Missing trail link to open
Opposition fades in Terrace Park
By Tom O'Neill
Post staff reporter
When state officials began trying to persuade Terrace Park residents that a bike
trail wasn't so bad, Jimmy Carter was president and disco was king.
Today, Carter is an ex-president, disco is long dead, and the bike path is about
to be born.
The 2.5-mile stretch of the Little Miami Bike Trail that goes through Terrace
Park is expected to open to the public by late-May or early June. That's the
word from Scott Zody, deputy director for recreation and resource management at
the Ohio Department of Natural Resources.
Last week, workers put down the base level of asphalt.
The Terrace Park section is crucial because it links the southern part, which
extends into Newton and Anderson Township, and the north corridor from Milford
all the way to Yellow Springs, a distance of more than 75 miles.
"We had the right of way, we didn't need their permission, but we wanted to be
good neighbors and get informed consent, a consensus," Zody said. "I think
there's going to be a lot of people who say, 'Wow, they're finally getting that
open.' "
The agency's contract with the developer calls for the work to be done by the
fall, but given the fast pace of work during the spring, the goal is to be open
by the time the school year ends for kids, Zody said.
For more than two decades, bikers on the heavily traveled Loveland-to-Milford
stretch were greeted by a "Do Not Enter" sign that marked the end of the trail.
Opposition to its extension came primarily from a couple of dozen homeowners
whose property was adjacent to the trail site, Zody said. Over the years, the
ODNR made periodic appeals. Some opponents moved. Some died. Others came to see
less concern for privacy, safety and the trail's impact on property values.
ODNR built natural barriers, including fences and tree lines.
That's when, Zody said, "The light bulb went on."
The 9-mile stretch from Milford to Loveland is well-known. Less known are the
fractured trails south of Terrace Park, which will connect the village to Avoca
Park in Newtown, then Anderson Township and, eventually, the communities east
and west along the Ohio River. The Lunken Bike Path is expected to be a
connector point.
The Ohio-Kentucky-Indiana Regional Council of Governments played a role in
getting the various entities to see a common vision, including Hamilton County
and all the communities from New Richmond in Clermont County to downtown
Cincinnati.
Existing rail lines are being considered as potential path sites, but OKI's
technical services coordinator, John Heilman, said it's unclear whether the
trail will be south of U.S. 52 or north of it - or a combination of both.
"We've funded from Sutton to Five Mile (in Anderson)," Heilman said. "It's being
designed right now. This will be the first part to be built. New Richmond is
very excited about this, and now there's new interest from Pierce Township and
Clermont County."
The first new part would be from Anderson east to New Richmond, with some
property issues in the city of Cincinnati yet to be resolved.
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