Volunteers spent the weekend building the first park in Lincoln Heights

LINCOLN HEIGHTS, Ohio - It took 66 years but the village of Lincoln Heights is finally getting its very first park.

Volunteers teamed up with Pathways Christian Church , Lowes and the village of Woodlawn to build a serenity park on a donated lot located on Steffens Avenue across from the municipal building.

Village manager Stephanie Summerow Dumas hopes to change the perception that the Lincoln Heights area is unsafe.

"I think the perception has already been turned around somewhat in that we care about you and that it's a safe place to come to. We also have a brand new police chief who came in January and he's doing some great
things also," said Dumas.

Members of Pathways Christian Church in West Chester spent the weekend working on the empty lot. They plan to include benches, a grill, birdhouses, a bike rack and privacy fencing.

"We just wanted to be a part of that transition process so we looked around to find a community we could be involved in," said Darryl Davis, Senior Pastor at Pathways Christian Church. "We are not a church that meets in a building, we really want to go out and be involved in the community and that's how we got involved with Lincoln Heights."

After the park is complete, the village of Lincoln Heights and Pathways Church are looking to put up several basketball courts in the neighborhood.