NEWS RELEASE
October 1, 1999
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
STARK COUNTY TRAIL & GREENWAY, AREA LANDSCAPE ARCHITECTS HONORED WITH NATIONAL AWARD
The American Society of Landscape Architects (ASLA) awarded the Stark County Trail & Greenway Plan an Award of Merit at its centennial meeting in Boston, Massachusetts.
The plan, prepared for the Stark County Park District by Environmental Design Group, Inc. (EDG) of Akron, Ohio, in association with Schmidt Copeland Parker Stevens (SCPS) of Cleveland, Ohio, provides for a comprehensive trail system linking historical, cultural and recreational facilities throughout Stark County, Ohio.
An ambitious plan for this primarily rural county, the Stark County Trail & Greenway Plan creates an open space legacy for generations to come. Recognized for its grass-roots based planning efforts to preserve and integrate its greenways, the Plan links both natural and cultural resources with the Ohio & Erie Canal Corridor. A historic transportation route through this area, the Ohio & Erie Canal extends in a north-south direction through the western third of Stark County, along the floodplain of the Tuscarawas River. Using the Canal Corridor as the Plan's spine, additional routes were proposed that would traverse the county and connect to significant features. These routes would serve as recreational trails and as a catalyst for economic development, as well as to maintain a link with Stark County's rich past.
The Plan and Summary Report contain an overall map of Stark County showing trail routes and greenways, photographs, guidelines for implementation, possible funding sources and a series of nearly two hundred maps showing trail routes in greater detail. These materials focus on enhancing tourism and community development, while protecting sensitive lands and offering recreational trails between communities.
Citizen input played an important role in the design process. Public meetings and workshops were held throughout the project to accept comments, suggestions, and concerns from citizens. Said Dennis Mersky, First Vice President and Director of Landscape Architecture at EDG:
	"We felt it was important to meet with the community on its own turf to get the best input possible. By meeting in each community at different points of the planning process, we were able to reach people who might not attend a more centralized process. It also made people feel that they were more integral to the process by seeking their input about community goals and aspirations before any plans were developed, and by being responsive to their concerns at each step along the way."
The ASLA professional awards program seeks to raise the standard of practice by recognizing the best work in landscape architecture. Awards are granted for Excellence, Honor, and Merit in four categories: Design, Planning and Urban Design, Research and Communications. The Stark County Trail & Greenway Plan was one of only 50 entries selected out of hundreds of nominations to receive this honor.
"This award is proof that the Plan is a win, win situation for Stark County", said Patty Stevens, SCPS, Principal of Environmental Planning and Design. "The community will receive an outstanding recreational area, while enabling the County to guide future development in the area and maintain the rural atmosphere that Stark County is known for."
BACKGROUND
The Stark County Trail & Greenway Plan is one of four projects that Environmental Design Group, Inc. and Schmidt Copeland Parker Stevens have collaborated on in the Akron area. Other Trail and Greenway projects include: the Summit County Trail and Greenway Plan, Barberton Canal Corridor Master Plan, and the Valleyview Bicycle & Pedestrian Trail.
Environmental Design Group, Inc. is a professional service consulting firm practicing in the fields of Engineering, Landscape Architecture, Surveying, and the Environmental Sciences. Their licensed professionals are complemented by an experienced scientific and technical support staff, including individuals trained in the natural and applied sciences, surveying, design, and construction technology. This diversity of expertise allows them to offer a broad range of services tailored to the specific needs of the client. Headquartered in Akron, Ohio, Environmental Design Group, Inc. maintains two branch offices, one in Columbus, Ohio and the other in Charleston, West Virginia. The firm's production departments of Civil Engineering, Landscape Architecture, Surveying and Transportation Engineering are led by principals with professional careers spanning the past quarter century. EDG's core philosophy is "to think of human civilization as an integral part of the natural world and that nature must be preserved and perpetuated if society is to sustain itself indefinitely." To this end, Environmental Design Group assists its clients in applying sustainability principles to their projects.
Schmidt Copeland Parker Stevens is a professional consulting firm composed of architects, landscape architects, and environmental planners. Based in Cleveland, Ohio they have extended their services to over 300 public and private service organizations across the United States. For over 25 years they have been providing creative solutions to the environmental concerns raised when people use the natural environment for leisure, recreational and educational purposes. They specialize in comprehensive planning and design services in the areas of Parks and Recreation, Open Space Planning, Urban Design, Camp Master Planning and Facility Design, Conference and Education Centers, Housing and Historic Preservation. They design places of recreation and education that build community, respect the environment, and enrich the individual.