The land is just north of Ankeney Middle School, bordered by I-675 on the west, Grange Hall Road on the east, Shakertown Road to the south and Patterson Road to the north.
Beavercreek purchased the 148 acres of parkland in two phases over the last year at a total cost of $1.5 million, half of which included federal grant dollars. The other half was paid for by the city’s park fees, collected from developers. The new park is more than double the size of Rotary Park, which has been Beavercreek’s biggest park at 72 acres.
Initial resident feedback indicates a high demand for trails, both paved and unpaved, a 5K course, a spray-ground for kids and new pickleball courts. Beavercreek’s existing pickleball courts are regularly packed, and at one point 65 people showed up to play in a single day.
Beverly Cleverly and her husband Richard are longtime Beavercreek residents and live across the street from where the park is going to be. The couple are avid hikers and enjoy nature programs and the city’s summer concerts.
“We don’t have little kids anymore, but whatever’s good for the children is good for us,” Beverly said.
Brad Arledge and Lukas Schweikert, who coach middle school cross country in Beavercreek, said that they would like to see an unpaved trail course for their athletes. Currently, the cross country team practices by doing laps at the Ankeney Soccer Complex.
The extent to which the park becomes developed vs. leaving it as natural green space depends both on funding and on what residents want to see, City Manager Pete Landrum said. Currently, the park has no money dedicated to its development, and that funding would have to be part of future grant opportunities or budget cycles.
The city hopes to have the master plan done by the end of the year.
A second public meeting on the park will be held Nov. 17 from 6 to 7:30 p.m. at the Lofino Plaza meeting room at 3868 Dayton Xenia Road, Beavercreek. The city also will be putting out surveys and is encouraging residents to express their interests using FlashVote.
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