Beloved Liberty Twp. playground survives demolition plan after trustee reversal

A beloved 25-year-old park in Liberty Township will avoid demolition and replacement after the Board of Trustees delayed an effort to level the wooden structure in preparation for a more than $500 million renovation.

Brad Belleman and his son Blake were playing hide-and-seek at the Fort Liberty Playland Friday and said they often make the 20-minute drive from Mason to visit the unique park.

"This is our favorite playground in the Cincinnati area," Brad said.

The Bellemans said they were upset to hear the local trustees had a plan to install a plastic, metal, and poured rubber facility on the ground where the largely wooden structure now sits, and Brad cheered a Change.org petition organized to save it.

"This has been a very fond place in our hearts," he said.

The board of trustees paused a vote on Wednesday's agenda to spend $550,538.20 — $500,000 of which would be from a recently allocated state grant, to have GameTime replace the park.

Trustee Tom Farrell addressed those in the crowd calling for the park to be saved before announcing they'd pause the demo.

"This wasn't just a normal playground as we may have thought," he said. "We decided to put the project on hold and take another look to see if we can restore this, at the very least keep some of it."

The existing structure has reached its operational lifespan, per the board.

Lee Sellers, a former Lakota East Track coach who used to use the playland as a rallying point for his runners, said he would like to see an attempt made to save it.

"If it's not a safety issue, then I'd like to see it stay put," Sellers said.

The board said it was meeting with new contractors, including the original contractor who built it, to evaluate options for the property, and they called on the public to be heard in what comes next.

Belleman only asked that he and his son still have a place to play hide-and-seek and that the board "keep it natural" rejecting the idea of a modern play park.

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