Current Projects
Friends of Medina County Parks focuses on providing funding for projects that create lasting and measurable positive impacts on Medina County Park District. Below are a few high-profile projects that will enhance and elevate Medina County parks for both current and future generations.
If you would like to learn more about how to contribute, please contact Development Coordinator Natalie Peacock at 330-722-9364 or npeacock@medinaco.org.
Learn more about this life-changing collaborative project.
Brown-Trump Homestead
In May 2022, Medina County Park District (MCPD) and its nonprofit partner, Friends of Medina County Parks, Inc. (FOTP), were chosen by executors of the Brown-Trump estate to become the stewards of a well-known but, perhaps, misunderstood ‘farm in the city’ on State Route 18. The property, which includes three houses—most notable of which is a Victorian-era home—plus several outbuildings, was owned by Mr. Edson J. Brown and Mr. Ross M. Trump, both prominent antique dealers.
Located at 4092 Medina Road next to Medina Hospital, the land is protected by a restrictive conservation easement, a legal document held by the Western Reserve Land Conservancy. Most of the property has to remain open space or be farmed. It cannot host walking trails or be used for any commercial purposes.
In 2023, MCPD entered into a ten-year lease with Hope Recovery Community (HRC), a Medina-based nonprofit that provides recovery housing for men with substance use disorder. The document’s execution was 11 months in the making, but it signified the unofficial start of the Brown-Trump Homestead—a unique collaborative partnership that established a first-of-its-kind recovery farm unlike anything else in the Midwest, perhaps even the country. HRC is dedicated to increasing sustained recovery by providing hope, support, advocacy, and resources to those impacted by addiction. The nonprofit receives funding from Medina County Mental Health and Recovery Board.
In place of rent, HRC is responsible for maintaining the residential house, which increased the organization’s housing program by nearly 43 percent. HRC leads agricultural programming on the grounds and also develops several workforce tracts for the residents of the house and local recovery community. In the first year of the farm, Feeding Medina County received more than 1,000 pounds of produce grown at the Brown-Trump Homestead.
Although the Brown-Trump Homestead is not open daily to the general public, there will be opportunities for special events and tours in the future. With funds from the estate, FOTP and MCPD are in the process of restoring the Victorian, which was built in 1874. Once restored, the large, historic brick home will include display space for the Medina County Historical Society as well as offices for FOTP and a meeting space for local nonprofits.
The third home on the property, a small cottage, is being renovated to serve as a much-needed volunteer center and classroom with help from the nonprofit Weymouth Preservation Society (WPS) in Medina Township. WPS asked MCPD to save the little building, built in the 1880s, and offered to coordinate all exterior repairs—from the roof and gutters to siding and windows for approximately $10,500. Additionally, HRC is completing the interior work, which includes the construction of a first-floor half bath, plaster repairs, painting, and more. FOTP will pay for the materials with funding from the estate.
Chippewa Lake Park
In 2021, Medina County Park District (MCPD) engaged OHM Advisors to help develop a master plan for the former Chippewa Lake Amusement Park that was purchased in June 2020. The site is located on the shores of Chippewa Lake, Ohio’s largest inland glacial lake. With public input acquired through meetings and surveys, OHM and MCPD designed a master plan to transform the site into a future public nature area. Both short and long-term improvement projects are included in the master plan. The Chippewa Lake Master Plan is located on the park district’s website at https://chippewalakeohio.com/.
Shotwell Gardens at Lake Medina
Shotwell Gardens at Lake Medina opened on October 25, 2025. It was made possible through a generous donation of 25 acres by the Shotwell family. This new MCPD site, located at 4581 Foote Road in Medina Township, at the corner of Weymouth (State Route 3) and Foote roads, offers visitors another way to enjoy Lake Medina. It features accessible paved trails, two garden ponds, a small amphitheater, restroom, interactive outdoor musical instruments, swinging benches, native gardens, a bike repair station, and 45 parking spaces.
Design and construction services were completed by Davey Resource Group and Marks Construction. JTS Landscaping built the bridge between the two garden ponds. Snider Recreation provided and installed the musical instruments. Stone for the amphitheater was purchased from Cleveland Quarries. Northwoods Cabin Company constructed the shade structures at the amphitheater. MCPD staff installed the amphitheater’s front porch-style benches and the bike repair station.
Funding for Shotwell Gardens has been partially provided by a state capital grant. The amphitheater and swinging benches were funded by Friends of Medina County Parks, Inc. through its endowment fund. The Medina Sunrise Rotary Club awarded its 2025 Impact Grant to MCPD and Friends to underwrite the cost of the musical instruments and bike repair station. The Davey Tree Expert Company, through its Birdies ‘Fore’ Trees partnership with The Kaulig Companies Championship, paid for and planted 50 trees at Shotwell Gardens in the week leading up to the site’s opening. Davey Tree will plant an additional 36 trees at a later date. Sponsors of the native gardens include Critchfield, Critchfield & Johnston and First Financial Bank. Additional support was received by Akron Children’s and Ravago.
Sponsorships are still available—contact Natalie Peacock at Medina County Park District at 330-722-9364.
Rivendell Nature Preserve
Rivendell Nature Preserve, a 203-acre property in Westfield Center and Westfield Township at 7223 Greenwich Rd., opened to the public on September 20, 2025. The property, donated in 2022 by longtime resident Diane “Dedee” O’Neil, is the largest single gift of land in the district’s 60-year history.
To coincide with the preserve’s opening, the park district and its nonprofit partner, Friends of Medina County Parks, Inc., announced the creation of the Rivendell Nature Preserve Fund. A gift of $500,000 has been pledged to create the new fund which will be managed by the Cleveland Foundation on behalf of Friends. The revenue generated may be used by the park district only at Rivendell Nature Preserve for nature programming, general maintenance, and facility improvements.
The first phase of development features a parking area, picnic shelter, nearly one mile of an ADA-accessible gravel trail, fishing platforms, and an overlook of Camel Creek. These amenities were made possible through partnerships with local businesses and community organizations, including Friends of Medina County Parks, Westfield Insurance Foundation, Lodi Lumber, and Strong Construction.
Two ADA-compliant fishing platforms now extend over the pond, complemented by additional access points designed with natural stone to reflect the preserve’s rural character. (Fishing at Rivendell is catch-and-release only.) A mowed path circles the pond, providing convenient access for anglers. Funding for the platforms was provided by the Friends of Medina County Parks and the Michael Bennett Memorial Fund, while flower beds of native plants near the shelter were created by O’Neil using plants she propagated in her own greenhouse.
When donating the property, O’Neil chose the name Rivendell Nature Preserve, inspired by the sanctuary described in J.R.R. Tolkien’s works. The name reflects both the natural beauty of the land and its role as a place of peace and discovery for the community. O’Neil has referred to the property as Rivendell since the late 1960s.
The preserve protects diverse natural resources, including meadows, woodlands, and more. This gift ensures the long-term conservation of an ecologically significant landscape and the plants and wildlife it supports. Future plans call for the addition of more hiking trails designed with input from O’Neil.
Rivendell Nature Preserve highlights the park district’s long tradition of community collaboration and generosity. Those interested in supporting preservation efforts—including the Rivendell Nature Preserve Fund—and other projects can contact Development Coordinator Natalie Peacock at (330) 722-9364.