DAYTON — Here's a riddle: What is something the cities of Troy, Dayton, Miamisburg and Hamilton already share that could more closely unite them?

It is the Great Miami River, which runs through so many communities and shapes the lives and histories of those places.

That was a useful reminder to the more than 100 governmental officials, business representatives and economic development-oriented types who attended the first-ever River Summit at the University of Dayton on Monday, April 28, to share information about potential along the Great Miami.

UD, having extended its campus to the river with the purchase of old NCR Corp. industrial lands, is keen on

fostering more involvement with the river, President Dan Curran told the gathering, which met for about 3½ hours.

Gone are the days, he said, when residents, traumatized by the great flood of 1913, banished the waterway behind high dams.

As an example of what can happen with development along a river, mention was made of an April 22 New York Times article explaining how Oklahoma City became a site for U.S. Olympic team trials and other paddling competitions after $54 million was spent reviving the Oklahoma River. The city has since attracted an estimated

$700 million in new development, the Times reported.

Closer to the Miami Valley, projects to make access easier are under way in Troy, Miamisburg, Hamilton and Dayton.

UD and the Miami Conservancy District convened the meeting.

Contact this reporter at (937)

225-7407 or sbennish@DaytonDaily

News.com.

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