Riverfront Park hits funding milestone

According to those involved with the development of Cincinnati's Riverfront Park, this new stretch of city green space is going to be far more than just a pretty spot along the river.

"It's an irreplaceable urban treasure," said Debbie Oliver, co-founder of the Women's Committee for Cincinnati Riverfront Park. "Once it's built out, it's going to be such a joyful, healthy place. It's going to be the city's new front yard."

Oliver and her colleagues in the six-year-old Women's Committee have worked in increasingly larger steps to advocate for the 45-acre park that frames the Ohio entry to the John A. Roebling Bridge. Through a series of fundraising efforts, the committee is raising funds to establish an endowment for the park and to support family-friendly programming there.

On Thursday, the Women's Committee will host its 2011 Hats Off! Luncheon, the first event to officially be held in the park. And during the event, Oliver said the committee will make a big announcement: its fundraising effort that started in 2006 with a goal of raising $100,000 will top $1 million, thanks to a $20,000 donation from a local garden club.

Gretchen Hooker, Cincinnati Parks Foundation development associate, said the money is an important piece in the park's multi-stream funding puzzle. The $120 million needed to complete and partially endow the park is expected to come from a variety of state, federal and local sources, she explained. A third of that - roughly $40 million - is planned to come through private donations, like that raised by the Women's Committee. Hooker said fundraising efforts are ongoing - as of May 18, private donations totaled slightly more than $8.1 million - but added that the Women's Committee's work has gone beyond dollars and cents.

"It's important to have the money, just because we need the money to fund park, but the advocacy it brings when people are engaging in it, I think, is even more important."

Oliver noted several reasons for the group's strong advocacy for the park: it serves as a "crown jewel," she said, tying together the stadiums and The Banks. It draws residents from downtown, and provides a peaceful break from the urban landscape. And it adds to the city's already-renowned urban park system.

"We're going to go on beating the path, pounding the pavement, because we so believe in it," she said.

And that advocacy work will likely play a direct role in the rate at which the park's planned amenities, such as an event lawn and water features, come online. As with many projects nationwide, Riverfront Park has had to adapt to changing timelines for state and Federal funding.

"You have to be flexible," said Oliver, who noted that the park has been in planning and development since 1999. "It's about being responsible and responsive with the resources at hand."

For the time being, Oliver said the Women's Committee will continue its fundraising and advocacy work on behalf of the park. And Hooker noted that that ongoing support is already having a ripple effect, as more and more private donors step up to help fund this prominent public space.

"The women who have stepped up have been so supportive and energetic," Hooker said. "As they spread the word, they get more people engaged. And as people join forces, they often add more donations to help support the park."

Writer: Matt Cunningham