The city is working with consultants from Brandstetter Carroll of Kentucky on the project.
The consultants will hold a parks master plan open house to gather feedback from 5:30-7:30 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 7, at the city Government Center on Garber Drive.
They also had a booth at the recent Mum Festival to encourage community engagement. Individual meetings also will be held with key stakeholders such as Little League Baseball and Soccer Clubs, the Downtown Tipp City Partnership, Monroe-Tipp Community Services and various fraternal organizations, to name a few, Bowser said.
It is recommended that studies of this type be updated every five to seven years.
”With the growing emphasis on outdoor activities and the continued growth of the city, city council and staff felt it was an appropriate time to reaffirm the direction residents want Parks and Recreation to take,” Bowser said. “As mentioned previously, the last study did not explore recreation in as much depth, so this updated study will provide the city and its partners with clearer guidance for both parks and recreation planning.”
The project is expected to take from 12 to 14 months from the September kick-off date.
The city has formed a steering committee working with consultants. Its members include:
- Director of Municipal Services – Jeremy Bowser
- Parks Advisory Board Representative – Jenna Bowman
- Parks Superintendent – Tony Hunt
- Representative from City Council – Greg Enslen
- Representative from Tipp Monroe Community Services – Kathy Taylor
- Representative from Downtown Tipp City Partnership – Tasha Weaver
- Superintendent of Tipp City Schools – Aaron Moran
- Student representative from Tipp City Schools – Penelope Bathgate
- Resident representative (former City Council member) Frank Scenna
- Two representatives from city’s consultant Brandstetter Carroll – Keith Rodenhauser and John Bucher
All projects selected must be included and budgeted for in the city’s annual Capital Improvement Project fund. The last plan saw numerous playground equipment and accessory projects recommended and completed along with a new parking area along North Third Street with access to the Great Miami River Bikeway.
City staff so far has shared ideas for consideration that were previously brought to the city as recommendations. Among those ideas are additional parking near City Park and the football stadium, revitalization of the boat launch area at Park Avenue, the addition of bike lanes and bike path extensions, and overall improvements to the aesthetics and equipment related to the Kyle Park baseball fields.
The city park department’s operating expenditures (wages, benefits, materials and supplies etc. ) are paid from the city General Fund, said John Green, city finance director. In 2024 expenses were $665,171 and projected expenses this year are $728,046. This is supported by the 1% base income tax, property tax and interest earnings.
The city family aquatic center expenses are paid from the Swimming Pool fund primarily supported financially by pass sales and daily admissions.
The Parks Department and Family Aquatic Center are paid from the Capital Improvement Fund. This fund gets its income from two, 10-year 0.25 percent income tax levies. One expires June 30, 2031, and the other the end of December 2032.
At this time, it is assumed the levies again will be before voters in 2030 to fund capital improvements from 2031 to 2041, Green said. Capital expenditures for the Parks Department and aquatic center this year are $372,777. For the Parks Department and aquatic center, capital expenditures are projected at $691,100 for 2025.
The survey can be found on the city website at http://www.tippcityohio.com..
Contact this contributing writer at nancykburr@aol.com.
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