Home Care In Litchfield, OH

LITCHFIELD TOWNSHIP, Ohio — A transformation is taking place in Medina County where a former soybean field has become a wilderness filled with wetlands.

The new Litchfield Wetlands Nature Preserve on Avon Lake Road will open to the public next week. A ribbon-cutting ceremony is scheduled for June 6 at 10:30 a.m.

The $1.2 million project was funded by a $900,000 grant from the H2Ohio initiative through the Ohio Department of Natural Resources and $300,000 from the Medina County Park District.

The 145-acre Litchfield Township site near the Lorain County border includes 80 acres of restored and enhanced wetlands which will treat surface runoff and reduce sediment and nutrients before they can flow into Lake Erie.

"There aren't nearly as many wetlands in Ohio as there once were and protecting them is of the utmost importance because wetlands are our filters, nature's filters, and they protect water quality and we all need water to live," said Nate Eppink, director of Medina County Park District.

The preserve also includes about 2 miles of crushed limestone loop trials and observation platforms for visitors. An Osprey perch was also constructed on a pole.

"We peppered the site with these little opportunities, these habitat opportunities," said Christina Znidarsic, the project manager with Davey Resource Group.

While the planting and digging will remain an ongoing effort, project organizers are already noting the wildlife finding the preserve, including ducks, other birds, frogs and dragonflies.

"I think you're gonna see a ton of different species of birds and ducks. I think naturally some fish will move in," said Mark Szakacs with Mark's Construction.

His team constructed the wetlands, trails and other features throughout the preserve.

"It's in my neighborhood. I live in York Township so this is really cool to be part of something for our community," Szakacs said.

While the preserve is mostly in the open sun, that will change over time when the area becomes more forested. More than 15,000 plants, shrubs and trees have been or will be planted.

"We have oaks, maples, so pretty big canopy trees, ranging down to mid-sized shrubs," Znidarsic said.

Znidarsic said the restoration combines a mosaic of habitats with a pleasurable experience for the public, citing the observations decks among the highlights.

"We positioned these in a way that they can really take in some of the nice vistas. You get that nice view down into that wetland complex," she said.

This marks the eighth nature preserve in Medina County and the first in Litchfield Township.

"This will be great for the public to come and walk and run and bird watch and enjoy, but it'll be a great place for our wildlife too."

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The Medina County Park District is using state funding to create a new nature preserve in Litchfield Township.

The park district recently received $900,000 from the Ohio Department of Natural Resources, as part of the H2Ohio initiative, to restore 145 acres in Litchfield Township.

The park district plans to open the site as the Litchfield Wetlands Nature Preserve by the end of 2022. The property is located in the central basin of Lake Erie, with water flowing north to the lake.

The park district said restoring the property will reduce nitrogen and phosphorous loading in the watershed, which can contribute to harmful algal blooms — an issue that has plagued Lake Erie in recent years. The project will also see the creation of more than 60 acres of wetlands and the introduction of native plants, according to the park district.

“I'm looking forward to establishing a nature preserve in an area without a Medina County Park District presence," said Medina County Park District Director Nate Eppink. "After chasing a number of funding opportunities to restore this property over the past decade, we are grateful to receive such significant support through the H2Ohio initiative.”

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Governor Mike DeWine launched H2Ohio in 2019 as a collaborative water quality effort to provide clean and safe water to Ohio.

The park district purchased the land in 2009 with Clean Ohio funding (Clean Ohio grants are administered by the Ohio Public Works Commission).

There isn't currently any public access to the site, as it's been farmed under an annual land management agreement to keep invasive plants from taking root, said the park district, which will budget $300,000 of its own money for public access improvements, including parking, restrooms and trail surfacing.

Medina County Park District Planning and Operations Manager Isaac Smith said he anticipates more than 1.5 miles of trails once the site is built.

This is the second award the park district has received from H2Ohio; it also received $1.52 million to restore three sites near Chippewa Lake, in Lafayette and Westfield townships.

One of those sites, a 7.5-acre parcel along the Chippewa outlet located off Kennard Road, will be completed next year. The district will also add parking and a kayak launch at the site.

The new 80-acre project will prevent nutrients that cause algal blooms from running into the river.

LITCHFIELD, Ohio – The Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR) and Medina County Parks today celebrated the completion of the new Litchfield Wetland Restoration Project.

The project, which is part of Governor Mike DeWine’s H2Ohio Initiative, transformed a formerly farmed land into 80 acres of wetland. The wetland will filter out the nutrients that cause algal blooms before they flow into the Black River in Medina County.

“Ensuring Ohio’s waters are clean and safe is among our top priorities, and the creation of these wetlands plays a huge role in achieving that goal,” Gov. DeWine said. “A healthier Black River means a healthier Lake Erie.”

The new wetland also features an ADA-accessible trail that runs 1.7 miles as well as a 200-foot-long boardwalk.

“This area will not only help in the fight for cleaner water, but it also offers a place for people to take a stroll, spot some birds, and enjoy the great outdoors,” ODNR Director Mary Mertz said. “This wetland is a gem for the community and provides another accessible path through Ohio’s natural wonders.”

The wetland is located along the East Branch of the Black River, which is 45 miles long and ultimately empties into the Lake Erie central basin.

ODNR awarded $900,000 to the Medina County Park District as part of the H2Ohio Initiative to restore the site. The park district then budgeted $300,000 in capital improvement funds to work on public access amenities.

“This project was possible because of the Ohio Department of Natural Resources and the H2Ohio program,” MCPD Director Nathan Eppink said. “We’re excited to unveil this new area that will benefit the community and wildlife.”

Governor Mike DeWine created H2Ohio in 2019 as a comprehensive, data-driven approach to combatting algal blooms, enhancing water quality, and improving water infrastructure over the long term. H2Ohio operates in partnership between the Ohio Department of Natural Resources, Ohio Department of Agriculture, Ohio Environmental Protection Agency, and the Ohio Lake Erie Commission. The initiative focuses on encouraging agricultural best management practices, restoring and enhancing wetlands, upgrading outdated water infrastructure, and replacing lead pipes. For more information on the H2Ohio initiative, please visit h2.ohio.gov.

ODNR ensures a balance between wise use and protection of our natural resources for the benefit of all. Visit the ODNR website at ohiodnr.gov.

LITCHFIELD — A recent cold and rainy day found Rachel O’Mara behind the counter of her Route 202 store, Rachel’s Quality Consignment. A customer added to a growing pile of purchases on the octagon-shaped counter, the nerve center of the spacious store.

The phone rang, with customers checking in on their items. Meanwhile, O’Mara continued her constant task: sorting consignments, fitting them on hangers, and hanging them on a rack.

O’Mara said the store is 27 years in business, and she has owned it for 20. She began as an assistant there when she was in high school. When the owner was ready to sell, she decided to take it over. She added her name to “Quality Consignment” and ran it on her own.

She later moved from a strip of retail spaces next door to Patty’s Restaurant to a free-standing building less than a quarter-mile away. Her husband, Marc, renovated the interior, creating a bright retail space with large windows and plenty of custom wood shelving.

The larger area allowed O’Mara to expand her inventory, and it is now a designer bargain-hunter heaven, with brands ranging from Hermes to Coach, Betsey Johnson to Chicos, and everything between. Along with a wide variety of clothing and shoes for women, men and children, Rachel’s has an impressive collection of handbags, jewelry, watches, small houseware items, collectibles and scarves. The store’s interior displays and decorative front windows change with the seasons and the trends.

“I like to think of Rachel’s as a place where you can get good quality — great quality, at TJ Maxx prices,” she said. “I’m picky about what I take in. If it’s worn out or stained, I’m not selling it. Most of the things in here are new or nearly new. Often they’ve never even been worn.

“I love the idea of repurposing everything,” she said. “Everything here is consigned. I have customers from Litchfield, Bethlehem, Goshen, Kent. ... And then I have weekenders, who are from New York. They all like shopping here and consigning here.”

Last spring, O’Mara had prom dresses hanging in her display windows. When asked what was trending and popular this year, she said it wasn’t prom or wedding attire.

“No high heels, either — I’m not taking those in right now,” she said. “Nobody’s going to work, they’re all at home, so they’re not dressing up at all. There are no big weddings this year, either.”

What’s popular is gear for hiking and other outdoor activities, and more casual clothing. “People are looking for things from Patagonia, for example,” she said.

When the state shut down all nonessential businesses in March 2020, O’Mara was closed until June. When she returned to work, it was summer, and she had a store full of winter clothing.

“I took everything and put it outside in 25 garbage bags, and put up a sign that said ‘Free,’ and it was gone,” O’Mara said. “That’s what I do with the things I haven’t sold. I leave them out for people in need, and someone always takes them.”

When she reopened, people were worried about coming inside because of COVID-19.

“It was unsettling to see people so worried,” O’Mara said “I even had a customer who wanted curbside pickup, and I’d go out to her car with something she wanted so she didn’t have to come inside. I also opened early for another customer, so she didn’t have to be around people. But it’s calmed down since then. Lots more people are coming in, but it’s still slow.”

She has taken care to clean her counters, dressing rooms, door handles and other public spaces in the store frequently during the day. “I also spray the clothes with disinfectant,” she said.

The consignment store may be spacious, but it’s full of things to look over. The main room is dedicated to women, from the displays of pretty spring and summer tops to shorts and capris, jeans, jackets and sweaters in every color and type of fabric. Collections of shoes start on the floor in the main area, and lead shoppers into the men and children’s room in the back. That space is also filled with clothing and accessories for kids and babies, with the men’s collection of pants, shirts, jackets, sweaters and shoes displayed along an entire wall.

O’Mara is hoping for a busy spring and summer season. “I am meeting a lot of new customers, many from New York,” she said.

Her children, ages 14, 12 and 10, are in various stages of school. “Litchfield Middle School is closed right now, but Litchfield High School is open. It’s hard to keep up sometimes because it’s inconsistent. I did Facetime with my daughter the other day, helping her make a grilled cheese sandwich while I was at work.”

Overall, O’Mara is happy that things are getting back to a routine again.

“I enjoy being open. I love seeing people every day, she said. “I know a lot of people are still working from home, but I need a purpose to get dressed up and go.”

To reach Rachel’s Quality Consignment, call 860-567-5656, or visit www.rachelsconsignment.com or on Facebook.

March 21, 2021

Emily M. Olson is the community editor for the Torrington Register Citizen, the New Haven Register and the Middletown Press.

She is a 1997 graduate of Western Connecticut State University with a degree in English and a minor in journalism.

She started her career at the Patent Trader newspaper in Westchester County in 1998. After a brief period as a reporter with the Register Citizen in 1999, she joined the former Housatonic Publications group as a reporter. She was managing editor of the former Litchfield Enquirer and helped run the weekly newspapers at Housatonic and the Litchfield County Times. She returned to the Register Citizen in 2009.

Because a Medina County “event barn” mandated the purchase of wine made on its property as a condition for renting the barn, a township cannot prohibit the venue from operating in a residential district, the Ohio Supreme Court ruled today.

In a unanimous decision, the Supreme Court found that the Litchfield Township trustees could not bar Forever Blueberry Barn from hosting weddings and other events even though the property is located in an area the township zoned as residential. Writing for the Court, Justice Melody J. Stewart stated Blueberry Barn proved that the primary use of the barn, and the events held there, are to facilitate the sale of its wine, which exempts the property from local zoning rules.

Township Sought to Block Event Space Blueberry Barn is located on land zoned residential in Litchfield Township. Believing the barn’s purpose is for “barn weddings” and social gatherings, the Litchfield trustees asked the Medina County Common Pleas Court to issue an injunction preventing Blueberry Barn from hosting events.

The trial court initially granted the injunction, but lifted it after Blueberry Barn reported it had grown grapevines on the land and planned to sell wine from its grapes as a condition for renting the barn. Citing R.C. 519.21(A), the court found the property met the exemption under the law that prevents townships from prohibiting the use of buildings for vinting, or making, and selling wine on property as long as the property also cultivates grapes for winemaking

The township appealed the decision to the Ninth District Court of Appeals. The Ninth District ruled the trial court failed to prove whether the barn, as opposed to the land on which it is located, was being used “primarily for the purpose of vinting and selling wine.” It reversed the trial court’s decision and remanded the case for further proceedings.

After a hearing, the trial court determined that Blueberry Barn produced wine and stored it in the barn along with equipment to produce wine. It found that because the ability to rent the barn is dependent upon the purchase of Blueberry Barn’s wine, the court found the primary use was for vinting and selling wine. It ruled the township could not prevent its operation.

Litchfield appealed again, and in a 2-1 decision, the Ninth District affirmed the trial court’s decision. The dissenting judge maintained the evidence indicated Blueberry Barn exists “primarily as an event venue.”

Litchfield appealed the decision to the Supreme Court, which agreed to hear the case.

Court Examines Law Regarding Property Use The Court’s opinion notes R.C. 519.02 to 519.25 bars townships from prohibiting the use of any land for agricultural purposes, including buildings and structures that are used primarily for vinting and selling wine and that are located on land in which part of the land is used for grape-growing.

Justice Stewart explained that in the 2011 Terry v. Sperry decision, the Court found that viticulture did not have to be the primary use of the property to be exempt from township zoning, and even the growing of one vine could qualify. The Terry decision also indicated that to be exempt from zoning, the property had to be used for agricultural purposes and the buildings on the property must be “incident to the agricultural use of the land."

While Terry was about the use of the land, the opinion noted, in this case the township does not dispute the use of the land, but the use of the buildings. The Court stated it had to determine if the barn itself is used primarily for the vinting and selling of wine to qualify for a zoning exemption.

The Court stated the law does not define the word “primary” and ruled that whether a structure is used primarily for vinting and selling wine is a question of fact that must be proven by a preponderance of evidence.

Barn’s Primary Use Debated The township argued that only 4 percent of the barn’s overall space was used for vinting and selling wine. However, the opinion stated the amount of time or space dedicated to a building’s use does not always control its “primary” use.

“Suppose that Ohio Stadium hosts 20 events on a yearly basis, but only 7 of those events are home games for The Ohio State University football team. It would be difficult to argue that under that scenario the primary use of Ohio Stadium is something other than football,” the opinion stated.

Because the trial court found renters of the barn would be required to purchase Blueberry Barn’s wine, the court could reasonably determine the barn proved its primary use is for wine sales, which makes it exempt from township zoning, the Court concluded.

2019-0418. Litchfield Twp. Bd. of Trustees v. Forever Blueberry Barn LLC, Slip Opinion No. 2020-Ohio-1508.

View oral argument video of this case.

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