Fort Thomas city council member Jeff Bezold, chair of the Recreation Committee, gave a report from his committee at the March council meeting. He outlined several projects under discussion, but a proposed splash pad in Highland Park drew the most interest and some controversy.
The city has been discussing a splash park that could be located in Highland Park in an area built up by fill from the One Highland project. Area schools’ cross country teams have been using the spot, which is located very near the Fort Thomas Swim Club.
Cross country coach weighs in
Council heard from Brian Alessandro, cross country coach for Fort Thomas schools, who spoke against the move. He said his teams use the area as a starting and finishing line for practices and meets.
“We use that area daily from July to November,” Alessandro said. “That incorporates our elementary program through 12th grade. There’s nearly 170 kids who use that course. The proposed area is actually our starting line…Disrupting that would drastically change our state championship program.”
Later, Alessandro explained that his teams have had a good relationship with the city. He said he has been very pleased about the work that has been done on the trails system. But he emphasized that he is very concerned about parking and safety issues if a splash park were to be placed in Highland Park.
He urged council to vote against the recommendation to put the facility where proposed, noting teams have no other large green space in the city. They were happy, he said, when the fill area was created because it gave them a better place to start and finish for practice and an option to hold meets at the location.
Katie Spicer, who works for the city’s Recreation Department, also spoke about the project. She noted that she is a parent with a child in Catholic school and that the Diocese also uses the spot for practice and meets.
Concerns over costs
The Recreation Committee report recommended nearly $500,000 in funds be identified for the possible construction of the splash park.
Alessandro said he was concerned about the costs involved because he had not seen any plans to understand the scope and size of the proposed facility.
Council member Adam Blau also expressed concerns that money was being “earmarked” for a project without clear details on how the money would be spent.
Bezold said the project has been under consideration since the Comprehensive Plan process was underway.
“Now we are at the point where drawings have been made,” Bezold said. “Now we can take more feedback on a specific location, specific size, specific amenities…We’re not moving forward with anything until we have done steps in the process. The next step is to get more specific on location, cost, amenities, scale, interest, all that stuff. No money would be approved except [what it takes to] move into the concept stage — the drawings. When we have a concept, scale, amenities… a narrowed down estimate, then we put it out to bid. Then we get bids back. If it falls into the range, we vote on it, then we spend the money. We are still many steps away.”
Blau said he is still concerned about the figure. He noted that beyond the construction of the facility, there will be maintenance and other related costs.
“This isn’t just playground equipment,” Blau said. “It requires daily maintenance and supervision, like any pool to keep those enjoying it safe and healthy. I feel we need to know how exactly we plan on handling all of that. It would be extremely irresponsible to move forward with tax payer dollars without all the information.”
Parking and safety
Alessandro is also a member of the Fort Thomas Swim Club board. He said the club met with the city, but he said he felt the size and scope were not discussed. The club has private parking, and it is unclear how much parking will be added to accommodate the splash park goers.
“The swim club is a private establishment, so our parking lot is off limits to people who are not members,” Alessandro said. “As a board member, I am concerned if there is not enough parking, people might start parking on our lot.”
When asked about the splash park, Bob Borchardt, president of the Fort Thomas Swim Club Board of Directors, said.
“Ron Dill with the city of Fort Thomas has kept our organization in the loop on their vision and progress since this first started gaining traction in 2018 after the city released its Community Plan,” he said. “At that time, this area being considered for the soccer practice field/splash pad was a large gravel wasteland of city trailers, equipment, anything scrap that the city didn’t want to throw away, and a deteriorating basketball and volleyball paved area. From the swim club’s perspective it wasn’t a big deal as we couldn’t see it through the trees, and it was quiet. It was understood that the city has few green spaces, and this was an opportunity to make improvements that Fort Thomas residents could enjoy.”
He said Dill has kept him updated on the plans, yet he did express some concern over the parking issue.
“A couple of us met with city planners in early 2020 to bounce concepts off us as to what would or would not work for our organization,” he said. “Our wish is for an improvement that won’t increase traffic to a point where our club parking would be used for those visiting the ‘new’ Highland Park — as well as something that won’t attract too much additional noise while we’re open. At the end of the day, this is city property and a city road. We embrace their desire to improve the Fort Thomas park system while asking that the city continues to respect and allow input from those directly impacted.”
More from the Recreation Committee report
Bezold also updated council on other projects under discussion. These included:
Upgrades for the Tower Park playground equipment — Options for amenities, an adjacent spray pad, potential fencing barriers, improved access and an ADA compliant ramp from the South Fort Thomas intersection. He noted that current equipment is outdated and in bad shape. The playground equipment is indeed very expensive, he said.
The General Thomas statue — The funds for the statue come mostly from private sources, Bezold noted, but the committee is working on plans for the surrounding plaza. He said he was pleased to announce that the committee has purchased a base stone that matches the stone used for the Fort Thomas tower, even though the stone is no longer quarried. The project is deferred until completion of the statue.
Carlisle Park — Much work must be done to prepare the property for the park. City staff has met with representatives of SD1, the Kentucky Department of Transportation and the city of Newport to discuss design options for drainage issues. Staff is also in discussion with KDOT on access points from Memorial Parkway.
Potential ropes course in Tower Park — The city reached out to Go Ape Adventures, a company specializing in ropes courses, to learn more about a possible course in Tower Park. The next step in the process will be to bring the idea to the Fort Thomas Conservancy, the Cincinnati Off-Road Alliance (CORA) and area businesses to determine if the project would be a fit for the park. Bowman noted there may be issues with conservation easements.
Skate/bike park — The city has ordered a temporary movable skate park, and is looking at two potential sites.
Recreation report approved
The council voted on the Recreation Committee’s report, accepting the proposal to identify the funds for the splash park and approving the committee’s plan to move ahead with filling in the details for the project. The final vote was five to one.
Blau explained why he voted against approving the report. “I voted no on moving further forward on the splash pad at Highlands Park at this time. I believe there are several parties it would directly effect that the city has yet to connect with. All involved and affected by this development should be able to be heard and provide their input on going forward.”
He continued, “Adding to my concerns is that this will be a big draw to families both inside and outside our city and traffic will be an issue. We already have existing traffic issues around our schools that we do not need to add to,” he said.