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ERLANGER, Ky. — “I can confidently say this park is one of the biggest and best projects that we’ve embarked on to date,” said Erlanger Mayor Jessica Fette.

Fette’s words presaged Wednesday’s groundbreaking of a massive parks project slated for construction in Erlanger. The event gave an overview of the project’s scope and goals and featured speeches from local and state elected officials and business leaders.

Newly dubbed as the Eons Adventure Park, the project will feature over 1,000 acres of urban woodland, 20 miles of mountain biking trails, a network of tree canopy trails and other amenities.

“This park will set a new standard for what a community space can be, and I cannot 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 this much fanfare, it’s not the first time the city’s talked about it in public. The city held a public workshop in July for the residents of the Cherry Hill neighborhood, which abuts the park, going over preliminary plans for the project and how it will affect the subdivision.

Tuesday’s event served as a groundbreaking for only the first part of the project. The first phase includes a dog park, traffic construction aimed at curtailing semi-truck incursion into Cherry Hill, the addition of multi-use paths into the neighborhood and the general revitalization of Old Erlanger Road, which will serve as a kind of spine along which the park will run.

The city currently has $900,000 set aside this fiscal year to finance the early parts of the project. The money comes from the property tax-funded city parks fund. Additionally, the city has secured $250,000 in grant funding from the National Parks Service to aid in the phase 1 construction.

The city has also secured partnerships with several public and private interests to get the project moving 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 should be completed over the next year. Future funding for the project will depend on votes from the Erlanger City Council, most of whom were in attendance at the event and took part in the ground breaking.

The city’s community partners were broadly optimistic about the project and its potential to draw in new businesses and workers to the region.

“This is exactly the kind of thing that’s represented time and again and study and again,” said Kentucky Sen. Chris McDaniel (R-Ryland Heights). “We see, particularly in the modern generation, that workforce will move to a place because of amenities like trails and parks and nature and things like that.”

The images and amenities showcased on Tuesday represent what the project is aiming for once completed. Key amenities include a large network of mountain biking and walking trails, public artworks, trails on wooden bridges through the tree canopy, a nature playground, a hidden coffee shop that bikers can find when riding the trails and scenic overlooks. Fette also stated that the city will be working with local schools and universities to provide nature learning activities for students.

The nonprofit Cincinnati Off-Road Alliance, often shortened to CORA, is advising on the park’s mountain biking trail networks. CORA’s Board President Brian Bozeman and Fette said they were inspired by a mountain biking trail networks in Bentonville, Arkansas, famously the birthplace of Walmart.

“In 2007 Walmart had a huge problem,” Bozeman said, “and that problem was that nobody wanted to live in the dumpy little town of Bentonville, Arkansas. So the grandsons of Sam Walton, Tom and Stewart, had a vision to reinvent Bentonville in an effort to attract talent to the region, which resulted in now what is known as the mountain bike capital of the world.”

Bentonville saw a 53% increase in population between 2010 and 2020, according to the U.S. Census. The goal was replicate something like that for Erlanger, bringing in more people and businesses.

“The talent that we are so desperately trying to attract to our region is choosing locations with access to nature, parks and outdoor recreation,” Bozeman said. “Our growth organizations are recruiting companies to our region without the talent pipeline to fill those jobs. This talented workforce that we are seeking is choosing their home based on lifestyle and livability, not solely on a career.”

Fette also touted the project’s potential benefit to public health, the city’s property values and overall quality of life.

“This is Erlanger’s forever adventure park and preserve,” Fette said. “We are using the term, as well because what we want to make sure–and what this name means–is that we’re preserving this space for eons and eons to come.”

Check out some preliminary renderings of the amenities here.

This story originally appeared on LINKnky.com.

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ERLANGER, Ky. — A 1,000-acre park project is underway in Erlanger that aims to connect communities, as well as bring in and retain new northern Kentuckians.

What You Need To Know

Eons Adventure Park will feature a dog park, walking and biking trails and more.

Jessica Fette, Erlanger mayor, said the idea of a new adventure-themed park has been in the works for years. Thanks to enough private and public funding, including from the National Park Service and several community partners coming on board, phase one of Eons Adventure Park will become reality.

Peter Glenn, city administrator; Chris Manning, co-founder of Human Nature Inc. and Brian Bozeman, board president at Cincinnati Off-Road Alliance, all played significant roles in the process.

“This is a game-changer for our region," Fette said. "We truly view Eons as a catalyst for economic development, workforce development, improving health standards in northern Kentucky, so we see this as far more than just a park."

"This is for so much more than just an amenity. It’s to anchor future generations to this area.”

Fette got into mountain biking after a visit to Bentonville, Arkansas, which she said has had a transformative effect from investing in its own mountain bike trails.

Similar trails will be a prominent feature of the new park in Erlanger. Fette said parties involved in creating the park took an important lesson away from Bentonville.

“Mountain bike trails are the key to workforce development,” she said. “There’s a tremendous amount of economic development happening already, and what we need to work on is increasing our population. We need to make sure that we’re keeping people in this area.”

Work on a new dog park is already underway. The project will also transform a portion of Old Erlanger Road, which has been abandoned for more than a decade.

“The road has slipped pretty good off into the creek," Fette said.

That portion of the park will be called “the Spine.” Other planned features include a canopy trail and valley overlook, leading up to what will be the crown pavilion.

“This has a huge potential of interconnectivity between Kentucky and Ohio,” Fette said.

Fette said public feedback has been strong, and she’s hopeful the parties involved can help the park live up to its name.

“This land has been there for eons, and it’s our responsibility to preserve and protect this land for eons to come,” she said.

The goal is to have the dog park up and running, and the “Spine” of the walking trail, complete by June 30, 2025. The city of Erlanger is continuing to work to secure grants to fund the project.

ERLANGER, Ky. — The city of Erlanger is asking residents and those with ties to the community to donate family photos for its grand reopening.

The pictures will be displayed on Christmas trees throughout the museum as part of its “Old Fashioned Christmas” exhibit, celebrating Erlanger’s history and community bonds.

What You Need To Know

Pictures hold more than just memories. They capture traditions, joy and the connection that brings us together and for Erlanger Depot Museum attendant, Sab Fogt, it’s a walk down history lane.

“There’s a lot of pictures of children and living rooms with Christmas trees,” Fogt explained as they looked through the dozens of photos. “It’s like a cultural artifact of the time and the community.”

The Erlanger Depot was built in 1877, one of 14 stops for all traveling passenger trains as part of the Cincinnati Southern Railroad. Now, it’s the only remaining wooden depot structure on the original Southern Railway Line between Cincinnati and Chattanooga, Tennessee. The depot became a museum in 1990 but closed in 2021 because it needed renovations.

“They were going to destroy all of the depots across the railroad. But the city of Erlanger and the historical society at that time wanted to save it and make it a museum,” Fogt explained.

The citi’s Director of Economic Development, Mark Collier, explained the city council, allocated nearly $100,000 from its 2024-2025 budget to complete these upgrades.

Collier said, ”It’s been a community rallying point. Our council appropriated some funds for this year to spruce it up to get it back going. And, I think it’s going to continue that significance, this year and into the future."

Fogt agreed, saying, "We want the community to be able to come in from the park and kind of just have a safe space to connect and learn about our history here in Erlanger, because it’s actually pretty interesting.”

The museum will reopen this December, bringing to life artifacts and family photos that tell the city’s story. For residents wishing to participate, digital photo submissions are due by Nov. 11, 2024 and should be submitted to Sab Fogt via email.

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