Updates on the project:
The Rudy Phase is moving quickly now, with the bond company approving a new contractor. The site has been cleaned, graded, curbs poured, sidewalks poured, and a base coat of asphalt completed. The final top coat of asphalt will be poured in the Spring.
The Main Pavilion Phase is also moving quickly, with lots of progress on the underground portions in November and vertical elements being constructed throughout December.
The playground will be open throughout the Winter, but we will continue to caution children not to play when active construction is taking place.
The small shelters were completed in November. These will be available for rent in the Spring! Thank you to the Miami County Foundation and the Miami County Commissioners for funding these structures and to Ansonia Lumber and Brandon Studebaker for making the structures come to life!
The project is on schedule for a May 2024 opening!
Background on the project:
The Village of Covington, Ohio, has had one park, Community Park, for over 100 years. The Village utilizes this park primarily for baseball events, which occur on the two fields within the park. In May 2018, the Village hired a consultant to develop a master plan for its open spaces. This included updating shelters at Community Park, conceptual planning for basketball courts at the corner of Grant and Maple Streets, and preparing a concept plan for a park and parking lot area in the location of the old Middle School, which would become Schoolhouse Park. This plan was used to secure funding for the basketball courts under the Ohio Department of Natural Resources Land and Water Conservation Fund for $64,759.
Covington Exempted School District transferred the majority of the property to the Village in 2019, with stipulations that the property be used for park and recreational uses for a period of not less than twenty-five years. See the deed restrictions here. Over the years, residents have asked why the Village didn’t develop the property or put in housing, and these deed restrictions were one of the factors as to why that was never considered for the property.
The Schoolhouse Park Project, originally called Maple Street Park, took shape originally in 2019 as additional discussions about the old Middle School lot continued. Spearheaded by Mayor McCord, the development of this park became a priority for the Village.
In January 2020, the Village hired a consultant to begin the design of a park space that would include specific amenities that the Village felt were needed. Public meetings were held in July, August, and September of 2020 to help define priorities for the park. Over twenty private meetings with businesses, residents, and non-profits were held to obtain input on the necessary elements of the park. There was substantial support for the creation of a central park area within the Village that had amenities to serve the Village residents.
The Village residents, businesses, and non-profits all donated to make the future park a reality.
Due to COVID, the Village not being successful in receiving a Land and Water Conservation Fund Grant in the Spring of 2021, and a change in Village Administrator, the Village Council hired a new park consultant to help redesign a more inclusive park for the Village.
Additional public meetings were held over the Summer, and many ideas, concepts, and concerns were incorporated into a new plan that was adopted by Council in August 2021. See below for more information related to the history and information related to Schoolhouse Park.
Please email the Village Administrator to discuss how you can donate to help make additional amenities within the park a reality!
