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New signs are being erected at the five parks: Phillips Park, 2090 Dayton-Xenia Road; Koogler Weland Prairie Reserve, 2735 Beaver Valley Road; McCalmont Park, 1940 Indian Ripple Road; Pershing Park, 1101 Fairgrounds Road; and William Maxwell Rest Area on Shaw Court.
The property was transferred in an agreement between the county park district and the township, officials said.
Greene County Parks & Trails now manages nearly 3,000 acres of park land, Director Jon Dobney said.
“We want residents and visitors of Greene County to experience our parks as their 3,000-acre backyard,” Dobney said in a prepared statement. “Park visitors can hike, cycle, fish, canoe or kayak, learn disc golf, play tennis or soccer, socialize with the dog, train their horses and more.”
Beavercreek Twp. Administrator Alex Zaharieff said transferring the property to the county park district is an effort to “streamline operations,” according to the release.
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“It just made sense to have a strong park agency manage the parks,” Zaharieff said in a prepared statement. “By transferring the ownership of the parks to GCP&T, Beavercreek Twp. can increase park services to our community that benefit our residents without raising taxes.”
Not all parks in Beavercreek Twp. are part of the county agreement.
Beavercreek Twp. voters overwhelmingly passed a parks levy in November 2017. The revenue supports the Beavercreek Twp. Park District, which maintains Victory Park, which includes Owen’s Place, and Beavercreek Community Park, which includes Angel’s Pass Memorial and the bike connector from Dayton-Xenia Road to Creekside Trail.
The Beavercreek Twp. Park District operates separately from the township government, said Ernie Muller, park district commissioner.
Meanwhile, the city of Beavercreek has surveyed residents to gauge what they would like to see in the future for park features and activities. An open forum is set for residents to join in the conversation 6 to 8 p.m. Sept. 19 at Lofino Plaza, 3868 Dayton-Xenia Road.
The city has hired Brandstetter Carroll Inc. as a consultant to prepare a master plan to guide the parks department for the next 10 years, according to a news release.
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Additionally, the city has invited people to help install new playground equipment at 9 a.m. Sept. 22 at Rotary Park, 2260 Dayton-Xenia Road.
For more information on the city’s parks, call (937) 427-5514 or send an email to parks@beavercreekohio.gov.
For more information about Greene County Parks & Trails, call (937) 562-6440 or send an email to info@gcparkstrails.com.
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