News
Kingswood in the Journal News! Deerfield Twp.’s Signature Park to get Obstacle Course
By Jon Weidlich, Contributing Writer
Nov 30, 2022
Deerfield Twp. residents may have taken advantage of Thanksgiving Day’s mild weather by walking off their turkey dinner at Kingswood Park. The 96-acre park has plenty of room for long walks as well as other activities. Kingswood is also designated as the township’s signature park, and the Deerfield Twp. Parks and Recreation Department is working to enhance it further. Deerfield Township Trustees President Lelle Hedding said that the township has spent an estimated million dollars for improvements in one section of the park along Irwin-Simpson Road.
It began with an open pavilion and a community garden, and then a former maintenance building was renovated to become an activity center. “We’ll be able to hold summer camps at the activity center,” said Hedding, “and residents will be able to rent it for functions and events.”
The latest addition to the area, opening soon, is a ninja obstacle course. Participants will test their strength and agility on the equipment. “Our course is unique in parks. There’s not another one like it in the region,” said Hedding. She said the obstacle course is ideal for adults as well as older children and teens who have outgrown traditional playground equipment.
Hedding said that the improvements were concentrated in this area of Kingswood Park in order to preserve the natural elements in the rest of the park. “It was a dead zone, and we created something without being invasive.”A pollinator garden in another section of the park was created in conjunction with the Cincinnati Nature Center. The area, along with a section of native prairie plantings, attracts birds, butterflies, and wildlife. Signage allows visitors to learn more about the plants.
“The park is beautiful throughout the year,” said Hedding, “and in the spring and summer the gardens will be especially attractive.”
Another partnership, this one with the Ohio River Foundation, is training volunteers to remove invasive species of trees from the park. Walking paths, mountain bike trails, a natural wetlands area, and a fishing pond are scattered throughout the park. Visitors can park at the Irwin-Simpson Road entrance or in a north parking lot opened this year on Duke Boulevard.
Formerly the Kingswood Golf Course, the property was originally purchased by the township as land for potential future development. Local residents, including current township trustees President Lelle Hedding, worked to maintain it as green space. Kingswood Park attracts visitors from throughout southwest Ohio.
“It’s Deerfield Twp.’s signature park,” said Hedding, “and we want to make it the signature park for the region.”