Great Parks to receive $1.25M from state for new Westwood park

Great Parks announced it will receive $1.25 million from the state of Ohio biennial capital budget for construction of its newest park in Westwood. Funds will be administered by the Ohio Department of Natural Resources and applied toward development of the park under the master plan created in collaboration with community residents. The plan includes trails, boardwalks, playscapes, a greenhouse, accessible treehouse and other amenities.

Great Parks CEO Todd Palmeter extended his appreciation to state and local entities for their support of the park: Governor Mike DeWine, Ohio legislators, leaders from Hamilton County and the city of Cincinnati, the Cincinnati Business Committee/Cincinnati Regional Business Committee Capital Budget Prioritization Task Force and the Cincinnati USA Regional Chamber.

“We are grateful for this broad support of the new Great Park in Westwood – a true urban oasis inside the City of Cincinnati that has strong backing from the community,” Palmeter said. 

Completion of the entire master plan for the park may take up to seven years, at a cost of over $18 million. Among the various factors considered by the task force in recommending the project for funding was Great Parks’ ability to leverage other public and private funding commitments toward development of the park.

“Securing this state funding for the park is the latest example of how we are using public and private dollars together to achieve the public’s vision for the future of Great Parks,” Palmeter added.

This is the second major funding announcement from diversified sources in recent weeks, following a $3 million gift from The Farmer Family Foundation to Great Parks Forever, the philanthropic partner of Great Parks. The gift could lead to a total of $7 million in support if Great Parks Forever is able to raise $2 million in community donations to secure an additional $2 million in matching funds from the foundation.

Great Parks acquired the Westwood property in 2021 by securing a Clean Ohio Conservation grant for 75% of the appraised value of the land, while also receiving a 25% match through a partial donation of the value from the previous owner, the Greenacres Foundation. The public engagement process for the master plan was supported by a grant from the Greater Cincinnati Foundation. 

The park has been open to pedestrians since April 2022.