SHARONVILLE, Ohio — Sharon Woods, the second busiest park in Hamilton County's Great Parks system, is in the middle of multiple construction projects, including a $20 million transformation project for Sharon Lake.
But the project is running behind schedule.
The Sharon Lake improvement project, which has been underway for two years, was originally expected to wrap up in late February. Officials now say the lake area will not reopen until late March.
Great Parks of Hamilton County CEO Todd Palmeter said an unexpected freeze is to blame.
"The lake froze in February. That was the biggest item," Palmeter said. "The last amenities we are installing are floating amenities. When the lake froze over, and was frozen over for weeks, we could not get a boat or equipment onto the lake to tow the floating facilities out."
Palmeter said the floating amenities are now on site and will be installed in the coming weeks.
"Once everything is installed and inspected, we will remove all the fence down, and things will be open," he said. "We'll put it out on social media, get everybody to come back and come see us."
What visitors can expect
When the lake area reopens, visitors will have access to the trail around Sharon Lake, new boardwalks and a canoe and kayak launch near the dam.
However, fishing will not be permitted right away.
"We had to restock the lake from scratch, so all the fish going back in the lake are babies, for lack of a better term," Palmeter said. "We have to give them time to get welcome to their new home."
Palmeter said fishing won't be permitted until the lake is healthy with the new fish population.
Residents raised questions about the project's status during our "Let's Talk" community event on Wednesday.
Sharonville resident Theresa Miller said she has already noticed progress at the park.
"They drained it, dredged it, and now it's full again," Miller said.
But she said that work still appears to be ongoing.
"The lake is filled again, but it looks like they're still doing construction around the perimeter of the play area," Miller said.
WATCH: We took your questions about the construction going on at Sharon Woods to those in charge
Two projects underway
Palmeter said there are currently two separate projects happening at Sharon Woods.
In addition to the Sharon Lake improvements, crews recently launched the Sharon Woods Harbor Revitalization project. That effort began this spring with a tree-clearing phase, with full construction set to resume in the fall.
Palmeter said timing was critical for that work.
"There is a season where habitat will nest and make homes in the trees, and there's a small window in the spring when we can remove trees and not impact that habitat," he said.
When complete, the harbor will feature new play areas, including wet play areas, along with expanded lake access and programming for activities such as stand-up paddleboarding, kayaking and canoeing.
Record visitation
Despite years of ongoing construction, officials say Sharon Woods hit a milestone in visitation.
"We eclipsed a million visits for the first time in the park's history," Palmeter said, noting the park recorded 1.2 million visits in a single year. "Knowing that even under construction, it's still the second most visited park in the entire system — people love Sharon Woods."
That figure is part of a record 7.3 million visitors across all Great Parks of Hamilton County locations — the highest visitation total in the park district's history. Winton Woods leads the system with 1.4 million visits per year.
Palmeter said the ongoing projects are worth the temporary inconvenience.
"We realize these things might inconvenience a guest. We understand that, but we also are getting them an entirely new park," he said.
Other recent improvements at Sharon Woods include a new playground in the lower portion of the park, a bike route connection along U.S. 42 in partnership with the city of Sharonville, and ongoing improvements to the entrance bridge at the visitor center.
Officials say the Sharon Lake area is expected to fully reopen during the fourth week of March.
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