Washington Park construction will be in full swing for 2011

The bodies have been removed, the trees have been pruned and the massive renovation of Washington Park in Over the Rhine can be shifted into high gear this year.By the end of this week the construction fence there will expand south to 12th street, capturing the entire park as a construction zone except a small section near the south entrance, Cincinnati Center City Development Corporation (3CDC) Vice President for Development Chad Munitz said. Sometime in February, that small area will become a construction zone too.Crews began working in the park in August, excavating human remains from old cemeteries there and making other preparations for the park's transformation. Construction began November 23. Since then, trees have been trimmed, fertilized and fenced-off so that construction equipment won't trample or damage their root systems during construction. Some existing features, including an old swimming pool, were demolished to make way for a new parking garage. Later this week, after the fence encompasses the southern portion of the park, workers will begin demolishing the old pathways and installing new path, sewer, electric, and water systems. Thirty-foot-deep holes will be dug to accommodate a dry-well system that will prevent storm water runoff from entering the city's combined sewer system, Munitz said.In the north end of the park, cranes are now lowering the outside walls into a 450-space, two-level parking garage. Excavation of the garage will continue for the next month and a half, and then its construction will begin, Munitz said.Once the roof has been put on top of the garage, an events stage and 37,000 square foot lawn will be built on top of it. The lawn will be flanked to the south by an interactive water park with 350 programmable spouts that will spray water on those playing inside it. The northern end will also include a playground and dog park.In February or March of 2012 the garage is slated to open to the public. The rest of the park will open, weather permitting, sometime in the spring of 2012, Munitz said.Weekly updates on the construction progress will be released on 3CDC's website throughout the project. The Washington Park renovation project is on a similar scale and construction timeline to the 2005 Fountain Square renovation, Munitz said. Both projects provided underground parking, cost just under $50 million, created a major events space and were completed on a roughly 18-month construction timetable.Writer: Henry SweetsPhotography by Scott Beseler.