Gale Garden, a green space that’s a part of the Mission Oaks Gardens, is seeing improvements for accessibility and preservation.

“Gale Gardens is kind of like one of the best kept secrets here in Zanesville,” Russell Edgington, Executive Director of the Muskingum Valley Park District, said.

To make the garden more accessible to driving visitors, the Park District has completed a paved parking lot that can be accessed off of Adair Avenue. Gale Garden is located at 1037 Charles St., but the parking lot backs up to the far-left corner from the entrance of the garden.

In addition to the parking lot, the Park District is installing an industrial grade aluminum ornamental fence around the garden to confine the space.

Edgington said the fencing is to serve the purpose of keeping out wild friends more so than anything else.

“Even though we’re in the city, we have a pretty big problem with white-tail deer,” Edgington said. “So, the fencing will keep the deer out and allow the kids and families in.”

These additions will be completed by the end of fall.

Edgington also updated the Muskingum County Commissioners on a few other projects that the Park District has been working on during a meeting Thursday morning.

Phase one of the Joe’s Run Trail, from Blue Avenue to Adams Circle, has been completed despite a slight setback earlier in the summer when a contractor struck a pipe, causing a massive gas leak. Phase two of the project, from Adams Circle to Ohio University Zanesville Campus, is the next portion of the project.

Additionally, the Muskingum Valley Park District officially purchased the Westview Elementary School property to repurpose the land for a park.

Also view: Former Westview Elementary School property to become park