WESTERVILLE, OH (AP) — Gov. John Kasich has announced that Ohio is getting a new state park, one of the largest in its history.
The term-limited Republican said during his final State of the State address on Tuesday in his hometown of Westerville that he will name the park after Jesse Owens, “that great Ohioan who stood up to Hitler and came home with a gold medal.”
The Ohio Department of Natural Resources struck a deal with American Electric Power in August to purchase a major portion of a 60,000-acre parcel owned by AEP in eastern Ohio, known as ReCreation Land.
The land spans parts of Guernsey, Morgan, Muskingum and Noble counties. A portion to begin with would be used for a wide range of outdoor recreational opportunities including hunting and fishing.