Economic development is coming to Mill Creek Metroparks this year, from projects to infrastructure.

It's all in an effort to make the park's operations more efficient and improve their overall quality.

"We'll be tackling East Glacier drive, the Slippery Rock bridge is a major project that we're undertaking this year that was funded at 80 percent by a federal grant," Justin Rogers, director of planning and operations at Mill Creek Metroparks said.

There's a lot of movement going on around Mill Creek Metroparks in terms of improving roads and bridges.

"We'll be addressing the infrastructure of the bridge itself, the abutments, piers, decks, sidewalks, railing and making it more accessible and safer," Rogers said.

At the first meeting of the year, the metroparks board was presented with the 2026 capital improvement project that looks to add to what Mill Creek Metroparks already has to offer. They're constructing a new service center and children's garden at Fellows Riverside Gardens.

"It will be almost an acre worth of activities for children to experience horticulture and veggie garden areas and learn and appreciate what's offered in the natural community," Rogers said.

A new lodge at Vickers Nature Preserve is also coming down the pipeline.

"The Vicker's Lodge is going to be consistent with a lot of our other facilities where it'll be available for private rentals for equestrian programs or events out at Vickers and certainly metroparks programming where if we have hikes or other educational programs we can host it out of that facility," he said.

More than $1.3 million has been budgeted toward Fellows Riverside Garden improvements including irrigation and signage improvements and cafe interior upgrades among other things.

There is $20,000 budgeted for Collier Preserve habitat improvements, $10,500 for Lanterman's Mill infrastructure upgrades and deck improvements and $5,000 to Vicker's lodge to name a few.

Rogers said the goal is for all 2026 capital improvements to wrap up by the end of the year, "ideally toward the beginning of fall."