Dayton may upgrade parks, close 'obsolete' parks and improve Greater Dayton Recreation Center, Lohrey Recreation Center, Northwest Recreation Center, Kettering Field

Dayton wants to be a top-tier recreation destination, and the city hopes to help achieve that by upgrading its facilities and recreation centers and adding new programs and amenities like skate parks, pickleball courts, dog parks, splash pads, disc golf courses and fitness equipment.

A recently completed strategic plan and parks needs assessment has lots of recommendations for investments over the next five to 10 years including everything from reopening a closed pool to adding teen spaces at all of its rec centers to creating a space for ATVs and dirt bikes.

The city also may consider decommissioning underutilized and deteriorating parks like Arlington Hills Park, Borgerdine Park, Mary Avenue Park and Salem Heights Park.

High-quality parks and recreation options are important to creating a high quality of life in the city, said Dayton Mayor Jeffrey Mims Jr.

“What are these parks doing — they bring people together,” said Keith Rodenhauser, senior planner with Brandstetter Carroll Inc, which helped the city create the strategic plan and needs assessment.

Looking 5 to 10 years ahead

The city of Dayton owns and operates three recreation centers, Community Golf Club, the Jim Nichols Tennis Complex and the Kettering Field sports complex.

The city also is in charge of 37 neighborhood and community parks, 36 basketball courts, 35 playgrounds, 15 tennis courts, seven splash pads, two dog parks and the Dayton Bike Yard.

A consultant, Brandstetter Carroll Inc., helped the city create its first recreation and park strategic plan in about 20 years, city staff said.

The plan analyzed existing facilities and offers many ideas and proposals for improvements.

Top recommendations for city parks include adding and upgrading restrooms; adding amenities like shade, seating, trees and drinking fountains; and demolishing and removing obsolete and low-quality facilities.

The plan suggests creating new amenities and attractions like skate parks, dog parks, disc golf courses, picnic shelters, outdoor fitness areas, obstacle courses, community gardens, ATV and dirt bike facilities and upgrading existing splash pads and developing new ones.

Possible sites for new splash pads include Belmont and Bomberger parks in southeast Dayton; Gettysburg and Burkham parks in West Dayton; Triangle Park in north Dayton; and Princeton Park in northwest Dayton.

The plan advises the city to consider creating a new dog park in West Dayton (possibly at Hickorydale, Highview Hills or McCabe parks) and new disc golf courses, especially in the northern and western parts of the city (possibly at Mallory and Triangle parks).

Many Dayton parks do not have restrooms, shelters or signage, and those additions would be helpful, said Fred Stovall, Dayton’s director of public works.

Pickleball has exploded in popularity, and the city wants to add courts in more places, such as possibly at Kettering Field, Stovall said.

The strategic plan recommends installing more public artwork at its parks and facilities, finding ways to reduce maintenance costs and creating better connections between the city’s park and recreation sites, Stovall said.

The strategic plan identifies shortcomings of the city’s recreation centers, like a lack of wifi, functional computers and a dedicated teen space at the Greater Dayton Recreation Center (GDRC) in West Dayton.

Credit: JIM NOELKER

The plan says the city should consider reopening the aquatic center at GDRC. The pool closed in 2020, and Dayton officials say the city for years has struggled to deal with a lifeguard shortage.

The Northwest Recreation Center doesn’t have functional computers or programming for young people and its gym and stage spaces need work.

Lohrey Recreation Center, located at Belmont Park, has limited pool hours, lacks computers or video games and its programming is mainly for children and seniors.

The city is working with an architect to redesign and update Kettering Field. Dayton wants it to be a premier sports complex and regional attraction, and the city could spend around $15 million to try to make that happen.

The strategic plan says the city may want to look at decommissioning Arlington Hills Park in West Dayton; Borgerdine Park in southeast Dayton; and Mary Avenue Park and Salem Heights Park in northwest Dayton.

Some community members say the city’s parks and recreational facilities have pretty good offerings and programming, but there is definitely room for improvement.

The parking lot at Belmont Park is in bad shape and needs to be repaved, and the park really could use benches and restrooms, said Lonnie Vilkas, 74, who has been coming to the park for decades and who walks her dog, Amina, around the property about twice a day.

Vilkas said the park has restrooms by the shelter, but they are locked and are not open to the public, except when people rent out the shelter.

“We need benches, blacktop, bathrooms,” she said.

Vilkas said she likes to swim at the pool at the Lohrey Recreation Center, but she’d like to see it open longer hours and more days of the week, including on weekends.

Another Belmont resident, JD, practices skateboard tricks at the park nearly every day, usually on the tennis courts. He said he’d like to see the city put in a skatepark or a skating area because he thinks it could get good use.

Proposed Dayton splash pad locations by order of priority

1. Belmont Park, 957 Lynhurts Ave.

2. Princeton Park, 1600 Princeton Drive

3. Gettysburg Park, 410 N. Gettysburg Ave.

4. Burkham Park, 979 Dona Ave.

5. Triangle Park, 2680 Ridge Ave.

6. Bomberger Park, 1316 E. 5th Street

By the numbers: City of Dayton’s current supply of facilities

Basketball courts: 36

Playgrounds: 35

Tennis courts: 28

Picnic pavilions/shelters: 20