Schoolhouse Park
The Village of Covington, Ohio has had one park, Community Park, for over 100 years. The Village utilizes this park primarily for baseball events, which occur on the two fields within the park. In May of 2018 the Village hired a consultant to develop a master plan for its open spaces. This included updating shelters at Community Park, conceptual planning for basketball courts at the corner of Grant and Maple Streets, preparing a concept plan for a park and parking lot area in the location of the old Middle School, which would become Schoolhouse Park. This plan was used to secure funding for the basketball courts under the Ohio Department of Natural Resources Land and Water Conservation Fund for $64,759.
The Schoolhouse Park Project, originally called Maple Street Park, took shape originally in 2019, as additional discussions about the old Middle School lot continued. Spearheaded by Mayor McCord, the development of this park became a priority for the Village.
In January of 2020 the Village hired a consultant to begin the design of a park space that would include specific amenities that the Village felt were needed. Public meetings were held in July, August, and September of 2020 to help define priorities for the park. Over twenty private meetings with businesses, residents, and non-profits were held to obtain input on the necessary elements of the park. There was substantial support for the creation of a central park area within the Village that had amenities to serve the Village residents.
The Village residents, businesses, and non-profits all donated to make the future park a reality. Over the course of 2020 fundraising for the park has donations or pledges amounting to over $250,000. These funds will be used to leverage the grant opportunities available to the Village.
Due to COVID, the Village not being successful in receiving a Land and Water Conservation Fund Grant in the Spring of 2021, and a change in Village Administrator’s, the Village Council hired a new park consultant to help redesign a more inclusive park for the Village. Additional public meetings were held over the Summer and many ideas, concepts, and concerns were incorporated into a new plan that was adopted by Council in August 2021.
The Village prioritized Schoolhouse Park within the 2022 Budget assuring that Phase 1 would be completed within 2022. The entire Schoolhouse Park was completed in 2024.
