Kenton County approves $14.4M first construction phase for ‘Fox Ridge Park’

The Kenton County Fiscal Court voted unanimously Tuesday to approve a $14,452,795 first-phase contract with Prus Construction, clearing the way for site work to begin next week on what officials are calling Fox Ridge Park.

Crews are expected to mobilize on the 225-acre site, formerly Fox Run Golf Course, off Independence Station Road, on Sept. 14. The park will close to the public that day as demolition, invasive species removal and earthwork begin.

“Honestly, we’re ahead of schedule by about two weeks,” Prus Construction President Michael Prus told the court, noting his team had originally targeted an Oct. 1 start. “The team is working extremely hard to get this coordinated and get this moving.”

Assistant Kenton County Administrator Scott Gunning unveiled the park’s new identity during the Sept. 8 meeting. The park name nods to the property’s history as Fox Run Golf Course while referencing its hilly topography, three ridges that will each anchor a different zone of the park, themed around discovery, adventure and nature.

The county closed Fox Run at the end of 2019 after determining the course was no longer financially sustainable, averaging around 10,000 rounds a year against a roughly 30,000-round benchmark for a sustainable operation. Multiple advisors, including a National Golf Foundation study, recommended the closure.

An early study of redevelopment options found that most of the property had been purchased with federal Land and Water Conservation Fund dollars, which restrict it to recreational use. From there, the county hired landscape architecture firm Human Nature to build a master plan, drawing on feedback from more than 600 community survey respondents.

Human Nature co-founder Gary Wolnitzek walked the court through renderings of the park’s major features, which will include a themed children’s play area called “Fox Den,” a splash pad and stream, two climbing towers reaching up to 35 feet, mountain bike trails, a Go Ape aerial adventure/zip-line course, an accessible tree canopy walk, a dog park, large event shelters and more than 20 miles of trails. 

Kenton County Commissioner Beth Sewell highlighted the accessibility built into the park’s design, noting more than five miles of the trail network will be ADA accessible.

“I’m also pleased that the park is being designed for every age, fitness level, and need,” Sewell said.

Despite the scale of the development, officials said roughly 70% of the property will remain in a natural state, with construction concentrated on about 30% of the land.

“It’s going to be a destination,” Kenton County Commissioner Joe Nienaber said. “People aren’t going to drive by and say, ‘Let’s pop in this park.’ They’re going to plan to go here. I hope that we pull it off, and I hope that I’m alive to see it.”

Kenton County Judge/Executive Kris Knochelmann, who has championed the project since the golf course’s closure roughly seven years ago, said he expects the park to open to the public in about two years.

The $14.4 million approved Tuesday covers the project’s first phase, including general site requirements, demolition, earthwork and site utilities.

The county will host a public groundbreaking celebration for Fox Ridge Park on Monday, Sept. 21, at 9:30 a.m. The park will remain fully closed to visitors for the duration of construction, with signage posted at the entrance to alert residents ahead of time.

Click through the additional park renderings below.