Great Parks of Hamilton County is in the middle of an 18-month process to draft its first-ever comprehensive master plan, and it wants to hear your ideas and feedback.
The parks district is holding four open-house style workshops in May to gather suggestions.
Chief of Planning Todd Palmeter calls it a "high-level, big picture approach" that will direct the park district for the next 10 years. "It's very big," he says. "We're looking at all 17,500 acres, every staff position, our entire budget. We are going out and trying to engage the public as much as possible."
The plan is centered around four areas: conservation and sustainability; facilities and amenities; leadership; and programming.
The parks district gathered preliminary data about what people expect from the parks during previous public sessions. Next, it met with stakeholder groups, conducted what Palmeter describes as a statistically valid survey of county residents, and benchmarked Great Parks against six other agencies. "Now we're taking the things we've learned and some very preliminary takeaways back to the public to see if that aligns with their expectations of the parks."
Each of the four workshops is being held at a county park. Participants can peruse the information and provide feedback. If you have limited time or have young children along, Palmeter says outdoor stations will be set up in convenient areas so you can offer feedback quickly and be on your way.You can also submit feedback online.
"We encourage you to come out, take a walk, take a hike, go to the playground, do anything, and then while you're there give us a little bit of feedback on our master plan."
A final version is expected to be ready by December or January.
Workshop Information
Tuesday, May 1 | 6–8 p.m.
- Fernbank Park – Fernbank Lodge, 50 Thornton Ave, Cincinnati, OH 45233
Wednesday, May 2 | 6–8 p.m.
- Miami Whitewater Forest – Visitor Center, 9001 Mt. Hope Rd, Harrison, OH 45030
Thursday, May 17 | 6–8 p. m.
- Woodland Mound – Seasongood Nature Center, 8250 Old Kellogg Rd, Cincinnati, OH 45255
Saturday, May 19 | 1–3 p.m.
- Lake Isabella – Chart Room, 10174 Loveland-Madeira Rd, Loveland, OH 45140
