LIBERTY — Township trustees are continuing beautification efforts by restoring the lower section of Little Squaw Creek in Churchill Park.

“We’re working with a Davey Resources Group, and we’re working with the Ohio Public Works Commission and also Eastgate Regional Council of Governments to put together an application for funding for the Clean Ohio Stream Conservation Fund,” said Jeff Smith with CT Consultants.

“Also, we need to start the permitting effort with the Army Corps of Engineers because it is a stream of the U.S. or waters of the U.S. And before they grant any funds, we need to make sure that it’s something that is allowable through the Corps of Engineers.”

The grant would be 75 percent and 25 percent local share. Smith recommends the township apply for a $200,000 grant, with the township being responsible for $50,000 of that.

The trustees approved going forward with phases two and three of this process, costing the township $16,900 from the general fund to cover the application cost.

The grant will focus on the lower part of the stream because this portion can be completed quickly and because it is entirely within township limits. The upper portion, in between a storage area and the cemetery, is private property.

“If it’s approved, what we’re looking to do is basically between the pedestrian bridge and the railway bridge through the park. And part of what we’re doing is we’re adding some vegetation, taking out some of the invasive species and then also kind of tweaking the floor of the stream,” Smith said.

“That way it’ll kind of slow down the flows, also capture some of the sediment and raise the bed back up to where it was before, and also creating a basically a retention into its original floodplain at the park.”

This project will not only clean up the stream, it will be also be available to the school district for educational use.

“This is done for ecological reasons but it’s also it’s necessary to preserve the integrity the park. As that stream deteriorates more and more, it will cut into the road bed and that won’t work too well,” said Trustee Arnie Clebone.

The deadline for the application is Jan. 10, 2020, and the township will be notified if it has receive the grant in the spring.

bshiller@tribtoday.com