Great Parks has a new digital platform that lets residents offer feedback on a 25-mile trail it plans to build along the Great Miami River in western Hamilton County.
The “virtual open house” features details about the proposed north-to-south alignment of the share-used path as well as information about the yearlong planning process to date. Visitors can choose to respond to an interactive survey or submit suggestions and questions to the Great Parks planning team.
Those who aren’t as digitally inclined can also share their thoughts via email (planningdesign@greatparks.org) or by mailing a letter to “Great Parks at 10245 Winton Road, Cincinnati, OH 45231.” Individuals with disabilities needing reasonable accommodations to participate in the open house should contact Great Parks at (513) 521-7275, Voice/TDD.
The Virtual Open House will remain open through Sept. 1 at GreatParks.org/WestRegionTrails.
“The community prioritized building more trails through the development of our Comprehensive Master Plan, and Great Parks is working to honor that priority,” said Todd Palmeter, Great Parks CEO.
“We appreciate the highly productive dialogue we’ve enjoyed over the past year with local residents, municipal leaders, businesses, interest groups and other stakeholders to hear their vision for the trail, including its route and features,” he continued. “Now that we can share a proposed alignment, we’re eager to continue these discussions to move closer to a final plan for the trail.”
Creating new opportunities for Western Hamilton County
As planned, the not-yet-named trail will begin near the Hamilton County-Butler County border near Fairfield. It will follow the Great Miami River corridor south to the Ohio River, connecting to three Great Parks sites – Miami Whitewater Forest, Mitchell Memorial Forest and Shawnee Lookout. The path will also extend the existing 99-mile Great Miami River Trail, traveling south through Dayton, to connect with the proposed Ohio River Trail and other regional trail networks.
The virtual open house site highlights all eight of the proposed trail segments.
Great Parks considers this trail as a central element of its West Region Blueway & Trail System, which will also include new watercraft launch sites along the Great Miami and Whitewater rivers.
Beyond recreational opportunities, this new trail will also establish new transportation links between several communities and points of interest along the way. As such, Great Parks plans to construct a number of trailheads to allow users of all ages and abilities to choose rides that vary in length and destination.
Great Plans envisions this as a paved trail that will generally be set apart from roadways. In cases where that’s not possible, there will be either structural or green barriers to protect trail users from vehicular traffic, Palmeter said.
The public input process began more than a year ago. Palmeter noted being energized by “enthusiasm and excitement” for the trail so far. He views the Virtual Open House as helping to take those efforts to the next level.
“We’re looking forward to working with them in the upcoming years to bring this trail from concept to reality,” Palmeter said.
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