Throughout the drafting of the Parks & Trails Plan over the past year, the township conducted three online surveys and hosted two public workshops at the Miami Twp. Administration Building.
“These opportunities for public engagement led to direct feedback from the township residents who use these parks most frequently, so finding out what they hope to see in their parks was invaluable feedback for Miami Twp.,” Carlson said.
Surveys and workshops were advertised on the township website and social media, on several billboards around the community, and signs placed directly in the parks, he said.
“The current and final survey is an opportunity for township stakeholders to weigh in on the goals and objectives recommended by this plan,” Carlson said.
That survey, which is available at www.miamitownship.com under Parks and Trails Plan Survey, is scheduled to end today. Any questions about the plan may be asked by calling 937-433-9969.
Miami Twp. is home to 12 parks totaling almost 712 acres, 10 of them maintained by the township and two by Five Rivers MetroParks.
In the past, upgrades and improvements have been made to township parks through internal policy budgeting, but otherwise the community has never had a singular, formalized, township-wide parks plan, he said.
A full draft of the plan will be initially reviewed in a work session at the April 16 Board of Trustees meeting with the goal of bringing it forward for adoption at a May trustees meeting, Carlson said.
The very first set of community input Miami Twp. received goes back to 2021 during the drafting of the community’s comprehensive plan, which was eventually adopted in 2022.
“By a large margin, survey participants suggested that planning for parks and recreation space should be a priority for the township, and overwhelmingly encouraged public outdoor recreation and public green or plaza spaces as land uses,” Carlson said.
The Miami Twp. Parks & Trails Plan was initiated in response to that feedback from the comprehensive plan, he said.
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