Austinburg Park currently contains play equipment, swings, a small shelter, a ballfield, and a basketball court.
Friday’s movie night begins public engagement for rehab project
COVINGTON, Ky. – Get your mental “vision board” ready.
Before the opening credits roll on Friday night’s outdoor movie, “A Dog’s Life,” at Austinburg Neighborhood Park, look around and give some thought on what might make the park a better place to gather … (More playground equipment? Pavilions? Bike racks?) … and then be ready to share those thoughts.
Covington Parks & Recreation staff will be on site ahead of the Outdoor Movie Series – a free event for families – at the park at 15th Street and Eastern Avenue to directly engage families in designing the pending renovation of the park.
“Most of the park has not been touched for years, and it can use a lot of TLC,” said Ben Oldiges, Parks & Rec manager. “I would say fewer than 100 people per week utilize the space, because it is just so outdated.”
The film begins at dusk, but Oldiges said people typically begin showing up around 7 p.m.
Parks and Recreation will utilize “sticker survey boards” to collect input. Poster boards will be placed throughout the park, featuring lists of various park amenities and features. Participants will be given stickers that they can place next to the amenities and features they would like to see in the park. They can also suggest their own ideas.
Think “vision boards” for a dream park.
The engagement is just the beginning – a more formal Community Engagement Session for the park will be held Sept. 16.
3 parks at a time
The Austinburg Neighborhood Park redevelopment is part of an ongoing/overlapping redevelopment schedule that aims to have one City neighborhood park under construction each year while a second park is under design and a third park is put before the public for suggestions.
“Currently, we are in the design phase for the new Covington dog park,” Oldiges said. “Community engagement is set to begin on Goebel Park in the next few weeks, with those dates to be disclosed by the end of the week. Barb Cook Phase II is set to take place this year as well.”
Three redevelopment projects have already been completed: Father Hanses Park in Lewisburg in 2018, Peaselburg Park on Howell Street in 2019, and phase 1 of Barb Cook Park in Latonia earlier this year. In all three instances, upgrades largely reflected the vision of the neighborhoods.
Oldiges thinks improvements to Austinburg Neighborhood Park will set the tone for the greater Austinburg redevelopment to come with the City’s Eastern Corridor Activation initiative.
“It’s time that this park receives the attention it deserves so that it can be enjoyed by everyone,” he said. “People’s ideas will have a direct impact on how we move forward.”
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