MIAMI TOWNSHIP, Ohio — Miami Township is a place filled with community outdoor spaces.
"The opportunity that parks create is just unmatched," Miami Township Administrator Steve Kelly said.
In 2024, the township published a park assessment, prepared by The Kleingers Group.
The study provided an overview of the current conditions at the four Miami Township parks, with a corresponding grade for each amenity or facility.
Grades include poor, fair or good, with a corresponding red, yellow or green color.
The township decided to make improvements to different areas through a series of projects.
See the recent improvements to Miami Township parks in the video below:
"Some of those things are things you have to identify as immediate needs that would require some maintenance or repairs, but long range they're going to need to be replaced or overhauled," Kelly said.
Kelly said that projects are still in development while leaders determine priorities based on need and urgency. He said the township is using the 2024 assessment as a guide.
"We're trying to work through that document as we work into master planning for our parks and try to make sure that we've accounted for replacing or taking care of those things that are yellow before they become red," Kelly said.
As certain projects remain in the works, the township has completed two major renovations at Community Park and Miami Riverview Park.
Miami Riverview Park has newly renovated tennis and basketball courts. The township has also added new pickleball courts, open to the public.
"Just reflecting the fact that not as many folks play tennis, even though it's still popular, but definitely there has been an influx of folks who want to see pickleball courts and facilities installed," Kelly said.
The second major project was a fitness court at Community Park. It includes different bodyweight exercises, as well as an open fitness area with a mural depicting historical sites in Miami Township.
"This is a seven-minute circuit-based workout," Kelly said.
When the fitness course opened last summer, the township hosted a demonstration and had firefighters and police take part in a friendly competition.
The township works with TriHealth for internal health and wellness for their employees. TriHealth led the demonstration on how the course can help community members stay active.
"TriHealth already provides fitness classes to the fire department," said TriHealth Wellness Coordinator Abigail Louis. "So it just seemed natural to start incorporating some fitness classes there as well as all of our employee wellness pursuits."
Kelly told me that the township hopes to have more public classes once the weather allows for it.
