Community Meetings Have Strong Turnout
OThe Wasson Way organization has held two community meetings to gather input on the trail design from neighborhoods adjacent to the trail. The most recent event was held on Tuesday October 28th at the Oakley Recreation Center, with over 55 people attending. The first event was held at Hyde Park Floral and Garden Center on Wednesday Oct 1st, with more than 50 community members also in attendance. The sessions were targeted to East Hyde Park and Wasson Road neighborhoods, respectively, and an additional 3 neighborhood meetings targeting different neighborhoods will be held in upcoming months. Residents asked questions and discussed their views about parking, lighting, privacy, access points, and landscaping. All the ideas shared in person and in writing are being documented and analyzed. We are grateful for all of the members of the community who attended to contribute their voice, and we look forward to hearing more input at future sessions.
Mt. Lookout Observatory Event
As part of the recent kick-off event for the 100 year anniversary for the East Hyde Park neighborhood, the Wasson Way was invited to set-up a booth and tell residents about the Trail. The East Hyde Park group has some very dramatic plans for their area which incorporate the WW. We are also excited to be working with Mt. Lookout to connect their 6,000 residents to the Trail. It was stepping back in time 100 years to be talking about bikes, the old Observatory, seeing pictures of Hyde Park, East Hyde Park and Mt. Lookout when they were farm fields, and looking through the antique telescope at the rings around Saturn!
Feasibility Study
The Wasson Way takes another major step forward with the completion of a Feasibility Study by local engineering and design firm KZF Design. The study, funded by Interact for Health Foundation, shows that there are no significant barriers to construct the 6.5 mile trail on an idle railroad corridor. The proposed trail will run from Xavier University to the Little Miami Bike Trail in Newtown, through the neighborhoods of Evanston, Norwood, Hyde Park, Oakley, Mt. Lookout, Fairfax and Mariemont. The trail would connect over 100,000 people east of I75 to more than 100 miles of bike trails. The Feasibility Study confirmed that the construction costs were in line with original projections. Depending on the features added to the Wasson Way, the cost estimates to build the Trail are $7.5 – $11.2 million.
Walkin’ the Wasson Way
UC Niehoff Event
In April, 120 students and professors from UC Engineering, DAAP, Real Estate and Geography presented the result of over 7,000 hours of classroom study at the UC Niehoff Studio. It was a fascinating look at both near and far-term projects for the Wasson Way: from dog parks, to access points, to community gardens, to development opportunities, to road crossings, to a future with light rail. The event featured an open reception attended by many from the community as well as a panel discussions by regional experts about the beneficial impact of the Wasson Way.
Pedaling for Patty
Join us this Saturday March 15th for Pedaling for Patty, a local bike ride to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day. This year the ride will be leaving from the 50 West Brewery at 7688 Wooster Pike by Newtown. All bike enthusiasts are welcome, and there will be routes on the road and trail for beginners, intermediate and race pace. It’s free to participate, and all donations go to the Wasson Way Project. Registration opens at 10am and the ride begins at 11am. If you’re interested in joining, you can RSVP at Eventbrite here:
http://www.eventbrite.com/e/
Wasson Way Moves forward with Feasibility Study, funded by Interact for Health Grant
With the generous support of Interact for Health in the fall of last year, we received the funding for a feasibility study. Interact for Health is a non-profit organization dedicated to providing communities in the greater Cincinnati region with the resources they need to improve their health and quality of life. Their grant award made it possible to move on to the next crucial step in the design process: identifying and examining the nuts and bolts details of transforming the unused Wasson Way railroad tracks into a pedestrian and cycling path. We hired KZF Engineering to conduct this professional analysis, and from their detailed examination we will have a good estimate of the costs and practical requirements of construction.
In April of this year, KZF will complete their feasibility study and we will host a public presentation of their findings. We look forward to sharing this important information with you and receiving community input.