ERLANGER, Ky. — “I can confidently say that this park is one of the biggest and best projects we have embarked on to date,” said Erlanger Mayor Jessica Fette.
Fette's words foreshadowed the inauguration on Wednesday of a vast park project planned for construction in Erlanger. The event provided an overview of the scope and objectives of the project and featured speeches from local and national elected officials and business leaders.
Newly named Eons Adventure Park, the project will include more than 1,000 acres of urban forests, 20 miles of mountain bike trails, a canopy trail network and other amenities.
City of Erlanger
“This park will set a new standard for what a community space can be, and I can’t wait to see the impact it will have on Erlanger and Northern Kentucky as a whole,” Fette said.
Although this is the first time the project has received so much noise, it's not the first time the city has spoken about it publicly. The city held a public workshop in July for residents of the Cherry Hill neighborhood, which adjoins the park, by reviewing preliminary plans for the project and its impact on the subdivision.
Tuesday's event only served as a groundbreaking for the first part of the project. The first phase includes a dog park, traffic construction to reduce semi-trailer incursion in Cherry Hill, the addition of multi-use trails in the neighborhood and the general revitalization of Old Erlanger Road, which will serve as a sort of spine along which the park will extend.
The city currently has $900,000 set aside for this fiscal year to fund the first portions of the project. The money comes from the city parks fund financed by property taxes. Additionally, the city secured a $250,000 grant from the National Park Service to help with construction of Phase 1.
The city has also partnered with several public and private interests to advance the project and market it: Corporex, SD1, meetNKY, and Boone and Kenton counties. SD1 and Corporex are currently working with the city to donate land for the project, but those donations have not yet been finalized. Erlanger Economic Development Director Mark Collier said those donations are expected to be completed over the next year. Future funding for the project will depend on the votes of the Erlanger City Council, most of whom were present at the event and took part in the groundbreaking.
The city's community partners were generally optimistic about the project and its potential to attract new businesses and workers to the area.
“This is exactly the kind of thing that is depicted over and over again and studied over and over again,” said Kentucky Sen. Chris McDaniel (R-Ryland Heights). “We're seeing, especially in the modern generation, that the workforce will move to a location because of amenities like trails, parks, nature and things like that.”
The images and equipment shown Tuesday represent what the project aims to achieve once completed. Key amenities include an extensive network of mountain biking and hiking trails, public artwork, trails over wooden bridges through the tree canopy, a natural playground, a hidden cafe that bikers can find as they hike the trails and scenic views. Fette also said the city would work with local schools and universities to provide nature learning activities for students.
City of Erlanger
The nonprofit Cincinnati Off-Road Alliance, often abbreviated to CORA, advises on the park's mountain bike trail systems. CORA Board Chairman Brian Bozeman and Fette said they were inspired by a network of mountain bike trails in Bentonville, Arkansas, the famous birthplace of Walmart.
“In 2007, Walmart had a huge problem,” Bozeman said, “and that problem was that no one wanted to live in the small, rundown town of Bentonville, Arkansas. So Sam Walton's grandsons, Tom and Stewart, had the vision to reinvent Bentonville in an effort to attract talent to the area, resulting in what is known today as the Capital of the World mountain bike.
Bentonville saw its population increase by 53% between 2010 and 2020, according to the U.S. Census. The goal was to replicate something like this for Erlanger, attracting more people and businesses.
“The talent we are desperately trying to attract to our region is choosing places with access to nature, parks and outdoor recreation,” Bozeman said. “Our growing organizations are recruiting companies in our region without having the talent pipeline to fill these positions. This talented workforce we are seeking chooses their home based on their lifestyle and livability, not just their career.
Fette also touted the project's potential benefits to public health, the city's property values and overall quality of life.
“This is Erlanger’s adventure park and eternal preserve,” Fette said. “We also use this term because what we want to make sure of – and what that name means – is that we preserve this space for eons and eons to come.”
Check out some preliminary renderings of the amenities here.
This story was originally published on LINKnky.com.
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