Dayton City Council approved a resolution recognizing Monument Park and Riverfront Commons as city parks at their April 18 meeting.
With the recognition, 10% of property in Dayton’s city limits is now public parks. They are entirely open to the public and eligible for maintenance through the use of the park tax.
The resolution was unanimously approved by the city council, with the exception of councilmember Jessica Lovins who was absent at the meeting. Councilmember Joe Neary introduced the idea of recognizing these sites as public parks at the council meeting in February.
The location of Memorial Park was originally intended for a city hall building, so a group of smaller parks were developed along the Ohio River as the Riverfront Commons. Because a city hall was never constructed on the Memorial Park site, the city decided to recognize the Riverfront Commons as on an equal footing with Memorial Park.
The recognition does not preclude these sites from being used for purposes other than parks in the future.