NEWARK − The marathon case of Moundbuilders Country Club versus Ohio History Connection has apparently hit another delay.
Moundbuilders has appealed a 5th District Court of Appeals decision to the Ohio Supreme Court and is seeking a delay to the jury trial to determine the value of the country club’s lease on the property, scheduled for Feb. 20 in Licking County Common Pleas Court.
The Ohio Supreme Court ruled in December 2022 the Ohio History Connection could take Moundbuilders Country Club by eminent domain and transform the golf course property, which includes the Newark Earthworks’ Octagon Mounds, into a public park. The remaining issue is how much Ohio History Connection must pay Moundbuilders for the property.
The Octagon Earthworks, part of an eight-site Ohio grouping called Hopewell Ceremonial Earthworks, received the coveted designation of a World Heritage site Sept. 19 at the UNESCO World Heritage Committee meeting in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
The World Heritage designation puts Newark Earthworks in the same category as Yellowstone National Park, the Taj Mahal, the Great Wall of China and the Acropolis.