top-notch park amenities to an underserved area of Bexley.
“Even as we cut the ribbon on this expanded section of Schneider Park, we are in the process of rejuvenating the park space and completing the creekside walking trail connection to Main Street,” said Mayor Ben Kessler. “As a community gardener myself, it’s heartwarming to see the relationships and connections that a space like this helps create. It has been incredible to see this space transform from a former landfill to the vibrant heart of a neighborhood.”
Mike Price, Director of Recreation and Parks, who oversaw the development of the new playground adds, “The development of the Schneider Park athletic field, Columbus Blue Jackets themed playground and South Community Gardens has truly been a community effort. This space has and will continue for generations bring joy and opportunity to the residents and visitors of the City of Bexley.
The City of Bexley thanks and acknowledges the Bexley Community Foundation, Columbus Foundation, Columbus Blue Jackets Foundation, and Ohio Department of Natural Resources for helping make this park a reality for the community. For more information about the August 13 event, visit bexley.org/mainevent.
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A first-ring suburb of Columbus, Bexley is known for its historic and close-knit neighborhoods, its highly ranked public school system, its classic and walkable Main Street environment, and the prestigious private school system located within its borders.
