“Old River is a treasure,” UD President Daniel J. Curran said. “We are committed to its rebirth. We want to preserve its natural beauty and create a high-quality recreational and educational venue.”
NCR Corp. closed the 72-year-old park in 1998 as a cost-cutting measure, then reopened it in 2009 under an operational partnership with Dayton History. Soon after, the company announced it was leaving Dayton.
“It was during that two-year period we became familiar with the property and its challenges,” said Brady Kress, president of Dayton History.
Beth Keyes, assistant vice president for facilities management for UD, said the idea is to blend the land’s historical aspects with updates that will improve accessibility and make the park more user friendly.
“Right now it is not a good representation of the park and what it was and not representative of UD and what we are,” said Keyes, who grew up using the park while her father worked for NCR.
UD bought 115 acres, including Old River Park and the former NCR building, in 2009 to house the school’s research institute, alumni affairs and other operations.
University officials said the park will be closed at least a year and have they not set a target date for reopening. The neighboring Oakwood soccer fields will not be affected.
How much will be spent and the extent of renovations will be decided as the master plan is developed, Keyes said.
UD and Dayton History need to have the input of a number of community partners in developing the plan, she said.
Keyes and Kress said the park will be restored in stages and they hope it will compliment the university facility at 1700 Patterson Blvd. and Carillon Historical Park.
“At the end of the day we want to end up with something everyone can be proud of,” Kress said.
Contact this reporter at (937) 225-2342 or cmagan@Dayton DailyNews.com.
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