CHAUNCEY, Ohio — The Outdoor Recreation Council of Appalachia has finalized designs of a visitor’s center for the Baileys Trail System in Chauncey.
ORCA plans to start and complete construction this year.
“I don’t know that that’s going to be possible, but it’s still the goal,” ORCA Executive Director Jessie Powers told the Independent.
In 2022, ORCA received $3 million in grant funding for design and construction of the center from the Ohio Department of Natural Resources, through its Abandoned Mine Land for Economic Revitalization program. The Baileys Trail System park in Chauncey was eligible for the grant as the location was formerly the site of a coal mine, which closed in 1952.
Totaling just under 5,000 square feet, the visitor center will be a multipurpose space, housing both upkeep facilities for the trail as well as leased space for commercial tenants. ORCA envisions a campground nestled around the visitor center, with campground roads and trails connecting the visitor center to existing trails.
Per the grant language, ORCA and the Village of Chauncey must hold a public solicitation process to procure possible tenants.
According to a grant agreement obtained by the Independent, the visitor center will be located off West Bailey Road.
The project has yet to go out to bid to contractors. The bidding process is now expected to begin mid-April, said Chauncey Mayor and ORCA board member Frank Campbell.
The bidding process has been delayed due to internal differences between ORCA and the village over ownership and how the building should be used following construction, Campbell told the Independent.
The official grant language states that ORCA will own the building after it is constructed, though the village and ORCA reached an informal, tentative agreement that the Village of Chauncey will own the building, according to Campbell.
“The way the grant was always written was that [ORCA owning the building] is the tentative plan, and as leadership changes and council’s wishes may change, we will be working with them to find a solution that’s within the grant compliance and guidelines,” Powers told the Independent.
Campbell took over as village mayor in January.
“It’s on our land, it probably should be our building, because it can be a major conflict of interest if it isn’t,” Campbell said at Chauncey’s February village council meeting. “[ORCA has] interest in it, we have interest in it. … I don’t know that we want to leave them behind after they’ve done all the work, but I think it needs to be able to benefit us to help us maintain the park.”
Powers proposed the idea of a brewery at the welcome center during the meeting, which drew pushback from council president Karla Dellinger and council member Joe Jenne.
“In my opinion, I don’t think we want an alcoholic venue associated with the park,” Dellinger said.
“The issue with alcohol, to my knowledge, is that it’s illegal to both ride a bicycle drunk as well as a car,” Jenne said.
“We want something that is good for our village, but upholds the values of our community also,” Campbell told the Independent.
ORCA is still looking to secure additional funding for the visitor center, which has also delayed construction, according to Powers.
Though tenants have yet to be selected, ORCA and the Village hope to find tenants “willing to offer food and beverages at the trailhead… the first kind of sit-down restaurant in the village,” according to Powers.
Dani Kington contributed reporting to this story.
