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Y! MyWebIdeas for new Lebanon park come from residents
More: Share your suggestions for Lebanon's parks
Wednesday, July 23, 2008
Possibilities range from picnics and swing sets to skateboard ramps and dog parks. Lebanon residents have expressed their ideas of everything a park can be, including at a recent public forum at Harmon Park.
Deputy City Manager Scott Brunka said Lebanon has more than 300 acres of park land — much of it undeveloped.
"We're trying to figure out how to best use it to meet the needs of the community," Brunka said.
The forum was part of a $59,000 study by Lebanon's Parks Master Plan Steering Committee and Woolpert Inc. to assess the city's existing park space.
One resident brought a 20-page petition requesting a dog park in Lebanon.
"We want to try and get a skate park instead of getting in trouble for skating like we do now," said Fernandza Bobbitt, 22, one of several skateboard enthusiasts who attended the forum. Bobbitt said the only place to skateboard in Lebanon is at the Countryside YMCA, where he said non-members are charged a fee.
The master plan will be completed later in the fall. Brunka emphasized that the plan will be a long-term one and take years, if not decades, to fully implement.
Nancy Miller Myerholtz, whose father donated land to create Miller Park, travelled to the meeting from Toledo to inspect plans for that area.
"My dad grew up on that farm and wanted it to be accessible for everyone," Myerholtz said. "This has been a good forum. It's a chance to listen to other people who share your feelings."
Mapping out future for Lebanon's parks:
Central to the Lebanon Park Forum held on Wednesday, July 16 was conceptual drawing of options for many of Lebanon's parks. Attendees were invited to comment on the designs and add suggestions.
"These are just concepts and it's expected they will all change before the plan is approved," said Deputy City Manager Scott Brunka. Brunka said many of the concepts needed to be studied to be explored from legal and financial standpoints.
"The master plan is not setting anything in stone, but it will give us guidance in the future," Brunka said.
Shown are two concepts for the Harmon Park area on East Street. Concepts for some of the cities other parks can be found at western-star.com.
Contact this reporter at (513) 696-4544 or jmcclelland@coxohio.com.
Comments
By Peter Berninger
July 26, 2008 9:28 AM | Link to this
Part II Construct a bike park next to the North Fork to provide access to downtown for residents on the North side of town. Extend the current bike path along the East Fork under Bypass 48 to provide a safe way for Lebanon residents east of the bypass to walk or bike into town or reach the YMCA. Most of the land is already park land.
By Peter Berninger
July 26, 2008 9:17 AM | Link to this
Consider the reason why there was settlement at Lebanon, Native American and post colonial. Consider the axis of downtown Lebanon, Main St. and Broadway. Consider the primary draw of almost any tourist attraction. The answer is water. Lebanon is graced by the streams of the Turtlecreek, once accessible but now a hidden away. Runyan has served its purpose as a ballpark. Grade the north side at that location, put in a very low level dam and Lebanon has a water attraction downtown.
By Bob
July 24, 2008 12:57 PM | Link to this
I think the recent renovation of Orchardly Park in Oakwood(Dayton) and community swim park in Miamisburg(Dayton) are good models for parks here in Lebanon.
By AEH
July 24, 2008 12:18 PM | Link to this
I think a disc golf course would be ideal in this park. It is fun, free, and keeps kids off video games.
By Toni
July 24, 2008 10:18 AM | Link to this
I would love to see the Tecumsheh Trails Park have swings and maybe a sidewalk to get to the tennis court instead of walking 500 feet in the grass.