By Jeremy Brown

Major improvements are underway to revitalize Twinsburg Township Square, from restructuring the layout of the sidewalks to create an interactive space to replacing the outdated electrical system.  

The township began the project in April and plans to finish in early 2026. As a result, there won’t be a lighting ceremony and holiday celebration on the square this year, but the city’s Parks and Recreation Department has organized The FrostBright Twinsburg Parade of Lights and Festival, scheduled for Nov. 22. 

The township square renovation project was funded by the township general fund, the majority of which comes from the joint economic development district revenues. 

Besides planting trees and basic maintenance, there haven’t been any major improvements done to the square since the stage was installed about 50 years ago. 

Twinsburg Township Manager Rob Kagler said there were several major issues on the square that required attention, including steep, cracked, inadequate steps on the stage, heaving sidewalks, unmarked entrances and a drainage problem that led to pooling. The irrigation system and the electrical system were a hodge podge of patchwork that needed to be replaced, as well.

OHM Advisors of Columbus designed the new layout of the square with several factors in mind. One was accessibility to the memorials, which will be approachable through paved walkways that lead to a circular central lawn that faces the stage.

The new layout required that some of the memorials be relocated. The main Civil War Monument hasn’t changed its location, but it will now be more user-friendly. 

“So, before, the Civil War memorial, which is the big one, you literally couldn’t get up there with a wheelchair, or if you did have accessibility, it would be a little more challenging. So, now we’ve added pavers to that area, created a ramp on one side, staircases on the other, in order to make sure it is a little bit easier to get to,” OHM Senior Project Manager Jeremy Hinte said.

The slope of the square is somewhat steep, so the paved walkways were designed to meander through the square, allowing for a gradual ascent. 

“Another way we were able to work with the grade was we created a tiered seating wall on the one side of the great lawn area, which faces the stage, so now the stage has a little bit more presence,” Hinte said.

The tiered seating wall was made using blocks of sandstone, a variety of sedimentary rock that was chosen by planners as a tribute to the history of sandstone in the region; examples can be seen in the construction of the square’s Civil War Monument, as well as many historic buildings in the area, such as the Freeman Carriage Barn. It also can be seen in its naturally occurring form as ledges at Twinsburg's Liberty Park.  

Also included in the new design are several round concrete pads where picnic tables will sit, which will allow picnickers to avoid muddy conditions, and will also allow for the landscapers to mow without having to move picnic tables. The picnic areas are also located under trees for shade.

At each corner of the square, there are what Hinte calls pedestrian nodes, where decorative pavement creates a threshold into the space.

There are additional seating areas on the west side of the square, away from the hustle and bustle of Ravenna Road and Darrow Road, as well as a spacious parking area where vendors can set up during events and another parking area on the north side of the square. 

“I think the more we can create programmable spaces where we could host events, that’s what’s going to make it more enticing,” Hinte said. “The other thing is creating all these different opportunities for people just to sit. A lot of the pedestrian focus is purposely on the western side of the square, because it’s quieter. The further east you go, you’re closer to 91, and that’s pretty loud. The further south you go, you’re right next to 82, and that’s pretty loud, so we are trying to keep people up on the hillside and up on the west side to make it a more comfortable place to be.”   

In 2024, the city and the township hosted Winter Wonderland, a holiday celebration that began with the lighting of City Hall, followed by a parade that ended at Township Square. With the renovation of the square, this year’s celebration has been organized solely by the Twinsburg Parks and Recreation Department as the Frostbright Parade of Lights. 

The event kicks off at Twinsburg Water Park at 10260 Ravenna Rd. and will feature decorated vehicles.

“Santa will be in the last vehicle with the mayor and the township trustees. Santa will wave on the parade route, say a quick hello from the stage right after the parade and then he’ll make a quick exit to get back to the North Pole,” said Parks & Recreation Director Jennifer Betenson.

Once the parade makes its way to City Hall, the mayor will flip a switch and turn on the holiday lighting; then the festivities begin. There will be food trucks, life-size Candy Land and a drone show.