“Children and families will enjoy hours of fun at this playground, and with its incredible nature-based details and wide-open spaces, it will attract more people to Sharon Woods throughout the region,” said Todd Palmeter, CEO of Great Parks, in a press release. “We are grateful for the project’s support of this project, who asked for it in our master plan, approved funding for it and worked with us on a design that will create adventures and memories for children of all ages and abilities.”
The playground is the culmination of a public survey and public workshops where Great Parks officials sought community input on the overall design and building materials in the space.
The final design is intended to reflect the wildlife of Sharon Woods and the rocks and nearby creek at Sharon Creek Gorge, Great Parks said.
The new playground space was partially funded by a 0.96 mill levy passed by Hamilton County voters in 2021 to support parks’ infrastructure needs and master plan initiatives, according to Great Parks.
Great Parks is also planning future improvements for play spaces at Miami Whitewater Forest, Sharon Woods Harbor, Winton Woods and Woodland Mound.
The new playground isn’t the only change happening at Sharon Woods. Crews have already drained the park’s 35-acre lake in an effort to revitalize its ecosystem, though some operations were briefly paused after lime dust coated nearby neighborhoods during the work.
That project has been in the works since 2017 when Great Parks began its plans to renew and improve the lake; after the lake was fully drained, crews began re-positioning a buildup of sediment and silt to create a new wetland habitat. In addition, the future of the lake will include a new wetland boardwalk, fishing pier and docks.
Sharon Lake has been closed since work began earlier this year. The lake was originally estimated to re-open by the fall of 2025, Great Parks announced in April.
Once the lake is re-opened, there will be one change — motorboats will no longer be allowed on the lake.
According to Great Parks, the lake improvements address priorities in the Great Parks Comprehensive Master Plan that include a heightened access to conservation areas, along with building ecological resiliency and sustainability.
Great Parks said previously, large blooms of duckweed have been threatening recreational activities like boating, in addition to presenting a threat to wildlife habitats and access to natural areas of the lake.
“Great Parks will then optimize the depth of the lake by re-positioning sediment to create new wetlands in some areas and increased depth in other areas,” reads the press release from Great Parks. “New wetlands will improve water filtration and expand wildlife habitat.”
In addition to the lake being closed off from visitors, portions of the trail around Sharon Lake are closed during construction. However, many trails within Sharon Woods remain open, including the Gorge Trail. Visitors interested in seeing the work crews are doing on Sharon Lake are able to see it from the overlook at Sharon Woods Harbor, according to Great Parks.
In addition to re-building the lake at Sharon Woods, Great Parks also plans to improve the shared-use trail and build a new kayak launch. When the lake is completed, park officials said there will also be additional improvements made to the harbor.
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