Walton’s long-anticipated Owens Lake Park will officially open to the public this month.
On April 26, the 54-acre property off Church Street and Percival Road will officially open its gates during a grand opening celebration, beginning at noon.
The park will include walking trails, ample green space, and a pavilion for gatherings and events. Further, the park includes a 14-acre lake that will be stocked for fishing, and will feature a rental kayaking service.
Owens Lake Park is named after its donor, the late Dr. O’Dell Owens, who served as Hamilton County coroner and president of Cincinnati State and Technical and Community College. Dr. Owens finalized the donation of the land to the city in December 2020 after meeting former Mayor Gabe Brown in an elevator during a leadership event at the Great American Ballpark.
The land was originally used as a water reservoir for Walton, and was purchased by Dr. Owens more than 20 years ago in hopes of developing it. As time went on, hopes for development fizzled out, and Dr. Owens sought to sell the land to the city. After his conversation with Brown, Dr. Owens decided to donate the land instead, completely free of charge.
Dr. Owens passed away in 2022 at age 74.
Since the time of the donation, the land has been considered for a number of different uses. In 2023, Brown proposed developing the land into both a public park and a fire and law enforcement training facility, but after concern from residents about the tax burden and potential nuisance from the noise of a shooting range, the plans fell through.