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A river runs through it -- or will -- in South Fairmount

Posted at 4:30 AM, Jul 17, 2017
and last updated 2017-07-17 07:03:25-04

CINCINNATI -- Within the next few years, South Fairmount will be home to a lush, verdant park with a stream running through it -- an idyllic little patch of greenery known as the Lick Run Greenway.

In the meantime, though, you might see a lot of construction. 

The Metropolitan Sewer District's $90 million landscaping project will redirect water to Mill Creek during storms, helping prevent raw sewage and storm water from pouring through local combined sewer overflows. 

Although MSD director Gerald Checco characterizes the project as nothing less than transformative for South Fairmount, longtime resident Charles Young said he was skeptical of its impact on the community. 

He said he believes the project, for which more than 90 buildings had to be demolished, has depleted the neighborhood without offering a plan to rebuild.

"What we had was a vibrant community," he said. "What we're getting is an amusement park."

The greenway should be completed by 2019. If you, like Young, have an opinion you'd like to voice about the project, you can do so at an upcoming community meeting with MSD members.