Expansion of RiverScape is ‘proof Dayton isn’t dead’

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By Ken McCall, Staff Writer Updated 11:43 AM Tuesday, June 29, 2010

DAYTON — The striking, white-roofed pavilion, adjacent bike hub, and artfully landscaped public space at the $6.2 million RiverScape expansion is an important addition to a downtown that has been battered by decades of economic erosion, civic leaders said Monday, June 28.

“This is living proof that Dayton isn’t dead,” Mayor Gary Leitzell said at the park’s grand opening.

U.S. Rep. Mike Turner, R-Centerville, who helped secure more than $4.7 million in federal funding for the project, said it was important for everyone to “stop and marvel for a minute” over how far the downtown has come since the mid-1990s, including Fifth Third Field, the Schuster Center, and three phases of RiverScape.

“Though we’ve had difficult times in the national economy, we know we’re still looking forward,” Turner said.”

Mike Ervin, local philanthropist and the driving force behind the Downtown Dayton Plan, said all you have to do is look around the park to see what it’s doing for downtown.

“We’re working on creating a sense of place where people want to live and work and play,” Ervin said.

“I think we’re closer to getting to that point than anybody realizes,” he said.