Falkowski said council members asked staff to investigate other possible places for a park and would continue to discuss the issue at their next council work session.
The bike trail at Dial Park on Longford Road was proposed as a combined mountain bike park and a neighborhood walking trail. Equipment would be placed at the beginning of the bike trail, so people who were not used to mountain biking could try it out before going on the trail.
The park would be on land off Longford Road and Dial Drive.
Some residents expressed displeasure at the idea of a bike park at Dial Park at a town hall on June 24. Two women who live nearby said they were concerned that building a new park would mean they have less green space. One of the women also expressed concerns about rising crime in the neighborhood.
Residents also questioned how Huber Heights would pay for the new park at the meeting. Jeff Gore, Huber Heights mayor, said the city is in a financially strong enough position that it could pay for a new park with cash if it wanted to.
“We are in an extremely healthy position financially and investing in our parks is just investing in all of you” Gore said at the June 24 meeting. “It’s investing in our kids. It’s investing in the neighborhoods. It’s investing in the city that we all want to stay in.”
Huber Heights recently broke ground at Monita Park for a new skate park, estimated to cost the city $615,000 and be completed by September. Huber Heights children have been asking the city for a new skate park for several years, as the nearest skate parks are in Fairborn and Kettering, places kids can’t get to without a parent driving them.
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