Like most things in nature, the Portage Park District continues to grow in ways large and small since the district was created in 1991 as an independent political subdivision with countywide jurisdiction. A comprehensive master plan for managing that growth was developed in 1996 but now need to be updated. 

You can learn more about the new master plan and how the park district has progressed over the past 24 years when Portage Park District Executive Director Christine Craycroft (center in photo) and two members of her staff, Public Engagement Manager Andrea Metzler (left in photo) and Education Program Coordinator Jennifer White (right in photo) speak at the LWVK All Member Meeting on November 17 at 7 p.m. on Zoom. The trio will discuss exciting park district developments and the progress of the new master plan, and you will have a chance to say what you think should be in the new plan.

You also will learn about the significant progress park district has made since the passage of a League-supported levy in 2014. After many years of struggling with minimal budgets, the passage of the levy enabled the park district to address long-delayed maintenance needs, open new parks and acquire additional land to preserve for future generations. Most recently, the district celebrated the opening of Trail Lake Park, a 222-acre park with a 30-acre lake off Ravenna Road in Streetsboro.

Since 1965, the League has maintained a local position in support of park and recreation facilities and programming in Kent and Portage County since 1965. The position has been updated three times since then in 1968, 1985 and 2006.